[Closed] Skiing / Boarding in Zermatt - Any good?

We wer there for jus 10 days and stuckmainly tothe inbounds areas. Its got amazing views & daft electric carts allround town. It was really really cold when we were there, but I coud lie in bed and see the Matterhorn (fnarr). Didnt find too much steep tech nor accessible tree runs but good fun going over the top and dropping into Italy.

It is exceedingly nice but not cheap, it has got lots of good skiing (there are quite a few of those semi marked off piste routes they have in Switzerland which are normally challenging as well as a good range of pistes), Cervinia over the top is motorway heaven. The views are beautiful and they have probably the best mountain restaurants in the Alps. The lift access is much better these days as well. It is where I would take the wife for a nice week rather than where I would go with a bunch of mates, as I can get some great skiing and she can enjoy the atmosphere. If I was with a bunch of mates, I would go to Verbier.

Skied in Zermatt quite a few times now - but always stayed in Cervinia.

The combined area gives a huge variety, and yes the high mountain views are magnificent.

Nothing quite beats getting the last lift up to Kleine Matterhorn (3820m highest lift for piste skiing in Europe & the World?) and blasting all the way down to the Italian border at Plateau Rosa and then on down to Breuil Cervinia - all on desserted slopes except for the ski patrol and the piste bashers... Longest pisted run in Europe I believe

And,

.. and...

.....AND..
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HOW DARE SOMEONE MENTION [b]SKIING[/b] THIS EARLY IN THE YEAR. 😈 😈 😈

You do realise that you have now consigned the next 6-8 months of my life to [i]wistfully[/i] looking out of the window hoping for snow, and [i]willfully[/i] looking at the internet for snow reports, holiday prices and shiny, shiny kit.

****ER
****ER
****ER
😉

I'll have you know that I was [b][i]cured[/i][/b]...

...for 12 whole years

I'd put that particular addiction behind me.

My god it hurt for the first three years - friends and colleagues off skiing and me staying at home.... crawling up the walls every winter

STUFF your summer holidays

BUT, I [b][i]was[/i][/b] cured in the end - forgot all about it, I did.
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Until Mrs rkk01 suggested we take the kids skiing in 2008.

I was deeply sceptical, all new kit, fat skis and all, could I still do it, doubt, doubt, doubt.... and at the back of my mind - didn't want to start doing that white stuff again.

ONE TURN, that's all it took - one bloody turn, the exhillaration of letting the skis accellerate into the fall line for that first turn.

Mountain biking was my cure - the sop, the pseudo ski experience that I could sup on all year without going for the real thing, the same balance, the same attacking stance, getting on the ski or tyre edges, carving the turn, feeling the acceleration, the adrenaline, coursing through your veins, the concentration...

... but not the real thing...

not really

Sorry 😳

Yes Zermatt - very good, excellent in fact. Every skiier should ski there once. Food and drink very pricey though - which is why staying in Cervinia is good. Swiss skiing and Italian hospitality

Sorry, can we not talk about skiing please? For the first time in a good few years I won't be going this season and I am GUTTED.

I love mountain biking but nothing can compare to that first turn on a crisp morning in the mountains. The "crunch" as you break the surface, the feel as the edge grips, the burning in your thighs as you put another turn in the powder, the warm liquor from a hip flask on a chairlift. Nope, nothing else touches it. Sniff.

rkk - I know what you mean. Sliding and carving on snow is just a joyful experience. Going up on the chair, picking out rad lines. Then riding down them, not quite sure if they go. Floating on pow, flippy turns on steeps, mega speed on the blues pistes [sigh]

lunge - the cures don't really work, they can't work, not once you've done it. Not when you know what your missing every winter. Not once ski sunday comes on the telly.

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Still not quite sure how people rave about Zermatt.... We went a couple of years ago and found it to be very mediocre. Badly linked area (especially if you're on a board), lots of flat spots, and the town was a bit stuffy. The Cervinia side was best - it did look like there could be some decent off piste but the snow coverage wasn't good enough (and it wasn't a bad snow year). Most of the mountain restaurants required reservations (irritating - unless you want to plan your day around lunch spots and have proper meals rather than enjoying the skiing/boarding).

So once was enough for us... I prefer North American skiing (Whistler is the best - no argument ;o) but we've done a reasonable amount in Europe (Espace Killy is probably our favourite in Europe) and Zermatt is probably the worst of the lot for me.

Views of the Matterhorn are good though.