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SKI RESORTS 
SWITZERLAND
by Ted Heck
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The mountainous country of Switzerland evokes images of scenic grandeur, charm and adventure. But it is also noted for commerce and efficient service. Its people cater to visitors and answer requests with “No problem.”
Winter fun is a top entry on the adventure menu and ski resorts are among the best in the world. But there are 250 ski resorts in a small nation that would fit into Vermont and New Hampshire combined. So your editors have a dilemma about which resorts to include in a guide read primarily by North American skiers. They range in size from alpine pastures served by modest lifts to world class resorts with vast snowfields above the tree line and reached by high tech conveyances. Major resorts have more skiing terrain than nearly anything in the American Rockies; their long runs and vertical drops dwarf those of ski areas in New England.
To list particulars on all 250 resorts is beyond the scope of this reference book. Most skiers from the United States and Canada will choose a resort from the more than 40 described or mentioned here. We include such popular resorts as Zermatt, St. Moritz, Davos, Klosters, Verbier and the Jungfrau Region and many others that we feel have important attributes for skiers to evaluate, such as location, terrain, facilities and apres-ski amenities.
On the previous page resorts are listed alphabetically, but in the descriptions that follow they are grouped by regions, from west to east: Lake of Geneva, Valais, Bernese Oberland, Central Switzerland, Graubünden, Eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
To rhapsodize about skiing in Switzerland is easy. Skiers of all levels of ability can find something to their liking. Comfortable groomed pistes for cruising or challenging powder chutes where adrenal glands work overtime. Long runs that begin on open snowfields, drop down into the trees, past farm houses hanging on sides of steep pastures, to remote villages from which skiers return by a train in the valley. Memorable slopes alongside awesome glaciers. Opportunities to cross over borders into other countries. Mountain restaurants with sunlit decks for refreshing breaks in the action.
There is always snow in Switzerland, even in years of less snowfall—if you go high enough. Above 6,000 feet skiers find plenty of snow to cavort on, even though valleys below may be green and temperatures feel more like those of tennis time.
Switzerland thrives on tourism and therefore has a high percentage of English-speaking residents. But the alpine experience is enhanced by listening to conversations in four different languages, all of them official. German is spoken most often in the north and east, French and Italian are heard the closer one gets to neighboring countries. And also in the east is Romansch, an incomprehensible tongue that sounds like someone reading a cryptogram.
Lift ticket, ski school and equipment rental rates are listed in a special section in the back of the book.
Hotel rates are not included. In surveying resorts we find a universal range of prices. In almost every resort a budget-minded skier can stay in a comfortable pension for U.S. $50 to $60 a day. Two and three star hotels run from $80 to $120, but a skier with a mink parka can spend hundred of dollars a day for a suite in a five star luxury hotel. Travel agents and tour operators in America and local tourist offices in Switzerland are prepared to match accomodations with skiers’ pocketbooks.
A note about statistics on terrain and lift facilities; some resorts are near others and share the same mountains. The Jungfrau Region is a good example of how areas promote jointly and lay claim to the same territory. But this highlights the fact that this small country offers an amazing number of options. Choice makes Switzerland special.
Skiing is what The Blue Book is all about. But vacationers in Switzerland will want to take advantage of other startling panoramas. There are beautiful lakes on which steamships operate throughout the winter. And legendary rivers, including the Rhine and Rhone, usually thought of as major arteries in other countries, but originating in Switzerland.
The Glacier Express, one of the world’s great train rides, runs along the Rhine for a while on a spectacular eight-hour journey from Zermatt to St. Moritz, crossing 300 bridges and entering 91 tunnels.
The gateway cities of Zürich and Geneva are often given short shrift by arriving skiers eager to get to the mountains. But on the way home they offer urban sightseeing and cultural bonuses to a skiing holiday.
Because the travel industry is so highly organized, assistance is available long before a skier steps off the plane. Switzerland Tourism has brochures, trail maps, and hotel information on many areas, plus general literature about skiing. From December to April daily snow reports can be found on the Swiss website.
SWITZERLAND TOURISM OFFICES
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The Swiss Center
608 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10020-2303
Fax (212) 262-6116
501 Santa Monica
Boulevard, Suite 607
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Fax (310) 260-2923
926 The East Mall
Etobicoke, ON M9B 6K1
Fax (416) 695-277
Information:
International Toll Free:
011800-100-200-30
USA only: Toll Free:
1(877) 794-8037
Email: info.usa@switzerlandtourism.ch
Internet: http://www.MySwitzerland.com
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