Zermatt

Skiing Zermatt - a true story

Matterhorn im MorgenlichtIt ist not only for the Matterhorn that stands out all other mountains, though not beeing the highest peek. It is not only for the name that attracts so much. It is, after all, a skiing area of beautiful scenery, implemented by great technical efforts. The village of Zermatt has preserved its character inspite of offering so many accomodations to thousands of tourists. May be that so many people stay apart because the village has the reputation of being snobbish or expensive (children up to 9 years ski for free and are free upto 16 years on saturdays) or, last but not least, difficult to reach. For sure, Zermatt is one of the most demanding skiing areas of the Alps: «Two days skiing in Les Arcs/ la Plagne means one day in Zermatt!», my wife resumes.
Zermatt*
Visiting those remote, motorcar-free valleys of Saas Fee or Zermatt requires a special kind of preparation: Every single item has to be packed carefully as you cannot park your car in front of the door. At Saas Fee, cars are left behind in a giantic multi storey car park at the entrance of the village, whereas Zermatt can only be accessed by train, leaving the car at Brig (no fees) or Täsch. The new car park there costs 13 CHF per day. Downtown Zermatt it is wise to take a ride in one of the electric taxis. So the costs for parking and transport amount to far more € 100 the fortnight.
Zermatt*
You must be very unlucky to hit one of the less agreable accomodations. All in all quality and price are apt for the reputation of Zermatt. Travellers from overseas will probably access the village by plane to Geneva, boarding the train to Brig, a journey that will provide most scenic views all along Zermattthe way. Visiting Zermatt will be quite an expensive enterprise, so you won't mind spending money on taxis during the stay. All others might wish to live in a central place that allows them to walk to the station as well as to the lifts to Klein Matterhorn or Sunnegga. Today there is a bus service available on the main connection along the creek. This is quite reasonable as the entrances to the different skiing areas are widely spread across the village.