Saas Fee is definitely worth a visit and stay. The village is a car free zone, if you arrive by car this means you park outside of town. There is transport available in and around the village, but it's electric and walking is the way to get around.
The village is quirky with lots of eating, drinking and shopping options.
The lift infrastructure is good, as is the piste skiing, however it can be quite busy on certain pistes.
Glaciers are always an impressive demonstration of natures original art, this one is no different. Although it is beyond sad that the glaciers are declining rapidly, it is still a thing of great beauty and complexity.
The sledding is SOOOOO much fun:-)
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I will just come out and admit it. There were 3 reasons that made us go to Saas Fee in early February 2025, and none of them had to with skiing!
1. We were keen on staying in beautiful alpine village for a few days. (Tick)
2. I wanted to get up close & personal to glaciers (without any real effort). (Tick)
3. We wanted to go sledding because as much as we love skiing, we also adore sledding (or sledging as they say). It is just a helluva lot of fun and always elicits much laughter and joy. (Tick)

And OK, there was a fourth reason. There was no new snow in the forecast, and we wanted to go somewhere high & north-aspect for some quality remaining powder - that's definitely a Saas Fee thing! (Tick) And now that it’s on the Magic Pass (which if you are skiing in the Valais, you would be insane not to have!), coming here feels like a budget ski holiday in a big mountain resort.

Happy to say that all four boxes were delightfully ticked. We skied powder on the glaciers, up close to the beautiful blue ice, got fast, first tracks sledding in the early morning on Hannig, and had a boozy afternoon wandering the Saas Fee village bars whilst admiring the old hay barns against the 4,000m+ peaks backdrop.

From a ski point of view, we do enjoy exploring Saas Fee, but it has a major downside for beginner skiers. Whilst there is stellar lifts & terrain for novices to learn down low in the village, and beautiful, wide, cruisy slopes up high on the glaciers, there is precious little in between. For many, the mid-mountain runs are super intimidating and can be steep, icy and scary for anyone not at least a competent intermediate skier. Several of the red (intermediate) slopes would likely be classified as black anywhere else. This is not a great beginners mountain, but if one manages the lift downloads (to avoid skiing the steeper bits of the mountain), all the stupendous scenery, authentic village & range of activities more than makes up for it.

One thing that was disappointing, but not surprising, was the observable retreat of the upper mountain glaciers since our last visit. Changes in glacial ice are having impacts on all the upper ski trails at Saas Fee. So much so that I now comprehend the closure of several runs that have been removed from the ski trail map. For example, the piste that exited the lower Metro-Alpin station at Felskinn is no longer viable as it is now perched on a cliff! Piste 5 is now an off-piste route. Route 15a is now a questionable proposition due to massive ice loss. The Ice Palace at Mittelallalin (at 3,500m altitude) was closed due to ‘safety reasons’ further marking the decline of the glaciers. ’Tunnelling’ at the base of the glaciers is now a major hazard, along with the usual seracs & crevasses. In general, off-piste skiing on the glaciers is becoming more variable and dangerous due to increasing numbers and depth of crevasses. Having said that, some of the off-piste glacier terrain is perfect for those new to the ski-touring & freeride game as it is low angle but one needs to be cognisant of the hazards and only go if properly equipped with the right gear & local knowledge. Whilst the snow quality on the upper mountain is superb for days and weeks after a snow fall, accessing it safely is best done with a local guide regardless of your ability. The best & safest off-piste skiing on a powder day is below the glacier level on the moraines from Speilboden. There are also safe options from further up at Längfluh.

We skied briefly at Saas Almagell during this visit. A cute, quiet village with skiing directly into the centre of town. A few bars, and basic services. With a substantial number of hotels. Excellent & regular bus links with Saas Fee throughout the day. Sled trail in lower mountain. A pleasant family/beginner zone at the top of the chairlift (1,893m Furggstalden) provides a quiet alternative to the often dark & cold novice areas at Saas Fee.

Hanning’s new gondola is wonderful and way over capitalised for what it accesses, but perhaps non-winter traffic is high & justifies the expense. Its bottom station is somewhat awkwardly located above the main village centre and is easy to miss. The upper mountain restaurant has Saas Fee’s best overlook & provides a glorious morning coffee location. Renting a sled was just 8chf for the whole day and the Hannig gondola is included in all lift passes. The 6km sled trail has a blue & red option up top with the red variant providing tear-inducing speed. The final 200m back to the gondola valley station is on foot, but that’s no problem. Morning sunshine makes first tracks the best, plus it is so quiet first thing that you will likely have the place to yourself.

One thing to remember when coming to Saas Fee by car is that the village is ‘car free’. You will need to park in the main garage at the start of town. You can get an electric taxi shuttle to your hotel (unless it has its own) or just walk and carry your gear (nothing is too far away). The parking costs a few Francs but is not outrageous. We parked as close to the village as possible out in the open section of the car park. There is plenty of undercover parking too.

I have always been of the view that Saas Fee has some of the best après skiing in Switzerland (alongside nearby Zermatt - must be something in the local water). Lots of options and all within a strolling distance. Zermatt is actually better because of the ski-in ski-out après experience above the town, but Saas Fee is better in the village, and generally more affordable.

Saas Fee is a magical location. Skiing, glaciers, mountain peaks, scenery, sledding, eating, drinking, tradition, powder ...... the list goes on. And unlike Zermatt, it has affordability too. If you have never been, come spend a few days and marvel at the glacial ice before it all disappears for good.
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Had the most amazing time in such a quaint village. Lots of accommodation options! Highly recommend!
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Centred on the gorgeous village of Saas Fee, the “Free Republic of Holidays” has somehow managed to retain a low-key rustic charm that has escaped many other well-known Swiss ski resorts (think Davos, St Moritz & even Zermatt).

Saas Fee is perched above the Saas valley, below the highest mountain entirely in Switzerland – the 4545m Dom. The village’s smallish permanent population (but largest of the four villages in the valley), relatively limited development & retention of the many classic Valaisan timber houses & hay barns give Saas Fee a relaxed feel with a broad appeal. Saas Fee is a world leader in Protecting Our Winters (& its glorious glaciers) with its use of electric cars in town, 100% renewable energy & particulate filters on all furnaces. The village has been car-free ever since the road was first built to it in 1951. The town is quiet & clean as a result.

For a place surrounded by tumbling glaciers, Saas Fee can get dramatically less snow than its surrounding valleys. As such we rate it as a piste & ski touring destination rather than a consistent freeride powder haunt. Come here in the perfect storm cycle & it may be different. Regardless, the village position surrounded by ridges & peaks crowned in blue ice glaciers is reason enough to visit. Peaks such the Dom soar over 2600m vertical above town.

The skiing and lift system is a complex disjointed affair not easily navigated for the uninitiated, but broad & diverse enough to still rate well. The piste trails stay fresh & fast due to their northerly aspect & the numerous top to bottom variations will please the groomer fraternity. Some of the intermediate level descents would be rated advanced in other European ski resorts. The learn-to-ski area near town is an excellent place to do your first sliding on snow, but potentially too shaded & cold in the full depths of winter. Leave a visit to later in the season & you should be fine. Graduating to the wide open, low angle glacier terrain at the very top of the resort is wonderful (these are rated intermediate, but are easy). Only problem is there is no one for the less experienced snow rider to get down the entire hill without confronting some pretty significant challenges. Downloading from Morenia at mid mountain is required, but that puts one at the wrong end of town. Nothing is simple in Saas Fee’s terrain. The snow parks look good. We even had a bit of a play ourselves, but without a dedicated lift found the return to the top of the park too arduous. The summer skiing park on the glacier would be a better option, but it was covered in deep powder during our visit!

There are marked freeride routes, but most are relatively short & exploration beyond the obvious looks difficult, even to our experienced eye. We did ski powder though, which is always a massive tick in our book. Saas Fee appears to be best suited to at least one day using a guide to fully explore the off-piste potential or skin up to one of the many peaks for a more epic descent.

Vying for the triple award for most spectacular learn to ski area, most touchable glacier & most gobsmacking panoramic piste/ lift download, Saas Grund (or Hohsaas) is a special addition to skiing Saas Fee. Included in the standard lift pass, it is a short free bus ride (with a guest card) down valley, Saas Grund faces south, bathing it in sunshine. Come across to ski long verticals, simpler off-piste options & to thaw your bones. The 15km long valley run was a tad bony at the bottom for our sensibilities but the beautiful view on the gondola download provided enough hedonistic pleasure to outweigh our surrender mentality.

If you need reasons to visit a ski resort that involve the word ‘world’ Saas Fee has a few. The Allalin revolving restaurant is the highest of its kind in the world (3500m). The Metro Alpin funicular is the world’s highest underground train. The Ice Pavillon at Mittelallalin is ‘probably’ the world’s biggest & highest, but no one has actually measured it. Having been in a few, it is bigger than most by a fair way & is certainly high up the mountain!

The coolest bar with the hippest tunes in town is the new Pubwise – a distinctly hipless & disappointing name. Good booze served in a contemporary city laneway style bar, Pubwise is the place to drink, talk & sway to the music ( or rock in a hammock!).

The classic gritty Saas Fee ski bar is Nestis SkiBar near the Hotel Christiana in the centre of town. Named after Nostrum Brugener, a long-retired pro skier from the late 70s, it has all paraphernalia, booze tunes & food for the ski bar recipe.

By far the best coffee in Sass Fee (& maybe Switzerland) is the 12Inch Coffee shop opposite the Coop & Migros supermarkets.

We stayed at the Hotel Collina whilst in Saas Fee. Run by a solid young crew, this excellent value hotel deserves to prosper.

Visit Saas Fee not just for a ski experience but an entire Swiss mountain experience. The combination of a utopian village, glaciers, mountain peaks, skiing, bars & other attractions make it a worthy addition to any European ski holiday.

See our video here

Saas Fee is one valley over from Zermatt and a very typical swiss resort town. Nestled at the end of the valley and at the foot of the glacier Saasfee couldn't get anymore inside the Alps.The town is surrounded by towering peaks.

The Ski Resort offers km's of wide open groomed runs mostly above the tree line. The huge gondola takes you up to a mountain train which is quick, but in season both are packed so get up early to avoid the lines.

There is a mix of terrain though mostly intermediate to advanced in my opinion. The piste skiing can get quite icy and it is terribly cold in january being so high up at 3500m at the top of the highest T-bars. Go to Saas Grund and Saas Allgeman for a change of pace with the locals.

Off piste=glacier crevasses (expert guides needed).

Saas-fee town is a little quieter than Zermatt but still has great nightlife, restaurants and accomodation. Stay down valley for cheaper options and use the post bus.

Pros: Wide open groomers, long leg burning runs, amazing scenery
Cons: Often icy, really cold in January, expensive
Best suited to: Intermediate to advanced skiers
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When you are craving some snowboard action, but it is the middle of the European Summer, then head to Saas Fee for a surreal snow experience. You can snowboard in shorts and t-shirts (but keep your wind proof gear in a backpack just in case) and glide down the glacier with big arcing fast carving turns. Relatively easy to get to, I would recommend Saas as an alternative to Zermatt for some summer snowboard action.
See our video here