Valais Ski Resorts, Switzerland

Switzerland's canton of Valais (a.k.a. Wallis) is synomynous with the greatest ski resorts of the world. As well known as the Tyrol in Austria or Aosta Valley in Italy, the Valais needs to be on every powder hounds agenda, simply because of its consistent, world-class ski lifts, terrain and of course, snow.

What we regard as Switzerland's most diverse canton, the bilingual Valais / Wallis is in the southwest of Switzerland, bordering France to the west & Italy to the south. The Rhône River valley runs through the entirity of the canton and most importantly, the mountains either side of the valley include the highest in Switzerland.

With two-thirds of the Valais French-speaking (including the capital of Sion), the most easterly third is German-speaking (with its 'capital' being Brig!). Called Oberwallis (Upper Valais), the region starts in the vicinity of Pfynwald, a forested area between the city of Sierre in the west & town of Leuk in the east. So if you ski in Leukerbad one day, expect German (the Swiss version of German!) to be spoken. If the next day ski in neighbouring Crans Montana, the language spoken will definitely be French (well Swiss French anyway). Simples!

Skiing & Snowboarding in the Valais

The Valais includes the full gammut of ski resorts. From the world's best known, like Zermatt & Verbier; to a huge number of fabulous 'small' ski areas with a strong appeal to powder hounds. These 'small' ski rsorts are the real reason to ski the Valais and include the likes of the fabulously named Unterbäch, La Fouly , & Arolla Evolene. But they are just the tip of a huge iceberg in the region. There is a lifetime of skiing in the Valais, the secret is to know where best to spend one's time!

Climate & Snow

The Valais has the odd distinciton of being both the driest region in Switzerland (the central valleys) and also the highest precipition (on the high peaks of the Monterosa massif & Jungfrau-Aletsch mountain zone). And its the later that is off interest to powder hounds. Whilst the valley floor can often appear dry and dessicated, particularly on the sunny south-aspect slopes, the areas above the alpine 'terrace' are usually snow-covered & lush by comparison.

Getting To and Around Valais

The Valais is fabulous to travel to by train. With the exception of the train lines through the Lotschberg tunnel; south of Martigny to Chamonix, Orsieres & Le Chable (Verbier); and up to Zermatt; for the most part the main railway line simply runs through the heart of the Rhone river valley. Direct trains from both Geneva & Zurich airports reach the Valais in just a few hours vi Brig or Martigny. Connections with the superb local bus network (or in some cases cable cars & funicular lifts) get one seamlessly to all the ski resorts of the region. By road the Valais becomes a little more 'remote' in winter than summer. Several high mountain passes are closed. The capital of the canton, Sion, is perfectly sited in the centre of the region.

Reviews & More Info

The Powderhounds have skied & reviewed almost all the ski resorts in the Valais. See the individual ski resort pages for our sparkling repartee, photos & insights about them.

See how Valais ski resort compare to the rest of Switzerland on the Swiss ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

Follow Powderhounds Europe on Instagram to see where we are currently skiing. Follow our main Powderhounds page on Facebook to stay in touch with up-to-date info, tours, and discussions.

If you have a question about skiing & snowboarding the Valais or elsewhere in Europe, CONTACT US.