When is the Best Time to Ski Switzerland?
It is possible to ski & snowboard in Switzerland every day of the year - just go to Zermatt, its always open! But seriously, we always get asked, ‘When is the best time to go skiing in .......?’ (insert country name)! It is always the second question asked after, 'Where is the best place to ski in ……..?’(insert country)! Read on to find out where is best and when.
To maximise the enjoyment of our Switzerland skiing experiences, the main factors we consider are:
- Crowds.
- Snow quantity & quality.
- Open lifts & terrain.
- Price.
- Can we get there easily by train (a very Swiss thing!).
Factors 2 & 3 are often beyond our control due to mother nature. Factors 4 & 5 are what they are - the price is high or not (online dynamic lift pass pricing is making a difference to costs in Swiss resorts), & trains go there or they don’t! But crowds (Factor 1) can make even the greatest powder snow day a relative disappointment. So, we try to AVOID CROWDS AT ALL COSTS.
The other lovely element associated with the question of ‘When to ski Switzerland?, is that one can be safe in the knowledge it is possible to ride a ski lift & schuss a piste every day of every month of the year.
Skiing Switzerland with Low Crowds
It should go without saying that sleeping in until 10am & starting skiing at 11 is not a good crowd avoidance strategy. Dress for the cold, get to first lifts & let it rip for a couple of hours of bliss. Have an early lunch & then hit it again when everyone else heads in for theirs.
In a broader sense the following is rule of thumb for the best times to ski Switzerland with low crowds:
- Late November & December before Christmas.
- January after the first week.
- Middle two weeks of March; and
- April whenever Easter isn’t!
Times to absolutely avoid if you don’t like too many humans sharing your powder:
- Christmas / New year period (everywhere).
- German & Swiss mid-term school holidays.
- *Weekends, especially close to large population centres or easy to get to resorts.
- Competition events (i.e. Adelboden around the World Cup!).
- Swiss National Holidays.
- Mid to late February (It is high season in ski resorts for a reason!)
*As a general rule, any self-respecting Powder hound is skiing backcountry on weekends & avoiding the inbounds at resorts. HOWEVER, Saturdays are often a changeover day for those staying on week-long packages & so many do not ski or board. If the nearby local population isn’t large, it can be surprisingly good at some resorts on a Saturday - go figure! Sunday is a regular family ski time in Switzerland & generally, the busiest day of the week.
Swiss Skiing Month by Month
Switzerland is the one of the only countries in the world that has lift assisted skiing all year round (the others being Austria, Italy & Norway). Here is our guide to tick off the ‘I skied every month last year and avoided the crowds in Switzerland’ list.
We start in October, because in the high Swiss Alps (& neighbouring Austria!) that is the month things start to get interesting when the first ‘winter-like’ storms lashing the mountains.
October
At the start of October, the Swiss glaciers are starting to recover from increasingly hot summers. The year-round ski resort of Zermatt will start the month with around 20km of ski trails open & then gradually increase as the month goes on. Later in the month, Zermatt’s ‘Matterhorn Glacier Paradise’ interlinked Italian neighbour, Cervinia, will start skiing on its glacier. Saas Fee has its extensive glacier skiing & terrain parks open.
Other Swiss glaciers that usually open in October include Glacier 3000 between Gstaad & Les Diablerets, plus up on Titlis at Engelberg. By the middle of the month the awesome freeride mountain of Diavolezza will open some limited terrain. Watch the rocks off-piste early in the season - lots of sharks lurking under the snow at Diavolezza. Later in the month the legendary Gemsstock at Andermatt will start up.
November
Through November, many ski resorts are beginning operations as conditions allow, although most will only be on weekends and with limited lifts/terrain. The larger ski resorts of Andermatt, Davos (Parsenn), Laax, Lenzerheide, Muerren-Schilthorn, St Moritz and Verbier.
Zermatt & Saas Fee are open. You will notice a theme here!
By the end of the month it is just getting cold again for the snow to drop right down into the low valleys. Winter is back. Yay!
December
Early December can see huge snowfalls. Check out Lauchernalp, Crans Montana, Verbier or any other resort turning lifts pre-Christmas.
Christmas in Switzerland in a village at the snow fields is gorgeous, quintessential Europe. Prices are up & crowds are aplenty, but it can be a magical time to visit, especially as a family. Expect decent snow mostly everywhere in the higher elevations. An amazing Swiss Alps family Christmas can be had at Aletsch Arena, neighbouring Belalp or lovely Brigels. The spectacular Grindelwald-Wengen is hard to beat for the combination of stupendous landscape, charming villages, amazing trains & lifts, plus diverse winter activities.
For the more energetic, the Arosa & Lenzerheide combination is wonderful at Christmas time.
Zermatt & Saas Fee are still open & absolutely stunning during the Christmas festive season. Saas Fee is cold though - rug up!.
January
January is the best time to ski both the popular Swiss ski resorts & those with low elevation bases (1000m+). Temperatures are super-cold & the snow quality can be sublime, although avalanche dangers increase too. All resorts should have wonderful snow and the valley runs will be open. Lower elevation resorts like Gstaad, Adelboden-Lenk, Leysin and a host of others throughout the country should be wonderful.
As it is quieter after the first week of January, it can be a good time to hit the off-piste & freeride routes at some of the Swiss mega-resorts like in Arosa-Lenzerheide, Crans-Montana, Laax, Davos-Klosters, 4-Vallees, Jungfrau, Portes du Soleil plus St Mortiz’s Corvatsch or Corviglia. For powder days get to Andermatt, Diavolezza-Lagalb, Engelberg, Lauchernalp & Muerren Schilthorn.
Zermatt & Saas Fee are still open - no surprise there!
February
The most popular month of the year for skiing, February can be a good time to seek out those many ‘forgotten’ Swiss Alps resorts. Visit places like Anzere (near Crans Montana), Arolla-Evolene (between Verbier & Zermatt), Bivio (near St Moritz but the polar opposite of …….. St Moritz!), Klewenalp (near Engelberg), Leukerbad-Torrent (near Crans Montana), Ovronnaz, Rosswald, Scuol, Savognin (between Lenzerheide & St Moritz), Torgon (at the far north end of the incredible Portes du Soleil), and a plethora of others. In the Italian Speaking south of south, check out Airolo (easily accessed by train) & Bosco Gurin (harder to get too).
In the Valais, one could do worse than to spend extended time at the fabulous Val d’Anniviers resorts of Grimentz Zinal, St Luc Chandolin & Vercorin. Alternatively, in Graubuenden, when the snowpack is deep, the long freeride descents at Disentis are super. These are some of our favourite Swiss ski locations.
For freeriders, the peak of Säntis in north-eastern Switzerland has wonderful descents from its incredibly snowy peak. Terrain from the cable car is all off-piste/backcountry & experience (or a guide) is required.
Generally, the start of the next ‘high season’ will coincide with the beginning of the various school holiday periods throughout the month. Know that the price of lift tickets and lodging are higher accordingly, even in the smaller resorts.
Zermatt & Saas Fee are still open.
March
Everywhere is glorious at the start of the month, but the high-altitude Alps locations are the best in the last two weeks. Long freeride routes around Engelberg, Grimentz-Zinal, Muerren-Schilthorn, Verbier, Davos Klosters, Andermatt Sedrun, St Moritz, Zermatt & Saas Fee are just getting super-good.
April
April can bring some huge snow dumps to the higher elevations but expect lots of milder temperatures and ego corn snow. If it does snow, get out there as the crowds have gone & prices are low.
The vast majority of ski resorts will close in the first two weeks of April. The sun is out, snow is soft, days are long, and partying is on. Head to Ischgl for the best on-snow parties in Europe & perhaps the world, but its not in Switzerland! Swiss resorts have pockets of spring après ski fun. Some of the best is along the valley trail into the town of Zermatt under the Furi gondola. Otherwise try the combination of the amazing terrain parks & funky bars at Laax.
Turn an eye to a ski tour along the Urner Skiers Haute Route between Andermatt and Engelberg or the many peaks above Saas Fee.
Zermatt is still open, but alas Saas Fee closes until summer - they deserve a break!
May
Early in the month, a few resorts are still spinning lifts early in the month before closing until late autumn. Andermatt, Engelberg Corvatsch & Diavolezza chief among them. Ski touring Iceland & Norway or the Austrian glaciers are the obvious alternatives to the Swiss Alps!
Zermatt is still open! Italy's Stelvio Pass summer ski area will open early in the month, assuming the road has been located & cleared! It will be available for sliding until November as an alternative to Zermatt!
June
June can be the best time to ski the backcountry around Zermatt if not heading to Norway’s Svalbard for boat-based ski touring among polar bears & walrus!
Zermatt is still open! Yay. Its Italian neighbour, Cervinia, opens for the summer season too. Double yay - Cervinia is cheaper too!
July
It is getting hot & high-altitude glacier-based skiing is the ’only show in town’. Lifts start early & skiing will finish just after lunchtime. Saas Fee in Switzerland opens its glacier skiing again and doesn’t close until April.
Zermatt is still open!
August
Lean times, but Zermatt & Saas Fee are still open! The other 360-day/year resort still open is the fantastic Hintertux Glacier in Austria - more than worthy distraction if Zermatt is getting a tad old!
September
Early September can be the toughest time to find some white stuff to slide on. Thankfully, Switzerland has Zermatt & Saas Fee & they are still open. In Austria Hintertux Glacier is still cranking (of course!) & Passo Stelvio in Italy will be hanging in there too.
Temperatures are getting colder by the end of the month, and in the high Swiss Alps, winter is just around the corner ……. bring it on.
