Zermatt, Morzine or Alp D'Huez???

A snowHead

Hi Folks, first post here

Planning a trip for 4 people in late 20s/30s in Jan. 2 intermediate skiers, 1 beginner with a weeks experience and a boarder (beginner/ intermediate).

For Zermatt, Morzine and Alpe D'Huez would appreciate help deciding based on this criteria:

- views up the mountain, where you can see for miles (this is my favourite part of skiing)
- lots of runs for beginner/ intermediate (we don't need any expert/ off piste)
- town with enough to do if people want to not ski every day
- ease of access between town and mountain, ideally skis lockers on the mountain?
- pretty town with good bars/ pubs (we are not students so not thinking superclubs)

Zermatt is obviously more expensive, is it worth the extra money?
Apparently Alpe D'Huez is ugly? enough so to kill the vibe?

Mayrhofen was my last trip and that was cool but limited beginner skiing

thanks in advance for any info

A snowHead

Considering your first point it has to be Zermatt. Nowhere better for views (and mountain restaurants). Best start saving!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Hard to nail everything. Best to prioritise. For me, with the group you have. I'd be looking for access to the snow, beginner friendly areas and variety over the looks.

Zermatt
-Stunning surroundings and car free village/town. The matterhorn is a treat. No real on piste accommodation.
-Large snow sure ski area with lots to keep intermediates happy
-Large enough village to keep non-skiers entertained
-A lot of accommodation can be a trek to get to a lift, unless you have the big money
-Plenty of bars etc but very pricey
-I think there are better places for the 2 beginners you have. Zermatt is a resort that you want to travel and get about on in my opinion, including getting down into Cervinia

Morzine
-Large alpine town but can be busy with traffic etc. In the valley so no views per-se or on-piste accommodation. Not that it is common, it has been know to rain in the valley in Jan but then at least you know it's snowing on the hill
-Lots of good sking above Morzine and into Les Gets. Need to catch the land train or walk to the lifts to head up towards Avoriaz
-Large enough town to keep non-skiers entertained
-Depending on where you are in town, could be a walk to the nearest lift
-Lots of bars
-People love Morzine but if I was heading to that area I'd chose Avoriaz, Chatel or somewhere on the Swiss side of the PdS for better access and a nicer "feel"

ADH
-on the mountain so great views and thus much easier access to the pistes
-a great beginners area and certainly enough to keep keen intermediates entertained
-would probably be the most limited for non-skiiers out of your choices
-On the mountain and plenty of almost if not ski in/out accomdation or a very short walk to a lift or run
-not pretty to look at really unless you stay in one of the outer villages like Huez or Vaujany. Has a Follie Douce for some more lively drinking but also plenty of bars
-Out of your choices, I'd go for here. You won't care what it looks like if the skiing is good and the beer tasty

If you want another option, look at Saalbach.

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One thing about Zermatt: most of it is in the shadow of the Matterhorn, which makes snow conditions good, but makes standing around in ski school classes torturous. I'd never take beginner children there (not that that's your situation)

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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I like Switzerland but it is expensive especially if you want a few drinks at the end of a days skiing. Zermatt has impressive mountain scenery and the possibility of skiing into Italy but not the biggest area and is expensive even by Swiss standards. Long time since I was in PdS but we had a good time there with lots of skiing, the various villages have their own character. Why Alpe d'Huez and not some of the other French areas such as La Plagne / Les Arc, 3V etc plenty to choose from. If you are happy to go back to Austria either Ischgl or Saalbach Hinterglemm might suit.

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I would say Morzine also with access to Avoriaz / PDS is fantastic for your mixed group. It works super well for my ladies group (mixed from nervous low intermediate to expert). Loads of beginner and blue runs and nice and gentle on the Pleney side with Les Gets to progress to. The views up on the mountain are nice enough and you can see Les Dents du Midi if you get up to the top of Avoriaz.

Ski lockers on the mountain: I have been to a reasonable number of ski resorts (admittedly nothing compared to many on here I know!) but only one had lockers on the mountain (Courmayeur) and then if you rented from that shop. I don’t think this is common nor do you really need it. In Morzine we generally keep our skis in the shop at the end of the day or sometimes back to the hotel depending on which lift we are heading to the next day. There is good accommodation (although some nights in Jan, some hotels are already full). Plenty going on in town and it’s attractive enough for the most part. Loads of decent restaurants and bars are ok too. There is a little bit of walking/bussing depending on where you want to stay and ski but not too bad at all. You get decent value for money there too (generally more than most parts of 3V which I favour for family holidays).

I have not been to Zermatt, I’d love to, but I do ski regularly not too far away in Switzerland and the cost is significantly more especially for ski hire, eating out and good accommodation.

After all it is free

You can do Zermatt on the cheap, but probably not in the way your age group would want in a ski holiday.

For example Zermatt had loads of decent self-catering accommodation. There's a big supermarket and even a McDonald's. Under 16s ski free on Saturdays. And IME some things like coffee cost no more on the mountain than a fancy cafe in UK.

But if you want beers on the slope or town, or like to eat out every evening then you'll need CHF+++ and it probably won't be as lively as you'd like anyway.

Zermatt will be more expensive but let’s be honest, it’s playing in a different league to Morzine or Alpe d’Huez.

Just dropping these here:

Zermatt glacier

Matterhorn from Chez Vrony (Summer)

Dufourspitze - highest mountain in Switzerland

Easy piste bashing over in Cervinia

Zermatt is surrounded by a cauldron of 4000m peaks

View from the valley

The view never gets boring

Especially from Findeln and it’s fab restaurants

But you’ll need to work it off afterwards…

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For beginners / intermediates you really can't fault ADH for its 'at resort' huge expanse of mountain serviced by a series of chair lifts and even a gondola ... really convenient and literally on your doorstep to walk on to.

It didn't find it particularly ugly either, but it's certainly not one of those beautiful Swiss or Austrian type villages ...

- views up the mountain, where you can see for miles (this is my favourite part of skiing)
+ Yes, lovely expanse at resort level
- lots of runs for beginner/ intermediate (we don't need any expert/ off piste)
+ Yes
- town with enough to do if people want to not ski every day + Yes
- ease of access between town and mountain, ideally skis lockers on the mountain?
+ Yes, not sure about lockers but the lifts are close to where you will be staying
- pretty town with good bars/ pubs (we are not students so not thinking superclubs)
- Not really a pretty town + lots of bars to keep you happy enough

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I have been a few times to Zermatt, once to Alp d'Huez and not been to Morzine. As beginners/Intermediates it would be better for you to go to Alp d'huez before you go to Zermatt in later years in my opinion. Don't spoil yourself on expensive resorts when beginning.

There is no such thing as an ugly resort. When they are covered in snow all you see is snow. Any ski resort with no snow is ugly! (to a skier/snowboarder)

Zermatt is a car free resort, which means that the only vehicles on the roads there are electric (electric buses and taxis).

Avoriaz is car free in France, not sure about Morzine.

snow reports

if you cann aford it, Zermatt or Avoriaz.
If not probably Alp d. Huez

Zermatt every time subject to funds. Especially for Beginners / Intermediates -- start on the Glacier and see how everyone gets on. The only issue for Beginners is that one day they will need to go to a real resort and discover that not all pistes are shallow motorways. Use trains and c-cars to get back to town initially.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Agenterre, real resort? You have picked obviously the only flat area of Zermatt. Above Riffleberg better for beginners. Real resort? Did you really mean that?

A snowHead

@twoodwar, Zermatt is the easiest, most flattering and consequently ideal resort that I have been to in Europe for Beginners . That is not a reflection on the whole resort but anyone know any resort that every area / piste could be skied in the first weeks of skiing?

Most of its Blues are easier than Greens in 'real resorts'. Hence why, if you learn on the Zermatt glacier you would get a shock at many 'more generously graded ' resorts.

Beginners are not going to go to to Riffelberg (sp) other than for the train ride.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

FFS. Get a Life.

It’s my opinion based upon my experience.

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@Agenterre, not been to many resorts then!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@rachelmilligan, Based on the criteria I would only say try Zermatt if you guys are keen on spending the money to reap the benefits of it. It will cost you. The views are incredible. The mountain restaurants are unbeatable as a group IMO. The town is beautiful. But there are drawbacks that may put you off as mentioned above. It's more of a faff than many other resorts.

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@twoodwar, don’t be a tw@ all your life. snowHead

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Agenterre you made a few statements which were misleading, or just plain wrong, and might have affected the OP's decision. There are a number of people on this forum who have extensive experience of Zermatt and are happy to share their knowledge, without resorting to abusive posts.

After all it is free

@caughtanedge, I’ll repeat. That is your opinion and not mine. I suggest winding your neck in. I only started skiing 18 years ago but have spent 5 weeks and probably an additional 50 - 60 days in Zermatt and been fortunate to do over 100 resorts. My opinion can be valued for what it is …. Just like yours. The OP IS A NEWBIE , your insistence in your being right reflects badly on the whole community. I’m sure you mean well, but « I m know best « is a poor place for any of is to start.

@Agenterre, you are very aggressive also. Are you on the list of recognised trolls?

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You would not have said what you have to my face!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

This is silly. "Not been to many resorts then?" is one of the most arsey comments I've seen for a while. And you seem to be furiously agreeing that Zermatt is a great resort, including for beginners. And just for the record, @Agenterre is not a troll.

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If anyone thinks Zermatt is one of the easiest or most ideal resorts for beginners in Europe, then a lot of resorts have been missed,:-
Cervinia
Bormio
Selva
LaThuile
Samoen
Flaine
Les Carroz
La Cluzaz
Les Contamines
Seefeld
Obertauern

To name a few. Language such as Tw@ and FFs, to people, does not put them high up my list of pleasant responses. The assertion that Zermatt one of the easiest beginners resorts suggest a lack of knowledge. Not sure why it can be seen as ‘Arsey’ given the aforementioned language used?

While Zermatt is not the best ski resort for beginners, and there are probably better resorts somewhere for almost every ability of skier, it is one of the few resorts that I would class as "must do at some point in your life"

You know it makes sense.

@rachelmilligan, I don't think you've mentioned how long your trip will be? I wouldn't choose Zermatt for anything shorter than 4 days given the travel time from Zurich, Geneva etc (I presume you haven't booked your flights yet?).

But based on your criteria and assuming that you're set on these 3 options, then I would choose Zermatt ... of course, you need to be mindful of how expensive it might potentially be but there are plenty of lovely 3 star hotels in town (the Phoenix being my personal favourite). If the cost is not an issue then I would recommend the Coeur des Alpes - absolutely stunning with lovely hosts.

Our now 12Y was only on his second week on skis when we took him to Zermatt a few years ago ... there are plenty of easy blues at Sunnega and Gornergat / Riffelberg, the ability to download on the funicular and the train is a plus.

[Zermatt is obviously more expensive, is it worth the extra money?] ... absolutely.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@RobinS, agreed

A snowHead

@pam w, for the record, @Agenterre's initial aggressive response was directed at me, not @twoodwar.
In his posting at 8:18 yesterday he said that "Zermatt is the easiest, most flattering and consequently ideal resort that I have been to in Europe for Beginners". This runs counter to the general opinion expressed in this thread which I think it is fair say is something like "Zermatt is a brilliant place but there are some issues which a beginner / nervous intermediate needs to be aware of". I replied to that point, and some other points in the same post, in what I thought was a fairly measured way, to which @agenterre responded "FFS. Get a life. It's my opinion based on my experience".
Given @agenterre's extensive experience of Zermatt and other resorts, he's made what seem (in my opinion), some odd statements about skiing in Zermatt, particularly for beginners and intermediates. I couldn't possibly say why other people respond as they do, but, like @twoodwar, I was surprised at some of @agenterre's points. Also, as far as I can see, @twoodwar hasn't claimed that Zermatt is a great resort for beginners, only that it has areas which are fine for beginners - for example Riffelberg, which was dismissed by @agenterre as 'only good for the train ride'.
@rachelmilligan, I'm sorry that the thread generated by your original question has gone a bit sour in parts! I'm not a big contributor to Snowheads, but over the years I've got lots of useful information from the site, and in general the tone is friendly and constructive. There's nearly always a thread running ('Zermatt and Cervinia') https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=160963#5011522 which contains plenty of useful stuff.
I think Zermatt is a great place, and I'd recommend every skier (and possibly boarder?) to go there at least once, but maybe save it for a bit later. Even the journey getting there is something special. It would be good to go with someone who's been there before - if not, then a session or two with a ski school would be a great way of learning the ropes. We've used Summit for this sort of thing, others may have different recommendations.
I don't think anyone has really mentioned access to Cervinia as a plus point - many of the slopes there really are flattering, wide, 'motorway' reds, unlike Zermatt, and there's more reasonably-priced food over there. But again, there are issues - the link can be closed in high winds, and even when open, getting there can be a bit of a slog for beginners or nervous intermediates.

A snowHead

I have never been to Zermatt, so can't speak from personal experience, but for what it's worth, here is what the SCGB has to say:

https://www.skiclub.co.uk/switzerland/resorts/zermatt

Their view is that it is not ideal for Beginners, but great for Intermediates and above.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Having been to all three resorts more than once, I would say that Alpe d’Huez is the most suited to beginners - extensive, easy, and easily accessed slopes.

Morzine: handily located for getting around the PdS, but I wouldn’t choose it over many other resorts for beginners.

Zermatt: stunning scenery, but a faff getting there, and for getting around the disjointed ski areas. Also expensive without much affordable après-ski. Not really a beginner’s resort - Cervinia better.

All that’s assuming that the OP is hell-bent on going to France or Switzerland, rather than Austria.

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The most authoritative view I have and independent of myself from a team who have been to every resort worth knowing in Europe and North America. Please note beginner ratings.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

And the Zermatt page

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The views expressed by @Argenterre, are at odds with mine and this publication, whose contributors and editor are it’s fair to say extensively travelled. That’s all. My surprise at the comments led me to say there was a lack of comparative knowledge. Not Arsey, but seemingly rational? Too many abusive words on lots of social media.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@caughtanedge, @Old Fartbag, appreciate your contributions.

After all it is free

I've not skied Zermatt, but have skied Morzine and AdH. Would thoroughly recommend AdH for beginners - lots of really long, very wide green runs served by a chair lift and gondola (IIRC).

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@Old Fartbag, fair enough and quite right. The evidence though I think is in balance that Zermatt is not a particularly good beginners resort. To suggest it was and that it’s pistes are flat motorways and in some way not a ‘real’ resort was misleading and not informative for the OP. It had to be challenged I felt. I’m only sorry it was felt to be Arsey. I have not issue at all with Argenterre on any other matter, and I’m sure he(she?) has many fine contributions in other areas.

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Zermatt, Morzine or Alp D'Huez???

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