Best Swiss resort for snow in mid March

A snowHead

We do not ski but do sledding, snowshoe play with snow, like snow interland view.
Which resorts and mountains nearby has more chances for it during mid March?
I have made reservations both for Klosters (I know Davos is higher but people says it no looks good) and Zermatt. Will need to cancel one of them.
Zermatt is more expensive.
However currently I see it is colder in zermatt but also less snow there compares to Klosters.
What else can be good chances for us? Andermatt?
We have already been in Arosa few times so prefer other places unless no other relevant options.

Cannot decide and have until a week before to cancel reservation.

A snowHead

I haven't been to Klosters, Davos or Andermatt and so I can't comment on any of those places, but I absolutely bloody loved Zermatt both times I've been and think there's plenty there for non-skiers to do. The scenery is stunning and I don't think I'd ever get tired of waking up to a view of the Matterhorn.

I stayed at Hotel Gornergrat Dorf which was as cheap as anywhere I could find at short notice, but incredibly convenient for the main train station and the Gornergrat mountain one.

As strange a winter as we're having, I can't imagine Zermatt won't still have more than enough snow in mid-March for you or those more concerned with actual piste conditions.

In case you haven't found it, there's a very good section on the Zermatt website about the various hikes and trails available, which seems to be updated with which are open or not.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing to Cervinia, Italy will be closed until the end of March too.

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

Just go to Zermatt - assuming you've never been. Even without the snow, just for the iconic view.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Zermatt currently just has 10 cm of snow in the village. And that appears to be a major aspect of the OP's goals....
Zermatt is high, but also very dry due to its inner alpine location. Would not advise for mid march, quite likely no snow in the village by then.
Arosa, Klosters, Andermatt: all better options for march.
And may I put another suggestion forward, in West-Austria: the superbly pretty and upmarket village of Lech am Arlberg, currently 100 cm in the village. Easily reached from Zürich etc.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Verbier or somewhere north-facing in the Quatre Vallées?

You may have to set expectations in relation to the current conditions across the Alps this year, and accept that you’ll be able to do some excellent snowshoe excursions (or even just boots and crampons) but not necessarily in an iconic skiing venue. On this basis, north-facing areas like Savoleyres-La Tzoumaz in the 4 Vallées may preserve their snow better through to March.

I’m not necessarily recommending this specifically, just as an example of the sort of racquettes and hiking available in satellite-type resorts.

We were out in La Tzoumaz a couple of weeks ago and we did a few walking excursions. Notably, this year we were shod in boots and light crampons for routes that previously we’d done in snowshoes. The conditions were such that the paths were well-trod enough not to really need snowshoes, and this year, early season freeze-thaw means that the base is often icy, rather than packed snow. Snowshoes were somewhat overkill other than on the new Tête de Savoleyres summit route which starts at 2200m.

It’s worthwhile mentioning that at the moment, La Tzoumaz is most easily accessed by public transport. There are extra télépherique and bus links throughout the day up from Riddes railway station, due to the a road tunnel collapse on the route up from the valley. A Swiss railway SBB Saver Day Pass is CH 52 bought up to 60 days in advance and allows unlimited travel on public transport on the day booked. Journey time from Geneva Airport rail station is around 2h45m to the La Tzoumaz télécabine. You change at Martigny for a local train to Riddes, then take the télépherique to Isérables, then the PostBus to La Tzoumaz. If you like to self-cater, a good local agency is Quatre Vallées Quatre Saisons.

Purely as a guide, a 2-bedroom apartment of 68m2 in the village centre would be ~€775 for a week mid-March, weekday-to-weekday. Including underground parking, all linen, hot water and electricity. There would also be hotel accommodation of course, but you’d have to search on the Verbier website for prices.

You can still get over to Verbier on foot by taking the télécabine from the Savoleyres summit back down into Verbier, then the navette to Médran in the centre, from where you can get right up to Mt.Fort if you want. I’m not so familiar with the racquette routes around Verbier and Bruson.

You'll need to Register first of course.

If you don't like skiing I'm not sure Zermatt is the best option.
It has a great view of the Matterhorn but it is a fairly steeply enclosed valley.
I'd have thought somewhere like the Engadine valley or Davis or Andermatt are better for non skiers.

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

Arosa.

After all it is free

Stick with Klosters/Davos or cancel. There are no better options in this desperate year

@michel39, welcome to snowHead

and feel Zermatt has much to offer.

I've not the comparison to evaluate the other option of Klosters.

Zermatt has notable provision for travelling up and down without skiing, obviously the views, engaging town and with interest in whichever direction you move or look.

Observed local residents travel by traditional toboggan down into town within Gornegrat sector when visiting, one an elderly woman in fur coat, nonchalantly depending on old sledge while rummaging in a big handbag as she went past us Very Happy

quite some altitude decended too.

I don't think it would be a disappointment in meeting your request.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

1. St Moritz
2. Saas Fee
3. Zermatt

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

The OP says they don’t ski but they do walking excursions on snowshoes and I’m assuming hiking as well. Plus luging.

Are these resorts good for snowshoe trails? They’re renowned skiing locations but that doesn’t necessarily equate to good snowshoe/hiking. Ditto luge runs. Yes, they’re also impressive if you’re using the lifts on foot and taking a wander ‘round the summits, but that’s not the same as taking the racquette paths through forests etc.

A question for the OP is that they’ve specified Switzerland, but is that because they simply prefer CH, or are they using this is a synonym for ‘high altitude’ or ‘snowsure’? If it’s the latter, then there may be other Alpine locations that are snowsure outside of Switzerland.

snow reports

Lech for snowsure beautiful views and sledging but few hiking trails.
Zermatt for the iconic views of Matterhorn but not that much trails and trees compared to Jungfrau.
It's a lower valley but the views from Grindelwald are astonishing and the number of hiking trails in forests and from summits are astonishing.

Winterweg 51 from First

Disclaimer: I haven't done Klosters/Davos yet.

You know it makes sense.

My concern with La Tzoumaz (apart from the tunnel collapse) was that just five or so snowshoe/hiking trails may be too few. Conversely, one of these would be an 800m ascent from the village to the summit (No.3), which is no trivial vertical distance. Even in the summer, I can’t comfortably manage more than about 350m. So a lot depends, as was observed, on just what the OP is looking for and is comfortable with.

Edit: well, having fed back all the above about local conditions being thin in terms of snow, it’s now snowing heavily in the 4 Vallées this morning, judging by the resort webcams.

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

Thanks for your answers!! I have 2 weeks to go. As we land in Zurich I guess zermatt it he most far we will go so not go further to France. Especially while we stay there only 2.5 days.
I see now in zermatt: 10 cm snow in village, 105cm in mountain 2900 meter.
In klosters: 50cm in village and 219cm in 2500 meter.
Andermatt is also not far from Zurich.

How is it possible while see 3-5 degrees in zermatt and around 7-9 degrees in Klosters??

Even when I look 1-3 days in advance I see different forecasts in different weather websites. Any recommendations for good snow forecast website?

Murren/Wengen and the area we have been couple of times but during summer so not sure it is worth coming again unless this is the perfect place for snow activities.
We go on public transport and could not find Lech am Arlberg in SBB website.

A snowHead

Like everywhere else, from the big Nov/Dec snow dumps this season and at that time a big snowmaking operation to augment that on the pistes.

Before the top up over the last few days there’d be little snow on pastures, forests or in villages themselves.

A snowHead

Not long back from Lenzerheide (& Arosa) where snow was decent. Friends who went over to Klosters said it was green slopes. It’s snowed quite a bit since but who knows what would happen then.

I’d head to Arosa myself, or Zermatt, but not Klosters.

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

@michel39 I find that the best weather source for Switzerland is the Swiss Federal Weather Bureau MetéoSwiss. Find the 4-digit post code for your destination and you’ll get a good forecast. If you download the app, you can sign up to notifications. I also find the weather radar is good at giving you a good picture of approaching weather.

Help!!

Best Swiss resort for snow in mid March

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