Zermatt and Cervinia 2024-25

A snowHead

@Blanch1962, hi, the answer is yes. Just remember to keep left, and look for the Italy signs.

A snowHead

Thank you, will aim to tackle this tomorrow. The cloud level has now descended here, we were above the inversion for a while but it’s murky this evening, although tomorrow prospects are great. Lunch was memorable and a big up to the Chalet Etoile, awesome food and off the scale service. One of those places that if it was my last day on earth this would be the final lunch.

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

Healthy dusting of now yesterday on Zermatt. Looking good for an additional top up today.

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Looks like a lot more than a dusting!

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Time to get the skins ready!

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Yes. Except for a brief respite around midnight it was coming down all night. Small top up tonight possible as well.

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Looks like it needs to last till the 14th, which would be my last day of the forthcoming trip,looking at all the forecasts I can see. As a piste skier it should do us. snowHead

After all it is free

When I left for the drive down from Cervinia to Milan yesterday the snow was coming down thickly enough to cause some problems on the roads. There was plenty of fresh snow on piste yesterday, not groomed yet but I expect that’s coming in due course. The wind had died down by midday. It looks promising for great conditions for the next few days.

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Hi all,

5/6 of us are heading to Cervinia in March for a week, all fairly confident skiers between the ages of 25-27.

I can see on Google there’s a fair few bars within Cervinia, can anyone recommend any of them specifically? A couple of us tend to go out for fairly long stretches in the evening so anything that has good music and is open late is a bonus. If not, any pub which keeps the doors open late is good too!

Thanks

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Casa Montana In Cervinia was pretty cool with music downstairs on NYE (albeit a bang average band but you may be luckier!)

For those heading out stating they enjoy pistes, make sure you go to the effort of getting to the top of the old Cielo Alto lift and lap that a few times. Cracking quiet lovely piste that was always in great condition when we were there - marked black for the top section, but it never get's bumpy through use and is not exceptionally steep - definitely a red in most peoples grading.

Headed to Zermatt in a month (1st week of March)
I'm guessing I should expect great conditions. I literally cannot wait! I'm not sure if this is the best thread to ask for this but does anyone have good recs for ski schools/teachers in the area? my partner is going heliskiing with Zermatters, so I've been checking their site. But I'm at that point in my skiing journey where I'm just starting to get intermediate and want to get some new skills like off-piste or carving, so I wanted to go for a really good teacher.

You know it makes sense.

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

A snowHead

Second vote for Summit here (have also used Matterhorn Diamonds and they are fantastic).

We've used Summit since the early 2000's for the entire family. Always fantastic staff and very enjoyable private lessons.

A snowHead

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

Just got back from Zermatt. The slopes were the busiest i’ve seem them. The queues were long too. I gather it is the Ikon pass effect; up to 7 days free skiing in Zermatt for Ikon pass holders. After ten years, I’m looking to ski elsewhere instead now.

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Interesting. I left on Friday. I had been out there since the 12th (although in 4 valleys part of that time). There were queues at the Matterhorn Express lift first thing in the morning and on one occasion there was a queue for the Klein Matterhorn lift at Trockener Steg. Both moved fairly quickly and weren’t much of a delay. Beyond that I literally can’t remember being in a queue: straight through the turnstiles and straight on to the lifts. I can’t remember particularly thinking there were an unusual amount of people on the pistes either. Strange how perceptions can vary.

I agree the Ikon pass deal is bringing more North Americans to the resort. 10-15 years ago you rarely heard an American accent in town; now it is quite common. Not sure the numbers would have much impact on crowding though. They are still massively outnumbered by Swiss and Germans.

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@JohnMo at Trockener Steg the queue went away from the conventional route and onto a concrete area which had yellow markings on the floor from the covid times. On the way to Trockener Steg every gondola was full, and it was disorderly getting people onboard the gondolas.

I’ve never seen anything like it in Zermatt. I’m used to late January and enjoy the usual quietness.

I’ll probably try Lenzerhide instead.

Is there anywhere that the number of skiers is recorded / published to validate the increase in skier numbers?

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Yes, I was in that queue at Trockener Steg. They had quite a few of the gondolas not in operation (they will all be running in the busy February weeks). But it was a couple of minutes and it is a lift no-one uses more than once in the day (either to go over/return to Italy or for the one-off experience). If you have been going for ten years you will have been using the old slow cable car before the new gondola system was built a few years back. The queues for that really were a pain – at any time of year.

The loading area for the Matterhorn Express gondolas has been totally rebuilt for this year. I think it is way better than it was. The loading is busy first thing – but it always has been. But again it is a lift one uses once per day. The ski lifts on the mountain were ski down, slide on – there were no queues on those at all.

Skier numbers are discussed in the annual report on the lift company website. Skier numbers are up (after recovering from the Covid years collapse). However, the massive expansion of the lift infrastructure and pistes in the Hirli in the south west and Tuftern Kumme in the north areas probably means no increase in skier density. It is the revenue per skier that has been the bigger growth driver. Even more dramatic has been the growth in summer visitors.

Everyone’s perception is valid but I do struggle to reconcile my skiing experience over the last few weeks with yours.

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I’ve previously done drag lifts and gondola routes to Italy etc. All without the chaos i witnessed on this occasion.

The cable cars from Gant to Hohtälli and Blauherd to Rothern were absolutely rammed full on every occasion i used them too. Using them was an unpleasant experience. I’ve never seen crowds like this at Zermatt.

Whilst Ikon passers can ski there for free, I’m avoiding it.

After all it is free

This is weird. I don’t recognise your description of the last couple of weeks at all.

American visitors (all, not just Ikon pass holders) make up 15% of visitors to Zermatt. Whatever is making Zermatt feel busy for you it is not Ikon pass holders.

@JohnMo only reference i can find is ‘North American market showing a particularly sharp increase’. Available here:

https://www.matterhornparadise.ch/en/about/news/another-business-year-enters-the-record-books_news_3198718

Please reference your 15%.

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The visitor numbers are shown in bar chart below.

As I say all perceptions are valid. The fact I didn’t see things the same as you doesn’t mean yours is any less so. If you do decide to move on I hope you find somewhere you enjoy.

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Always a queue first thing for the Matterhorn express?! The only other lift that has a queue is normally Gifthittli at Riffleberg.
Been a lot of US travellers for a while now.
We have been going nearly every year for 15 years too, and beyond the above mentioned no issues at all

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That is true re the chair from Riffelberg. But even this morning (and we are now in the busier February) there is not much of a queue. See below.

The Riffelberg chair to Gifthittli chair replacement is in the planning process. It is a modern chair but that section is possibly the most popular in the whole area. Also in the planning process is replacing the Patrullarve to Blauherd chair. That really is an old chair and in a very popular area - strangely however it does not seem to get the queues that Riffelberg gets. I guess it is only accessible by reds or black while Riffelberg has blues - that might make a difference.

Just returned from a week in Cervinia - manged to get across to Zermatt 3 times - I thought the queues were minimal - having been there 2 years previously - there were a number of small stoppages on the Matterhorn Express
I actually think the snow was better on piste in Cervinia. Although the off piste run off the left hand side of 70 was probably the longest and best bit of powder I have ever ridden - 70 then 62 down to Furi is probably one of my favourite runs anywhere.
Just wish they would put a tow rope across the top of the horrible traverse getting back to Cervinia - especially when the wind is against

You know it makes sense.

Haven't been this year but have for each of the last 5 years or so. The only time when I've seen bad queues at the Glacier Express was either when there'd been a technical issue or when that area had been closed for the last couple of days due to high winds so everyone headed there when it opened. Similarly when the Sunnegga train was one of the only things running due to the weather it was very long, but that was an exception to the norm and we generally go at half-term so not the best timing but Zermatt and Cervinia seem to cope really well.

Otherwise the only consistent queues have been the Matterhorn Express in the morning, but this moves quickly, and the chair at Riffelburg, although it usually looks worse than it is. The only gripe I'd have is our hotel choice is normally dictated by the bus route as I've seen how tricky it is to get on the green bus past the Sunnegga stop

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

Over the past 10 years, the below is where I can generally find a few Americans out every day:

Zermatt is one of the most popular ski areas with Americans because everyone has heard of it. Winter or Summer. Same with Chamonix. Easy to get to from the East Coast. The mega-passes only enhanced this a bit. (Interlaken/Grindelwald/Murren/Jungfrau is overrun with US tourists in summer, not so much in winter).

Large Euro Resorts with very few Americans: St. Anton/Lech/Arlberg, Courmayeur, Engelberg, Davos, St. Moritz, Les Arcs/La Plagne. Just a few in Val d'Isere/Tignes or 3 Vallees. And now Andermatt (Vail).

Austria is relatively unknown to US skiers.

A snowHead

As an American, I can tell you that you can add the Dolomites to the list of very few Americans. I was there last year and only came across one other one. And only one Canadian. Zermatt, where I was this year, had Americans everywhere.

You are correct about the ease of travel from the East Coast, especially if the NYC area is your home base. If you are smart, the trip can come in cheaper than a trip out west. The Alps I think is much better than a NA trip in all respects except (and this is big for many skiers) for powder and expert in bounds terrain.

Zermatt is popular for obvious reasons, and more so now that it is on IKON. But what also helps it is word of mouth. Americans will tend to hit a resort when they know someone who has been and will vouch for it. Many of the Austrian resorts are more of a pain to get to from NA and when researched, many of them are found to be at a slightly lower elevation which scares people in terms of sinking money into a trip not knowing the snow conditions. Austria, from my view, also has a problem of having too many seemingly similar options. Hard to decide where to go, so you thrown up your hands and go to Zermatt because some guy you know went there and recommends it.

Direct flights are helpful, and Zurich will have many at good prices from NYC. Geneva not so much, which hurts the French resorts. So anything convenient to Zurich has an advantage.

A snowHead

St. Anton is easier than Zermatt from Zurich 1 direct train ride.

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

@flagship, no, two.change at Visp! Same time pretty much from Geneva with the same change at Visp.

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In Zermatt now, and the piste conditions are very good, with resort runs much better than last year.
A question, probably for Johnmo, is , what is the return like from Italy via the Bontadini chair? Is it easier or more difficult than before the land slip? My wife is a little more cautious this year, and I would like to re assure her. Thanks in advance for any reply, we are off over on Wednesday. snowHead

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@flagship, apologies. St Anton!not sure how it’s on the Zermatt thread. A misread.

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[quote="twoodwar"
A question, probably for Johnmo, is , what is the return like from Italy via the Bontadini chair? Is it easier or more difficult than before the land slip? :[/quote]

Easier…. You’ll need to pole but you now miss the steep bit that funnelled into the narrow track, You have to do an extra 20m of the red past the Theodulhutte at its steepest and quite scraped but it is wide and u could side slip 10 m before aiming for the new track

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After all it is free

I was with an intermediate the times I did the link…. Totally agree that testa Grigio is easier but if you are enjoying chalet Etoile and the magnificent blues in Cervinia … and don’t fancy carrying skis then the Tp route is a good deal Imv. Re the two way bit of the piste, it is completely flat poling no one is speeding on it… it is just a really relaxing and beautiful walk!

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That said I agree re nervous intermediates - there is no reason to take them across anyway imv

Help!!

Zermatt and Cervinia 2024-25

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