Zermatt in early January - good or not?

A snowHead

Hey guys. My girlfriend's 30th birthday is coming up (in December) and I decided to gift her a really nice romantic ski holiday. We are total newbies, never ski'd before. I will take her to The Snow Centre in London before we go for a full day snowboard course so that we can learn the basics. After a lot (and I really mean - A LOT) of research I found Zermatt to be right up our alley. I found and booked an awesome apartment on the outskirts of Zermatt village with a Matterhorn view.

Now, my question is this - is Zermatt a nice place to visit in early January (5th - 12th January)? Will we get at least 2 or 3 days of sunny weather and snow? Also, could you recommend a good snowboard school? Ideally, we'll book 1 full day in an indoor London ski school before we go and then maybe 1 or 2 half-days in Zermatt.

I've booked apartment for a week but we will be skiing / snowboarding a maximum of 4 or 5 days. Are there any other interesting activities to do there other than skiing? Is there an ice rink or something similar? Maybe some winter hiking recommendations?

Now - I did my research and I know that Zermatt isn't exactly beginner friendly, there are other resorts better suited for beginners, however, I really want to pick up snowboarding / skiing and I heard that Zermatt is THE PLACE to go for a romantic getaway. And that's my main goal - for my other half and myself to fall in love with the mountains, mind you - I've never really been to any mountains before, my parents were too poor when I was young and in my 20s (I'm 30 now) I usually went for a beach holiday.

We can only take holidays either mid December or early January. I decided to go with the latter due to a higher chance of snow and also we can then properly get ready for it (ski school in London, etc). But if you think it's better to go mid December I'll take that into consideration (I can still cancel the apartment I booked for no fees). My other question is - I booked an apartment via zermat.swiss (used to be zermatt.ch) website. Are these legitimate? The apartment is not on booking.com or AirBnb so it made me a bit suspicious but perhaps they're trying to avoid additional middle-man costs which is totally understandable. I contacted Zermatt Tourist Office and they said it's legit so I guess it should be fine.

Also - which pistes would you recommend for beginners? Do they all offer lovely views of the mountains? I don't care about the length, etc as long as the views are nice and it's relatively safe (for us and for others) so that I can make my girlfriend fall in love with skiing / snowboarding.

I don't want to end up with 0 snow or all 7 days overcast and no visibility. If that is the case in early January then could you please recommend other resort that will have a better weather during that time? I researched other places (3 valleys, Tignes, La Plagne, some Austrian places, Dolomites in Italy, etc) but to be honest they weren't much cheaper. Maybe I'm a bit too late to the party. Anyway just wanted to hear your opinions kind folk. Many thanks.

A snowHead

Morning,

The family and I have been travelling to Zermatt year on year for 35 years plus. It’s a very special place so you’ve picked well.

In regard to your weather question that is a complete lottery. It’s like asking if London will be sunny for a specific week in May next year. Impossible to guess! The same can be said for any resort globally.

For a ski school try Summit. They are excellent and primarily English language.

Your booking website is fine. That is the main Zermatt tourism board.

For specific runs. As you haven’t being skiing/snowboarding before, I would get half day lessons each day. It would be worthwhile having a teacher/guide to show you around and the reality is you’ll be on Sunnegga for the bulk of your time anyway. As you mentioned, Zermatt isn’t the most beginner friendly. That said, the WoliPark area, Findeln and parts of Gornergrat are perfect for learning the ropes.

Yes it’s a bit harder than other resorts in France but it’s more beautiful, has better restaurants and tends to be more ‘reassuringly expensive’ so not that busy!

More importantly get some nice restaurants booked for lunch and dinner. Check out Findlerhof, Chez Vrony, Blatten and Zum See!

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Welcome to Snowheads, @majkkali. A 30th birthday present of a holiday in Zermatt sounds wonderful. But, as a woman, I am struck by your determination to "make my girlfriend fall in love with skiing / snowboarding". You have said you will "take her to the Snow Centre" for a day's snowboarding course.

How does she feel about all this? I can tell you (having done it) that spending a day in an indoor snow centre learning to snowboard is very hard work. It uses muscles you've never used so intensively before, and you will fall over a lot. Hard. For the next couple of days I could scarcely prop myself up in bed to take a drink of water (and sex would have been right out of the question!) After that day I certainly could not snowboard. In our group there was only one guy who actually managed to link turns, but he'd done it before. We all fell a lot. But I knew that it was something I wanted to continue doing, and had further lessons in France. And continued to fall, sometimes harmlessly, sometimes being slammed down ("catching an edge"). It was not in the least "romantic". My husband thought I was mad (we both skied) but was very supportive and as thrilled as I was when I did my first (very easy!) red run.

This is not everybody's idea of fun. There is absolutely no way that I would have gone through all that just because somebody else (however much I loved them!) wanted to "make me love it".

Is your girl friend entirely on board with your plans for her? Does she do other sports? Rugby would be good preparation! Cool

And are you planning to buy wrist guards and padded shorts? wink

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Zermatt is lovely, but I can't think that it's an ideal spot for beginners. There are no nursery slopes in the village, not even sure where they might take beginners, up on Sunnegga maybe?? You only need a nursery slope to learn and a few progressor blues, and that is available at 1000's of resorts across the Alps, not just one of the most expensive resorts in the most expensive (in terms of £) country! Shocked

Ideally you want to stay in a small resort right next to where you're learning, so you don't have to lug all the gear halfway across town and up and down lifts. Learning is exhausting, esp snowboarding, with lots of falling over and having to haul yourself back up again. It looks easy, but it's not, with lots of setbacks while you learn, you have to be quite determined to push through it all.

@Origen makes some great points re a whole day 'crash' (quite literally) course in snowboarding. That might well put her off completely! Shocked

You've got to start somewhere, I guess, but she needs to be completely 'onboard' wink

with this idea.

Protective equipment like padded shorts and wristguards are highly recommended. I tried snowboarding once on a mate's board on the nursery slope in Westendorf (we swapped skis for board) and fell so hard on my backside that it was aching for days after, never again! I thought my son would be OK learning to snowboard as he picked up skiing in no time, but he fell one afternoon while practising turns on a blue run and a visit to the local hospital was needed to mend his wrist, which ruined the rest of the week's holiday for him. So beware!! Shocked

Sorry to inject a bit of realism into your plans, but I would want to know the downsides if I was in your position. snowHead

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Has the OP a whiff of AI about it?

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I hope not…took a bit of thought to write my response!

After all it is free

Mmm. Interesting thought. It's certainly American English ("gift" is not a verb in proper English wink

). And it doesn't read like the thoughts of anybody who has done "a lot" of research, either.

And where is this Snow Centre in London? I thought it was in Hemel! snowHead

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My first thought was that English wasn't their first language, then I thought that it was remarkably well put together for a not first language. Then I put 2 and 2 together. Could be wrong?

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

The idea of cancelling an apartment booked through a resort website "with no fees" is a bit odd, too. When I've booked I've had to pay a deposit to secure a firm booking, then the balance many weeks before travelling!

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But why would anyone bother, just to be a pain in the arse?

You know it makes sense.

Not a bot / AI no idea where you got that from guys Eh oh!

Thank you very much for all your replies. I will take that into consideration. And yeah - that snow centre is just outside of London (Hemel Hempstead). I don’t know why some of you think it’s a bad idea. I thought taking a course before going on a ski holiday is a good idea. Puzzled

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

It’s a very sensible idea doing lessons before you go. Considering the overall cost of Zermatt, some people would aim for a more cost effective resort /easier for beginners if you are taking a bit of a risk skiing/snowboarding for the first time.

You can’t get much more romantic than Zermatt. That said, learning to ski/snowboarding and romance don’t really go hand in hand!

A snowHead

@majkkali,
I think taking lessons before hand is a good idea though often a series is more fruitful than learn to do it in a day which can be exhausting.

I think the point that the learning curve to snowboard is for many people more painful in terms of falls etc than the skiing learning curve is pertinent. Many of the runs in Zermatt are long which are more easily navigated by the novice on skis than on a board.

On some of your other points my first holiday with my then girlfriend was when she was a first week skier was to Zermatt on the grounds that it was a romantic looking place.
It probably wasn't ideal as a destination but as we are still together and skiing together 40+ years later it certainly wasn't a disaster.

However on one return visit with my in laws who were babysitting for my sister in law and her husband they found the village a little claustrophobic, they couldn't ski and however grand the views of the Matterhorn being stuck with a single view in an enclosed valley is not ideal for everyone. Personally I love the place but without getting up into the mountains it is not a place I would like to stay for a week.

For weather I reckon Jan is probably a better bet than Dec nothing is guaranteed on several visits to Zermatt I have experienced so much snow that the resort closed including travel in and out for two days. bad weather to the extent that the Matterhorn was visible only 2 days out of eight. Very warm weather with no snowfall and closed lower pistes. However most of the time it has been fine and the same weather can be encountered anywhere in the alps . Unless you can travel at very short notice weather is always a lottery.

A snowHead

@majkkali, well done for bouncing back after all that! You are both young, so I'd say a "learn in a day" course at Hemel is ideal as, after that, you will have a very clear idea of whether you want to continue snowboarding. Better to do it that way than come to that decision after 3 days pre-booked lessons in an expensive resort! When I did it I was quite old, and though it is certainly exhausting, it does help clarify one's motivation.

And what does your girlfriend think about your plan. Is she up for it?

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@majkkali, A few other thoughts. I presume you will be flying in to Zurich or Geneva. Both have good rail transfers to Zermatt, but I suggest that if you are able to you shouldaim to arrive in daylight as the last hour of the train up from Visp is very scenic.
I would get a private instructor at least for the mornings and she/he will advise which pistes to ski on in the afternoon.
Your accomodation may well be some distance from the main lifts, so you need to plan how to get there in the morning in time for lessons. The electric taxis are a good way of doing this and can be booked.
You mention that you will not ski all the time. A trip up to Klein Matterhorn and then up to the viewing platform (accessed from part way along the tunnel via a lift/elevator) is worthwhile as is the viewing area at the top of the Gornergraat railway

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@T Bar
@Origen

Thanks guys. Will definitely book a lesson before going.
My girlfriend doesn't know about these plans at all. It's a surprise. She will find out on her birthday in December Smile

If you were in my position - would you rather go before Christmas (I have an option of going 13th - 20th December) or stick with 5th - 12th January? Or maybe just ditch Zermatt idea entirely and go to a different place?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Post Christmas would be my bet going in Jan. It will be pretty cold but snow should be good and hopefully you’ll get some nice clear days.

If you want to focus on the skiing and getting her used to that then you could be picking an easier resort.

That said, Zermatt has a very special balance of skiing, town, beauty, good etc. It’s one of those places you’ll go to again and again and again.

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Stick with 5 - 12 January, definitely. Going to Zermatt is maybe not the best idea, but it's a much better idea than springing snowboard lessons on someone without knowing whether they have any wish to go through the painful process of learning.

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

@Origen
Yeah, you're completely right. Thanks. I won't buy a ski pass in advance, I'll wait and buy it on the days we want to ski. That way, if she feels like she's too tired or she doesn't want to ski/snowboard anymore then we can do other things like spa or a walk in the village. I think Zermatt is perfect for that.

After all it is free

I would stick with Jan, nothing is guaranteed weather/snow wise but the odds are probably better stacked in your favour.
Whether to stick with Zermatt or go elsewhere is very much down to personal taste and a bit of a lottery. Whereas I don't think it has the best slopes for beginners and they can be a bit long, if you get decent conditions and a good instructor if you are going to enjoy skiing/boarding you are probably going to do so anywhere.

Other places with an attractive village , good views but probably slightly more beginner friendly slopes would include Lech and Wengen and some dolomite resorts.

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@majkkali, welcome. Tap or click a persons name to tag, they get sent an email also. Using the “@“symbol does nothing.

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@majkkali, it's best to fix up lessons in advance, or there might be nothing convenient available. And you can't sensibly get yourselves going without an instructor. That really is a recipe for disaster on the romance front.

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I'm still a bit concerned at the lack of transparency for the girlfriend. She's going to be first told of this in December, then expected to 'perform' in January. What about getting fit, mentally as well as physically? What about making sure she's got enough of the right sort of outdoor clothing?

No, I'd come clean well in advance, book a series of lessons at Hemel (and no, it is not London) or wherever, get some specific exercise in if needed (as if it would ever not be). And, perhaps more important, give her time to get excited about it. Looking forward to the first ski trip is surely a huge part of the enjoyment!

You know it makes sense.

@Chaletbeauroc, Don't worry. She's in good shape (works out regularly) and I will buy all the ski clothing for her and give it to her as a Christmas gift Smile

You're right about giving her time to be excited. I will think about this. Thanks!

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@majkkali, sounds like you're doing lots of this right and are trying to be sensible.

But I think you are MASSIVELY underestimating how long it takes to learn to snowboard and how much tuition you will need.

If you do one full day course at Hemel, despite spending 85% of it falling on your bums, given your ages and apparent fitness levels I bet you'll be able to make some tentative linked left and right turns down the slope by the end of the day.

But that will in no way prepare you to do the same on a wide open, muuuuuch bigger, steeper, colder, exposed mountain with actual weather and wind and people flying past you at speed. You would at a minimum want a half day lesson every day, and you will need to book that in advance (ie your lift pass too). And tbh you'd be better off with whole day lessons - and you'll still be very much a beginner after that!

This probably isn't apparent if you have no experience of snow sports, but skiing is much quicker to learn than snowboarding but harder to master, while snowboarding is pretty much the opposite. A normal timeline of progression on skis would be that after a day or two on the nursery slopes once can progress to the easier blues, and by the end of the week of ski school you could be cruising most blues and maybe the odd easier red with your instructor. Learning to snowboard normally involves spending the majority of the first three days falling over, and it will take longer before you can make your way around the mountain compared to a skier with the same level of experience. You will however find yourself able to ride powder and off-piste etc way earlier on a board than if you start with skiing.

So my recommendations are:

1. Seriously think about if you'd be better off skiing rather than snowboarding (no hate to boarding it's just a slower start)
2. Get more lessons in in advance if you want any chance of being able to explore the pistes and mountains yourselves
3. Whether you ski or board both yourselves a week of either full ski/board school or half days with a private instructor (you probably won't be able to join a group for only half days)

A snowHead

You'll buy all her ski clothing for her!!! Really?? Either she is destined for sainthood or you could be making a mistake...IMHO let her in on the secret now, and enjoy all the planning and preparation together. If she is going to love it then she needs to be well prepared, and if you start lessons now (November), you will be at least able to do a basic turn before you go. Skiing\boarding are skills that take time to acquire. You aren't just going on a beach holiday.

A snowHead

My observation is first that it’s a very kind idea. But it could be a waste of money and location to take a beginner to Zermatt as a first trip. Yes, once they’ve decided that it’s their thing and then got to intermediate level, then Zermatt would be a great place to go. But a learner may well appreciate somewhere with more graded and more extensive blue runs. From Geneva, you’re passing (or within less travel distance of) plenty of resorts that might suit a beginner better. And your partner might appreciate the Zermatt excursion even more once they’ve got a couple of weeks of skiing/boarding under their belt.

I’d book the Hemel lesson ASAP with more than one session over a period of time before you go in January. Our family all did at least three ski sessions ahead of their first actual trip. The second and third were disproportionately useful. Then order some coffee-table brochures for your destination to get excited over[1]. And yes, do some joint trips to outdoor shops for gear. If you have Eurosport#1 then perhaps watch some of the weekend FIS Alpine race coverage as well.

Just as a potential alternative, have you considered a spa ski resort? This offers a combination of snow activities with the usual spa experience, albeit that an Alpine thermal spa is a lot more than the usual UK hotel equivalent, if only because of the scenery. There are some quite small and lesser know resorts in this category and I’m sure SnowHeads know of many across the Alps.

Many skiing destinations in Switzerland are as easy, or even easier by train rather than a rental car. You can book in advance for a Saver Day Pass for CHF 52 which is valid for any journey across the public transport system for the whole day. Certainly I think getting the train from Geneva, say, to Zermatt will be easier than hiring a car and driving it. [2]

[1] MySwitzerland.com has pages covering the main resorts and free brochures you can order.
[2] SBB is the national transport website and will show you train/télépherique/PostBus timetables and sell you tickets including the Saver Day Pass. They also have various offers.

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If you're looking for scenic and Swiss with breathtaking views, and are able to cancel your current booking without fees, you could try Wengen instead. Lovely village and scenery, has nursery slopes in the village, the Jungfrau range is hard to beat for scenery.

Much easier slopes to progress to higher up the mountain and if you want some time away from boarding/skiing the underground cog railway trip to the top of the Aeletsch glacier and ice caves is spectacular!

Agree with posts above that you may want to go for skiing instead of boarding if you want to progress more quickly and have a better chance of seeing more slopes in your first week.

Saas Fee another option too, again beautiful and scenic though a bit harder to progress as a beginner than Wengen, has good village nursery slopes in the village, still slightly easier though than Zermatt I think.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Let’s tackle the main issue head on…you’ll want to get her skiing rather than snowboarding.

The far superior sport wink

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Imagine your girlfriend was at one time a keen horse rider when younger, well before you met. Then imagine that your Christmas present is a day at a riding school ahead of a week’s horse trekking across Wales. How would you react? Possibly, you’d not be phased, but substitute the horse with something you really don’t fancy and you may get an idea of how a surprise activity announced at short notice might not be quite so appealing.

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Zermatt in early January - good or not?

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