 Poster: A snowHead
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Okay, fire away! Tell me everything you can about Saas Fee, and whether it's worth visiting.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've only skiied there for 1 week 2 years ago in early January when not all of it was open and I found the area a little limiting in terms of skiing area. As a village it's very beautiful, but the down side is that in early Jan (and 13th would be that) the village only gets sun for a couple of hours a day. Upside to to the skiing is that there's a big vertical from top to bottom, but only really 2 routes down the main mountain. Lots to do for a non skiier though.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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It is a pretty resort and the glacier looks spectacular. A lot of the tempting off-piste in in fact glaciated (crevasses) so please check with a local. There is a BASI instructor called Rob Fuller with the local ski school who is very nice.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I went there at there at the end of November and had a great weeks skiing. The village is great, quite small, but the people were very friendly. There are some good restaurants, my favourite on the mountain being the Gletschergrotte, you must try the rosti.
If you are an advanced skier then you might find the skiing a bit limited for a week, but for beginners and intermediates it is ideal.
I'm taking my son to Wengen and Zermatt over easter and will try to get to Saas Fee for a day while we are in Zermatt.
In summary a great Swiss village with spectacular scenery, the glacier is fantastic.
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Like maggi, I got fed up of trawling through the search results... it's nice to have one place with lots of stuff about everything (not just "I'm an intermediate snowboarder going with a first time skier who wants to party, how does xyz fit the bill...")
Thanks for the input so far, the more the better of course.
One quick spcific question though, what is the primary language of Saas Fee?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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maggi, Which hotel are you staying in ?
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Off piste on the glacier is not an option and there are notices that warn that lift passes will be taken away for ignoring this, I noticed crevasses forming only a few feet from the piste. Saying that I think there are ski tours on the glacier that can be done with a guide if you're into a bit of skinning up the mountain.
I believe that there is some good off-piste lower down the mountain.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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skisimon, German is the main language, but English and French are also spoken fluently - our ski school group was made up of English, French & Dutch and conversation was an entertaining mix of French, German and English.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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What do you want to know?
skisimon, they speak German.
I've been there twice. Both times I stayed in Saas Grund. The skiing area isn't extensive, and is quite disjointed. If you are there for a week it's probably worth a visit to Saas Grund and/or Saas Almagel. They're not extensive either, but will add a bit of variety. There is a good, frequent bus service between the areas.
The thing to be careful about is the altitude. Many people struggle when they get off the funicular at the top. The revolving restaurant (Europe's highest IIRC) is okay, but service wasn't great and we had to wait about 1/2 hour to pay!! The ice palace is worth a visit also (I think it costs a few CHF).
There are a lot of T-bars there, so you'll have to put up with them, although they've put a new chair in this year, so that may help things.
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| skisimon wrote: |
One quick spcific question though, what is the primary language of Saas Fee? |
German.
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You know it makes sense.
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We went to Saas Fee as third week skiers and I thought it was lovely. We stayed in the Feirenart Resort hotel and the food was fabulous. A lot of hotels are a reasonable distance from the gondolas but you can hire lockers at the bottom of town, but be quick as they get snapped up.
The beginner ski area is great. There are some T-bars on the mountain but that's because of the glacier moving. I'll always remember our ski instructor with long moustaches - he was called Othmar Supersaxo. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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geepee, The Ambassador (it's a Total Ski chalet hotel).
Elizabeth B, Erg, T-bars  . Make my feet hurt. Oh, well. Is Zermatt doable for a day? On public transport?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| maggi wrote: |
geepee, The Ambassador (it's a Total Ski chalet hotel).
Elizabeth B, Erg, T-bars . Make my feet hurt. Oh, well. Is Zermatt doable for a day? On public transport? |
If you really hate T-bars then you can avoid them most of the time as a Gondala/cable car and Funicular will get you to the top of the mountain. There are T-bars on the glacier to get you up and down the very top runs which are worth doing once or twice, but the best runs are below the funicular railway.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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maggi, I wouldn't bother. Zermatt may well be the greatest ski resort ... but you just can not 'do it' in a day. From Zermatt station to 'The top' you are looking at an hour to an hour and a quarter ... to Gornerat by train 40 mins ( plus waiting time). You'll spend your whole day on transport and nothing on skis ,,, plus sussing out where is where ....
Tell the 'Man' you're going to Zermat for a week as well... 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Great resort, avoided drags on my board, great 5 pm apres more akin to Austria, bit of a treck to get to the resort, glacier quite windswept up there and a bit knackering to get up there too, try Popcorn pub and some posh hotel lounge in the center of town which I can not remember the name. You should not be disappointed
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A very friendly resort and some great skiing for intermediates. I worked there one season and used to try and follow the sun. The T-bars on the glacier are long and can be abbsolutely freezing so make sure you are very well protected. Saas Grund is good for a day. The Popcorn bar was very popular when I was there. The views are fantastic and you can get so close to the seracs.
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maggi, This link shows that the one day in Zermatt for 6 day or longer Saas Fee region ski passes was introduced last season.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Alastair Pink, Great, thanks!
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got to love saas fee, perfect for intermediates and the sun is always great! gotta love that boarder cross in the snowpark too!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Went so Saas Fee April 06 and loved it, mix of skiers from begiiner to expert and everyone enjoyed it. Ok its not a massive area but long runs from v high top to bottom are great and really test the legs! It really is a lovely village and as mentioned above there's Saas Grund and Saas Almagel accessible by a short bus ride.
Bars near the bottom of the slopes are good for apres and good mix of restaurants and bars generally. Skied Val Thorens last year which is comparatively huge but still want to go back to Saas Fee, sure you'll enjoy it
Oh the sledge run is great fun too, did that on a white out day, there's a seperate lift and mountain for it, def recommend having a go especially if the weather is a bit ropey.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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The Metro bar is good for evening entertainment with live music.
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You need to be careful about a day trip to Zermatt, but if you go with a TO they will probably have it sorted by then. If you have a 6 day or more Saas-Fee pass, you have have 1 day in Zermatt for 15 CHF, BUT you need a voucher from the lift office at the bottom of the Alpin Express. No voucher and you have to pay the full price in Zermatt. There are three ways to make the trip. You can go by public transport, with a TO or with Imseng, a local organisation. Public transport takes just under 2 hours - bus to Stalden and train to Zermatt and you arrive in the centre of town, close to the Gornergrat station (but I suggest you take the walk to Sunegga because the railway is slooow). You should reserve your seats on the bus the previous day. I believe both Inghams and Thomson/Crystal run day trips (usually on a Thursday) which take you to Spiss on the outskirts of town, from where you can walk to Gornergrat or Sunegga (or take the ski bus). In December, Thomson/Crystal left Saas-Fee at 8.00 am and arrived at Spiss about 9.00 am and arranged for a Zermatt host to guide for the morning if required (but there was a real mess over the lift passes). The return journey should have left at 4.00 pm and the bus driver was very angry when two of our group were late (the trip was with Imseng and the driver needed to be back in Zermatt for 6.00 pm). I can't tell you much about booking independently with Imseng. The office is along the main street beside the Holzwurm bar and they apparently run trips on several days, out at 8.00 am or 10.00 am and back at 4.00 pm or 6.00 pm, but you would need to check that they always go to Spiss, rather than Tðsch which would require a train ride up to Zermatt.
Hope this helps.
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You know it makes sense.
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Derek Jackson, Thanks very much. It's great when someone has done it and knows the ins and outs. We're with Total Ski so if they don't do trips and we definitely decide to go we'll make certain we get vouchers and check out the Imseng choice.
And thanks to everyone else too. Some good tips.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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If you are a dusk-to-dawn skier, I agree that a day out in Zermatt would be a good optional, although I did not take it up. You will easily ski all the runs in a matter of days at Saas Fee but that is not necessarily a bad thing, is it? I found a few runs that I did over and over again beacuse they were quiet, wide and smooth. In other words, not a challenge, just a releaxing ski and, as it was Christmas, that was fine for me.
I you are hard-core, you will want to us the draglift, at the top of the Speilboden, as little as possible. It is slow, busy and slow. Much better to go up to the very top using the Alpin Express and the train and ski right down to the bottom then back up again.
I stayed at the Hotel Elite with my girlfriend and was there at the same time as Alastair Pink. In fact, we ate dinner with him every night. (Hope you are well). We liked it there and the food was lovely.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Absolutely! I had never heard of it until then.
A well thought out, informative site. Well done, Snowheads.
Skisimon - If you want to party, the only place we ever made it to was Poison. I think it was next door to the Metro Bar???? I cant be sure. Half a shandy at altitude does things to your brain Unfortunately, being a bit of a wuss, I only made it there once in the week; the other nights were too early for it to open. Still, a bit dank but lively.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Dougie, I don't party much - the hangovers play havoc with the next day of skiing.  A couple of G&Ts in the hotel bar is usually about right for me.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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skisimon, Sorry, I sort of hijacked your thread. Well, have you decided? Are you going to Saas Fee?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You can't hijak a completely open/non-specific thread!
The original deal that made me think of it was a 5/6 departure. But, I like the look/sound of it, but probably sounds best for a long weekend (or a week if it's a deal).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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question on buses for saas fee vets.
If you are in a cheapo place at the end of the village away from the lifts, is there a ski bus which is either free or cheap to get you to the lifts ? if not free, then how much - not sure I can afford a taxi !How often does it run. We will be in apartment, so can't rely on hotel curtesy bus.
If in Saas grund, similar question really, are the buses to saas fee cheap/free , how often do they run, and do they run in the evening to allow you access to the saas fee food, shopping and sports facilities.,
cheers,
d
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pendodave,
I think the best thing to do is to leave your skis and boots in a locker at or near the main gondola. You can then walk there each day.
I think there was an electric "bus" that does a circle of saas fee but it was pretty small and could only fit about 10 people in it. Not sure
how often it ran either as I was lucky enough to stay right on the main beginners slope. 
You have to go to the main bus terminal to get to Saas Grund and the buses there were pretty regular. You can book your space on the bus in advance at the bus depot in case it is busy in the morning.
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pendodave, there is a new bus called the Allalino. You would have to email the Tourist Office for times and cost, but it can't be much. It certainly takes more than 10 passengers. Drluvski is right that you should leave skis and boots in a locker. These are available at several places, mainly close to the nursery slopes. Walking is not so much of a problem then.
If you stay in Saas-Grund you will need to buy a Sass Valley pass to cover the free ski bus. This runs up to 7.00 pm, after which you will have to pay (probably about 5CHF). Most likely, you wouldn't want to come up to Saas-Fee regularly in the evening - it gets pretty cold after the sun sets.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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There are ski locks outside the main gondola station, but inside they have lockers where for a few CHF you can leave several pairs of skis and boots. Well worth the money, then you can walk to and from the lifts. If you stay in Saas Grund, the ski bus is included on the whole area pass, but it is still a couple of mins walk from the bus stop to the lifts, so again, the lockers can be useful....just work out where you are going to ski the following day before you leave your skis at Saas Fee!!
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Wondering about going with Oak Hall in 2011, who have accommodation in Saas Grund.
Any updates from those that were about to go when this thread began?
Anyone been there in April? Anyone know what the village of Saas Grund is like itself?
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FAQ
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. When I was there the English tour operators organised a day trip from Saas Fee to Zermatt using minibusses - the advantage of these is that they are allowed to drive all the way to Zermatt, rather than having to stop at Täsch like most motor vehicles and then having to take the train from Täsch to Zermatt. From recollection the journey time was about 1 hour each way.
. This season I have done 
