The last resort I have found on my bucket list is one of the least realistic ski areas for me to ever visit, but hopefully, I find myself in the situation in my life to be able to visit this amazing place.
The Mount Zermatt Ski area in Switzerland is one of the most prestigious ski areas in Western Europe. Filled with a small number of beginner runs and an in-depth collection of expert runs, this mountain in the Alps will be sure to test the skills of any skier. Since the ski resort is set in the heart of the Swiss alpine mountain range, its insanely high vertical drop of 2,300m allows for long, steep runs. Attached below is a more in-depth look at the slope map.
It is astounding that this ski resort is so expansive that instead of naming specific trails, they instead name areas that one can ski between. While most of these routes look to be in the intermediate skill level, it is important to keep in mind the clientele of these resorts and how they must scale their difficulty levels based on that- an intermediate level run in Pennsylvania or Colorado will not be the same as one in Switzerland.
Similarly, it is nice to note that the trail map is in four different languages. This area of Switzerland has influences from France, Germany, and Italy, creating a populous that speaks three languages frequently. In addition, since this is a high tourist area, English is also included. One of the secondary reasons I would love to visit this part of Switzerland is to experience the unique mix of cultures from many different areas and see how they have combined in language, food, and culture.
While I can’t name any specific runs that pique my interest, one beginner run is incredibly famous for the unique opportunity it gives skiers. The most well-known run at Zermatt ski resort is actually the cat track- from Cervinia, Italy, to Zermatt, Switzerland. This trail actually runs between two different countries, allowing skiers to boast that they have literally used skis to travel between two different countries.
It is clear that anyone could spend weeks exploring this beautiful mountain in all of its glory, and take in the spectacular views across the rest of the Swiss Alps. The Matterhorn itself (one of the mountains included in the ski resort) is one of the most recognizable mountain faces in the world because of its unique shape. Then, after days of skiing, one can explore the unique cultural experience of either Italy or Switzerland- or both.
Hopefully one day I am able to go here and experience the raw beauty of Mt. Zermatt and the swiss alps. However, for the time I’m paying for college tuition, I don’t see it as a possibility, and so I await my time!
Next week, I’ll rank the ski resorts I’ve visited and the ones I haven’t visited, in order to provide a comprehensive list for both new and experienced skiers of the best places to visit.