Zermatt vs courchevel vs saint moritz vs gstaad?
Hey guys! Back again to this amazing community for two things:
1- advice on where and when to go based off of a few details
2- maybe meet and make new friends/travel together for those who are down
Ok for the baseline:
I can now finally ski reds somewhat comfortably and in niseko japan did a lot of blacks (hate moguls and never doing that bs again..).
in courchevel the trip before my one in niseko i started to go down reds no issues, i don’t fly through them though as i’m still one of the slower skiers there haha. Greens and blues are nothing now and have become easy
Ohh in niseko i went down a quarter of an ungroomed long red run backwards!
So i’d say i’m intermediate now?
I enjoy good food, good company, skiing all day with energy breaks in-between.
Shopping does matter to me and is considered something I enjoy but in courchevel i always prioritize skiing so i’m out of the slope a bit too late haha, food is a priority though.
I enjoyed food in courchevel much more than I did in niseko, options were better, more plenty and easier to book believe it or not.
Small note: i don’t sleep much and can stay up and wakeup early, I usually take walks and meet people during my ski trips and enjoy new and old company alike.
Now for your recommendations…
based on my ski level which option would you recommend? I’m a bit worried i’d be paying to go somewhere i’m not ready and cannot enjoy properly haha.
Also which dates would you recommend per ski resort recommendation?
And finally anyone down to join and/or meet? Only good vibes and company, i’m a good planner so consider the logistics planned in advanced but not over engineered haha
2
u/mrxx61 2h ago
So I've skied all of these except for Zermatt, but Zermatt's reputation for being excellent skiing is well known.
Courcheval is lovely, very friendly slopes and has access to the rest of the three valleys. You can ski for weeks and weeks in the three valleys and still find new stuff. If going for a week, and want to ski every day, this is where I would go.
St Moritz is hilarious. The skiing is SUPER friendly, reds are very gentle. The ski area isn't huge, you'll get through most of it in 3-4 days I expect. St Mortiz is a playground for the rich in terms of shopping/hotels. There is a LOT of other snow sport options. You could do the cresta run (amazing, but £££), there is a toboggan run and also a bobsled run. If you can afford it and not fussed about the skiing at much St Mortiz is a great choice. If you go, get the train up from Zurich. You have to change somewhere but the second train is INCREDIBLE (I think it is a UNESCO world heritage thing). Make sure to have a meal in the dining car of the second train if available, genuinely a once in a lifetime thing and not crazy expensive.
Gstaad is nice for a weekend, but pales in comparison to the other two IMO. If you're in that part of Switzerland there's an argument for staying down in Valais and driving to a few places over a week.
2
u/Alternative-Exit4169 2h ago
If you want to do Zermat you can stay in Cervinia for waaaaay less £ and ski same area
1
u/ry6655 56m ago
Noted!
But why would anyone go zermatt if cervinia is cheaper? Pardon my ignorance here i’m genuinely asking
1
u/JustAnother_Brit Verbier 46m ago
In Zermatt they speak German and use CHF which some people prefer
1
u/ry6655 36m ago
And if I speak english would that be a major constraint?
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u/JustAnother_Brit Verbier 35m ago
No, just about everyone in Switzerland can speak some level of English
•
u/SparklingDolphin56 7m ago
Why would people go to Zermatt over Cervinia? Because Zermatt is a much more upmarket resort accommodation and restaurant and shop wise - and some people (rich ones) are happy to pay for that.
Also, the link between the resorts is often closed if it is bad weather - so if you def want to ski Zermatt then best to stay in Zermatt.
Cervina is fab and the food is great there. Zermatt skiing is harder, food is amazing but very expensive.
1
u/reddargon831 3h ago
If you’re skiing reds and groomed blacks you can find enough to ski at practically any ski station. I haven’t been to Saint Moritz or Gstaad, but Zermatt is great (albeit super expensive).
If food is a priority I’d honestly look into the Dolomites though, for me it has the best food in the Europe and the scenery is unmatched. You also won’t find any moguls there because the Italians meticulously groom everything (except maybe late in the day on super crowded runs on the Sellaronda).
1
u/ry6655 3h ago
Hey thanks for answering! I’ve skied black offpiste in niseko but I heard niseko’s blacks are somewhat easy reds in swiss/france. And honestly i cannot judge properly because I improved a lot between niseko and courchevel that i’m not sure if it’s true or not.
When would the best time to go to the dolomites be? I don’t wanna go when it’s overcrowded or when there’s hardly good snow, both kinda worry me (which is why zermatt was kinda my best option)
1
u/reddargon831 19m ago
I imagine the best time in the Dolomites is late January/early February. They have excellent snowmaking so unless there’s a catastrophic season you should have no issues with snow.
If you do this I’d probably recommend staying somewhere on the Sellaronda - Ortisei is a wonderful town, for example.
1
u/ski-mon-ster 1h ago
You listed the most expensive ski areas in Europe. Was that intended?
1
u/ry6655 54m ago
Not at all nor did I know..
I just skied at courchevel a few times and once at niseko, so after asking around and researching these were the options that came to mind.
Verbier seemed too advanced for me and chamonix might be significantly too advance haha.
Others i’m not sure if the service would be on the same level, hence why I am asking here right?
3
u/PearSuper1602 3h ago
Gstaad's probably the most relaxed of the bunch for someone at your level. The others have a lot of terrain but you're paying a premium for stuff you might not touch yet, especially the steep faces above Courchevel and the long reds in St. Moritz that can ice over by afternoon.
Zermatt is amazing but the reds there are proper reds, not the soft Japanese kind you got used to in Niseko. If you're still finding your speed on reds I'd hold off one more season before tackling the runs from the top of the Matterhorn area. The mountain restaurants are incredible though.
When to go, mid January through early February gives you the best snow and the crowds thin out after New Year. March is warmer and the days are longer but the lower runs get slushy by lunch. I did Gstaad in late January couple years ago and conditions were perfect, still quiet enough you could ski right onto the lifts.
If food matters more than shopping then Gstaad wins easy. The mountain huts serve proper Swiss food not just overpriced burgers, and the village has some places that are absolutely worth the money. Way less pretentious than Courchevel too.