International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Flying to Zurich Feb 2 - 6

[AltaSkier]

So buddy and I decided on kind of a last minute trip last night and booked tickets to Zurich, landing on the 2nd, flying back out on the 6th. Leaving the pissed wives at home, this gives us realistically 3 days of skiing. Never skied in Europe before, and this is kind of one of those bucket list trips, checking some boxes off. He is very well traveled, I'm pretty laid back.

I have a few questions that maybe some of you can help with:

1: Where should we consider skiing? Happy to move to different resorts as necessary. We can both generally ski any terrain/conditions we want, but are not planning on bringing ropes. Yes, we ski blacks...
2. Planning on only taking one pair of skis. What would you bring; a) Peak 98, b) Black Crows Atris (108 underfoot), or c) Line Blade (95 underfoot, mostly piste ski, not really a serious contender)
3. Never taken ski gear on a train before, guessing I want to ditch the roller bag for something smaller?

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[johnnyvw]

I've made a few business trips to Switzerland (with skiing thrown in whenever possible). I haven't traveled with more than my boots, but many Swiss travel by train to the ski areas. I've even seen people walking in full ski gear (including boots) through the Bern train station. I would check the Swiss rail website for how to handle your gear and luggage, they may have a set-up like air travel where you check your luggage and then they handle transfers. If not, you'll have to handle all your stuff at every transfer, so in that case I would see which ski area is the most direct from the Zurich flughaven station (not Zurich city station)

Edit: just checked, they do have luggage handling https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/reservation-luggage/luggage-registration.html
They also have special deals for skiing trips https://freizeit.sbb.ch/en/stories/snownrail

 

[AltaSkier]

Thanks johnnyvw, I appreciate your feedback.

We just got transportation figured out, and we are planning on Zermatt and Verbier for skiing. Now to just figure out which pair of skis to bring!

 

[Cheizz]

decide a day before you go. Then you'll know if there's any real powder to be had.

 

[AltaSkier]

decide a day before you go. Then you'll know if there's any real powder to be had.

Thanks!

So I am getting conflicting suggestions on bringing avy gear with us. Seems that we need beacons/probes/shovels to go off piste even if inside the resort boundaries (under the ropes), but a friend of a friend of a friend (yea, I know) is saying not necessary. The small group I'm going with are not really groomer skiers.

 

[Cheizz]

Bring it, your friend of a friend is wrong.

And get a guide. In both ski areas terrain and conditions are very tricky. Crevasses and spots you won't be able to get out of, etc.

 

[AltaSkier]

Bring it, your friend of a friend is wrong.

And get a guide. In both ski areas terrain and conditions are very tricky. Crevasses and spots you won't be able to get out of, etc.

Thank you for your guidance! Sorry for yet another question, but it seems like insurance is almost mandated. Is there a place/website you would suggest?

 

[Cheizz]

I don't, but other forum members might.

 

[Swiss Toni]

Here in Switzerland and in the other alpine countries the ski area operators are only required to protect the marked runs from what are termed alpine hazards, avalanches, crevasses, rock falls etc. If you ski outside the marked runs you are responsible for your own safety. In glaciated terrain the marked runs are also roped off with back and yellow ropes, some the crevasses on the glacier above Zermatt are around 40m deep! There no resort boundaries as in the US, you can ski wherever you want, but entirely at your own risk.

It’s highly advisable to take out insurance as you will be charged for rescue and medical treatment, which can be very expensive. Helicopters are widely used for mountain rescue, each minute of helicopter flying time costs around CHF 100. Ideally the insurance policy should cover you for search and rescue, medical treatment and repatriation. As you are based in the US you will likely have to find a US provider.

To make the most of your very short stay it would be a good idea to hire a guide, a group freeride day in Zermatt costs CHF 180 https://www.zermatters.ch/en/zermatters.ch/winter/freeride/guided_freeride_day

 

[Slim]

Thanks!

So I am getting conflicting suggestions on bringing avy gear with us. Seems that we need beacons/probes/shovels to go off piste even if inside the resort boundaries (under the ropes), but a friend of a friend of a friend (yea, I know) is saying not necessary. The small group I'm going with are not really groomer skiers.

there are no “resort boundaries“ in Europe, so you can not be ”inside“ them.
There are lift companies, and they control for avalanches etc on the marked runs, which are almost all groomers.
So the moment you go off those, you are in uncontrolled backcountry terrain: bring gear and the knowledge.
Or go with a guide and rent the gear if needed.

 

[Slim]

The options For rescue insurance I know of are the American alpine club or the Austrian alpine club.

 

[crosscountry]

If you’re with a group and they’re “not really groomer skiers”, hire a guide!

Avalanche is one thing (bring your avi gear anyway). The thought of crevasse creep me out!

 

[dusty]

I just travelled with my double roller bag between Basel and Zermatt very easily. I did pick non commute times, but look for the bike car.

 

[Slim]

My wife and I are also flying to Zürich in a few weeks. Heading to Andermatt.
Let us know how it was @AltaSkier !

 

[AltaSkier]

Ok, so I'm back from Zermatt.

I have skied more North American ski areas, inbound and backcountry than I can count at this point in my life. All were beautiful, but Zermatt is by far the most beautiful I've ever seen. I found myself taking photos of the Matterhorn whenever I could. It is just that amazing of a mountain, and it's frickin' huge! But the views are 360 degrees, and it would still be the most beautiful ski area I've skied, even without the famed mountain.

 

[AltaSkier]

So to the skiing... As a soft snow skier, I tend to chase powder on trips. This year was different. We went for the experience, and accepted the snow might not be all that great. Well, locals told us it hadn't snowed since Christmas, and the trails showed it. The manmade snow in Southern Michigan skied actually better the day before I left, but again, it was part of the experience, and the experience did not disappoint!

One thing I found interesting is that we tend to measure a ski day in vertical feet skied in the U.S., in Zermatt, it seemed that we skied distance and ignored vert. We stayed on piste the whole time we were there, never felt the need to go off. Guess this was due to the lack of fresh snow, but we were happy with what we had.

The lift system in Zermatt is superior to any that I have skied before! The Swiss really know how to build a ski lift/tram, and it was the first time I have taken a train up a mountain to ski. Not my favorite method as it made me sleepy, but cool nonetheless!

On the first day we skied into Italy into Italy. Also an amazing ski area, the food was excellent and significantly cheaper. Plans to do so the second day when we were told that the Italians "probably wouldn't open their side that day." Who doesn't open a ski resort on a Sunday? Umm, ok, that was a bit odd to us, but plenty to explore on the Swiss side.

 

[AltaSkier]

Food on the hill. Unbelievable! So good, and so many options. We found ourselves just skiing around the mountains and eating/drinking (responsibly). Again, the views were incredible every direction we looked. Way better than a $40 Vail Burger! This has to be experienced to truly understand.

Après' Ski. Again, this is something that has to be experienced at least once in a skier's life. It is different that what we do in America, and was a blast. Little on-mountain huts turned into huge parties! And they seemed to be everywhere. Of course, watching people leave those parties was kind of a shit-show!

We stayed in a hotel near the cog-train that took us up the hill. Next time, I think we would stay a little closer to the gondolas, but Zermatt isn't a large town, and a cheap taxi to the gondola was easy to come by. The hotel was great, had a great sauna and breakfast. Food in town was amazing, but reservations made it easier to get a table.

If I had to compare the town of Zermatt to something in the US, it would be Telluride, but on a much grander scale. It just kind of sits down in a canyon. The part we all noticed was that there were no known (at least to us) chains (restaurants or hotels) which was great. Also, people were not buried in their phones, they actually spoke with each other! I cannot speak highly enough of the hospitality we were shown while in Switzerland, and we all look forward to going back someday!

 

[Bolder]

Great report. As an American living in Europe for a long time now, I always find the different experiences interesting. I've been to Zermatt once and it was indeed mind-blowing!