Ski Switzerland

Welcome to the Ski Switzerland page, providing a regular round-up of the skiing conditions and current snow reports for the main ski resorts in the Swiss Alps. Over recent years some of the most consistent good piste conditions have been reported at Saas Fee, Davos, Zermatt, Klosters, Andermatt, Verbier, and Engelberg showing a mix of high glacial resorts and those most exposed to the prevailing north westerly storm tracks. However, in any given week or season the best slope conditions may be found at any of the numerous other high Swiss resorts or at lower elevation ski stations in poor weather amongst the trees.

For off-piste powder, resorts such as Zinal, Grimentz, Davos, Les Diablerets, Arosa, Andermatt, and Engelberg have proven among the most consistent over several seasons either because of regular heavy snowfalls, favourable sun aspect, or in some cases because they are high and quite so they don't get tracked out quickly.

In terms of accumulating snow depth throughout the season, Andermatt and Engelberg excel and are a regular match for anywhere in Europe, however every season is different and there are no guarantees. Slope conditions change day by day so check out the reports summaries below for the latest news and of course the snow forecasts we produce for summit, mid-station and resort level elevations at every major ski station in Switzerland.

Switzerland is for many people the country most immediately associated with skiing. Known for its spectacular mountain scenery, efficient infrastructure, high quality and yes, high prices, the country does have the world’s longest history as a winter sports tourism destination – with the very first holiday taking place in St Moritz one and a half centuries ago, shortly before downhill skiing was invented in Norway, in the Telemark style.

The Kulm Hotel St Moritz was the first hotel to be built in St Moritz, the Kulm opened its doors in 1856 and immediately became popular for summer spa and painting holidays, particularly among the British who comprised around 75% of the hotel guests.

The owner of the Kulm Hotel, Johannes Badrutt, initiated winter holidays to St Moritz from 1864, when he laid a bet with his last departing summer guests that the local weather was so good they could sun themselves on the hotel’s terrace even in deep December; if not, he would cover the cost of their holiday himself. He won the bet and within two years, the hotel was fully booked with guests staying for the entire winter season. The Kulm Hotel St Moritz can, therefore, take credit for starting the trend for winter sports holidays which developed in to Swiss ski holidays and the Kulm itself is now a huge five star hotel – one of five in the famous resort – is still in business to this day.

Since then around 400 Swiss ski resorts have opened in every canton including many of the world’s best known destinations. Europe’s highest ski lifts are here at Zermatt, 3899m up, which is one of only two resorts in the world open 365 days a year. As well as St Moritz there are glitzy resorts like Verbier, Crans Montana and Gstaad; resorts with long histories and particularly stunning mountain scenery like Grindelwald, Wengen and Murren in the Jungfrau – a favourite British destination for more than a century - or Davos, where Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a ski pioneer.

Architecture can be more problematic in Switzerland’s ski resorts. Although there are none of the entirely concrete-block developments that have blighted some areas in the French Alps, many of the bigger Swiss resorts contain a few similar ugly buildings as they do not have the same building restrictions as Austria, where a traditional chalet style design is normally required for all new buildings. There are however unspoilt villages to be found such as Grimentz.

Switzerland offers skiing in resorts in the West of the country where French is spoken, the East where it’s German and in the southerly canton of Ticino, Italian. There are ski areas of all sizes including the 350km cross-border area shared by Zermatt and Italy’s Cervinia and the 400km of the 4 Valleys. Thanks to the glaciers and high altitude skiing of many resorts including Engelberg and Laax, snow cover is rarely a problem and sunshine is a strength, particularly for St Moritz again, which claims more than 300 days of it each year.

Another idea pioneered by the Swiss is car-free ski resorts. There are about a dozen including Saas Fee, Wengen and Zermatt. In some cases they have been so successful that permitted hotel electric buggys throng the streets making them almost as busy as they would be with motor traffic, but the noise isn’t there, nor the polluting fumes, making these very special and relaxing places to stay.

Spectacular mountain restaurants are yet another forte, be they the revolving restaurant built with money generated by the James Bond film crew that filmed On His Majesty’s Secret Service at Murren in the late 1950s, or similar establishments above Leysin and Saas Fee, or the ultra-cool Botta restaurant at Les Diablerets.

Switzerland is expensive although just how expensive depends on the strength of the Franc against other currencies. In the 1990s its strength made Switzerland the most expensive destination in Europe for skiers, but through the first decade of the current century prices gradually dropped below those of the Euro, and the French 3 Valleys around Courchevel became more expensive than the Swiss 4 Valleys around Verbier. That changed with the global economic collapse in 2008 when investors seeking a safe haven invested in the Franc and by autumn 2011 the currency was riding so high that one version of Zermatt’s international pass became the most expensive lift ticket in the world – overtaking the usually ‘most pricey’ in Western USA for the first time in decades. The Swiss national bank intervened to limit the strength of the franc and prevent the collapse of Swiss tourism.

Many fans of Swiss skiing do say that the higher costs are worthwhile anyway, so long as they are affordable, for the higher quality experience. Swiss Airlines provide a high quality service to skiers which is continually recognised in user polls and industry awards and, once you land in Geneva or Zurich, many resorts are accessible by an ultra efficient rail and bus network direct from the airports.

It’s also worth noting that, although lift tickets for adults can be expensive, Switzerland offers the best prices in Europe for children. Indeed more than 50 resorts don’t charge for children at all until age 8 or 9 and then offers at least 50% off until adulthood at age 16 or 18 and even then there’s usually a 15-30% discount for young adults or students to their early 20s. This compares to France where children usually pay from age 4 or 5 and then 60-80% of the full adult price, which is payable in total from age 11 to 13. So some family configurations may find that, even with a higher adult lift pass cost, overall they pay less.
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Switzerland: latest snow conditions round-up


SWITZERLAND REPORT The snowy weather on Swiss slopes over the past three weeks has been easing through the weekend, with the snow still falling but lighter showers on higher slopes. Arosa Lenzerheide (45/228cm / 18/91") posted one of the last sizable accumulations of the past week, posting 25cm (10") over the weekend.

Adelboden (0/150 / 0/60") and Andermatt (70/220cm / 28/88") added about 15cm (6") each. It is springlike of course, with valley temperatures reaching +10C in the afternoons, so freeze-thaw and the next conditions earlier in the day on higher ground, but most Swiss areas report 80-100%v of their slopes still open and a number including Saas Fee (94/420cm / 37/168") and Laax (0/445cm / 178") have more than four metres (160") of snow lying on higher slopes.

Summary of forecast snowfall and ski conditions for resorts in Switzerland. Fresh snow is forecast at 5 resorts. Powder is reported at 26 resorts and 23 are reporting good piste conditions.

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Recent Eyeball Snow Reports for Switzerland

A–C

D–G H–K L–M N–R S–U V–Z Best powder (26)Best piste conditions (23)

Ski resorts in Switzerland from A to C

Resort
snow depth
top and bottom

on-piste

off-piste

Last Snow

Next 9 Days
0–3 | 3–6 | 6–9
snow (cm)
Next 5 days weather forecast.
Freezing level (m)
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue

(1259m — 1974m)

snow report yesterday

Adelboden webcam
132
Spring snow 4 cm
yesterday
7.0
9.0
5.0
cloud rain showers cloud snow showers part cloud
Mid station 1616 m
1350m 1900m 1700m 1450m 1200m

(999m — 1626m)

snow report yesterday

2.0 cm
yesterday
7.0
cloud light rain cloud thunderstorm part cloud
Mid station 1312 m
2600m 1900m 1900m 1550m 1300m

(1175m — 2249m)

snow report today

60
Spring snow 3.0 cm
yesterday
56.0
22.0
32.0
light snow heavy snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 1712 m
1100m 1900m 1550m 1050m 800m

(1045m — 2627m)

snow report today

280
Powder / Spring Snow
3.0 cm
yesterday
6.0
20.0
clear part cloud cloud light snow light snow
Mid station 1836 m
2650m 2100m 1550m 1400m 1250m

(910m — 1634m)

snow report today

205
Wet snow 3.0 cm
yesterday
3.0
11.0
clear part cloud cloud mod rain light snow
Mid station 1272 m
2600m 2050m 1650m 1450m 1150m

(1436m — 2963m)

snow report today

240
52
Powder
Powder
5 cm
yesterday
45.0
28.0
24.0
light snow mod snow light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 2200 m
1150m 1950m 1600m 1250m 850m

(1500m — 2420m)

snow report yesterday

140
Spring snow 8 cm
yesterday
11.0
19.0
9.0
cloud light snow cloud snow showers snow showers
Mid station 1960 m
2200m 1850m 1700m 1350m 1050m

(2000m — 3000m)

snow report yesterday

Arolla webcam
243
87
Spring snow 6 cm
yesterday
40.0
18.0
29.0
light snow mod snow light snow snow showers light snow
Mid station 2500 m
2000m 1850m 1700m 1200m 1150m

(1493m — 2865m)

snow report today

110
100
Packed powder and groomed snow 6 cm
yesterday
7.0
20.0
part cloud snow showers snow showers light snow light snow
Mid station 2179 m
1250m 2100m 1650m 1600m 1200m

(920m — 1300m)

snow report today

opens in 260 days 5 cm
2 days ago
8.0
part cloud part cloud cloud mod rain rain showers
Mid station 1110 m
2850m 2050m 1600m 1400m 1300m

(1963m — 2601m)

snow report yesterday

7 cm
yesterday
36.0
25.0
11.0
light snow light snow light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 2282 m
1200m 2050m 1600m 1100m 1150m

(1200m — 1951m)

snow report 2 days ago

Beatenberg webcam
195
End Of Season
No Info
4 cm
yesterday
9.0
9.0
4.0
cloud light rain cloud thunderstorm rain showers
Mid station 1576 m
2700m 1900m 1850m 1500m 1250m

(1322m — 3110m)

snow report today

254
5
Spring snow 6 cm
yesterday
59.0
26.0
39.0
light snow heavy snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 2216 m
1250m 2000m 1700m 1300m 1000m

(1609m — 2559m)

snow report yesterday

175
65
Packed powder and groomed snow 5 cm
yesterday
66.0
30.0
41.0
light snow heavy snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 2084 m
1050m 1950m 1650m 1350m 850m

(1594m — 3019m)

snow report yesterday

5 cm
yesterday
20.0
24.0
6.0
light snow light snow light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 2306 m
1300m 2050m 1750m 1350m 1150m

(1623m — 2647m)

snow report today

Bettmeralp - Aletsch webcam
230
123
Packed powder and groomed snow 5 cm
yesterday
68.0
28.0
44.0
light snow heavy snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 2135 m
1150m 1950m 1650m 1250m 900m

(1707m — 2560m)

snow report today

200
50
Packed powder and groomed snow 6 cm
yesterday
31.0
23.0
11.0
light snow light snow light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 2134 m
1250m 2050m 1700m 1100m 1050m

(1500m — 2301m)

snow report today

170
90
No Info
No Info
4 cm
yesterday
92.0
29.0
54.0
light snow heavy snow mod snow snow showers clear
Mid station 1900 m
900m 1750m 1450m 950m 900m

(1256m — 1905m)

snow report today

4 cm
yesterday
10.0
17.0
rain showers rain showers light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 1580 m
1250m 2000m 1650m 1450m 950m

(1684m — 2322m)

snow report today

60
5
×
Closed
Hard / Spring Snow
5 cm
yesterday
20.0
20.0
8.0
snow showers light snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 2003 m
2350m 1900m 1700m 1550m 1250m

(1103m — 2418m)

snow report today

125
Packed powder and groomed snow 3.0 cm
yesterday
14.0
14.0
4.0
light rain light snow light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 1760 m
1200m 2000m 1550m 1200m 900m

(1210m — 2578m)

snow report today

149
20

Powder
6 cm
yesterday
10.0
16.0
8.0
light rain light snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 1894 m
2150m 1950m 1800m 1300m 1200m

(929m — 1707m)

snow report 2 days ago

300
No Info
4 cm
yesterday
8.0
part cloud light rain cloud thunderstorm part cloud
Mid station 1318 m
2750m 2050m 2050m 1600m 1250m

(1069m — 1585m)

snow report yesterday

3.0 cm
yesterday
8.0
part cloud light rain cloud thunderstorm rain showers
Mid station 1327 m
2700m 1850m 1750m 1500m 1250m

(1718m — 2550m)

snow report today

opens in 267 days 5 cm
yesterday
40.0
19.0
29.0
light snow heavy snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 2134 m
1350m 1900m 1650m 1150m 950m

(1720m — 2270m)

snow report today

243
35

Powder
5 cm
yesterday
23.0
22.0
8.0
light snow light snow light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 1995 m
1300m 2050m 1750m 1050m 900m

(1040m — 2277m)

snow report today

160
154
Wet
7 cm
yesterday
16.0
2.0
cloud light rain cloud light snow snow showers
Mid station 1658 m
2550m 2050m 1750m 1450m 1300m

(1702m — 2671m)

snow report today

120
20
×
Closed
No Info
8 cm
yesterday
11.0
19.0
10.0
light snow light snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 2186 m
2150m 1950m 1750m 1250m 1200m

(1310m — 2150m)

snow report yesterday

7 cm
yesterday
17.0
3.0
cloud light rain cloud light snow snow showers
Mid station 1730 m
2550m 2050m 1750m 1450m 1300m

(1650m — 3001m)

snow report yesterday

Chandolin webcam
155
105
Packed powder and groomed snow 7 cm
yesterday
23.0
19.0
17.0
cloud light snow light snow snow showers snow showers
Mid station 2326 m
2050m 1800m 1650m 1300m 950m

(1045m — 1893m)

snow report yesterday

4 cm
yesterday
11.0
cloud light rain cloud light snow part cloud
Mid station 1469 m
2700m 1950m 2000m 1500m 1300m

(1000m — 2200m)

snow report yesterday

6 cm
yesterday
2.0
14.0
3.0
cloud light rain cloud light snow snow showers
Mid station 1600 m
2500m 1900m 1900m 1450m 1300m

(600m — 2175m)

snow report today

217
×
Closed
No Info
4 cm
yesterday
4.0
9.0
part cloud rain showers rain showers light snow rain showers
Mid station 1388 m
1200m 2050m 1600m 1500m 1250m

(1480m — 2210m)

snow report yesterday

4 cm
yesterday
7.0
16.0
part cloud snow showers snow showers light snow snow showers
Mid station 1845 m
1250m 2050m 1650m 1500m 1200m

(1797m — 3303m)

snow report yesterday

248
81
Packed powder and groomed snow 8 cm
yesterday
43.0
34.0
16.0
light snow mod snow light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 2550 m
1300m 2000m 1750m 1050m 900m

(1720m — 3057m)

snow report yesterday

6 cm
yesterday
34.0
30.0
13.0
light snow light snow light snow light snow snow showers
Mid station 2388 m
1300m 2050m 1750m 1050m 900m

(1500m — 3000m)

snow report today

120
100
Powder
Powder
9 cm
yesterday
13.0
21.0
11.0
cloud light snow cloud snow showers snow showers
Mid station 2250 m
2200m 1850m 1700m 1350m 1000m