Skiing in Europe VS. USA
Travel bucket-list item 6/50
Skiing in Europe has always been on our bucket-list. We are avid skiers in the U.S but this was the first time we had skied outside of the country. In this blog, we’re going to discuss what it’s like skiing in Europe, as two Americans. We focus on two iconic European skiing destinations: Zermatt, Switzerland and Breuil-Cervinia, Italy.
How to get there:
We booked a flight out of Tampa using air mile points, and landed in Zurich. We suggest waiting for a good flight deal and you can use websites like Fare Drop to help you. We picked up a flight deal for $500 USD roundtrip. We then took a train to Zermatt for $150 USD roundtrip, where we spent the next two days skiing at the famous Matterhorn ski resort.
A winter ski pass here starts at around $92 USD per person per day, without gear hire, and you can book your passes here. If we compare those prices to Vail Ski Resort in Colorado, it works out to be half the price skiing here than in a reputable resort in the U.S.
Skiing Switzerland:
The experience starts with a cog train ride up to the Corner Grot view point. You can come up anytime of the year even if you're not skiing but this is the starting point of the runs. What’s great about this ski spot at Matterhorn is that it’s directly on the border between Switzerland and Italy and on the run down, you do a cross-country ski. This gave us the chance to compare skiing in Italy vs skiing in Switzerland as well.
Skiing in Europe is more about the views, site seeing and stops at restaurants and bars along the way. It’s very different to what we’re used to in Colorado where skiing is all about shredding the mountain, and getting down as fast as possible. European skiing is: experience over vertical. so, it’s only normal for us to try and experience all the popular Après spots in the area.
If you're wondering what the actual skiing experience was like, our first day on Matterhorn felt like we were on the top of a basin so it felt open and exposed to the elements, icy, and the wind wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. When you get down into lower elevation, you're skiing along these narrow paths and if felt like you could bar crawl. It was like a site-seeing, narrow trail with a bar or restaurant every few hundred meters along the way, where you could stop and have a cocktail or a beer. Most people share the same sentiment of just casually skiing on these slopes, even the good skiers. Once again: experience over vertical.
Après in the Alps:
For those that don’t know what ‘après’ means, it’s a French word basically translating to “at a later time’ or ‘afterwards’. In Europe, there is a culture of doing something entertaining after skiing such as having dinner and drinks at a restaurant, going for a spa treatment, or shopping etc. The social activities and entertainment following a day's skiing. On this slope, drinking local beverages and eating is the popular form of Après in the Alps.
Igloo Dorf
A few minutes into the ski was our first après stop - Igloo Dorf. Here you can spend the night in a real-life igloo, but we just stopped for some local hot wine (gluhwein) and beers. Views of the Matterhorn were great, pricing of beverages wasn't too expensive either. There wasn't an option to eat here but we suggest saving that for the next stop.
On the way down to the next stop are some black diamonds on the route to get there but you can take the train and do a different route. One thing to mention is that the ski lifts are brilliant in Switzerland, they have seat warmers! Oh, and they have a closed-door ski lift specifically for kids. Whoah.
Chez Vrony
Our next Après spot was the very popular restaurant Chez Vrony. THE spot to visit at Matterhorn. Reservations are required, which we didn't know about, but we luckily got in because it was so close to closing time. If you make a reservation and don't show up, they charge 50 francs. Bevs 10/10, food 10/10, views 10/10.
Skiing Italy:
Day 1 was more about the après, taking it easy and maybe getting our feet wet a little bit. Day 2 was time to traverse ski over to Italy to experience a different kind of après. After nearly an hour worth of gondola rides from the bottom, we reached the top of Matterhorn where you start the journey of 13 miles of slopes, 7000 vertical feet down and cross-country. Not only is this ski unique because of the cross-country aspect, but it’s also one of the longest ski runs in the world.
Our Après stop in Italy was at Ristorante Gran Sometta for expressos, pizza (when in Italy) and beer. Views, vibes, food, bevs all 12/10.
As far as coming over to the Italian side for skiing - the runs are better and wider, the snow is better too, and saying “ciao, grazie!” to the towrope guy was the highlight of my life.
where to stay:
We stayed at the Alpen Resort, Best Western property, and it was awesome. The best part was the spa experience included in your room price with hot pools and cold showers. We would have paid $100 just to go in there just for the day. So having that with a huge breakfast buffet (also included in the price) with excellent food, a free shuttle service, and hot wifi definitely made this hotel a great find. We’d 100% recommend it and the price was around $1000 for 3 nights.
Want to save some money and do this on a budget? Book flights and accommodation with points, bring your own gear, and bring your own drinks on the slopes.
