The 10 Best Ski Resorts in Switzerland

Impressive landscapes, commendable service and snow safety – that's skiing in Switzerland. The Alpine country has a lot in store when it comes to winter sports. Zermatt, the best ski resort in the world, is not the only one to impress. The Canton of Grisons, where five of our Top 10 Swiss ski resorts lie, is another great destination. Let us introduce you to the best ski resorts in Switzerland.

Zermatt, at the foot of world-famous Matterhorn, is an excellent ski resort, and clear winner in our ranking. A total of 360 kilometres (224 miles) of slopes, and more than 60 lifts make it the largest ski resort in Switzerland. Zermatt gets full marks for categories Snow and Advanced; it also features very good off-piste terrain. „If you can't get enough of skiing, Zermatt is the right place for you in more than one respect. Thanks to the glacier, you can bomb down a seemingly infinite amount of slopes all year round“, Snow-Online tester Florian Weis raves. With up to 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) of runs, the summer ski area is the biggest in Europe.

The ski area of Laax, with the resorts Flims, Laax, and Falera, scores as the largest connected winter sports area in Grisons, and especially with its good snowboard offer, which gets it second place. With a total of four terrain parks, it is undefeated first for snowboarders in Switzerland. „Every snowboarder should have been to Laax at least once. The offer is superior to all other ski resorts“, Snow-Online tester Martin Bauer finds.

Saas-Fee in Valais scores in the categories Advanced and Terrain Parks as well as with its snow safety – no wonder, since our number three ski resort is situated between 1,800 and 3,600 metres (5,906-11,811 ft) above sea level. Furthermore, there are some nice back-country opportunities. The ski resort features a broad range of runs of all three difficulty levels, but convinced us especially with its high number of challenging, wide slopes.

Grisons boasts another top ski resort featuring a great amount of runs and lifts: Samnaun, number four in our ranking. The duty-free Swiss enclave is connected to the Austrian party hotspot Ischgl. Thus, holidaymakers not only benefit from numerous and diverse slopes, but from great après ski opportunities as well.

The fifth spot is occupied by Engading St. Moritz in Grisons. Its individual ski resorts could hardly be any more different: Corviglia is the sunny ski mountain with perfectly groomed slopes and wide carving highways. Diavolezza and Piz Lagalb boast the best views of Piz Bernina, and Corvatsch is where back-country and expert skiers meet. It was the ski resort's size, its service, the snow conditions, and the offer for advanced winter sportsmen that convinced our testers.

Jungfrau Region is comprised of the ski resorts Grindelwald-Wengen, Grindelwald-First, Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen and Mürren-Schilthorn. The only ski region from Bernese Oberland comes sixth in the ranking. Jungfrau Region is worth a visit for intermediate and advanced skiers, and boasts a unique atmosphere and great views of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains.

Diversity, snow safety, top grooming and service – those are the attributes that characterise the ski resorts of Davos Klosters in Grisons. Snowboarders in particular will love the two terrain parks. But skiers of all skill levels won't get bored on 300 kilometres (186 miles) of slopes either.

If you appreciate good grooming and service, Verbier/Les 4 Vallées in Valais is the place to go. Due to its extent and size (410 kilometres of slopes), the resort is very diverse, and therefore comes eighth. It is the only French-speaking resort in our ranking.

Grisons ski region Arosa Lenzerheide makes ninth in our overall ranking, but is the best when it comes to families. Five kids' parks provide the space for little ones to try their first pair of skis, and explore the joy of winter sports. The resort, however, also convinced us in the categories Advanced, Freeride, and On Mountain Dining.

Engelberg in Central Switzerland has a great back-country offer, and scored in the categories Advanced and Freeride as well as Snow, thereby getting tenth place. Furthermore, the run from the 3,215 metre (10,548 ft) high Titlis to Engelberg is one of the longest runs in the Alps at 12 kilometres (7.5 miles).

When testing Swiss ski resorts, it is not the differences that strike the eye, but rather the similarities: all ski resorts are characterised by great slopes, top service, and best snow conditions. This is what makes Switzerland one of the best winter holiday destinations overall. The best bit, however, are the impressive mountain massifs unparalleled in any other Alpine country.

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