Hello,

Please could you tell me which city has the best skiing within an hour or so travel?

It seems all british skiers travel through geneva airport but I was wondering if zurich has more to offer than I am aware of?

Many thanks,

Stu

Hi there, we often drive to Flumserberg. We also sometimes drive to Hoch Ybrig too. Both are about an hour drive. Check out the home page. Hoch Ybrig has smaller ski area than Flumserberg.

I'd like to find out more about the Zurich area.

From Geneva you have a huge selection of resorts both on the French and the Swiss side. The Portes du soleil area includes miles and miles on both sides of the border, and is just 1 hour from Geneva. So are the resorts of Villars, Les Diablerets, Leysins, Verbier, Haute Nendaz, Les Marécottes- and so many others. One of the nearest French resort is La Clusaz.

All are reachable by train and bus in CH, which is great. Horses for courses -depends what you want and the type of skiier and holiday maker you are. If you tell us a bit more about yourself - what you like, your level, your budget and whether you will be travelling with a group of young people or a family - perhaps we can help narrow it down for you.

Two questions - two answers

1. Geneva has better skiing within an hour, great choice, good resorts

2. Yes, Zurich probably has much more than you are aware of, as mentioned above

A great deal depends on your definition of 'best skiing' If your into serious Off piste then Chamonix is the world Mecca about 1 hour from Geneva, Verbier 2.5 hours from Geneva or St Anton 2 hours from ZH. Good normal skiing is available near both. I drive every weekend to Chamonix from Zurich, I have for the last 15 years.

Thanks everyone, great thread.

My aim is to ski pretty much every weekend hence looking to be within an 1hr or so of the slopes. I've got 2 weeks skiing experience but am comfortable on black runs (less so on moguls). But I expect to be moving to Switzerland for the long term so expect to be at a pretty high standard for a long time so off-piste is maybe what I'll end up getting into.

I'm also looking to get into mountain biking using uplifts during the summer which I think also lends itself to Morzine / porte-du-solie so I think Geneva is winning this one!

I guess the downside it that I don't think the french resorts are accessable by train / cable car - was kind of hoping for a car free lifestyle!

How easy is it to get Saturday night only accomodation at the resorts, is it expensive?

There are transfer buses to all the nearby French resorts from Geneva airport throughout the season. As anybody got a link- I've forgotten the details. Certainly all the Swiss resorts I mentioned are available by train and bus. for Verbier train to Martigny then change for Le Chable where the bubbles take you right up to Verbier station and up to the top slopes without changing (and generally NO queuing at le Chable either).

Thanks Odile

To be honest, with 2 weeks skiing you should be very careful of going on any black runs unless they really are not black runs. A black run will often have very narrow / steep / rocky sections with big moguls. In icy conditions people do die in such situations.
If ther is a serious accident where death occurs, there is a real chance that a more experianced skier who you are with will be charged under.

Art. 117
Any person who causes the death of another through negligence or recklessness shall be liable to a custodial sentence not exceeding three years or to a monetary penalty.


A friend of mine was found 'not guilty' last week, the accident happened 4 1/2 years ago. A snowborder walking along an icy path, fell backwards over a clif they did not realise was there.

Hi fatmanfilms,

Thanks for the heads up - I also heard that a German was charged for manslaughter for taking a wrong turn and colliding with someone not so long ago, I do appreciate the warning.

The black runs I went on were in Val Thorens - to be fair they were probably on the easier end of the scale - they were more bumpy than dangerous - but yes i did take it very steady with an experienced skiier.

Cheers,

Stu

See

www.altibus.com

but there are several companies, again if anybody knows of one, please share here.

I maybe biased but only 1.25 hours from Geneva is Morzine/les Gets part of the Portes du Soleil. It's a huge area with something for everyone.

For Morzine or Les Gets, train to Geneve and then transfer up for about 30e or from Lausanne boat to Thonon or Evian and again transfer up (about 35 minutes).

Much quicker to get to the other end of the Portes du Soleil- first resort being Torgon- which links with Chatel, Super Chatel, Morgins, Champoussin, Champéry/Les Crosets and Avoriaz. Huge. Train to Aigle, bus to Vionaz/Torgon and return via Champéry.

You could live in either Zurich or Geneva and go skiing every weekend.

I live in the village of Champéry (part of the Portes du Soleil ski resort) and work in Lausanne ... and get to ski every weekend in winter and get the most of the summer sports (biking cross-country, downhill, climbing, hiking etc). There are a fair few people in Champéry who even make the daily commute to Geneva, Fribourg and Bern. They love the mountains that much!

The great thing about Switzerland is the transport network. Of course, it is handy to have a good, and reliable car, which we do because of where we live in the mountains, but the trains are very reliable. There is a train from Geneva to Aigle. You would then have to change trains onto the AOMC mountain train which takes you to Champéry. All the main swiss resorts have train connections. Check out the swiss train website (www.cff.ch), and you work out how long you're willing to travel.

From Zurich, you have Klosters, Davos and St-Moritz; with Geneva having a closer proximity to Champéry, Verbier, Nendaz, Crans Montana, and the ever special Zermatt. Over the border in Italy, there is some good skiing too. Don't forget to check out Saas-Fee, Lenzerheide and Laax. Chamonix is one of the free-riding paradises.

Portes du soleil is special as it is linked to many resorts so you can never get bored. There is also skiing for all levels. There are some great restaurants on the slopes (both swiss and french sides), and some good après ski (if you know where to go). Champéry village has a charm which keeps people coming back. It's not a place to be seen. It's place to ski. It's always recommended to pre-book accommodation to not be disappointed, especially during peak times. If you're planning on skiing every weekend in one resort/ area, you should think about getting a season pass and perhaps about renting something for the season, instead of hotels every weekend. At least you can leave your ski stuff there if you're taking the train. If you're on a strict budget, see about renting with friends. There are currently "early bird" discounts in most resorts, for buying your ski pass.

As you've only had 2 weeks skiing experience, you should think about taking private lessons to get a decent technique base (you'll get a lot further, and quicker, than with group lessons), as opposed to picking up bad habits if you're on your own. Even great skiers need tips...and they take them! You can only improve on your technique.

Wherever you decide to base yourself, you'll be able to find decent skiing. If it's a "bad" looking season (like last season), look at higher altitudes. It'll be cold, but at least they can make the snow.

Good luck and happy skiing.

to the EF, swisscelt! And thanks for an amazingly informative first post.