Planning a trip to Zermatt in Jan 2019

[Eboot]

I am planning to spend about 1 week in Zermatt in January next year with some family and friends, a combination of boarders, skiers and readers.  It will be the first time I return in more than 20 years.

i was wondering if anyone has been there recently who can answer some questions:

• is January still considered shoulder season?
• do you know of any good value for money accomodation (hotel, apart-hotel or apartment)? 20 years ago the Hotel Post comes to mind.
• Do any of the local board shops rent out carving boards and boots or do I need to take my own?

Any information will be greatly appreciated

brian

[barryj]

Hey E,

I was over there, the last time was ....let's see,  five years ago.  I went over 7 winters guiding and  I've always stayed at the Matterhorn Hostel   http://www.matterhornhostel.com/en/index/   Spartan and cheap...but I was only needing a bed when not on the Matterhorn, not entertaining family.  It's 10 minutes up the hill from the train station past the Fallen Mountaineers Memorial  and 5 minutes from the lift.

It's Zermatt!  They rent Everything!  You gotta dig alittle to get to the right shop but they did have carving rentals there in a couple of shops...........Kessler, Virus and SG boards is what I saw.......but the deposit was Huge, like new board Huge! and they charged your card first and then reversed the charge when you brought it back.......could all be different now.

Jan. does sound like shoulder season.  I was always there in Feb/March   I see you planning a year ahead so you got plenty of time to firm up intel.  Good hunting!

[Eboot]

Thanx Barry

When I was last there January was one of the cheapest times but weathe was always iffy.  Zermatt does however tend expensive and this works for me.

i am hoping to connect with a friend who owns a sport shop in a town nearby for boards but not sure what they offer at the moment.  As I will be accommodating the family with 1 week in snow and 1 week on the beach having to carry my equipment does not excite me.

brian

[MountainSlope]

I've personally never been to Zermatt but I stumbled across this interesting article this evening. Snow and avalanches have been crazy here too!

https://www.thelocal.ch/20180124/weve-got-the-slopes-to-ourselves-zermatt-happy-in-its-own-world-after-the-snow

Zermatt remained cut off from the outside world on Wednesday, with a rockfall on the railway line between Visp and the village only hindering the clear-up operation, which is expected to take until at least Wednesday evening.

 

[Eboot]

Thanx for the link.

I was stuck in Graechen, a village in the same valley before Zermatt, in the 90s when a bridge on the only road in was washed away.  Great if y U are a local, e pensive if you have already burned through your vacation savings and expected to be elsewhere.

that’s a lot of snow for the area!

[edman]

January should be good. On Jan 8th everyone will leave Zermatt as European holodays are over. From the on it‘s the cheapest season (bit it‘s still Zermatt = the most expensive resort in Switzerland). But Zermatt is awesome. 

 

Make sure to bring your own hardboots. You will be able to rent a raceboard (bit check before leaving).

 

Hqve fun

[Eboot]

23 hours ago, edman said:

January should be good. On Jan 8th everyone will leave Zermatt as European holodays are over. From the on it‘s the cheapest season (bit it‘s still Zermatt = the most expensive resort in Switzerland). But Zermatt is awesome. 

Thanx edman 

Unfortunately this year’s bonus’s did not materialize - on hold for the moment.  Still a short term goal but not for a while.

 When were you last there?

[edman]

Last summer mtbiking. In winter 5 years ago - it‘s a pain for us to get there (compared to 90 minutes rides to other resorts) and expensive - that‘s why. I get 20-30 snowdays a season - so I gotts spend my budget right. But planing to go again.

[Eboot]

It’s been too long, one of my favorite places

[BlueDevil]

I used to go to Zermatt every year, for years.

Might I recommend this approach: sleep in Italy. As you know, Zermatt is indeed in Switzerland, but the skiing resort is half Swiss and half Italian, and you can buy skipass for just one of them or for both. There's a border on top of the mountain, you ski/board across it, and there's even a line drawn in the middle of the room in one bar up there, so you can cross border by hopping or keep your left foot in Italy and right one in Swiss. 

Anyways, accomodation is MUCH cheaper in Italy. Look for "Breuil-Cervinia" and find accommodation there, you'll save some good € if you're there for a week or more. Also, if I remember correctly, the skipass covering both CH and IT side is a bit cheaper if bought on IT side. It's not half price, but it IS cheaper. All things added together, there's some nice money to save. Food is also cheaper, shops, restaurants... Everything is cheaper on IT side, and you get to board on the same slopes regardles of which side of the hill you wake up in the morning.

 

HTH

[Eboot]

Thanx @BlueDevil

for some reason I missed this.  Great advice.  I forget the name of the hut on the Italian side of the glacier which is all wood, music, smoke and laughter and feels like a different world compared to the Swiss stations.

I spent 4 winters nearby in Graechen in the 90s, but zermatt was by far my favorite place in CH, and is one of my best travel destinations ever.

trip has still not materialized and am battling to even make it to MCC so nit sure when this will happen

[MountainSlope]

Hey Eboot, 

I found Mount Rosa lodge, which has been rebuilt and is now the most modern place to stay. It is in Vallis at 2.883m

and Margarita lodge at 4.554m which is also in Vallis but seems to be right on the border. 

https://www.bergwelten.com/a/8-huetten-die-man-gesehen-haben-muss

We are located at the foot of the Stelvio Glacier. One of the most renowned streets for biking, motorbikes, sports cars, etc. in the summer time. The slopes are open usually between May - November and you'll usually see quite a few of the top athletes training there during the summer season. 

Hope you can still make it here some day! 

Greetings Jennifer

[Eboot]

Hi Jennifer

I was cleaning up pages in the forum when i saw this for the first time since you posted - thank you so much.

Those "huts" look amazing. 

Unfortunately my Zermatt trip never happened but I will still return, someday, I hope,  I need to share it with my daughter.

I really like the look of the Stelvio pass and if you live there - wish you well to enjoy every breath you take!

wishing you a great season!

Brian

[nekdut]

On 1/15/2018 at 10:01 PM, barryj said:

It's Zermatt!  They rent Everything!  You gotta dig alittle to get to the right shop but they did have carving rentals there in a couple of shops...........Kessler, Virus and SG boards is what I saw.......but the deposit was Huge, like new board Huge! and they charged your card first and then reversed the charge when you brought it back.......could all be different now.

I know this an old post that I'm replying to, but is this still true?  I didn't see any alpine boards there a few years ago.

[barryj]

2 hours ago, nekdut said:

is this still true?

Couldn't tell ya.....haven't been back.....but I imagine there's still shops renting Alpine gear.  Hardbooting is much more popular over there and Zermatt is a world class destination.

I'm sure you will find something!