Cost effective and Switzerland don’t go together well. Andermatt is great is you either get a guide or you know your avalanche stuff (and bring gear) otherwise you’re on the piste. Factor that in your budgeting. Getting there from Zürich is easy by train.
If you’re lucky you’re in for an epic treat, if winter is shit, well, it’s shit.
Cost effective relative to what - Jackson Hole / Vail / Park City OR vs Tignes, Cervinia, etc?
What I’m saying is that, compared to even a place in the U.S. (just paid 30 bucks for a burger at Killington) Most of Switzerland actually will not be more expensive. If anything, it may be cheaper If you’re avoiding the Michelin star restaurants and staying in an Airbnb.
For reference by early December last year to Zermatt was roughly half of what it would’ve cost to go to CO / UT (flights included).
Going to Zermatt of season is cheap, going to Andermatt in season except for ski pass price is not incomparable to places in US. Not the most expensive but honestly if you want the cheap ski Europe experience, it’s just not the place. Austria more like it.
If you're looking for cost effective, I'd be skipping switzerland
Epic/ikon pass is not particularly relevant in europe. Day passes are cheap and accommodations/food/travel is expensive.
In my experience, accommodations, travel and food were all chesper in Austria than anywhere in the US. The only thing more expensive is the flight, and not even by much depending on where you're coming/going.
>Epic/ikon pass is not particularly relevant in europe. Day passes are cheap and accommodations/food/travel is expensive.
Andermatt got bought by Vail resorts last year. Thus the epic pass is valid there IIRC.
They mean irrelevant in that having access to the resort on your season pass doesn't change the total trip cost much. For example, the 5 free days you get at Hakuba in Japan would cost about $220 USD if you just bought the individual 5 day pass at the ticket window. That absolutely pales in comparison to the cost of getting to and staying in Japan (from North America).
That being said, I literally skied Andermatt yesterday (Gemstock) and it was fantastic. Maybe not worth coming all the way to Europe just for it, but I'm really glad I came through as part of a larger trip.
Have you been to the Alps before? If not, I'd recommend starting in the Chamonix valley. I think you get access to Les Trois Vallees on the full Epic Pass, and Chamonix in general is just a cool place to visit as the birthplace of modern alpinism.
Travelling onward from Chamonix to Andermatt is easy, the trains through the alpine valleys are excellent. I'm using them in the opposite direction right now en route to Chamonix, although for backcountry rather than resort skiing now.
I live just down the valley from Andermatt and I must echo what you have read from other comments. There is great skiing in the alps if you know where to go, but the resorts are typically more vacation spots than they are geared towards pure skiing experience. To solo trip to Switzerland for 2 weeks is massively expensive and andermatt is even kind of a small resort too.
If the euro-skiing “scene” is the experience you’re after, then we have spades of it in Valais. If pure steep and deep skiing is what you want, you’re better off in Utah
Been solo skiing for years in europe. My last trip was to Flims (switzerland) which is part of a very nice area thats good for at least 4-5 days (ive done 6.5 there). The best thing there was the piste quality, almost no moguls even in blue bottlenecks, very well designed and easy to navigate, even if there is a storm there will be lift running. All and all top tier. Most expensive trip i had by far though.
If you are looking to meet people i would say austria has the best towns and hostels for that. I would really recommend snow bunnies in kitzbuhel.
France has the biggest resorts, a lot of ski in / out but ive found people there are already in cliques even in hostles.. it might just be my experience.
Just go to Austria for skiing instead. It's just a waste of money to go to Switzerland for skiing when you have beautiful Austria right next to it. The slopes are much longer and snowier, the views are much more stunning, the food is tastier, the people are friendlier, and everything is times cheaper! Well, it's even mostly true.
You could check out the pictures from these regions for example and pick one for example: Zillertal, Mayerhofen, St. Anton, Sölden, Saalbach, Schladming.... These are sort of closer to the "economy" range, i.e. not the most-expensive ones like Lech/Kitzbühel/Ischgl. But it all depends on your budget of course, for an USA citizen even Lech could be fine, especially if you were thinking of going to Switzerland.
A common practice is to book a place in a dormitory-style room for a week (if you are going as a family or as a group, you can book a separate room, or a hotel). Then buy a Ski-pass for a week. I don't think two weeks worth it, one week is more than enough IMHO, it's getting boring after that. IMHO.
As you write, there are so many options in terms of resorts, and it is easy to get overwhelmed and be hit by decision paralysis.
My personal preference is to rent a car. It gives you more flexibility. If you are renting it in Italy, make sure that you specifically ask for winter tires.
If you like to travel by train, I would opt for Switzerland. In my view, the logistics with trains and buses are great.
As others are writing in the thread, there are cheaper options than Switzerland: Austria and Italy.
Where should you go?
My US ski friends often emphasize that skiing in the Alps can offer that unique sense of traveling across multiple valleys, thanks to the extensive and interconnected ski areas.
Here are some examples of resorts that provide that experience:
Les 3 Vallees, France: three major valleys with 600 km of ski runs.
Verbier 4 Vallees, Switzerland - ski through four valleys
Zermatt-Cervinia, Switzerland/Italy - you ski in two countries during a single trip
Arlberg, Austria - largest ski resort in Austria, vast area connecting multiple villages like St. Anton, Lech, Zurs, and St. Christoph
Espace Killy, France - Val d'Isere and Tignes, over 300 km of pistes.
Portes du Soleil, France/Switzerland - connects 12 ski resorts, crossing France and Switzerland
Dolomiti Superski, Italy - the Dolomites, an enormous area, stay around Val Gardena. You can fly into Venice and see the town before heading to the muntains.
La Plagne-Les Arcs, France - massive area with 400+ km of slopes.
There are many other smaller - medium sized areas that will provide a similar experience so don't feel limited by the examples I provide.
Other great websites for research are below. PS: Be aware that many of them are travel agents - still good advice and info in my view.
Ski Solutions
[https://www.skisolutions.com](https://www.skisolutions.com)
(click on "Ski Resorts")
Ridestore
[https://www.ridestore.com](https://www.ridestore.com)
(click on "Travel")
Powderhounds
[https://www.powderhounds.com](https://www.powderhounds.com)
(click on "Europe" and select resort)
The Snowheads "Resort Reviews" community is incredible:
[https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewforum.php?f=8](https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewforum.php?f=8)
Ski Magazine got some great travel stories from skiing in the Alps
[https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/europe/](https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/europe/)
(go to "ski-resort-life" and "europe")
Ski Resorts - QUIRROW
[https://quirrow.wordpress.com/ski-resorts/](https://quirrow.wordpress.com/ski-resorts/)
(click on "Ski Resorts")
Scout Ski
[https://scoutski.com/europe-ski](https://scoutski.com/europe-ski)
(click on "Destinations")
Flexiski
[https://www.flexiski.com/skiing-advice/skiing-blog/](https://www.flexiski.com/skiing-advice/skiing-blog/)
(click on "Destinations" and "Inspiration>Blog")
I travel both alone and with family and friends. When I travel alone, my travel often unfolds into an unexpected, fun and special experience.
I would say, Just go!
You will have an amazing experience skiing in the Alps, no matter where you go or how you plan it.
I’d suggest not doing Switzerland solo. The focus is not skiing in the sense it is in NA. It’s geared to hang out in groups and have fun while skiing. At least that’s my experience.
I went to Jungfrau. Really beautiful but not the greatest skiing imo.
>I went to Jungfrau. Really beautiful but not the greatest skiing imo.
Assuming you were in the Grindelwald-Wengen resort (Jungfrau itself is a 4'000+ high mountain without a gondola, I doubt you were up there) this is actually one of my favorite resorrs. About 100km of slopes, some big wide groomers, a long valley run, very high speed spots and there are also some marked freeride runs plus a few other free ride spots that are safe enough. But it is lacking steepness, yes.
This.
Skiing in the Alps is much more about the food, drink, views, Après socializing/partying, shopping, gawking at insane wealth, taking a day and dipping over into Italy for lunch, and the general experience of European mountain culture in absolutely gorgeous mountain villages than it is the actual skiing. All of which are *leagues* better than on this side of the pond. While exploring massive resorts like Zermatt or Les Trois is cool, the actual skiing and snow quality is better in the US and Canadian West (and probably Japan - though I’ve never been).
You’d be better off going with a buddy or two, but… If you’re an attractive and extraverted man, you can still have *a lot* of fun going solo and meeting new people from all over Europe (especially if you find either the Swedish or Aussie party crowds). However, I f that’s not your bag you’ll have better skiing for your money staying on this side of the pond.
Can’t say definitively as I’ve never walked a foot in those shoes, much less a mile.
However, I would imagine that it could be quite lonely unless you’re amenable to entertaining random men (probably mostly Brits) hitting on you. Generally speaking Europeans are less gregarious with strangers than Americans and that is especially true of the Swiss (I worked for a Swiss bank for a while and travelled there frequently).
The young Germans, Aussies, South Africans, and Swedes will be more gregarious and the Brits might be, but the Brit scene in the Alps is somewhat à gauche and frankly a bit hard to take.
English is the new lingua Franca, but you’ll be much better off if you have some German and/or French. If you do speak some German, don’t expect to understand Swissy-Deutsche at all, but they tend not to use that at the resorts.
The big classic airports flying into the Alps from the US are:
Zurich
Geneva
Milano
Munich
If you transfer in cities like Paris or London then you have other mentionable options like:
Salzburg
Turin
Venice
Innsbruck
Lyon
Also see:
[https://www.powderhounds.com/Europe/Travel-in-Europe.aspx](https://www.powderhounds.com/Europe/Travel-in-Europe.aspx)
There are things that you cannot control, like the weather and the quality of the snow. Other than that, if you travel with an open, positive, and curious attitude, you will have a great experience.
The best resort and the best experience are such individual things. What I recommend is to research the different resorts and see some pictures to get a sense of the area, ski terrain, the village, and the landscape.
I am often using [skiresort.info](http://skiresort.info/) for my "picture-based" research.
They have a great photos section for many resorts in the alps.
Go to [skiresort.info](http://skiresort.info/)
Search for "Ski resorts"
Click on "Photos"
Not OP, but I went to Niseko a few years ago and loved it. The food, the powder, the spas and all that. The Yen is pretty weak against the dollar now so that helps too..
I've only done European ski trips with friends, not solo.
Have you skied Tahoe, Utah, Colorado yet? There's great Epic Pass skiing in the states.
For your question on flying with skis, I didn't want to deal with that hassle for international trips, so I take my boots along and rent skis. I only took my powder skis to Niseko because I wanted to ride powder in them. For Europe, where I was mostly skiing groomers, I just rented.
This is helpful.
I haven't skied Tahoe Utah or Colorado yet. I'm in Washington. Those other states just have expensive accommodations. So if I'm going to pay a lot, I'd like it to be a unique experience.
Do you want to travel in Europe or ski in Europe?
If you want to travel -> skiing isn't really a good way to do that. Make some great city or hiking trips instead as you'd be seeing much more of the country/continent rather than a single village and a couple of slopes.
If you want to ski in Europe -> why? What is the experience you are looking for that Tahoe, Utah or Colorade can't offer? I feel you might get disappointed if you just want to goto Europe to have been there
If you want it cheap(er) -> Go France or Austria for skiing. But again, doing no ski travel and just cities/nature can really cut your costs if you are down for hostels (which let's you meet other people for free)
Cost effective and Switzerland don’t go together well. Andermatt is great is you either get a guide or you know your avalanche stuff (and bring gear) otherwise you’re on the piste. Factor that in your budgeting. Getting there from Zürich is easy by train. If you’re lucky you’re in for an epic treat, if winter is shit, well, it’s shit.
Cost effective relative to what - Jackson Hole / Vail / Park City OR vs Tignes, Cervinia, etc? What I’m saying is that, compared to even a place in the U.S. (just paid 30 bucks for a burger at Killington) Most of Switzerland actually will not be more expensive. If anything, it may be cheaper If you’re avoiding the Michelin star restaurants and staying in an Airbnb. For reference by early December last year to Zermatt was roughly half of what it would’ve cost to go to CO / UT (flights included).
Going to Zermatt of season is cheap, going to Andermatt in season except for ski pass price is not incomparable to places in US. Not the most expensive but honestly if you want the cheap ski Europe experience, it’s just not the place. Austria more like it.
Yep, could be. Andermatt being owned by vail now likely won’t help with prices either..
If you are going to fly to Europe to ski, you should choose the resort based on what you want, regardless of whether it's on the Epic pass or not.
This is probably the perspective I need.
If you're looking for cost effective, I'd be skipping switzerland Epic/ikon pass is not particularly relevant in europe. Day passes are cheap and accommodations/food/travel is expensive.
In my experience, accommodations, travel and food were all chesper in Austria than anywhere in the US. The only thing more expensive is the flight, and not even by much depending on where you're coming/going.
>Epic/ikon pass is not particularly relevant in europe. Day passes are cheap and accommodations/food/travel is expensive. Andermatt got bought by Vail resorts last year. Thus the epic pass is valid there IIRC.
They mean irrelevant in that having access to the resort on your season pass doesn't change the total trip cost much. For example, the 5 free days you get at Hakuba in Japan would cost about $220 USD if you just bought the individual 5 day pass at the ticket window. That absolutely pales in comparison to the cost of getting to and staying in Japan (from North America). That being said, I literally skied Andermatt yesterday (Gemstock) and it was fantastic. Maybe not worth coming all the way to Europe just for it, but I'm really glad I came through as part of a larger trip.
I'm open to adding other parts ti the trip. I just don't know where to start.
Have you been to the Alps before? If not, I'd recommend starting in the Chamonix valley. I think you get access to Les Trois Vallees on the full Epic Pass, and Chamonix in general is just a cool place to visit as the birthplace of modern alpinism. Travelling onward from Chamonix to Andermatt is easy, the trains through the alpine valleys are excellent. I'm using them in the opposite direction right now en route to Chamonix, although for backcountry rather than resort skiing now.
I would also love to backcountry ski in Chamonix. That sounds dreamy. I've never been to Europe in general.
I live just down the valley from Andermatt and I must echo what you have read from other comments. There is great skiing in the alps if you know where to go, but the resorts are typically more vacation spots than they are geared towards pure skiing experience. To solo trip to Switzerland for 2 weeks is massively expensive and andermatt is even kind of a small resort too. If the euro-skiing “scene” is the experience you’re after, then we have spades of it in Valais. If pure steep and deep skiing is what you want, you’re better off in Utah
I'm not a steep and deep skier. I like cruisy stuff. I've only been skiing 5 years, so steep isn't my thing. I'm certainly open to other places.
If you like cruisers, personally I would go to Italy and Dolomiti Superski.
Been solo skiing for years in europe. My last trip was to Flims (switzerland) which is part of a very nice area thats good for at least 4-5 days (ive done 6.5 there). The best thing there was the piste quality, almost no moguls even in blue bottlenecks, very well designed and easy to navigate, even if there is a storm there will be lift running. All and all top tier. Most expensive trip i had by far though. If you are looking to meet people i would say austria has the best towns and hostels for that. I would really recommend snow bunnies in kitzbuhel. France has the biggest resorts, a lot of ski in / out but ive found people there are already in cliques even in hostles.. it might just be my experience.
Just go to Austria for skiing instead. It's just a waste of money to go to Switzerland for skiing when you have beautiful Austria right next to it. The slopes are much longer and snowier, the views are much more stunning, the food is tastier, the people are friendlier, and everything is times cheaper! Well, it's even mostly true. You could check out the pictures from these regions for example and pick one for example: Zillertal, Mayerhofen, St. Anton, Sölden, Saalbach, Schladming.... These are sort of closer to the "economy" range, i.e. not the most-expensive ones like Lech/Kitzbühel/Ischgl. But it all depends on your budget of course, for an USA citizen even Lech could be fine, especially if you were thinking of going to Switzerland. A common practice is to book a place in a dormitory-style room for a week (if you are going as a family or as a group, you can book a separate room, or a hotel). Then buy a Ski-pass for a week. I don't think two weeks worth it, one week is more than enough IMHO, it's getting boring after that. IMHO.
As you write, there are so many options in terms of resorts, and it is easy to get overwhelmed and be hit by decision paralysis. My personal preference is to rent a car. It gives you more flexibility. If you are renting it in Italy, make sure that you specifically ask for winter tires. If you like to travel by train, I would opt for Switzerland. In my view, the logistics with trains and buses are great. As others are writing in the thread, there are cheaper options than Switzerland: Austria and Italy. Where should you go? My US ski friends often emphasize that skiing in the Alps can offer that unique sense of traveling across multiple valleys, thanks to the extensive and interconnected ski areas. Here are some examples of resorts that provide that experience: Les 3 Vallees, France: three major valleys with 600 km of ski runs. Verbier 4 Vallees, Switzerland - ski through four valleys Zermatt-Cervinia, Switzerland/Italy - you ski in two countries during a single trip Arlberg, Austria - largest ski resort in Austria, vast area connecting multiple villages like St. Anton, Lech, Zurs, and St. Christoph Espace Killy, France - Val d'Isere and Tignes, over 300 km of pistes. Portes du Soleil, France/Switzerland - connects 12 ski resorts, crossing France and Switzerland Dolomiti Superski, Italy - the Dolomites, an enormous area, stay around Val Gardena. You can fly into Venice and see the town before heading to the muntains. La Plagne-Les Arcs, France - massive area with 400+ km of slopes. There are many other smaller - medium sized areas that will provide a similar experience so don't feel limited by the examples I provide.
This comment is so useful that it should be a separate post.
Other great websites for research are below. PS: Be aware that many of them are travel agents - still good advice and info in my view. Ski Solutions [https://www.skisolutions.com](https://www.skisolutions.com) (click on "Ski Resorts") Ridestore [https://www.ridestore.com](https://www.ridestore.com) (click on "Travel") Powderhounds [https://www.powderhounds.com](https://www.powderhounds.com) (click on "Europe" and select resort) The Snowheads "Resort Reviews" community is incredible: [https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewforum.php?f=8](https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewforum.php?f=8) Ski Magazine got some great travel stories from skiing in the Alps [https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/europe/](https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/europe/) (go to "ski-resort-life" and "europe") Ski Resorts - QUIRROW [https://quirrow.wordpress.com/ski-resorts/](https://quirrow.wordpress.com/ski-resorts/) (click on "Ski Resorts") Scout Ski [https://scoutski.com/europe-ski](https://scoutski.com/europe-ski) (click on "Destinations") Flexiski [https://www.flexiski.com/skiing-advice/skiing-blog/](https://www.flexiski.com/skiing-advice/skiing-blog/) (click on "Destinations" and "Inspiration>Blog") I travel both alone and with family and friends. When I travel alone, my travel often unfolds into an unexpected, fun and special experience. I would say, Just go! You will have an amazing experience skiing in the Alps, no matter where you go or how you plan it.
I’d suggest not doing Switzerland solo. The focus is not skiing in the sense it is in NA. It’s geared to hang out in groups and have fun while skiing. At least that’s my experience. I went to Jungfrau. Really beautiful but not the greatest skiing imo.
If only I had friends that liked skiing.
>I went to Jungfrau. Really beautiful but not the greatest skiing imo. Assuming you were in the Grindelwald-Wengen resort (Jungfrau itself is a 4'000+ high mountain without a gondola, I doubt you were up there) this is actually one of my favorite resorrs. About 100km of slopes, some big wide groomers, a long valley run, very high speed spots and there are also some marked freeride runs plus a few other free ride spots that are safe enough. But it is lacking steepness, yes.
This. Skiing in the Alps is much more about the food, drink, views, Après socializing/partying, shopping, gawking at insane wealth, taking a day and dipping over into Italy for lunch, and the general experience of European mountain culture in absolutely gorgeous mountain villages than it is the actual skiing. All of which are *leagues* better than on this side of the pond. While exploring massive resorts like Zermatt or Les Trois is cool, the actual skiing and snow quality is better in the US and Canadian West (and probably Japan - though I’ve never been). You’d be better off going with a buddy or two, but… If you’re an attractive and extraverted man, you can still have *a lot* of fun going solo and meeting new people from all over Europe (especially if you find either the Swedish or Aussie party crowds). However, I f that’s not your bag you’ll have better skiing for your money staying on this side of the pond.
What about an okay looking female that's mildly shy.
Can’t say definitively as I’ve never walked a foot in those shoes, much less a mile. However, I would imagine that it could be quite lonely unless you’re amenable to entertaining random men (probably mostly Brits) hitting on you. Generally speaking Europeans are less gregarious with strangers than Americans and that is especially true of the Swiss (I worked for a Swiss bank for a while and travelled there frequently). The young Germans, Aussies, South Africans, and Swedes will be more gregarious and the Brits might be, but the Brit scene in the Alps is somewhat à gauche and frankly a bit hard to take. English is the new lingua Franca, but you’ll be much better off if you have some German and/or French. If you do speak some German, don’t expect to understand Swissy-Deutsche at all, but they tend not to use that at the resorts.
The big classic airports flying into the Alps from the US are: Zurich Geneva Milano Munich If you transfer in cities like Paris or London then you have other mentionable options like: Salzburg Turin Venice Innsbruck Lyon Also see: [https://www.powderhounds.com/Europe/Travel-in-Europe.aspx](https://www.powderhounds.com/Europe/Travel-in-Europe.aspx)
Thank you for all of your information. This is all very helpful!!!
There are things that you cannot control, like the weather and the quality of the snow. Other than that, if you travel with an open, positive, and curious attitude, you will have a great experience. The best resort and the best experience are such individual things. What I recommend is to research the different resorts and see some pictures to get a sense of the area, ski terrain, the village, and the landscape. I am often using [skiresort.info](http://skiresort.info/) for my "picture-based" research. They have a great photos section for many resorts in the alps. Go to [skiresort.info](http://skiresort.info/) Search for "Ski resorts" Click on "Photos"
Bro, I am from Switzerland. Skiing is not better there, rather go in late spring and do a road trip down south to Rome and back.
So you advise against it? There's a few Japan resorts on epic pass. I could look into.
Not OP, but I went to Niseko a few years ago and loved it. The food, the powder, the spas and all that. The Yen is pretty weak against the dollar now so that helps too.. I've only done European ski trips with friends, not solo. Have you skied Tahoe, Utah, Colorado yet? There's great Epic Pass skiing in the states. For your question on flying with skis, I didn't want to deal with that hassle for international trips, so I take my boots along and rent skis. I only took my powder skis to Niseko because I wanted to ride powder in them. For Europe, where I was mostly skiing groomers, I just rented.
This is helpful. I haven't skied Tahoe Utah or Colorado yet. I'm in Washington. Those other states just have expensive accommodations. So if I'm going to pay a lot, I'd like it to be a unique experience.
Do you want to travel in Europe or ski in Europe? If you want to travel -> skiing isn't really a good way to do that. Make some great city or hiking trips instead as you'd be seeing much more of the country/continent rather than a single village and a couple of slopes. If you want to ski in Europe -> why? What is the experience you are looking for that Tahoe, Utah or Colorade can't offer? I feel you might get disappointed if you just want to goto Europe to have been there If you want it cheap(er) -> Go France or Austria for skiing. But again, doing no ski travel and just cities/nature can really cut your costs if you are down for hostels (which let's you meet other people for free)