Ski season in Switzerland
Maybe you are new to Switzerland, maybe you have been here a while, but you have plucked up the courage to don a pair of skis or strap a snowboard to your feet and launch yourself down one of the countries many mountains. Whichever category you fall into, here are some helpful tips for the Winter ski season.
Ski season
While it is possible to ski year round in Switzerland, the main ski season is from late November to mid/late April, depending on the weather conditions and altitude (the season is longer in resorts at 2,000 to 3,000 M).
Equipment
You can buy/rent ski equipment at all main ski resorts, but if you would like to get organised in advance, almost all the big sports stores sell and rent ski equipment. Remember, you will need your weight in kilos and height in cm – you will get some puzzled looks if you talk about stones and feet!
Equipment can be rented for the season and if you rent from Karrer, a sports store in Laufen (Home - SportShop Karrer Laufen), you can keep the equipment at the end of the season and they will send you an invoice at the start of the next season. After four seasons, the equipment is yours. You can also rent across the border in France and Germany, which may be cheaper.
Ski resorts
You are spoiled for options, but some resorts close to Basel include:
Engelberg (engelberg.ch)
This resort can be easily reached using public transport, as it is just over 2 hours by train from Basel, with a change in Luzern. A ski pass for the whole resort costs CHF 68 (CHF 57 from 12 noon), but there are less expensive options if you are happy to restrict yourself to a smaller sub-section. In particular it is a good option for families and beginners is the CHF 27 pass for Gerschnialp, which gives access to a number of blue ski runs.
Sörenberg (soerenberg.ch)
This is about 1.45 hours drive from Basel or 2.5 hours by public transport. If driving, there are large car parks at the foot of the t-bar lifts as you get closer to the village. Continue on to the middle of the village to park at the cable car station for the cable car to Rossweid. A full-day ski pass costs about CHF 52 with options to buy a morning pass for CHF 36 (until 12pm) and an afternoon pass
CHF 44 (from 12pm)
Klawenalp (Klewenalp Region)
South of Lucerne, this is about 1.45 hours from Basel and just over two hours by train. In both cases via Beckenreid.
Resorts in Germany and France
There are a number of resorts even closer to Basel, although they are at lower altitudes and thus do not always have the best snow. The biggest in Germany is Feldberg (liftverbund-feldberg.de). A ski pass here costs EUR 39. Markstein in the Vosges in France is a small resort suitable for families / beginners (Skiing Le Markstein). Ski passes cost EUR 20.
Ski run colours
I thought I had a good grasp of ski run colours (their difficulty and my ability) before my first day hitting the slopes in Switzerland, that was naive. It turns out sometimes even a blue easy slope in Switzerland can be quite challenging and the difficulty may vary between resorts and the conditions on the day. Try to get a piste plan on arrival at a resort, and ask others who have skied there before how they found the runs.
Runs are graded as follows:
Green (beginner): only found in France and Austria
Blue (beginner)
Red (intermediate)
Black (advanced)
Lessons and good resorts for beginners
There are ski schools at all resorts and lessons, with group and private lessons available. Expect to pay CHF 75+ for a 50 min private lesson and an additional
CHF 20 for up to 4 people. Group lessons are significantly cheaper, but subject to fixed times.
Transport
All resorts can easily be reached by public transport (and you can minimise your carbon footprint!). If you are staying overnight, you can send your ski equipment and other baggage ahead to your hotel or to the destination train station. Check out Station-to-station luggage | SBB. Swiss Railways offer specials for one day trips including a ski-lift pass (such as Snow´n´Rail). Another good option are bus companies that organise day trips to a resort (usually on Sundays) and include the ski pass in the price of the ticket.
