With recent weeks providing the ideal combination of snowfall and sunshine, ski resorts in Switzerland have hailed a “sensational” start to the season. Many resorts in the mountains have reported record numbers of visitors in the last few months, attracted by the promise of hundreds of kilometres of great snow.
Speaking to SRF, the head of the Hoch-Ybrig ski area, Wendelin Keller, announced that a record number of visitors had taken to their slopes since the 2024 / 2025 ski season started. 5.500 people visited the area every day on average, with Keller adding that things have gone “sensationally” so far.
She explained that new snowfall was perfectly timed alongside the start of the school holidays and Christmas, adding to the good cover of snow already in place. The flurry of snow then quickly made way for stunning sunshine throughout the Christmas week, attracting even more families to the Alps. This year, resorts are reporting seeing more visitors from the United States, while the number of German guests is declining.
The generous amount of snowfall has allowed most resorts to open their runs to thrill-seekers. According to the latest data from MySwitzerland, 5.215,7 of the 7.319,2 kilometres of ski slopes in Switzerland are now open, while 1.685 of the country’s 1.868 ski lifts and gondolas are now up and running.
Keller’s story was echoed throughout the Alps, with Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis and the Jungfrau Ski Region both reporting excellent visitor numbers so far. Officials from Canton Bern told SRF said that the Oberland region could be on track for a record year.
There’s also good news across the Röstigraben, with resorts in French-speaking areas telling SRF that things are “extraordinary”, “fantastic” and “outside the norm.” Verbier reported that over 20.000 people were on its slopes every day since opening, while Grimnetz-Zinal said it was “the best December” they’ve ever had. Resorts in Canton Vaud also confirmed that they are on track to break their visitor records.