With the weather finally cooling down, avid skiers and snowboarders will be counting down the days until the first ski resorts in Switzerland open their doors. Here’s a guide to when the top resorts in the Swiss mountains will open for the 2024 / 2025 winter season.
Whether it’s scything down the slope like Marco Odermatt or cruising the blue runs before a warming meal at a mountain restaurant, ski resorts in Switzerland are perfect for all abilities. According to the latest data from the Federal Statistical Office, Swiss hotels reported 18 million overnight stays last winter, 500.000 more than the season before.
With the 2023 / 24 ski season a fond but increasingly distant memory, people across Switzerland and beyond will be looking forward to the start of the new winter season. Here’s what you need to know:
In Switzerland, when ski resorts open for the winter season varies dramatically by region, with some only opening up in mid-December. Some, such as Flumserberg, do not have an official opening day at all, instead taking their cues from how the weather in Switzerland develops.
However, there are some places where an official start date is enforced - but bear in mind that in the early stages, not all runs will be usable and the resort may only open at weekends. Be sure to consult the official website of the resort you plan to visit before taking the train up to the Alps.
For 2024 the Valais resorts of Saas-Fee and Zermatt will be the first of the major Swiss ski resorts to open, beginning their winter season on November 1. The first of their combined 422 kilometres of ski runs will be opened to the public on the Friday, though the extent of the offering will depend on the weather.
They are joined just a day later by Mürren-Schilthorn in the Bernese Oberland, which will open on weekdays from November 2. It won’t be long before others get in on the action, with Glacier 3000 (November 9), Davos Parsenn (November 15), Nendaz 4 Vallées, Wengen (November 16), Andermatt (November 18), Davos Klosters (November 23) and Crans-Montana (November 29) following close behind.
November 30 is set to be a red letter day for ski and snowboarding enthusiasts in 2024, with many major Swiss resorts due to open to the public. Arosa Lenzerheide, Flims-Laax, St. Moritz, Mythens and Davos Jakobshorn - among many others - will welcome their first adrenaline junkies on the day.
Early and mid-December will see some well-known resorts open to the public for the 2024 / 2025 season, including Hoch-Ybrig (December 6), Adelboden-Lenk, Aletsch, Verbier 4 Vallées and Villars-Gryon (December 7). They will be joined on December 14 by other heavy hitters like Grindelwald, Gstaad, Wildhaus, Stoos and Scuol.
Regardless of the weather, all of the major resorts in Switzerland will be open by the time Christmas rolls around. Which ski resort will you be heading to this year? Let us know in the comments below!