Anyway since we are begineers and are still on the blue runs can anybody advise if Zermatt is a good place for begineers (nice long and wide blue runs)?
Many thanks
WOW the ski season is almost over and I still haven't tried Zermatt. My wife and I started skiing this season and we've been exploring the ski resorts in Switzerland and now its time for the Zermatt and the Matterhorn (not really ski down the Matterhorn )
Zermatt is not really a beginner's resort. Only a few blue runs, and they are neither wide nor easy, and covered in artificial snow.
Personally, I think it's a waste of time and money if you're only going to stick to the blue runs there. You'll have more fun at Verbier or Portes du Soleil (if there's still snow), both have great blue runs for (advanced) beginners.
I haven't actually been to Zermatt but according to a magazine review of the resort I have it only gets 1 out of a possible 5 stars for in suitability for beginners (4* for intermediates and 5* for expert.)
However 22% of the 313km of pistes are blue so for a day or weekend there will be plenty to keep a beginner entertained. Worth a trip on for the scenery I believe .
IIRC the issue might be that many of the easy slopes are long and quite flat. And served by surface lifts.
T-bars and button lifts are horrid things.
Problem is that those 22% are spread out over the entire area, which means you either have to spend a lot of time travelling on lifts and buses, or stick to the same boring slopes on one side. Check the map to be sure.
Also, the Cervinia side is often closed when the weather is not perfect (windy, cloudy), keep that in mind when going to Zermatt.
indeed, on the top it is T-Bar hell, you do not want to be there wasting half your day knackering your legs.
Thanks to all.... we'll probably head to Verbier/Portes de soleil/Cran-Montana (weather permitting)
thanks