Chamonix, Val Thorens, Val D’Isere, Alpe D’Huez. Everyone has heard of these as meccas for skiing and snowboarding. But with fame comes popularity, and popularity means queues for lifts. The Saas Valley, just a short distance from Zermatt, is a much quieter valley with plenty of fun for everyone. It is a good alternative for eco-friendly skiing too, as it is easily accessible by public transport, (Saas Fee is car-free) and provides good options for ski-touring, which relies much less heavily on the use of ski-lifts.
Long Season Piste Skiing
Surrounded by no less than 10 4000m peaks, at 1600-3500m the Saas ski area has an enviable reputation for almost year round skiing. Due to its greater height than many alpine valleys, the valley usually has snow from October to May, and summer glacier skiing on the Allalinhorn continues from July to September. Saas Fee is the main pisted area, but Saas Grund (Kreuzboden) and Saas Almalgell all have useful lifts available on the Saas Pass ticket. There is over 140 km of pisted skiing in the area, and the runs tend to be a typical mix of blues and reds.
Family Sledging Fun
There are several trails setup for sledging around the Saas valley. A 6km route runs from Hannig viewpoint to Hannig village, one of 11km runs from Kreuzboden to Saas Grund, or a shorter alternative – a scenic 3km route from Furggstalden to Saas Almagell. For family fun, on certain days the routes from Saas Fee and Saas Grund can be combined with dinner at the top followed by night-time sledging.
Ski-touring In The SaasTal
The Saas valley is a great location for beginner and more experienced ski-tourers. Beginners should be hill-fit and be able to descend red runs competently (if with no great style or speed!) and should hire a guide to learn the new techniques and dangers of off-piste skiing as well as to discover the best areas for touring. Numerous day and overnight trips are possible – one favourite is from Saas Fee’s Felskinn lift to the Britannia Hutte, and then over the hills to the Mattmark Dam. Inexperienced skiers should not attempt this alone due to the ever-present risks of avalanches and glacier crossing. This article covers things to consider when hiring ski-touring equipment for the first time.
Discount Fares For Getting To The Saas Valley
Several budget airlines offer frequent flights to Geneva from across Europe. From there the train takes approximately 2.5hours to Visp, followed by a 45minute transfer to Saas Fee or Saas Grund by Postbus. Allow 4 hours for the journey, and it is recommended to pre-book seats on the return post-bus. To save money, buy a Swiss Card at the Airport train station – this gives free train and Postbus travel on the outward and return days, and 50% discount on many lifts, buses and trains in the region for 30 days in between.
Chiz Dakin - A keen mountain walker, scrambler, cyclist and occasional climber and sea kayaker for several years, Chiz Dakin has carried a camera with ...
