5. Zermatt, Switzerland
5. Zermatt, Switzerland
There are lots of bowls, couloirs and steep off-piste runs spread over this vast area, and you need to take suitable initiatives to make sure you beat the rush to the fresh snow. Each area seems almost to have its own weather pattern, so if the conditions look dodgy then check the webcams as it could well be perfect somewhere else. There are 38km of official freeride routes, and off-piste is where Zermatt really excels as a destination. If the conditions are good, then the dedicated freeride routes serviced by the Stockhorn and Triftji lifts on the Gornergrat areas are excellent, as is the Schwarzsee area. If you’re happy to ignore the environmental side of things, then heliboarding might not be as expensive an option as you might think. A day’s heli on Monte Rosa will cost about £260.