Skiing

Zermatt's skiable terrain lives up to its reputation: the 52 lifts and mountain railways are capable of moving well more than 90,000 skiers per hour up to its approximately 360 km (224 miles) of marked pistes—if you count those of Cervinia in Italy. Among the lifts are the cable car that carries skiers up to an elevation of 12,746 feet on the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (previously known as Klein Matterhorn), the small Gornergratbahn that creeps up to the Gornergrat, and a subway through an underground tunnel that gives more pleasure to ecologists than sun-loving skiers.

The skiable territory on this royal plateau was once separated into three separate sectors, but the installation of a gondola to Riffelberg has linked the three together. The first sector is Sunnegga-Blauherd-Rothorn, which culminates at an elevation of 10,170 feet. Gornergrat-Stockhorn (11,155 feet) is the second. The third is the region dominated by the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, which goes to Italy. The best way to prioritize your ski day is still to concentrate on one or two areas, especially during high season. Thanks to snowmaking machines and the eternal snows, Zermatt is said to guarantee skiers 7,216 feet of vertical drop no matter what the snowfall—an impressive claim—as well as year-round skiing. A one-day lift ticket costs 79 SF and a six-day, 380 SF; if you want to ski to Italy, it costs 92 SF and 434 SF, respectively.

Snowpark Zermatt. This snowboarding center on Theodul Glacier has pipes, kickers, and rails to thrill. Take the cable car to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise to reach the snowpark. Schluhmattstr. 28, Zermatt, Valais, 3920. 027/9660101; www.snowpark-zermatt.ch.

Swiss Ski and Snowboard School. This outfit runs group classes from mid-December until mid-April, but can provide private instruction all year. Bahnhofstr. 58, Zermatt, Valais, 3920. 027/9662466; www.skischulezermatt.ch.