The most snow-sure ski resorts in Switzerland
Snow reliability cannot be measured, only estimated. Anyone claiming otherwise is selling a number they do not have. What can be measured is altitude, and altitude explains a large part of it: temperature falls by roughly 0.6 degrees per 100 metres, and that is what decides whether precipitation arrives as snow or as rain.
The ranking therefore uses a weighted altitude: 60 per cent base station, 40 per cent top station. The base counts for more because that is where snow disappears first. An area with a summit at 3000 m and a base at 900 m has winter at the top and wet grass at the bottom in December.
| # | Ski area | Canton | Weighted alt. | Base station | Top station | Glacier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zermatt – Matterhorn | Valais | 2,525 m | 1,620 m | 3,883 m | yes |
| 2 | Saas-Fee | Valais | 2,480 m | 1,800 m | 3,500 m | yes |
| 3 | Diavolezza-Lagalb | Grisons | 2,447 m | 2,093 m | 2,978 m | yes |
| 4 | Corvatsch-Silvaplana | Grisons | 2,401 m | 1,800 m | 3,303 m | no |
| 5 | Arolla | Valais | 2,326 m | 1,950 m | 2,890 m | no |
| 6 | St. Moritz – Corviglia | Grisons | 2,255 m | 1,720 m | 3,057 m | no |
| 7 | Verbier / 4 Vallées | Valais | 2,232 m | 1,500 m | 3,330 m | yes |
| 8 | Saas-Grund – Hohsaas | Valais | 2,216 m | 1,560 m | 3,200 m | yes |
| 9 | Saint-Luc / Chandolin | Valais | 2,200 m | 1,650 m | 3,025 m | no |
| 10 | Mürren-Schilthorn | Bern | 2,148 m | 1,600 m | 2,970 m | no |
| 11 | Grächen | Valais | 2,119 m | 1,619 m | 2,868 m | no |
| 12 | Minschuns – Val Müstair | Grisons | 2,114 m | 1,700 m | 2,735 m | no |
| 13 | Rosswald | Valais | 2,104 m | 1,800 m | 2,560 m | no |
| 14 | Grimentz-Zinal | Valais | 2,102 m | 1,570 m | 2,900 m | no |
| 15 | Crans-Montana | Valais | 2,100 m | 1,500 m | 3,000 m | yes |
| 16 | Lauchernalp – Lötschental | Valais | 2,082 m | 1,403 m | 3,100 m | no |
| 17 | Bivio | Grisons | 2,082 m | 1,770 m | 2,550 m | no |
| 18 | Andermatt-Sedrun | Uri / Grisons | 2,052 m | 1,444 m | 2,963 m | no |
| 19 | Belalp – Blatten | Valais | 2,043 m | 1,327 m | 3,118 m | no |
| 20 | Zuoz – Pizzet/Albanas | Grisons | 2,016 m | 1,716 m | 2,465 m | no |
| 21 | Samnaun / Silvretta Arena | Grisons | 1,975 m | 1,377 m | 2,872 m | no |
| 22 | San Bernardino | Grisons | 1,972 m | 1,600 m | 2,530 m | no |
| 23 | Bellwald | Valais | 1,960 m | 1,560 m | 2,560 m | no |
| 24 | Leukerbad – Torrent | Valais | 1,927 m | 1,411 m | 2,700 m | no |
| 25 | Evolène | Valais | 1,912 m | 1,400 m | 2,680 m | no |
25 of 85 Swiss ski areas in the dataset. Resorts outside Switzerland are not in this list, even though they appear on the map.
How this ranking is put together
The calculation is: weighted altitude = 0.6 times base station plus 0.4 times top station. The weighting is a choice, not something derived from measurement series. It reflects what closes first in practice, and a different split could be argued just as well.
What the calculation does not know: aspect, snowmaking coverage, local precipitation patterns. The northern side of the Alps gets considerably more snow in a north-westerly, while Valais gets more sunshine and higher valley floors. A north-facing slope at 1600 m holds snow longer than a south-facing one at 1900 m.
Glacier areas are marked separately. Early in the season they are the safest choice, but the last few summers have shown that even that is no longer a guarantee: in 2026 both Zermatt and Saas-Fee stopped summer skiing altogether.
For a trip booked months ahead, altitude is the one variable you can actually check. It is not a forecast, and no ranking replaces looking at the snow report in the week before you travel.
Where the numbers contradict each other we say so instead of smoothing it over. Found a mistake? The sources are listed on the about page.