Zermatt – Matterhorn
… 🧊 Glacier area
Photo: Deralpinbergsteiger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Summer skiing temporarily suspended
Zermatt Bergbahnen halted summer skiing on the Theodul glacier on 31 July 2026: sustained high temperatures, no night-time cooling, repeated thunderstorms and changed snow and glacier conditions. The situation is reassessed daily.
As of 31 July 2026. Always check the current situation with the resort.Zermatt – Matterhorn lies in Valais and ranks among the large ski networks of the Alps: 360 kilometres of piste served by 35 lifts.
The area runs from 1620 to 3883 metres above sea level, giving around 2,263 metres of vertical. That takes the terrain above the 3,000-metre mark, which markedly improves snow reliability on the upper slopes.
Zermatt – Matterhorn is one of the few areas in the Alps with skiing in summer: the season runs year-round, carried by the glacier.
Freestylers get a well-developed snow park, an adult day pass costs CHF 92.
Of note: Europe’s largest summer ski area; 360 km including Cervinia (IT)
Pistes by difficulty
- Leicht (blau)79 km22%
- Mittel (rot)252 km70%
- Schwer (schwarz)29 km8%
Distribution calculated from OpenStreetMap and applied to the 360 official kilometres of piste. An approximation, not a figure from the lift company.
Snow report
Not currentThis reading is 47 days old and is not being updated automatically at the moment. Current figures are available from the SLF and from the resort itself.
Source: SLF / WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research. A single measuring station, not the resort’s official piste report.
Piste map, map & webcams
Interactive piste map
Every piste and lift colour-coded by difficulty, zoomable, built on OpenStreetMap. Community-maintained data; where it differs, the official piste map next to it is authoritative.
Open on OpenSkiMap →Official piste map
The lift company’s drawn piste map, plus lift status and tickets.
zermatt.ch →Webcams
Live images from the mountain on the resort’s official site, usually several locations.
View webcams →Piste maps and webcam images belong to the lift companies and are protected by copyright. That is why we link directly to the original instead of copying it.
Getting there by public transport
Destination stop: Zermatt. Fastest connection on a Saturday morning in the currently published timetable, from the open Swiss timetable interface, retrieved 10 August 2026. A guide value, not a timetable: the real journey time depends on when you leave and what you connect to, and winter-only bus services are not yet included.
Frequently asked about Zermatt – Matterhorn
How high is Zermatt – Matterhorn?
The ski area runs from 1,620 to 3,883 metres above sea level, a vertical range of 2,263 metres. For snow reliability the lower figure matters more: that is where the snow disappears first, and where a mild December is felt before it is felt at the top.
How many kilometres of piste does Zermatt – Matterhorn have?
360 kilometres on 35 lifts, according to the operator. There is no binding standard for measuring piste kilometres, so the figure is comparable between resorts only to a point. The lift count says at least as much about how big a place feels.
What does a day pass at Zermatt – Matterhorn cost?
CHF 92 for an adult day pass at the standard rate, as of summer 2026. Booked early it is often less; on a peak Saturday it is not.
When does Zermatt – Matterhorn open?
The usual season window is year-round. For winter 2026/27 the resort has announced 1 November 2026 as its starting date (Sunnegga / Rothorn). Every announced date depends on enough snow and cold.
How do I get to Zermatt – Matterhorn by train?
The destination stop is Zermatt. From Zürich HB the fastest connection on a Saturday morning takes 3 h 15, changing 1 time; from Bern 2 h 10. A guide value, not a timetable.
Does Zermatt – Matterhorn have a glacier?
Yes. Glacier terrain makes the early season more reliable, because the snow layer is supported from below by ice. The summers since 2022 have shown that this is no longer a guarantee either: several Alpine glacier areas have given up summer skiing altogether.
Is there a snowpark at Zermatt – Matterhorn?
Yes, and a good one: we rate it 7 out of 10. That rating is our own assessment, based on the size and number of features, how regularly the park is shaped, and whether it runs all season. It does not come from the lift company.
Zermatt – Matterhorn in the magazine
Will the Sölden World Cup go ahead? The figures say yes, and the ski area still stays shut
On 24 and 25 October the alpine World Cup is due to open on the Rettenbach glacier. At 2,900 metres, 86 hours over the next sixteen days are cold enough to make snow; nine hundred metres lower, ten Swiss areas together manage 95. Why a race is easier than a season.
The warmest September in 36 years. It says almost nothing about the winter
September 2026 was the warmest at 2,000 metres in our series. We ran the numbers on 35 winters: after the ten warmest Septembers, 316 centimetres of snow fell on average; after the ten coldest, 267. The relationship points the opposite way to the one people assume, and it is weak.
Too warm to make snow: the cold window has slipped five days
Five days ago the first usable snowmaking nights fell on 4 to 6 October; now they fall on the 9th and 10th. Over sixteen days, 95 of 3,840 hours are cold enough, and seven of ten areas get not one centimetre of snow. The figures, and what they mean for the season start.
Six glaciers have a date. Zermatt does not
Val Senales has been running since 19 September, Pitztal follows on the 26th, Hintertux in late September, Stubai and Sölden in October. Kaunertal has called its start off, and the Theodul glacier above Zermatt has nothing announced. Every date with its source and status.
Where this resort stands
In our rankings of all Swiss ski areas:
- Number 1 among the highest resorts
- Number 1 by weighted altitude, our snow-reliability measure
- Number 3 among the largest by kilometres of piste
- Number 6 among the snowparks
Zermatt – Matterhorn is one of 24 ski areas in the canton of Valais, and it is quickest reached from Bern by train, in 2 h 10.
Nearby ski areas
Distances are straight-line, not driving time. In the Alps a ridge between two valleys can turn 12 km into a two-hour drive.
Key figures
- Region
- Valais
- Season
- year-round
- Kilometres of piste
- 360 km
- Elevation
- 1620 to 3883 m (2,263 m of vertical)
- Lifts
- 35
- Adult day pass
- around CHF 92 (guide value)
- Summer skiing
- yes
- Glacier
- yes
- Snow park
- rated 7/10
- Coordinates
- 46.020, 7.749
- Official website
- zermatt.ch
All values are guide figures still being verified. For day-to-day information, use the resort’s official website.