Zermatt – Matterhorn
… 🧊 Glacier area
Which pistes and lifts are open today: at the lift company →
Photo: Deralpinbergsteiger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Glacier open again since 14 October
Zermatt Bergbahnen resumed skiing on the Theodul glacier on 14 October 2026, after snowfall and lower temperatures improved conditions. Open are the Plateau Rosa 1 and 2 drag lifts and the Matterhorn Glacier Ride II between Klein Matterhorn and Testa Grigia; Plateau Rosa 3 with a beginners' area and a small snow park is being prepared. The lift company had halted summer skiing on 31 July because of the heat. The winter season starts on 1 November, with Sunnegga/Rothorn and Gornergrat following on 28 November.
As of 14 October 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
- Easy (blue)79 km22%
- Intermediate (red)252 km70%
- Difficult (black)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
SLF measuring stationWe only show readings from the last seven days, and the most recent one we have is older. Current snow depths 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 (Wintersaison). 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
Weekend of 7/8 November: Glacier 3000, Verbier and Cervinia start, and from Tuesday the freezing level climbs to almost 3000 metres
What the lift companies themselves confirm for the weekend, what they do not, and what the official MeteoSwiss forecast says for next week: dry until Monday, then rain up into high terrain, with snow returning only on Friday.
Nine months too warm, eight months too dry: Is that unusual, and will November be drier because of it?
In Zurich, Bern and Davos every month since February was warmer than the average and every month since March drier. We recalculated up to 162 years of measurements: dry spells like this occur about as often as chance would predict, and a dry summer says little about November.
Second winter storm: up to 24 centimetres in 24 hours measured, and the next wave arrives on Sunday
SLF stations recorded a rise in snow depth of up to 24 centimetres in 24 hours, and the deepest snow measured is 36. On Sunday MeteoSwiss expects the next wave, and on Tuesday the freezing level climbs above 4,000 metres. What was measured and what is due until 1 November.
The big opening weekend: Titlis, Diavolezza, Cervinia and the World Cup in Sölden, and on Wednesday it snows everywhere
On 24 October Diavolezza, Cervinia and Adelboden start and the World Cup season begins in Sölden. The Titlis (29 October) opens later, and the Mölltal Glacier names no date. Who opens when, what is already running and what the weather brought.
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
- 7/10, our editorial rating
- 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.