We take a look at the stats behind Zermatt…
Zermatt is the sum of its parts but those parts are many and diverse. The town, the mountain, the skiing and the history all come together to form a near perfect destination that is a Mecca for skiers.
We have looked at the numbers that make Zermatt a globally renowned resort:
The Slopes
- There are 64 chair lifts that can in transport up to 64500 people every hour
- You can ski over 73 pistes covering 183km with the longest being 13km
- The highest point is 3899m and is the highest lift station in Europe
- From there skiers can ride down a total vertical drop of 2279m
- Zermatt offers skiing on 365 days a year
- Since 2013 Zermatt has spent CHF 431 million on lift infrastructure and resort improvements and it plans to spend over CHF 1 billion in total.
The History
- Zermatt has 1 world famous mountain – the Matterhorn – that stands 4478m tall
- It was first summitted by mountaineers Edward Whymper and Michel Croz in 1865
- Since that first summit over 500 people have met their end while climbing the mountain
- Today over 3000 people reach the top every year
- In 1891 the first train arrived into Zermatt and then in 1898 the first cable car was introduced to the area
- The local ski club is 109 years old and the Swiss ski school, which was founded in the resort, is 88 years old
The Town
- Over the years Zermatt has won over 14 awards
- 2 awards have been for ‘Best Ski Resort in the World’, voted for by the skiers and snowboarders of the general public
- The resort sits at 1600m and is a year round destination attracting over 2 million people to stay in one of the 29000 beds
- There are 0 petrol or diesel cars allowed in resort, so if you drive you must park in one of the 2100 underground parking spaces in nearby Täsch where you can catch a 12 minute train ride the rest of the way
- The results of a referendum held in 1972 to decide if a road should be allowed from Täsch saw 66% of the population vote against it
- There are 119 restaurants in Zermatt, 52 can be found on the mountain
- The resort has a total of 5 Michelin stars and 21 eateries that appear in the Michelin guide
The Snow and Weather
- 324cm is the average snowfall Zermatt receives every winter meaning that there is always a good base of 200cm from January onward
- This season the snow depth peaked at 281cm
- During the winter the average temperature is 2.6°, the coldest average is -8° and the warmest is in April when temperatures reach +15°
- Zermatt has 900 snow cannons and can cover 75% of the runs using artificial snow
- In 2012 745 000 square meters of artificial snow was produced.
If you are interested in skiing on some of the best terrain in the world, Matterhorn Chalets offer a selection of luxury catered and serviced chalets as well as self-catering apartments.
For more information please visit our website or call us on +41 79 247 15 88
