Saas Fee Ski Resort Guide
Saas-Fee ski resort delivers a high-altitude snowsure resort partnered with a buzzing Swiss mountain village. The ski resort of Saas-Fee in the Valais region of Switzerland is world-renowned for skiing possible at 3500m and a long season that gets extended through the summer months. If you are looking for guaranteed snow then maybe Saas-Fee is the perfect destination for your next ski trip.
Saas-Fee Glacier early in the morning
SAAS-FEE FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Arriving in Saas-Fee at the bus station it doesn’t take long to notice that one thing is missing from Saas-Fee, cars! The pedestrian village is great and there are electric taxi’s if you don’t want to lug your ski gear around. In terms of the ski resort itself, the first thing that stood out was the size. There is nearly 1800m of vertical drop at Saas-Fee with the Pearl of the Alps also home to one of Europes largest glacier ski areas.
Looking back to the village from the Langfluh lift stations
SAAS-FEE SKI AREA
The ski area in Saas-Fee extends from 1800m at the village to 3600m up on the glacier. The resort feels fairly narrow all funnelling back down the village but there is more than enough terrain to keep you occupied for a longer trip. When you consider that nearby Saas-Grund and Saas-Almagell can be accessed fairly easily, this extends the possible skiing further. There is a good mixture of terrain at Saas-Fee with a dedicated beginner area near the base and some nice long runs around the rest of the mountain. It is possible to ski top-to-bottom at Saas-Fee in one run.
BEGINNERS TERRAIN AT SAAS-FEE
At the base of the slopes, there is a large beginners area. The area has a few different pistes for learning and is serviced by button lifts. At Saas-Fee, it is possible to find progression around the mountain with some nice blue terrain. Taking the Alpin Express to 3000m at Felskin will be the best area for this progression.
INTERMEDIATE TERRAIN AT SAAS-FEE
The Plattjen area is perfect for those intermediates looking for a longer red run. The lap from top-to-bottom of the Plattjen gondola allows you the choice to combine the red with either blue or black depending on your confidence level. The slopes on Plattjen tend to be quieter than in other parts of the resort.
Intermediates can’t ignore the great terrain on the glacier with snowsure pistes offering the perfect opportunity to practice that carving. Perhaps my favourite combination of runs in Saas-Fee is the combination of pistes 11, 11a, and 11b combines red and black pistes to make a long run under the Längfluh lift.
ADVANCED TERRAIN AT SAAS-FEE
With regards to the piste map, there isn’t much for advanced skiers and snowboarders at Saas-Fee. A few black runs are dotted about the mountain in addition to some marked itinerary routes. The layout of Saas-Fee and its position upon the glacier limits the off-piste options here.
FREESTYLE TERRAIN AT SAAS-FEE
Saas-Fee has a terrain park on the glacier. During my visit, the terrain park was not open as the jumps were still being built. The terrain park at Saas-Fee attracts professional skiers and snowboarders from around the world and is well known for it’s quality.
SAAS-FEE PISTE MAP
LIFTS AT RESORT SAAS-FEE
The lift infrastructure at Saas-Fee was my biggest downside to skiing in the resort. The lifts here are mainly gondolas or cable cars. This is a necessity for the resort, especially when you consider that the lifts travel large distances. For me though, I found it detrimental to my snowboarding experience as every lift it seemed required you to take your snowboard/skis off.
Despite my reservation about the number of gondolas and cable cars you are required to take the actual infrastructure is pretty good. The lifts are fast with options to depart at the mid-station or ride all the way to the top. Taking the positives from the gondola/cable car situation, they at least provide an opportunity to warm up on those colder days.
To access the glacier you will either take the Panorama T-bar from near the Längfluh lift or you will need to take the Metro Alpin. The Saas-Fee Metro Alpin is a funicular train that runs underground to the glacier. Actually, this was a pretty cool experience and something new for me. On the glacier, you will find only t-bars but that is perfect for the conditions up there. The use of surface lifts on the Saas-Fee glacier ensures this area can remain open even when the conditions are windy.
SAAS-FEE PROS
Saas-Fee is a snowsure ski resort
Saas-Fee is well suited to intermediate skiers and beginners
The car-free village of Saas-Fee is a great base for a ski holiday
Saas-Fee has plenty of other activities around the village, skating and curling are just some examples.
Saas-Fee has incredible scenery, surrounded by multiple 4000m peaks the views from Saas-Fee are great.
Saas-Fee is home to the worlds highest rotating restaurant which is a great dining experience
The Magic Pass combines Saas-Fee with Saas Almagell and the local pass also adds Saas-Grund ensuring there is plenty of skiing to keep most occupied.
SAAS-FEE CONS
Saas-Fee can be quite cold and spends a lot of the day in the shade. This is not one for the sun worshipers.
Due to the cold conditions, some of the main runs down to the village can get pretty icy in the afternoons.
The lift connections can feel clunky, it takes an hour to reach the glacier via the Alpin Express and the Metro Alpin, although this does open up 1700m of vertical drop.
Me sliding down an icy run in the afternoon
SNOWBOARDING IN THE SAASTAL VALLEY
Locally there are three resorts included on a single lift pass; Saas-Fee, Saas Almagell and Saas Grund. The ski areas are connected by bus routes which are free to use. Saas Almagell is the lowest of the three resorts but offers some fantastic intermediate terrain. The run from Heidbodme to the base is fantastic. Saas Grund offers further guaranteed snow with snowboarding possible between 3200m and 1570m. Saas Grund has some longer runs that are great for stretching those legs.
TRAVEL TO SAAS-FEE SKI RESORT
Saas-Fee is in the Saastal or Saas Valley in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Reaching Saas-Fee will require either car hire or a combination of trains and buses. Most likely you will fly into Geneva although it is also possible to fly into Zurich.
When in Switzerland it is always worth travelling via train to your end destination. From Geneva, it is possible to travel to Visp by train where regular buses run between Visp and the towns of Saas Grund, Saas Almagell and Saas Fee. The 511 bus will take you to Saas Grund where you may need to change to the 513 to connect to Saas Almagell.
I was road tripping through Switzerland so arrived in the Saas Valley by car. The journey was simple and the roads were in great condition despite heavy snowfall. It is essential to carry snow chains, especially if not driving a 4wd car. It is worth noting that although cars are permitted in Saas Grund and Saas Almagell, they are not permitted in Saas-Fee. If staying in Saas-Fee you will need to park in the multi-storey and get to your accommodation either on foot or via electric taxi/hotel shuttle.
SAAS-FEE SNOW RECORD
According to OntheSnow the ski resorts around Saas-Fee receive an average of 5m of snow per winter. Saas Almagell has a much lower base elevation than Saas-Fee and Saas Grund so the quality of snow on the lower mountain can suffer.
SAAS-FEE LIFT PASS PRICES
Saas-Fee is included on the Magic Pass. The Magic Pass makes for an affordable way to ski in Switzerland with 40 ski resorts included for 399CHF. To discover more about the Magic Pass click here
A 7 day Saas-Fee Almagell lift ticket is 419CHF so that puts into perspective the value of the Magic Pass. For the latest ski pass prices check here.
SAAS-FEE VIDEOS
SAAS-FEE GALLERY
ACCOMMODATION AT SAAS FEE
During my stay in the Saas Valley, I stayed at the Montela Apartments in Saas Grund. The apartments were great with a fully functional kitchen, great facilities and a luxury feel. You can find the Montela Apartments here. There is also a great selection of luxury chalets in Saas Fee with The Luxury Chalet Company, they have a wide selection of rental properties for all types of groups and all types of holidays.
SEASON DATES SAAS-FEE
Saas-Fee ski resort has one of the longest ski seasons in Europe. The glacier opens in July for summer skiing. before the resort opens fully in November. The ski season in Saas-Fee lasts into late April with a short break in May and June before doing it all again.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON SAAS-FEE
I can see the appeal of Saas-Fee as a winter destination. The snowsure nature of the resort will appeal to most, especially those planning early or later season trips. On a personal note, I didn’t like the flow of the resort and for me I would opt to ski elsewhere in the future. I do think that Saas-Fee has a lot to offer and will be a great destination for most skiers and snowboarders.
