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Outstanding resorts are something Switzerland has in swathes – and their stonkingly scenic mountains have hundreds of miles of red runs, with a whole host of wonderful blues to ease you in on them.
From early intermediates perfecting the parallels on blues, to veteran red run skiers looking to clock up the miles, these ten Swiss resorts have the formula for a smashing week on the snow.
Switzerland: Top 10 Ski Resorts for Intermediates
Where winter tourism all began, St M’s a must-ski whatever your level, but intermediates are especially well catered for. To let the stats do the talking, of the massive 350km ski area, a more than sizeable 70% is graded red. There are some fabulous blues to warm up on, like the Standard which winds a long path from Munt da san Murezzan through Corviglia and finally down in to Dorf. Then the Engadin valley’s your oyster – just don’t forget to ski the tree-lined red Saluver to Celerina, which is dripping with alpine scenery of the stupidly pretty variety - stop for one of the gorgeously thick hot chocolates at La Piruetta before heading back up and taking your pick of Corvaglia’s perfect pistes.
Confident parallel skiers will love Zermatt – keeping your eyes on the piste and not the Matterhorn’s another matter entirely. Ski far and wide on 120km of red runs – we can’t get enough of the #69, which follows a wide, solitary path with dazzling sights of the mighty mountain. Whether it’s the prospect of unlocking another 68km of reds, or just having a slice of proper Italian pizza, it’s well worth crossing the border to Cervinia. Blue run skiers aren’t left far behind, with a lovely collection in Gornergrat, more over in Italy at Plan Maison and some scenic, snow sure offerings right at the top on the glacier.
When it comes to dramatically scenic intermediate skiing, the Jungfrau region’s hard to beat, where the peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau loom over the landscape. Early intermediates can perfect the parallels on the designated ‘slow slopes’ in the First area, where speeds are capped at a modest 30mph to avoid the stress of passing speedsters. Later on, the less restricted blue #21 from Bort down to the main village is an ideal spot to let your hair down for mid-week cruising. If you’ve a few more ski weeks under your belt, pistes like the long red #23 - twisting across the mountain from the Holwald Chair - and the #22 to the village pose more of a challenge, with trickier steeps and banks thrown in. ‘First’ isn’t the only area you can ski, far from it: Kleine Scheidegg, Mannlichen, Murren and the Schilthorn make up the rest of the Jungfrau area, where you can ski panoramic pistes to your heart’s content.
Blues and reds total 87km here, and Arosa’s compact layout and comprehensive lift system makes every inch of them super accessible. Make your way up to the Hornli peak, stop to gawp at the stunning Weisshorn across the valley, then ski broad blue groomers all the way down to the village, smashing out a hefty 691 meters vertical while you’re at it. Next up, set your carves in from the Weisshorns’ 2653m summit on #10 red – the high altitude means conditions are almost always ship shape, while the south/southeast slope orientation will be doing its best to keep you gliding through blissful high-alpine sunshine.
Just under half of the corduroy here has blue or red markers, and the terrain between those markers is wide, easy going and all-round exhilarating. If you don’t like stopping too often for chairlifts, enjoy a monster ski all the way from the Plaine Morte peak down to Les Berzettes: The 12km red there is drop-dead gorgeous, moving from high alpine views to the mountain face, and ending in low snowy woods. Another red worthy of attention is the Piste Nationale, a world cup downhill race course with banked turns that are a blast to get some speed around. Blues are in no short supply either, and those found above Crans village from the Cry D’Er peak are reliable choices when it comes to dusting off the cobwebs or ending the day on something smooth.
In Klosters and Davos’ series of valleys, red runs rule the roost and blues aren’t far behind. Base yourself in either town and you’ll have a hoot. If we had to pick one: for confident intermediates, Davos is pipped to the post by the two wonderfully long reds that glide down to Klosters, while more tentative skiers might prefer skiing home to Davos via its long, tree-lined blues. The largest ski section is Parsenn – a playground of white stuff between the resorts. 15, 40 and are a cracking set of no-fuss, wide blue rollers, while the Seetali T-Bar serves red 30 which has some deliciously steep sections. The Weissfluhjoch area’s home to a beautiful 12km red which rolls down to Kublis, another essential bit of ground to cover while you’re here.
While the name might be derived from ‘The Devil’, Les D’s heaven for intermediates. The long blue from Lac Retaud, that weaves a path under the #11 Gondola is the place to rediscover your ski legs – it’s wide, smooth and cruisey, and runs all the way back to resort. Other good blues can be found right at the top, in a glacial snowfield that expands between the Oldenhorn and Scex Rouge peaks. In terms of reds, storm the long one stretching down from Cabane - or up the ante on the Combe D’audon route around the far side of the Oldenhorn, which includes a short sharp section graded black. Elsewhere, Meilleret, Les Chaux and Chamossaire are bursting with red markers, with access via a set of chair lifts and blues providing the perfect warm up.
It may be better known as a hotspot for freestylers, but Saas Fee’s on-piste offerings shouldn’t be sniffed at – and with experts kept busy in the park, the runs are yours to roam. With 75km of its own red pistes, nearly 50km of blues to ease you in on them (plus more to ski in nearby resorts) there high quality chunks of terrain waiting to be devoured. The best of it comes in two convenient sprawls: for blues, that’s under the Felskinn peak and running through the Morenia station back to the village. Marked on the map as 4, 4b and 4c, a number of these link up to form one long line of epic corduroy, usually with the fantastic snow conditions Saas is prone to. Further up, the fearsome Allalin peak gives up a plethora of reds that dart their way along the ridges below and follow the paths of the glacier.
Verbier may well be a heavy hitter in the realms of expert skiing, but strong intermediates will also have an absolute ball here. Take one look at the piste map and you’ll see red lines sprawling across all four valleys, with a handsome collection of blues to dip into when it calls for something smoother. A wonderfully long red zig-zags from Col Des Gentianes back to La Chaux – it’s high, snow sure and often drenched in sunshine, leading to a web of trails through the treeline and back to resort. You’ll find another glorious network of pistes between Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz, and a day trip to Veysonnaz unlocks more spectacular terrain.
Intermediates are clearly Mother Nature’s favourites here – she’s formed the mountains so that nearly 80% of the area falls into the blue and red categories, altitudes stretch to a snow sure 3000m up on the glacier and it’s often incredibly sunny (unveiling views of Mt Blanc and other Alpine greats). It’s a good thing we can thank her then, by staying in one of the most eco-friendly resorts in the world. Start locally in the Bretaye bowl on blues like Lac Noir and Col de Bretaye, where you can suss out your favourite lines amidst the wide snow fields. Crois des Chaux Gryon (accessible from the Sodoleuvre chair), is an easygoing blue that can be accessed by a couple of testing reds for a more exciting start. We could spend hours zipping down the runs between Chaux Ronde and Petit Chamossaire - then heading up to Meilleret where the bumps and banked turns of Jorasse area are a confident intermediate’s dream.
To experience skiing or boarding in one of the best Swiss ski areas for intermediates, choose from our list of Switzerland’s top Intermediate ski resorts.
Each of these intermediate-friendly destinations have at some stage held titles like "best Swiss Intermediate ski area".
Switzerland - best intermediate ski resorts
| Resort | Best features |
|---|---|
| St Moritz | Multiple ski areas, 70% of region is red runs, excellent ski school for progression |
| Zermatt | Europe’s highest pistes, very snow sure, ski over to Italy |
| Grindelwald | Scenic ski area, over 100km of intermediate runs, ski over to charming Swiss villages |
| Arosa | Linked ski area, wide intermediate runs, excellent spas for afters ;) |
| Crans Montana | Big & sunny ski area, long descents, world cup run |
| Klosters | Several mountains to ski, lovely long runs, good snow record |
| Les Diablerets | Glacier skiing, lengthy pistes, good mix of runs |
| Saas Fee | Very snow sure, glacier skiing, scenic blue and red runs |
| Verbier | Plenty of terrain across the Four Valleys ski area, super snow record |
| Villars | 80% of runs intermediate friendly, access to glacier runs, good mix of terrain |
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