Zermatt is a resort in Valais (Switzerland) skied between 1620 and 3883 metres, with 360 km of pistes and 54 lifts.
Zermatt is in Valais, Switzerland, with the base at 1620 m and the top at 3883 m.
Zermatt has not announced its opening date for the 2026/27 season yet. Our own estimate, based on the resort's altitude and its past seasons, puts it around October 25, 2026: that is a forecast, not an announcement. The resort confirms the date each autumn and we keep it up to date at https://www.caranva.app/en/esqui/fechas-apertura/zermatt.
Zermatt is expected to close for the 2026/27 season on May 3, 2027. The real date depends on how the snow holds up at the top (3883 m) late in the season, and the resort usually announces it only a few weeks ahead: the up-to-date version is at https://www.caranva.app/en/esqui/fechas-apertura/zermatt.
Zermatt skis on a glacier, so its calendar runs beyond the normal season: it opens earlier and closes later than the non-glacier resorts around it, and the top station reaches 3883 m. What is open at any given time depends on the state of the glacier; the current dates are at https://www.caranva.app/en/esqui/fechas-apertura/zermatt.
It changes daily and the resort itself publishes it every morning: snow depth by altitude, open runs and open lifts. The Zermatt daily report and forecast are at https://www.caranva.app/en/nieve/suiza/zermatt. When it blows hard, the most exposed lifts are usually the upper ones (3883 m), so it is worth checking before driving up.
Between 1620 and 3883 metres, a vertical drop of 2263 m. That difference is why the snow is not the same across the whole resort on the same day: the upper slopes hold up better late in the season, while the lower part, at 1620 m, is the first to feel rain or warm weather. That is why the Zermatt report is read by altitude band, at https://www.caranva.app/en/nieve/suiza/zermatt.
Zermatt has 360 km of pistes and 54 lifts, between 1620 and 3883 m of altitude.
On Caranva you book the full kit for Zermatt — skis, boots and poles, or a snowboard if you prefer — at https://www.caranva.app/en/shop/esqui/zermatt: you pick the dates and give your height, weight, shoe size and level, and the gear is waiting assembled with the bindings set to those figures. You pay online, you skip the sizing counter, and you can swap the gear in the shop if something does not fit. The alternative is walking into a shop at the resort on a first-come basis, which over a bank holiday or at Christmas means queuing for whatever is left.
In the same valley or the next one: Saas-Fee (150 km of pistes, up to 3500 m) and Cervinia (157 km of pistes, up to 3480 m). Comparing their top altitudes helps when snowfall is scarce: the ones that top out higher tend to open earlier and hold on longer at the end of the season.
The rental shops we have found in Zermatt, with address, opening hours, phone and Google rating.