Zermatt or Crans Montana

hi all new here so please treat me nice :lol:
myself and my wife are planning our first trip to switzerland and going to be doing about a week in Jan '09. she is is beginner snowboarder and I have been skiing for 15 years.

I am trying to work out any pro's or cons / suggestions for either of these resorts.... both look amazing

thanks in advance ! (and spending twice as long and doing both is unfortunatly not an option :(

J

Hi jeremyn, welcome to J2ski :D

I have skied both resorts, Crans Montana more so than Zermatt. For a beginner I would say that C-M is a better bet, as it is well geared to novice skiers/boarders.
Zermatt is big, pricey and the whole place feels dominated by a rather large mountain (that'll be the Matterhorn then). C-M is more compact, has a linked system, and has some gentle tree lined runs to Crans, which are great on foggy/snowy days. It has a fun feel about on the slopes. Plenty of bars and cafe's with deckchairs on the hill.
Plenty of trudging in boots in car free Zermatt, as the electric buses seem a bit over-subscribed!. I saw big queues for electric taxi's last year. C-M has a skiers shuttle between the base stations, which, AFAIR is free and runs to a timetable.

At this time, your wife is not going to be able to appreciate the range of slopes on offer in Zermatt, maybe next season?

thanks for that bandit, whne you say more compact, is CM small ?, I have had a look at the maps and it's hard to tell how big it actualy is and also if there are many black runs which will keep me ocupied ?

thanks so much

jeremyn wrote:thanks for that bandit, whne you say more compact, is CM small ?, I have had a look at the maps and it's hard to tell how big it actualy is and also if there are many black runs which will keep me ocupied ?

thanks so much

C-M is not a small resort in mileage terms, and will be fine for a week's stay. The marked black runs are pretty tame, but as the resort attracts deck chair loving skiers, the off piste can stay untouched for days. The only place that the off-piste is a big no-no is from the Plain Morte glacier, though the run down is long and a serious leg burner if you don't stop. It could be that this year, you will need to compromise a bit, so that your wife can learn her skills without being surrounded by 6'5 cliff jumping Scandi's all carrying ice axes in their packs on the cable car up IYKWIM :D

http://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/Switzerland/Crans_Montana.html

Not been to C-M but went to Zermatt for our 25th wedding anniversary in January a few years ago. Not an easy place to ski on a budget but deals do come up - keep an eye on Total offers amongst others. Town is lovely although we found the electric cars a nuisance. Ski buses link the lifts. The ski areas were not well linked when we were there but I think this may have improved now. The Gornergratt cog railway is a scenic trip up the mountain but is quite slow and a squash first thing. Incredible views from the restaurant at the top. The Sunnega underground railway takes you up to some good runs - some with adverse camber - but might not be a good idea for anyone with claustrophobia! Great mountain restaurants and many with live music. Matterhorn dominates Zermatt and a trip round the churchyard is quite fascinating as it is full of graves of people who have fallen off! Winds can be fierce which makes skiing difficult and the lifts close. We really enjoyed the experience of going to Zermatt and you probably would too but not sure it would be quite right for your wife yet?