Gstaad

Gstaad may be known for its glitz and glamour, but with numerous bases to choose from and five different ski areas, it makes for a fantastically varied resort to visit this winter.

weather Forecast today: Clear skies

Max temp: 12.5 °c
Min temp: -1.5 °c
Last snowed: Fri 20 Feb

Last Updated: Wed 04 Mar

weather Forecast today: Clear skies

Max temp: 12.5 °c
Min temp: -1.5 °c
Last snowed: Fri 20 Feb

Last Updated: Wed 04 Mar

62%Beginner

31%Intermediate

7%Advanced

Although having a car makes getting around easy,

an efficient bus and train service links the five varied ski areas and traditional base villages. Placing yourself in the heart of the action in Gstaad itself will make your stay a much livelier affair, but if you’re looking to cut costs or stay in a peaceful small chalet or B&B, then one of the other villages in the valley – such as Schönried or Saanenmöser – make for great alternative bases. Up on the hill, the ski areas offer something for everyone. The largest at Rinderberg has some fantastic wooded terrain, Eggli offers some great open slopes and in the form of Glacier 3000, Gstaad is home to one of the most snowsure ski areas in Switzerland.

Beginner
Fast lifts
Intermediate
Resort Activities
Advanced
Aprés
Snow
Value

Pros and cons

Each of the five ski areas brings something different
Efficient train and bus system links everything together
Some fantastic hotels to choose from if your budget stretches far enough

Low altitude of the resort runs means snow can be an issue
Bus or train rides to get to the skiing may put off some visitors
Prices are high in Gstaad, but cheaper alternatives are available

On the Slopes

The biggest area is Rinderberg, bolstered in 2018/19 by an impressive new valley to summit gondola at Saanerslochgrat. Catch the train or bus to Schönreid to access the slopes. This sector is home to 90km of slopes that are best suited to intermediate skiers, but there is good beginner terrain and several wide sweeping blues. This area comes into its own when the clouds are down as the tree-lined slopes provide valuable definition in a whiteout.

Two small ski areas lie on the southern fringes of Gstaad – Wasserngrat and Wispile – but both will only keep you occupied for a few hours. Much larger is the Eggli ski area, accessed from the edge of Gstaad by a gondola and from Saanen by a quad chairlift. 58km of mostly blue slopes await, including an epic 1150 vertical metre descent into the town of Rougemont from the summit at La Videmanette.

The final area is the highest, most snowsure and one of a handful of remaining glacier ski areas in Switzerland – Glacier 3000. Cable cars whisk you up from the valley to the Scex Rouge at 2971m, from which point several drags access gentle blues on the glacier, where snow conditions are always excellent. The valley return run is arguably the best in the entire area – depending on your choice of route you’ll ski a long winding black behind Oldenalp or an impressive newly built red to Oldenegg, before the final descent down to the valley on piste 100.

In the Resort

Luxury hotels, smart shops and upmarket restaurants dominate the centre of Gstaad, which can certainly count itself as one of the most upmarket resorts in the Alps. Despite this, there is a lot more to Gstaad and you needn’t spend a fortune to stay here, eat here or drink here. Zweisimmen offers a very attractive budget base, with direct access to Rinderberg, whilst the villages in between here and Gstaad provide a quiet setting and good access to the slopes.

Away from the pistes, the Rinderberg area has three of the Alps longest and arguably best toboggan routes. These drop over 700m from top-to-bottom and are worth exploring for an afternoon rather than a quick post-skiing trip. Winter walking and cross country is also popular in the valley, so this is certainly a great place to come if someone in your group is a non-skier.

Getting to Gstaad

Gstaad is easily accessed from both Zürich and Basel airports, with the drive from both taking around 2.5 hours, whilst travelling by train is only slightly longer – the journey comes in at around three hours.

Zürich airport: 2.5 hours (driving) or 3 hours (train)
Basel airport: 2.5 hours (driving) or 3 hours (train)
Calais: approximately 10 hours driving (521 miles)

Season Dates

Opens: Saturday 14 December 2024
Closes: Sunday 30 March 2025

Gstaad Piste Map

Top (3016m)

	Wed 4 Mar			Thu 5 Mar			Fri 6 Mar			Sat 7 Mar			Sun 8 Mar			Mon 9 Mar			Tue 10 Mar			Wed 11 Mar			Thu 12 Mar			Fri 13 Mar
	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Clear skies	Generally clear	Clear skies	Mainly fair	Generally clear	Mainly fair	Partly cloudy	Mainly fair	Mainly fair	Generally clear	Generally clear	Generally clear	Rain/Snow shower	Broken clouds	Broken clouds	Mainly fair	Light drizzle	Light rain/snow	Generally clear	Rain/Snow shower	Rain/Snow shower	Generally clear	Partly cloudy	Partly cloudy	Generally clear	Light rain shwr	Rather cloudy	Broken clouds	Partly cloudy	Light drizzle
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	5.6°c	5.2°c	2.6°c	7.1°c	7.2°c	4°c	6.7°c	6.8°c	4.4°c	6.9°c	6.9°c	4.6°c	5.7°c	5.8°c	4.2°c	6.1°c	6.1°c	4.2°c	6°c	6°c	4.1°c	6.2°c	6.2°c	4.1°c	6.6°c	6.6°c	4.8°c	7.4°c	7.5°c	5.6°c
Min temp	0.9°c	2.6°c	1.4°c	0.6°c	4°c	2.3°c	1.8°c	4.4°c	2.6°c	1.7°c	4.6°c	2.6°c	1.7°c	4.2°c	2.3°c	1.2°c	4.2°c	1.9°c	0.9°c	4.1°c	2.6°c	1.6°c	4.1°c	2.4°c	1.4°c	4.8°c	3.2°c	2°c	5.6°c	4.6°c
Feels like temp	-1.8°c	4.7°c	2.4°c	0.5°c	6.4°c	3.6°c	1.6°c	6.1°c	4°c	1.5°c	6.3°c	4.2°c	1.5°c	5.2°c	3.9°c	1.1°c	5.5°c	3.9°c	0.8°c	5.5°c	3.8°c	1.4°c	5.7°c	3.8°c	1.3°c	6.1°c	4.4°c	1.8°c	6.8°c	5.2°c