Winter sports in Switzerland
It goes without saying that Switzerland is one of the best winter sports destinations in the world, with generally small-scale resorts making a virtue of their village atmosphere and character.
Expect peaceful, mostly entirely natural Alpine runs, many starting well above the tree line and set against spectacular mountain vistas.
In addition, Swiss resorts are higher than most, and thus have guaranteed snow cover. In contrast, lower resorts are beginning to feel the pinch from global warming.
The winter season runs from mid-December to mid-April, though at altitudes above about 3000m the season extends from November to May.
Skiing, snowboarding and beyond
Skiing is split into two varieties. Alpine or downhill skiing is the more popular, and involves swooshing down the mountain on blue (easy), red (intermediate) or black (difficult) runs, according to your ability.
Nordic or cross-country skiing is seen as much harder work for much less thrill. That said, it benefits from no lift queues and allows you to get way out into the countryside. For more experienced outdoor adventurers, this might be the pinnacle of Switzerland outdoor activities.
Snowboarding is massively popular, with resorts hosting half-pipes, lessons for all abilities, and boarding tournaments all winter long.
Mono-skiing, like head-on snowboarding, uses a single extra-wide ski into which both feet are strapped side by side.
Ski-joring involves being pulled along by galloping horses, while snow-biking or snow-bobbing are essentially cycling on snow.
Many resorts have great facilities for tobogganing or sledding.
