Chamonix Or Zermatt

THE GLAMOROUS RESORTS OF CHAMONIX IN FRANCE AND ZERMATT IN SWITZERLAND ARE AMONG THE JEWELS OF THE ALPS. LOUISE REYNOLDS REPORTS ON THIS HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE OF ALPINE BLING.

Australian skiers and snowboarders have developed a taste for foreign powder with nearly half now choosing to head overseas for snow holidays. European destinations are among the most popular.

Let’s take a look at how two of Europe’s heavyweights shape up. In the blue corner, Chamonix with its French joie de vivre, adventure and Mont Blanc. And in the red corner, Zermatt with its world-class pistes, Swiss village charm and the Matterhorn. It’s got the Matterhorn.

Skiing

Chamonix and Zermatt both have massive ski fields with dozens of groomed pistes covered in the sort of deep powder snow that would make any Australian ski resort blush with envy.

Zermatt’s ski area boasts 76 pistes with a combined 200km of groomed ski runs. When nearby Cervinia and Valtournenche on the Italian side of the Matterhorn are included, the number of pistes expands to 145 over 360km. The longest downhill run stretches 25km from a height of 3,899m.

Chamonix has 118km of slopes with most of them suitable for beginners. Further afield, the broader Chamonix Valley and resorts in neighbouring Italy and Switzerland bring as much as 1,000km of ski slopes into range. Verdict: Zermatt for advanced skiers, Chamonix for beginners

Scenery

Chamonix and Zermatt are blessed with some of the world’s most stunning alpine scenery. And both have scenic vantage points that would be perfectly cast as villains’ lairs in a James Bond movie.