Zermatt Vs. St. Anton

nilzlet

nilzlet

Active member
This winter I have the opportunity to go to either of these two resorts. I've never skied in Europe before. If you've been to either of these, I would be interested to hear what you think of them. Being an east coast native, I'm really into skiing park/pipe and haven't ventured much beyond that. Also interested to hear about the night life, etc. Thanks!
 
Not that you're planning on it, but whatever you do, don't go all the way to Europe to ski park. Never been to Zermatt, but St. Anton is dope. Not the hardest terrain out there, but the place is just massive, and there's plenty of good off piste skiing to explore. As far as nightlife, there's a bar/restaurant a little ways up from the bottom of the mountain called The Mooserwirt where people will go for apres ski at the end of the day, get hammered, and then ski down drunk in the dark. Worth checking out, at least.
 
I've been visiting St. anton for the last 3 winters and I can day that it's arguably one of the best resorts in the alps for terrain/backcountry. It's also massive.

Never been to Zermatt but I know that it's a very expensive place, but very beautiful with the matterhorn and the other mighty peaks.

As the poster above said, you shouldn't go all the way to ski park and as far as I know, neither one of these resorts have a good park compared to the others in the Alps.

Anyways I'd go with st anton.

If you have any questions, please ask
 
If you have the oppoprtunity to go to Zermatt, don't miss it.

It's the most stunning place in the world. You have the fucking Matterhorn towering above the town, no cars, just little electric taxis buzzing around. The town itself is as picturesque as it gets. Small streets filled with old wooden chaets. It's just fucking magical. People who go to Zermatt know their stuff.

Nightlife? Go to Paperla for some insane after ski parties. Or the Post pub if you want something a bit more refined. You prefer to get shitfaced on the slopes? Hennu Stall is one of the best on piste apres ski there is. There's something for everyone.

As for the skiing itself, I'll just link you to the map, it speaks for itself. It's HUGE.

Look.. St.Anton is great.. But there's many resorts like it in Europe. Zermatt is unique. Nothing like it. It's expensive as shit but you will never forget your time there. Do not miss the occasion to check it out.

Any questions, feel free. Been there many times, I'll go back again this winter.
 
I haven't skied st anton specifically, but I have skied many of the resorts around it and driven through it. I've skied Zermatt twice.

The bottom line is, as the above poster said, if you're looking for the best/most unique experience, go to zermatt. Nothing beats it. The slopes are amazing, you can ski over the border between switzerland and italy and back with two totally different cultures on either side of the mountain (the swiss are orderly, the italians are outrageous), the matterhorn is the coolest backdrop to your skiing views you'll ever see, the terrain is insanely fun, the lift system is top notch, the town is gorgeous, the nightlife is awesome (although st anton is maybe a little better, but not by much from what i hear/know) and the conditions are super reliable because it is so high up.

I've heard nothing but good things about st anton as well, but having skied many of the neighbouring resorts i don't imagine their terrain would be any better than zermatt's, the conditions are less reliable as its not as high (shouldn't be an issue if you're going jan/feb), and the town is not as quintessentially "alps" as zermatt.

The one thing you will have to consider though is price. Who is picking up the tab for this one? If its you and you, then consider whether you have the money and are willing to spring for zermatt. The lift tickets will hurt (90chf/day), although with some searching you might be able to find accomodation at a price not too much higher than st anton. If you do go to zermatt, my biggest reccommendation is make sure you stay in the actual village of zermatt, not one of the outlying towns like taesch or st nikalus as you have to take the train in every time (which is expensive, 20chf round trip from taesch i think) and it takes away a lot from the charm.

And whatever you do, book early! You will pay a fraction of the price if you book your accomodation now, as the good ones go fast.
 
What exactly are you looking for in Europe?

If you want to focus mainly on park neither one is a good choice. Look into places Mayrhofen/Hintertux, Stubai, Laax, Les Deux Alpes or Tignes instead or - better in that respect - don't even cross the pond and stay stateside.

For mainly groomer skiing and stunning mountain scenery Zermatt is definitely the place to go. As others said very pricey and it can sometimes get bitterly cold high up early in the year, be prepared for that. Decent nighlife if you can afford it.

St. Anton is mainly interesting for off-piste and backcountry skiing, this is what it is famous for. Usually more frequent dumps than in Zermatt. Nightlife is ok but nothing special, the Mooserwirt is the top sopt for apres ski. You should be a decent powder skier to get the most out of this one.

Hope that helps.
 
I skied zermatt in august of 2009, high on hydromorphone and redbull. the town of zermatt is about as mind blowing as willly wonkas chocolate factory, you will literally want to rub your dick allover the architecture its so pretty. in the summer u take like 3 trams to get to the glacier... in town its 75 degrees... up top its below freezing. thermoclines are so fing cool... the park was gorgeous, and was well maintained.

crazy to think a country as utopian as ch gives heroin to heroin addicts for free... makes u kinda feel like ur missing out on life living in cop worshiping america
 
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