High and snow-sure, the quaint village of Saas Fee is untouched
by the worst of the modern world, though it?s not short of powerful
lifts to take you to the tops ? and in these mountains that means a
breathtaking three and a half thousand metres.
Our Rating:
| Advanced | | *** |
| Intermediate | | **** |
| Beginner | | ***** |
Saas Fee nestles at 1800m in the lee of the Mischabel range, just
15km north-east of Zermatt, without its crowds but with more original
alpine charm. The village is old, quaint, and traffic-free other than
for a few service vehicles. The mountains surrounding it are
in-your-face monsters, towering above the village, their huge glaciers
spilling down towards the valley. The immediacy of the scenery makes
this a place for committed mountain lovers: even on a blue sky day the
brooding heights are more striking than pretty. The resort?s pisted
skiing is quite extensive while the snow, thanks to the aspect and
altitude, is usually first class. Off piste there are endless routes to
explore, many of them starting from peaks which must first be climbed.
If you want to notch up ascents of 4000m peaks, followed by ski
descents of half that figure, Saas Fee is the place to do it. But it?s
not just for skiers and mountaineers: winter holidaymakers have plenty
of walking paths and a whole mountain (served by gondola) dedicated to
sledging ? high altitude fondue followed by torch-lit descents are a
speciality ? along with a separate high-tech luge track that?s more
like a roller coaster than toboggan run. Throw in the genuine charm of
the area, and Saas Fee?s near the top of the list as a winter
wonderland.