Mad Dog Ski: Ski Resort guidebooks for Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland

Families - Zermatt - Switzerland

With its extreme mountains and high altitudes, at first glance Zermatt doesn't appear to be a particularly child-friendly resort. There are no baby slopes in the town, nor the large choice of childcare provisions that you find in other resorts. However, with free lift passes for under nines and half-price passes for under 16s, Zermatt can be a canny choice for those with children who can already ski.

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Where to stay


Hotel Ginabelle is a 4-star hotel ideal for families with small children. A weekly childcare programme for guests (9am-10pm) and non-guests (9am-5pm) is in the pumuckel club. The hotel can supply a whole range of baby equipment such as baths, listening phones and more. Monte Rosa is another a 4-star hotel in the centre of town. Part of the Seiler group, this hotel is home of the nico kids' club free for all Seiler hotels' guests from 9am-5.30pm, as is the Nicoletta hotel.

Child-friendly tour operators include Crystal, Mark Warner and Scott Dunn.

Top ski school tips 

  • Children generally can start skiing from around four years old (older for snowboarding)
  • Young children, or those new to skiing, may only manage half a day - it can be very tiring when they're not used to it
  • Plenty of high factor suncream is essential - factor 30+ and water resistant
  • Younger eyes are more sensitive so it is important to make kids wear good quality sunglasses or goggles all the time. If you only plan to buy one or the other, buy goggles.
  • If possible, book with an instructor who speaks good English so your child can understand the instructions and if there's a problem, they can understand it
If you need to book a ski school, book in advance as they get booked up very quickly here. Before booking, check that your accommodation provider doesn't have discounts with any of the schools.