In all there are some 240 miles of pistes on the Swiss side and over the back in Italy's Cervinia resort, and unlike many resorts, Zermatt really is all things to all skiers, with pistes for beginners and intermediates alike, and enough off-piste to keep powder hounds happy as well. Finally, with nearly one third of all the 12,000ft plus peaks in the Alps circling the town, this is a high altar of alpinism for mountaineers and ice climbers.
The icing on this particular Swiss roll is the awesome, pyramidal Matterhorn looming over the whole landscape. However while the Matterhorn might be nice to look at, it's a seriously technical climb best left to the pros.