If You Go -- Planning A Ski Trip To Zermatt

For the best skiing, stay in the Western part of the United States or Canada. For good skiing plus old-world charm and fine food, consider the Alps.

Among the many ski resorts along Europe's ski corridor - from Eastern France, along the borders of Switzerland and Italy into Austria - Zermatt, in southwest Switzerland, may hold the greatest charm.

It offers the highest skiing in the Alps plus a quaint village where cars are not allowed and with the mysterious Matterhorn close by. It's a year-round resort, with glacier skiing available in the summer along with mountain hiking and climbing.

Zermatt is a four-hour drive southeast from Geneva, followed by a three-mile ride up the cog railway from the town of Tasch.

Originally a farming community, Zermatt developed in the late 1800s as a summer resort for day hikers and climbers. Only after World War II did it take to skiing.

Its cultural ties with France and Germany make for some tasty gourmet meals.

The village has only 5,000 permanent residents but swells to 27,000 in busy times. Zermatt has about 1.4 million visitors each year.

Because nearly all visitors come for a week at a time, the atmosphere is more relaxed than at U.S. ski areas which cater to weekend daytime skiers.

PACKAGES

For most Seattle-area skiers, especially for those on their first ski vacation in the Alps, a package that includes air fare, ground transportaton, lodging and some meals may be best. Volume bookings can keep the cost down.

Such packages start at about $1,450 a person from Seattle. High season is February through early April.

SAS Airline offers an extensive list of ski packages to the Alps, often through specialty travel firms such as Ski Pak in Bellevue.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Though it is a bit more expensive than most other ski resorts in the Alps, Zermatt offers a broad range of lodging from five-star hotels to apartments, budget chalets and even a hostel. Because the village is small, location is generally not a problem. There are hotels on the ski slopes as well.

Ours was the City Hotel, a 35-bed, two-star garni (bed and breakfast) in a four-story chalet-style building on the Vispa River. Not fancy, but very clean with telephone and television and a view of the Matterhorn. Breakfasts (fruit, bread, pastries, juices, cold cereal, coffee and tea) were on the ground floor from which we could see skiers pass on their way to the trains and lifts. Convenient location.

An option we want to consider on our next ski trip to the Alps is staying in one of the smaller alpine chalets. While these may not be as comfortable (smaller rooms, shared baths) as hotels, there seemed a friendliness among guests and staff that hotels and garnis didn't seem to have.

COST

Beyond most basic transportation/lodging packages, costs will include other meals (a bit more expensive than in Seattle); lift tickets (we paid $168 for a five-day pass), and ski rental ($180 for five days). We rented because we had spent two weeks elsewhere in Europe before Zermatt and didn't want to lug skis and boots across the continent. But if your trip is direct, you'll want to bring your own equipment. The quality of our rental equipment was high; fitting was done with care. (Other skiers reported the same experience.)

SKIING

Most runs are above tree line on glaciers and wide meadows. The emphasis is on relaxed cruising rather than speed or trying to get up and down the hill as many times as possible. We encountered few lift lines, except to board the cable trams. There were fewer warnings of hillside drop-offs and of rocks on the ski runs than we were used to.

Ski lessons are offered at the ski areas and by many private instructors. (Christoph Petrig, co-owner of City Hotel, is a ski instructor in winter, climbing guide in summer.)

INFORMATION

-- Zermatt Tourist Office: CH-3920 Zermat, Switzerland. Phone: 011-41-28-66-11-81 or FAX: 011-41-28-66-11-85.

-- Swiss National Tourist Office: 222 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 1570, El Segundo, CA 90245. Phone: (310) 335-5980. FAX: (310) 335-5982.

-- City Hotel Garni: CH-3920 Zermatt, Switzerland. Phone: 011-41-28-67-20-71; FAX: 011-41-28-67-56-86.

-- Ski Pak: 14700 N.E. Eighth St., Suite 205, Bellevue, WA 98007-4115. Phone: 747-9901.