Centred on the gorgeous village of Saas Fee, the “Free Republic of Holidays” has somehow managed to retain a low-key rustic charm that has escaped many other well-known Swiss ski resorts (think Davos, St Moritz & even Zermatt).

Saas Fee is perched above the Saas valley, below the highest mountain entirely in Switzerland – the 4545m Dom. The village’s smallish permanent population (but largest of the four villages in the valley), relatively limited development & retention of the many classic Valaisan timber houses & hay barns give Saas Fee a relaxed feel with a broad appeal. Saas Fee is a world leader in Protecting Our Winters (& its glorious glaciers) with its use of electric cars in town, 100% renewable energy & particulate filters on all furnaces. The village has been car-free ever since the road was first built to it in 1951. The town is quiet & clean as a result.

For a place surrounded by tumbling glaciers, Saas Fee can get dramatically less snow than its surrounding valleys. As such we rate it as a piste & ski touring destination rather than a consistent freeride powder haunt. Come here in the perfect storm cycle & it may be different. Regardless, the village position surrounded by ridges & peaks crowned in blue ice glaciers is reason enough to visit. Peaks such the Dom soar over 2600m vertical above town.

The skiing and lift system is a complex disjointed affair not easily navigated for the uninitiated, but broad & diverse enough to still rate well. The piste trails stay fresh & fast due to their northerly aspect & the numerous top to bottom variations will please the groomer fraternity. Some of the intermediate level descents would be rated advanced in other European ski resorts. The learn-to-ski area near town is an excellent place to do your first sliding on snow, but potentially too shaded & cold in the full depths of winter. Leave a visit to later in the season & you should be fine. Graduating to the wide open, low angle glacier terrain at the very top of the resort is wonderful (these are rated intermediate, but are easy). Only problem is there is no one for the less experienced snow rider to get down the entire hill without confronting some pretty significant challenges. Downloading from Morenia at mid mountain is required, but that puts one at the wrong end of town. Nothing is simple in Saas Fee’s terrain. The snow parks look good. We even had a bit of a play ourselves, but without a dedicated lift found the return to the top of the park too arduous. The summer skiing park on the glacier would be a better option, but it was covered in deep powder during our visit!

There are marked freeride routes, but most are relatively short & exploration beyond the obvious looks difficult, even to our experienced eye. We did ski powder though, which is always a massive tick in our book. Saas Fee appears to be best suited to at least one day using a guide to fully explore the off-piste potential or skin up to one of the many peaks for a more epic descent.

Vying for the triple award for most spectacular learn to ski area, most touchable glacier & most gobsmacking panoramic piste/ lift download, Saas Grund (or Hohsaas) is a special addition to skiing Saas Fee. Included in the standard lift pass, it is a short free bus ride (with a guest card) down valley, Saas Grund faces south, bathing it in sunshine. Come across to ski long verticals, simpler off-piste options & to thaw your bones. The 15km long valley run was a tad bony at the bottom for our sensibilities but the beautiful view on the gondola download provided enough hedonistic pleasure to outweigh our surrender mentality.

If you need reasons to visit a ski resort that involve the word ‘world’ Saas Fee has a few. The Allalin revolving restaurant is the highest of its kind in the world (3500m). The Metro Alpin funicular is the world’s highest underground train. The Ice Pavillon at Mittelallalin is ‘probably’ the world’s biggest & highest, but no one has actually measured it. Having been in a few, it is bigger than most by a fair way & is certainly high up the mountain!

The coolest bar with the hippest tunes in town is the new Pubwise – a distinctly hipless & disappointing name. Good booze served in a contemporary city laneway style bar, Pubwise is the place to drink, talk & sway to the music ( or rock in a hammock!).

The classic gritty Saas Fee ski bar is Nestis SkiBar near the Hotel Christiana in the centre of town. Named after Nostrum Brugener, a long-retired pro skier from the late 70s, it has all paraphernalia, booze tunes & food for the ski bar recipe.

By far the best coffee in Sass Fee (& maybe Switzerland) is the 12Inch Coffee shop opposite the Coop & Migros supermarkets.

We stayed at the Hotel Collina whilst in Saas Fee. Run by a solid young crew, this excellent value hotel deserves to prosper.

Visit Saas Fee not just for a ski experience but an entire Swiss mountain experience. The combination of a utopian village, glaciers, mountain peaks, skiing, bars & other attractions make it a worthy addition to any European ski holiday.

See our video here

Saas Fee is one valley over from Zermatt and a very typical swiss resort town. Nestled at the end of the valley and at the foot of the glacier Saasfee couldn't get anymore inside the Alps.The town is surrounded by towering peaks.

The Ski Resort offers km's of wide open groomed runs mostly above the tree line. The huge gondola takes you up to a mountain train which is quick, but in season both are packed so get up early to avoid the lines.

There is a mix of terrain though mostly intermediate to advanced in my opinion. The piste skiing can get quite icy and it is terribly cold in january being so high up at 3500m at the top of the highest T-bars. Go to Saas Grund and Saas Allgeman for a change of pace with the locals.

Off piste=glacier crevasses (expert guides needed).

Saas-fee town is a little quieter than Zermatt but still has great nightlife, restaurants and accomodation. Stay down valley for cheaper options and use the post bus.

Pros: Wide open groomers, long leg burning runs, amazing scenery
Cons: Often icy, really cold in January, expensive
Best suited to: Intermediate to advanced skiers
See our video here

When you are craving some snowboard action, but it is the middle of the European Summer, then head to Saas Fee for a surreal snow experience. You can snowboard in shorts and t-shirts (but keep your wind proof gear in a backpack just in case) and glide down the glacier with big arcing fast carving turns. Relatively easy to get to, I would recommend Saas as an alternative to Zermatt for some summer snowboard action.
See our video here