Swiss Ski Openings 2026-2027: Dates and Magic Pass

1. Zermatt: lifts from November 1, rest of the domain late November

Zermatt: glacier in November, car-free village

Day pass from CHF 89 Winter: Nov 1, 2026 to May 2, 2027 High-altitude glacier Opens: November 1

Zermatt opens its season in two stages. The Klein Matterhorn and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise open on November 1, 2026, according to the official ski pass page. The Sunnegga-Rothorn and Gornergrat lifts, which serve the rest of the domain, only start on November 28, 2026. For anyone arriving early in the month, the domain shrinks to the glacier.

The village stays car-free. You leave your vehicle at Täsch, where the car park has 2,100 covered spaces, then a shuttle leaves every 20 minutes and reaches Zermatt in 12 minutes (zermatt.swiss). The car park rate has not been checked for this season: check it before you go.

Highlights

• The Klein Matterhorn and Glacier Paradise open on November 1, 2026, before Sunnegga-Rothorn and Gornergrat (November 28).
• Day pass from CHF 89, six days from CHF 384, seven days from CHF 436 (2026-2027 « from » price grid).
• 12-minute shuttle from Täsch, every 20 minutes.

Pixidia tip: according to the old Matterhorn Paradise price page, the price of the same pass depends on demand and on the purchase date. The season tier (CHF 1,850 as of November 10, 2026) can go up. Compare the price on the day before you buy, and read the refund terms in case of closure (see the budget section).

This lesson has no slot before December 1, 2026. Across the window checked on November 10, it runs on 139 days out of 160, from December 1 to April 18, 2027.

Private Ski Lessons – 3 hours Zermatt★ 4.97 · 302 reviewsPartner link €362.38 for 2 adults (€181.19 per person)€181.19 per person€362.38 for 2 adults

See dates

The Zermatt ski area extends into Italy through the Theodul. Cervinia announces its winter season from October 24, 2026 to May 2, 2027 on its official site; a second source gives Saturday, October 25. We go with « late October 2026 » for Cervinia, which therefore opens before Saas-Fee. The Zermatt-Cervinia link over the Theodul is announced from November 1, 2026 to May 2, 2027, « subject to conditions ».

The Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, between Zermatt and Cervinia, does not run all year. The extract of the official timetable we read for this article shows the Matterhorn Glacier Ride II closed from January 7 to February 26, 2027. Do not plan this crossing for that period, and check the dates on the Matterhorn Paradise site before you book.

2. Saas-Fee: opens late October, included in the Magic Pass

Saas-Fee: one valley, a village closed to traffic

Day pass CHF 86 Oct 31, 2026 to Apr 18, 2027 Magic Pass included Opens: late October

Saas-Fee opens in late October, just after Cervinia. Its winter season starts on October 31, 2026 and ends on April 18, 2027, according to the resort’s website. The glacier ski area partly reopened on October 3, and regular operation is announced from November 1. Both dates come from the specialist press, not from a statement by the resort.

To get there, take the train to Visp (Viège), then the PostBus 511, which runs about every 30 minutes. Groups of ten or more must book in writing, 24 to 48 hours in advance.

Highlights

• Magic Pass valid from October 31, 2026 for the winter season, Metro Alpin included.
• Day pass CHF 86; half day CHF 73 from 11 a.m., or CHF 69 from noon.
• Pre-season: 10% off accommodation from October 31 to December 18, 2026.

Pixidia tip: the Metro Alpin is included in the Magic Pass in winter only. In summer, the underground funicular and summer skiing are excluded. An old listing that mixes the two seasons can get you the wrong pass.

Saas-Fee is the simplest example of the season: one resort, one valley, and one pass that covers most of what you need. Saas-Almagell, in the same valley, joins the Magic Pass only from December 19, 2026 to April 4, 2027 (magicpass.ch). The Season Opening at Kreuzboden, in Saas-Grund, is announced for December 19, 2026. That is not the date the Saas-Fee lifts open, so don’t mix the two up.

3. Verbier: a domain that opens sector by sector

Verbier 4 Vallées: season announcement on November 4

Day pass CHF 94 at the window Annual CHF 1,499 Marked off-piste, at your own risk Announced: November 4, 2026

Verbier 4 Vallées announces its season on November 4, 2026 on its official news page, under the heading « The ski season is here! ». The specialist press gives Saturday, November 7 for the Lac des Vaux sector (Médran, Lac des Vaux chairlift), then weekends in November. This date is not confirmed by a statement we read in full: we only read the heading. Check the sector and the date on the news page before you go.

The previous message, dated October 29, still asked for a little patience before the first tracks.

Highlights

• 4 Vallées passes are valid from December 12, 2026 to April 18, 2027, and Verbier-La Tzoumaz from December 5 to April 25. These are validity dates, not opening dates.
• Annual 4 Vallées pass at CHF 1,499, or CHF 1,349 until November 30, 2026.
• Online purchase: 10% off if you buy at least 10 days ahead.

Pixidia tip: the 4 Vallées day pass costs CHF 94 at the window and CHF 87 online. When a guide quotes a price, ask whether it is the window or the web rate: the gap is CHF 7 per day.

From Geneva, there is no regular direct train to Verbier. The trip goes through Martigny, then Le Châble, where the cable car reaches Verbier in 13 minutes. Aggregators give a total of 2 h 20 to 3 h. The Verbier Express, a direct train on weekends, runs from December 13, 2026 to April 27, 2027 according to the official offer. Its 2026-2027 timetable has not been checked: check it on sbb.ch before you book.

4. Glacier 3000: the neighboring season between Les Diablerets and Gstaad

Glacier 3000 opens its winter season on November 7, 2026 and closes it on April 30, 2027 (glacier3000.ch). Annual maintenance closes the visiting area from October 19 to November 6, 2026, according to the extract of the official page we read for this article. To get there, take the train to Les Diablerets from Geneva or Lausanne, or to Gstaad from Zurich or Bern, then the postal shuttle up to the Col du Pillon. The Magic Pass covers that shuttle from November 1 to April 30.

The access desk is at the Col du Pillon, where the postal shuttle picks up travelers arriving by train. The Glacier 3000 pass price was not checked for this article: read the rate grid on glacier3000.ch before you go, and check the shuttle times there.

5. The opening calendar, resort by resort

The table lists the dates published by the operators. Lines that come from the press are marked « Press » in the Status column.

Source: magicpass.ch, matterhornparadise.ch, saas-fee.ch, glacier3000.ch, cervinia.it, verbier4vallees.ch, checked November 10, 2026.

An opening date does not tell you which runs are open that day, because a sector can open with only some of its lifts. Before a trip, check the resort’s daily snow report. Don’t book a non-refundable hotel counting on a date you read in the press.

6. Magic Pass 2026-2027: what it covers and what it leaves out

The Magic Pass 2026-2027 costs CHF 786 for an adult and CHF 366 for a child. It is valid from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. The card is mailed to you and activates when you receive it (magicpass.ch).

It covers Saas-Fee from October 31, 2026, Saas-Almagell from December 19, 2026, and the Glacier 3000 postal shuttle from November 1. It does not cover Zermatt, Verbier, Cervinia or Saas-Grund: none of these names appears on the official opening list. This is the most common confusion in mainstream guides, which present the Magic Pass as a pass for all of Switzerland.

The price guarantee raises a date question, and the two official sites don’t answer it the same way. magicpass.ch gives a guarantee until December 8, 2026 at 12 p.m.; the Saas-Fee Magic Pass page gives December 3, 2026 at 12 p.m. (CEST). Unless confirmed, buy before the start of December 2026, the safer of the two dates.

The break-even point depends on how many days you ski. At Saas-Fee’s day rate (CHF 86), the Magic Pass starts to pay off around nine ski days (786 divided by 86, our calculation). Below that, a day pass, or a six-day pass at CHF 419, costs less, as long as you stay in Saas-Fee.

7. Budget: passes, break-even points and price traps

The table reflects public prices checked on November 10, 2026. Where a price is shown as « from », we say so.

Source: saas-fee.ch, matterhornparadise.ch, verbier4vallees.ch, checked November 10, 2026.

Two calculations help you choose. A Zermatt season pass at CHF 1,850 pays for itself against the CHF 89 day pass after about 21 days. The 4 Vallées annual pass at CHF 1,499 pays for itself at the window after about 16 days at CHF 94. These thresholds are our own calculation on public prices, with no group rate or discount.

Dynamic pricing is the main trap. According to the old Matterhorn Paradise price page, the price in Zermatt varies with demand and with the purchase date. According to a Swiss consumer protection foundation, relayed by Snow Industry News, six of the eleven resorts with dynamic pricing, Zermatt among them, do not refund tickets if the lifts close. Don’t assume that a pass bought early will be refunded if the domain shuts.

Price increases follow the general trend. The Bank Cler-BAK comparison, relayed by the Swiss press, records an average rise of 6% for the February 2026 ski week. That figure only applies to that reference week and is not an indicator of what your stay will cost.

Accommodation is not priced here. No reliable 2026-2027 rate grid was found for Zermatt or Verbier, and the « from » rates of luxury hotels are not an average.

8. Getting there without a car: train, bus and shuttle

Three resorts, three connections

Zurich to Zermatt: about 3 h 30 PostBus 511 to Saas-Fee Verbier: 2 h 20 to 3 h

Zermatt is reached by train from Zurich in about 3 h 30, and from Geneva or Basel in about 4 hours, with trains roughly every 30 minutes (zermatt.swiss). You change at Visp. These durations are approximate: the 2026-2027 timetables have not been checked on sbb.ch.

Saas-Fee is reached by the same connection at Visp, then the PostBus 511 (see section 2). Verbier is reached via Martigny and Le Châble (see section 3).

Highlights

• Zermatt by car: as far as Täsch, then a 12-minute shuttle.
• Saas-Fee: train to Visp, then PostBus 511 about every 30 minutes.
• Verbier: train to Martigny, connection to Le Châble, 13-minute cable car.

Pixidia tip: the Swiss Travel Pass costs CHF 309 for four consecutive days in 2nd class, and CHF 492 in 1st class (sbb.ch). It is valid until December 31, 2026; for the 2027 season you need a different ticket, which we have not checked. We did not verify whether it includes the Zermatt or Saas-Fee lifts, so don’t assume it does before you buy.

9. Snow: what the dates don’t guarantee

No official source guarantees snow in Zermatt or Saas-Fee in November. Summer 2026 showed why: Zermatt suspended public summer skiing on the Theodul glacier from July 31, because of heat and the lack of overnight refreezing, according to the official Matterhorn Paradise statement. Saas-Fee suspended its own in early August, according to the specialist press.

The restart is partial. Saas-Fee reopened part of its glacier on October 3, according to the press. Zermatt resumed limited glacier skiing around October 14, on the Plateau Rosa and the Matterhorn Glacier Ride II, again according to the press. We found no dated official announcement of that restart.

The previous season calls for caution. According to Snowbrains, which cites figures from the Swiss cable car industry body Seilbahnen Schweiz, the 2025-2026 season recorded about 25.7 million passages, with an average operating period of 83 days. Twelve areas stayed closed all season, for lack of snow or for economic reasons.

If snow is short at the start of the season, high-altitude trails are an alternative. Our alpine escapes guide for 2026 covers mountain hikes outside ski season.

10. Off-piste: minimum kit and 2025-2026 figures

Off-piste and backcountry skiing account for 10 of the 18 avalanche deaths recorded in 2025-2026, according to the SLF, which counts 198 avalanche accidents in Switzerland for the 2025-2026 hydrological year (slf.ch).

For unguided off-piste, the BFU recommends carrying a phone, an avalanche transceiver, a probe and a shovel, and advises an airbag (March 2026 bulletin). Kit alone is not enough: take a course before you go.

At Verbier, off-piste is at your own risk. The domain marks off-piste routes, and an avalanche transceiver park (DVA Park) is installed at Les Ruinettes, according to the 4 Vallées piste map (2024 edition). Route conditions this season still need to be confirmed with the ski patrol.

If you want to link the hut-to-hut ski touring refuges across Valais, our 2026 ski touring guide covers routes from Valais to Tyrol.

What other guides don’t tell you

The points below rest on operator publications, unless the source is marked as press.

• Zermatt and Verbier are not in the Magic Pass. The official 2026-2027 opening list includes neither, despite the most common confusion. magicpass.ch (consulted November 10, 2026).
• The Magic Pass price guarantee has two dates. magicpass.ch gives December 8, 2026 at 12 p.m., the Saas-Fee page December 3, 2026 at 12 p.m. (CEST). saas-fee.ch (consulted November 10, 2026).
• Verbier announces its season on November 4, 2026. The official news page carries the heading « The ski season is here! », while a skiinfo.fr page, whose text dates from 2023, gave December 5. verbier4vallees.ch (consulted November 10, 2026).
• Zermatt closed its summer skiing on July 31, 2026. The official statement cites heat and the lack of overnight refreezing, which guides promising « guaranteed snow » tend to leave out. matterhornparadise.ch (consulted November 10, 2026).
• The Matterhorn Alpine Crossing is cut in January and February 2027. According to the extract of the official timetable, the Matterhorn Glacier Ride II is closed from January 7 to February 26, 2027. cervinia.it (consulted November 10, 2026).
• Saas-Fee’s Metro Alpin changes status with the season. It is included in the Magic Pass in winter and excluded in summer, a detail guides often mix up. saas-fee.ch (consulted November 10, 2026).