Grimentz Luxury Chalets

Grimentz is a very walkable resort and its pretty scenery makes it wonderful to explore on foot. To get to other places in the area, you can take the free bus. The most regular one goes between Grimentz and Zinal.

Travelling by car

Grimentz is easily accessible via the Swiss motorways. It’s a small village and parking options are limited. Make sure your chalet has parking or identify a parking spot before you arrive. If you don’t want to drive from home, Geneva Airport has reasonable car hire prices.

Travelling by train

While the Swiss are infamous for their efficient transport network, public transport into Grimentz can be time-consuming. The nearest station is Sierre, and from there you’ll need to take two more buses.

Airports

Geneva (GVA) – 195km
By car – 2 hours 5 minutes
By train– 2 hours 34 minutes

Sion (SIR) Airport – 43km
By car – 39 minutes
By train– 3 hours

Milan Malpensa (MXP) – 206km
By car – 3 hours
By train – 3 hours 46 minutes

Private transfer

The simplest option for getting to Grimentz is a private transfer. You can hit the road as soon as you leave the airport and don’t have to think about a car while you’re in the resort. Choose between shuttle buses, cars, or a sleek limousine.

While most people are drawn to Grimentz for its serene atmosphere, there’s a small selection of cosy bars here and even a few places open into the small hours. The Val d’Anniviers region is famous for its wines, so any connoisseur will want to add a wine tasting to their list.

Nothing beats a cold beer or a steaming vin chaud after a day in the snow.

•   Head to The Box for a quirky drink before the last run of the day. The bar is made from two shipping containers, with lots of tables to perch on and take in the views.
•   Once the infamous Chez Florioz, the legendary Apres ski spot has reopened as Tsirouc. It’s right at the bottom of the slopes and draws in all the revellers after a day’s skiing with its warm atmosphere.
•   Bar La Trappe has a peaceful atmosphere and a sunny terrace to relax on after a day’s skiing.

For evening revelry, you’ll find a good choice of bars, whether you’re looking for a cosy glass of wine or something livelier.

•   Le Saint Bar is a good first stop, with darts, pool, and football tables. They also have regular live music nights, theme nights, and karaoke to get the party started.
•   Bar Domino is for the younger crowd, with live sports screening and darts to keep everyone entertained.
•   Delve into the finest local wines at Le Grenier. They select different wines each month depending on the season and occasion. They even offer cheese and meat plates for you to graze while you sip.

Surprisingly for such a small resort, there’s also one discotheque. Disco Shaddock is one for the night owls and can stay open until 4 a.m during peak season.

Across the Val d’Anniviers ski area, there’s enough pisted terrain to keep beginners and intermediates happy for the week. Advanced skiers may find this is the push they needed to start exploring backcountry terrain, which you’ll find in abundance. Spend your days carving across pristine piste or riding untouched powder. At every turn, you’ll be faced with picture-perfect mountain views.

The ski area

The Val d’Anniviers ski area includes five different resorts and over 220km of piste to explore under one ski pass. Thanks to a modern lift system, the whole area is well connected, making it easy to find the slopes perfect for your ability.

There are 5 resorts to explore from Grimentz:

•   Grimentz is easy to access and has a great choice of piste for all levels of skiers and boarders. It’s also famous for its incredible views and accessible backcountry.
•   Combined with Grimentz, Zinal offers 120km of piste for all levels. This area also has epic backcountry and is a top destination for ski tours.
•   St Luc has lovely rolling pistes but less on offer for the advanced skier.
•   Chandolin is a large ski area and has the biggest variety of on-piste skiing.
•   Vericon is a small area perfect for beginners and intermediates. Advanced skiers will find endless off-piste terrain.

Boarders

Beginner boarders will enjoy wide practice slopes where you can learn to turn away from the crowds. The Grands Plans has a long blue that’s popular with beginner skiers, but it’s narrow in parts, so not the best choice for novice boarders. You’ll also want to avoid the blue at the Roc d’Orzival since it’s a long and uncomfortable T-bar to the top.

More advanced boarders will have a great time on the reds and blues spread across the ski area. If you want to wrap up the day with a challenge, take the long black from Zinal. It’ll take you down steep slopes and weave through the trees until you emerge close to the Grimentz gondola station.

Freestylers will find parks at Grimentz-Zinal, St-Luc, and Vercorin, with jumps, rails, and kickers for all levels. There are also airbags and a boardercross run. The highlight of Grimentz is the accessible freeriding, which you can get to quickly from the Durand piste.

Beginners

Beginners will find good facilities around Benolla and Sorebois, with practice lifts, magic carpets, and flat slopes to help you master the basics. You’ll also find a second nursery slope in Zinal.

The Jardin des Neiges in both Sorebois and Benolla have fun characters and mini slalom courses perfect for children taking their first steps on the snow. The Family Park in Zinal is another good choice, with mini obstacles for them to start playing with their technique.

When you’re ready to progress, you’ll find easy slopes between Sorebois and Espace Weisshorn. The Tsarva is a fun blue with some steeper parts to test your nerves. On your way back to Grimentz, stop in Benolla and do the wide, flat blues. Wrap up the day by taking the cat track all the way back to Grimentz.

Our recommended ski schools:

•   Swiss Ski School are established across Switzerland and have been running since 1932. They have lessons for all styles, ages, and abilities. Why not master boardercross or perfect your slalom technique?
•   Ski School Grimentz promise fast progression, with custom lessons for all ages and abilities.
•   ESI offers group and private lessons for a variety of disciplines and has ski kindergarten for ages 2½ years+.

Intermediates

The pistes in Grimentz are perfect for intermediates, with lots of cruisy reds and blues to while away your days on. The most popular choice is the Panorama down from Orzival. This long, winding run has outstanding mountain views from every angle. You’ll find plenty of fun reds from the summits of Corne de Sorebois and Becs de Besson. For the last run of the day, start at Becs De Besson and enjoy a long cruise all the way back into town.

Advanced

Experts will find the most pisted challenges around Zinal. Barthelemy and Col are both steep but the wide blacks are perfect for picking up speed. There’s a long black run from the top of the Lona 2 T-bar back into Grimentz to help you finish your day feeling satisfied.

But the real attraction here is the backcountry. North and East facing slopes hold powder for days and you’ll find it easy to make fresh tracks every time. You’ll find the most accessible terrain from the Durand piste. You can also head to Lona 2, where you’ll find natural bowls on both sides.

To get the most out of the backcountry in Grimentz, we highly recommend hiring a guide. You’ll be able to suss out the best areas from day one, so you can throw yourself into all the freeriding the resort has to offer. There’s also a heliport in Grimentz, creating outstanding opportunities for heliskiing further afield.

Grimentz is a high-altitude village with snow-sure slopes for most of the winter season. But if the snowfall is less than optimal, the high-altitude lake helps artificial snow facilities generate snow across all the pistes.

November
Snow can start falling in Grimentz as early as the middle of November but the exact opening dates for the season vary from year to year depending on conditions.
Average snowfall: 17cm
Snow days: 1

December
December is a magical time in this fairytale village. Father Christmas brings sweeties for the kids- and mulled wine for the big kids- and you can attend twinkling events like Christmas mass and torchlight processions.
Average snowfall: 57cm
Snow days: 4

January
January is a very cold month. After the first week is over, the festive rush dies down and you can enjoy the quiet and pristine slopes. If you get the chance, head over to Chandolin for the Three Kings celebrations or to Zinal for the paragliding and hang-gliding cup.
Average snowfall: 85cm
Snow days: 5

February
February is also very cold but has quiet pistes outside of half-term weeks. Make sure to get involved in all the activities for the vibrant Anniviers Carnival.
Average snowfall: 39cm
Snow days: 3

March
March means longer days and more time on the slopes. There’s also a packed events calendar this month, with races and competitions taking place across the valley.
Average snowfall: 40cm
Snow days: 3