Belalp - Blatten - Naters Kar Tahmini

Belalp-Blatten is a great place to ski away from the crowds. It is an authentic Swiss ski experience, car-free above Blatten, with some great black-run and off-piste skiing from 3100m, and long blue/red pistes for the less adventurous. There are friendly locals and a nice atmosphere. Apres is quiet, as suits a family resort, but the place goes mad during the annual Witches Race in mid-January. There are around 1500 entrants for the race (racers and witches) this year, and a fantastic post-race party in Blatten. Belalp's skiing has a sunny aspect, but most of the skiing is 2000m-3000m, so snow is good, and there are great views towards southern Valais 4000m peaks. In all, about 65km of piste including the long Blatten home run which also serves as a great toboggan run. The new Blatten-Kuhmatte gondola lift (SFr17M investment)is open for Christmas 2013 and that will ease the previous long queues at the cable car in peak season weeks. We loved the skiing here so much that we bought Chalet Petal here on the piste in Tschuggen (1700m), above Blatten. These are the cheapest ski-in/out chalets in Switzerland! We are fielding a team of five witches for the 18 January 2014 Witches Race. It seems a bad mistake that the new gondola lacks a mid-station at Tschuggen, especially in April when snow is melting. That said there is usually plenty of snow to ski home, and also to ski down to Blatten at the start of each ski day. It's also great to enjoy the pure Valais air for summer sunbathing, walking, hiking, and climbing, with the Aletsch Glacier (UNESCO World Heritage Site) next to the ski area. Highly recommended.