Sledding in Zermatt: One Run, and It's the Best in the Alps

Zermatt does not scatter toboggan runs across the valley the way some resorts do. It has essentially one - and it happens to be the highest sledging run in the Alps, which is very Zermatt.

The run

Rotenboden (2,815 m) down to Riffelberg (2,582 m) on the Gornergrat railway line: 1.6 kilometres, 234 metres of drop, roughly ten minutes of descent with the Matterhorn parked in your eyeline the entire way. The Gornergrat train is the lift; every few minutes one takes you back up for another lap. Winter-season only - roughly December into spring, snow deciding the exact dates.

What it costs

The local Sledging Pass (sold for the winter season; around CHF 80 for adults in recent seasons) bundles the train from Zermatt, unlimited Rotenboden-Riffelberg laps and sled hire arrangements - check the current season’s terms at the railway before you plan a day on it. If you just want to reach the sledding country and the viewpoints, the Gornergrat railway ticket books online with free cancellation.

Sledding or tubing?

Different creatures. The sled run is a real mountain descent you steer; winter-only, and the one the locals do. Tubing at SnowXperience Plateau Rosa is lanes-and-laughs on the glacier beside Testa Grigia - no skill, no steering, and it can run in months when the sled run is grass. Families with a week get both; families with one snow-play day in summer get exactly one choice, and it’s the tubing.