Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 203 Transcript

Skiing in Switzerland: Practical Tips for an Unforgettable Ski Vacation

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.

Carolyn Schönafinger: If you’ve ever dreamed of skiing in the Swiss Alps but assumed it would be too expensive, too difficult to organise, or only suitable for expert skiers, this episode might just change your mind. Joining me once again is Andrea Caspani from MyMountains, and we’re chatting about what really makes a European ski holiday so special and how to choose the right resort for your experience level and travel style. Whether you’re travelling with non-skiers, are planning a family vacation, or simply want someone else to take care of all the logistics, you’ll come away with plenty of helpful tips for planning your first European ski adventure.

Welcome to the Holidays to Switzerland Podcast. I’m Carolyn Schönafinger. Your Switzerland destination expert and the founder of holidaystoswitzerland.com. Each week, together with my expert guests, I introduce you to the Switzerland that I know and love and share inspiration and practical tips to help you plan your dream Swiss vacation.

Before we get started with today’s episode, I’d like to take a moment to thank our podcast sponsors, Switzerland Tourism and My Mountains, an award-winning Swiss tour operator specialising in expertly designed all-inclusive ski vacations in Switzerland, Italy, and France. Each MyMountain ski vacation is customized to suit your interests, so whether you prefer to spend your time at just one ski resort or a combination of resorts, each trip will be tailored just for you.

You can even combine your days on the slopes with panoramic train rides or city stays, all with an experienced guide on hand to assist you when needed. So if you’re ready to book an unforgettable ski adventure in the Alps, visit the link in the show notes where you’ll also find our exclusive discount code to get 5% off your MyMountains ski vacation.

Now let’s get into this week’s episode. Good morning, Andrea, and welcome back to the podcast. It’s great to have you here again to learn more about the different options that are available from My Mountains. Before we get started, could you please introduce yourself and tell us why you started your business, My Mountains?

Andrea Caspani: Good morning, Caroline.

Yes, thank you very much for inviting me to this podcast. Absolutely, with my pleasure. So, I am Andrea and I’m originally from Lake Como, but now I live in Lucerne since 2011. And I have a lovely daughter, 6 years old. 

And yeah, why did I start My Mountains? Well, that’s a very easy answer because skiing is basically one of my passions, one of my biggest passions that I took from my father, basically. And Switzerland is absolutely the best country, one of the best countries to go skiing. So it came quite naturally to basically jump in and start organising ski trips for our guests.

So that’s how I started. And yeah, usually we organise custom trips, but also we have some standard trips that we have on the website, and we tend to include all the beautiful destinations that Switzerland has to offer.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Fantastic.

Well, we will talk more about those different destinations and the different styles of trips that you offer in a moment. But I just wanted to ask you first, why do you think that so many skiers from abroad, including from North America, choose to ski in Europe rather than skiing closer to home?

Andrea Caspani: That’s a good question, Carolyn.

Whenever I ski with my guests, because I still love to be with my guests, I always ask them, hey, why do you choose to come here rather than spending your ski holidays back in your country. And one of the common answers that I get is basically that price-wise is kind of the same because most of the people still need to fly somewhere to Colorado or California or wherever they want to go skiing, for example, in the US. So by the time that you check pricing-wise, it’s actually the same price level coming over to Europe.

So if you compare the ski passes or ski instructors or ski guides, accommodation and food, price-wise is very, very comparable, if not cheaper. And of course, I mean, one of the advantages is that you get to do a nice vacation in Europe as well.

So not everyday, you know, skiing, but you may also want to check out some of the cities around the resorts that you are going to visit.

Carolyn Schönafinger: So yeah, you can definitely, can combine a vacation with yours, with the ski part of your trip as well. Make it a two-in-one.

Andrea Caspani: Absolutely.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah. So what are some of the things that you have noticed that surprise first-timers about skiing in Europe, particularly in Switzerland, Italy, and France where you offer your trips?

Andrea Caspani: The first time that somebody comes skiing in Europe, I believe that, again, you know, speaking with my clients, one of the things that impressed them the most is definitely that the villages and the resorts are real villages. So you ski through historic streets or stay in traditional chalets rather than chain establishments.

You know, sometimes if you go, especially in North America, you may have chain hotels, but in Europe, it’s, uh, it’s more authentic, basically. Something else is basically that some ski areas are absolutely enormous. I mean, I can mention a few of them, like the 3 Vallées in France or in the Dolomites in Italy. I mean, or the Matterhorn ski area in Zermatt.

I mean, those resorts are really huge with hundreds of miles of ski resorts. The other element, which I believe is important also because I’m Italian, is definitely the restaurant options. In Europe, people usually get surprised by the quality and the variety of restaurants that are available on the slopes.

So it’s not only a quick stop for a sandwich, but it’s an event. Basically, something else is basically that, especially in Switzerland, you do not need a car to get to the resorts.

So that’s absolutely an advantage and makes it absolutely easy to travel around. And one of the elements also is about the off-piste. I know, especially in North America, there are dedicated areas for the off-piste, but in Europe instead it is to help yourself.

You can basically go anywhere. It’s up to you basically where to decide to go off-piste, and the responsibility is yours basically. So we don’t close off-piste areas. It’s up to you basically.

Carolyn Schönafinger: All right. Well, that’s good to know. So what are some of the biggest myths that people have about skiing in Europe?

Andrea Caspani: Talking with my clients, sometimes they doubt whether to come to Europe to ski because sometimes they believe that European resorts are less modern. However, I mean, we do have exceptional lifts and gondolas. And of course, especially in Switzerland, we do have very modern equipment.

Sometimes they think that it’s just for experts, which is not true. We do have a lot of different type of resorts for any kind of skiers. Or sometimes they may think that it’s too expensive, which is absolutely also not true because comparing the pricing, sometimes it can turn out that can be cheaper to come to Europe.

And as I mentioned before, especially in Switzerland, you don’t need a car, so you don’t need to land at an airport, rent a car, or get somewhere. So it’s super easy. Some hotels also, especially in the Dolomites, can pick you up at the airport. So it’s quite easy to get there.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Hmm. Okay. What about bringing all their gear and their equipment? Does that sort of put some folks off thinking that they have to bring absolutely everything with them?

Andrea Caspani: That’s quite subjective. It depends on each person if they want to bring their ski equipment, their ski gears. Otherwise, of course, you can rent anything basically on the ground from helmets, from even gloves or boots, skis. And I know that some airline companies already include your ski equipment if you fly during the winter.

So depending on which airline that you love, you can definitely bring your ski equipment and it is included in your price of the ticket. Otherwise, you can rent everything on the ground and the equipment is usually very, very good.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Excellent. Okay. So if someone gets in touch with you and they say, ” I want to come to Europe and go skiing. ” How do you help them decide which resort is best suited for them?

Andrea Caspani: This is the most difficult part. So you have two options. Sometimes you have clients that give you a call and they already know where you want to go because they have specific ideas. Most of the time it is Zermatt or the Dolomites or St. Moritz, kind of the big names.

Sometimes we receive calls from the clients and they say, hey, I don’t know where I should go. And then we just need to understand what kind of vacation they want to do. I mean, is it purely skiing? Are they expert?

Do they want to do off-piste or they want to do easy stuff or are they foodies? And based on that, basically based on their— is it a family? Do they have kids?

And based on all these variables, then each destination, each resort offers different qualities, basically, that match well the preference of the clients.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah. So after having a conversation with them, you can really come up with some, some great ideas and suggestions for them.

Andrea Caspani: Absolutely. I remember, Carolyn, once we had a honeymoon couple that wanted to organise a ski trip for their honeymoon. And then I remember writing them an email, hey guys, we will not organise anything unless we have a nice chat. So you can tell me everything about you.

You can tell, you can tell us, you know, what are their preferences, what kind of hotels, you know, what kind of experiences. It gets very, very personal, basically.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah. Okay. Well, that’s great. I mean, that’s the best way to, to find the right match for the, for the client. Absolutely. Now, you and your team at My Mountains offer all-inclusive ski trips to various ski resorts in Switzerland and Italy and France.

What do you mean by the term all-inclusive? What does that actually include?

Andrea Caspani: Yes, Carolina. Well, first of all, we do not include the international flights. In our experience with our clients, they may have, you know, their points, their credit cards, their loyalty programmes. So typically our clients prefer to arrange their flight by themselves.

Anything else on the ground can be organised. Most of our trips are custom. So again, we get in touch with the clients and we understand which level of all-inclusive they want and what they mean. But basically we offer the ski passes, accommodation, transportation, ski instructors and ski guides in the region so they can guide them through which are the best restaurants on the slopes, how to enjoy and take advantage most about the village that they are visiting.

And on top of that, occasionally we also organise private transfer. For example, in the Dolomites, it’s included on the arrival day, the meet and greet and the transfer to the airport. Ski rentals are possible as well if they want to organise.

So for a peace of mind. So, but again, this is driven by the client. So, and based on that, then we can include the services that they wish.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay, so that’s more the custom style trip, but you mentioned earlier that you do have some standard, as you called them, trips. What destinations do they go to? And can you give us an idea of what a standard trip might include?

Andrea Caspani: Yes, absolutely. The trips that we have on our website usually include two destinations because we believe that people coming from abroad would like to experience multiple destinations on their trip. So typically a trip is an 8-day with 2-3 days skiing in each resort.

One of the most popular tours that we have is St. Moritz with Zermatt, including the Glacier Express. So basically you have this beautiful journey between Zermatt and St. Moritz, which is about a 7 hours ride, is absolutely fantastic and very scenic. And they also get to have kind of a day off and a little bit relaxing day for the legs and getting ready basically to ski again in Zermatt.

Other destinations, Caroline, we also have Chamonix and Zermatt, so include multiple countries, not only Switzerland, but France, Switzerland, and Italy. Then we also have the beautiful Grindelwald and Engelberg. Which is great because it’s not that far from the airport and it’s easily reachable.

So we technically always include two destinations during the same trip.

Carolyn Schönafinger: And what would a typical day look like on one of those trips in terms of when the clients are at the ski resort? Would they typically ski all day or does that depend on the client?

Andrea Caspani: That’s a good question. So typically when the clients land on the ground, we do have a meet and greet, so we don’t leave them alone. So they are assisted while they land and we make sure that they reach their destination safely.

Usually on the first day of skiing in each destination, we offer a guide. So the guide is basically bringing the ski passes to the client. They meet around 9 AM at the hotel lobby and basically it is up to the clients deciding with the guide how much they want to ski, how much they want to enjoy, or what kind of restaurants they want to book for lunch. And the guide is available to them until around 4 PM.

So if they have any questions for the following days, you know, which slopes, where to go, again, which restaurants they should check out on the slopes or in the village, So the guide is basically there to make sure that they are comfortable and they know what kind of activities the destination offers. And then the rest of the days basically are up to them. Usually it’s 2, 3 days in the destination, depending also probably on the weather, or if they also want to do some extra activities, that’s also possible.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay. Well, that was going to be my next question because I presume that not everyone on a ski trip wants to ski every single day, or there might be a skier who’s accompanied by their non-skiing partner or friend. So what sort of activities can those people do if they don’t want to be on the slopes every day?

Andrea Caspani: This is a great question. It is very, very true. A lot of families, for example, or even a group of friends, always have non-skiers participants. Today’s ski destinations offer great activities for, you know, non-skiers.

And again, whenever we get in touch with the client, we need to make sure, okay, are everybody skiers or maybe there are non-skiers? And based on that, we also choose the best destination that offers activities also for non-skiers.

Some activities for non-skiers, you can do sledging, you can do snowshoeing. There is a zipline in, in some destinations as well. You can do ice fishing or snowmobiling. There is, for example, in Engelberg, very nice snowmobile facilities. So the activities are really diverse.

And again, depending on the client’s wishes, then we can also provide such options.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay. And there’s always, I guess, things like the wellness areas of the different hotels, or just sitting by a fire in a cosy cafe and watching the scenery outside. So people don’t have to be active. They can be enjoying a restful vacation as well.

Andrea Caspani: Oh yes, absolutely. I mean, most of the hotels that we use definitely have spa facilities, so people can get a massage or just enjoy the spa, the swimming pool. And on top of that, as we mentioned before, we are in really nice villages.

So shopping is always a nice non-skiing activity. Not that I am a big fan of shopping because I’m a skier, so I will be from 8 AM until 5 PM on the slopes. But of course, people can also enjoy the beautiful villages, the streets, and the cafes that the resort has to offer.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Fantastic. Now, I’m sure that you’ve got many of our listeners excited about booking a ski trip with MyMountain. So what are some of the important things that they should know, which will make the planning a whole lot easier?

Andrea Caspani: Well, the most important thing that you should know to make your planning easier, first of all, is to understand if you have ideas of the resort that you want to visit. That’s something important, but also the distances. Of course, sometimes we get clients, oh, I want to ski here, here, and here in 4 days.

That’s not possible. We have the mountains around here. So on the map, it may look relatively close, but you also need to enjoy it. Basically, you need to have the time to enjoy yourself and the destination. Something important also to understand is how far in advance you need to book, especially during Christmas time.

Last year, I remember we had requests in October or even in November. Clients call us and say, oh, I want to go skiing in Zermatt for Christmas. That’s not possible. We are a little bit too late. We can organise it, but for next year. 

So this is also very, very important. Some destinations can get pretty booked very, very far in advance. So my suggestion is definitely not to wait. If you are not sure, just get in touch with us. Sonia, our sales representative in the US, is absolutely fantastic.

And she can definitely recommend you or give you some options depending on what you want to do and when you want to do. Other stuff is definitely what you want. I mean, definitely our sales representatives are very skilled, so you don’t really need to have an absolutely precise idea of what you want. You just need to have a chat with us and we can definitely recommend you the best solutions. In our opinion.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay. And if people are flexible in terms of the time or the months that they can take their ski trip, do you think there’s a best month to go skiing in Europe?

Andrea Caspani: Absolutely. I always mention before Christmas, right before Christmas, right after Christmas are the best because unfortunately Christmas, these 2 weeks are absolutely insane. And the experience is also much better because you have the slopes for almost yourself. The restaurants are there for you, while instead on Christmas it’s pure madness.

And maybe the lines also on the lifts can be much worse. And that’s something that we didn’t mention before. You know, I remember last year in winter checking social media and seeing the ski resorts in the US with these huge lines. That’s something that is very rare in Europe because again, we do have modern equipment and it is much more enjoyable, basically.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay. Yeah, that, that, that’s a great point. So what happens when a customer gets in touch with My Mountains to book their trip? What’s, what’s the process?

Andrea Caspani: Right. So our clients usually come in from the website. So they definitely have the option to request to receive a call from our sales representative, or they can already fill up like a, you know, like a do-it-yourself trip if they want something customised. Otherwise, the best, it’s always just to have a chat on the call or send us an email, and then our representative will start asking questions basically.

Okay, who is coming? Are they all adults? Do they have kids? Are they all skiers or are there non-skiers? 

Do you want a 5-star hotel or 4-star hotel? You want a spa or not a spa, about the train tickets. Do you want to travel first class or second class? 

And after that, our sales representative will come up with the best quotation for your trip based on your wishes. And of course, if you don’t have ideas, the sales representative can always tell you, oh, but you know what? I believe you should do that, or you should do that. But of course, the client always has the last word.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, but it’s great to have an expert who knows the resort so well and is there to give that advice and make the whole planning process a whole lot easier. Now, of course, My Mountains and your sister company, Echo Rails, have been longtime partners of Holidays to Switzerland, and you kindly offer our audience a lovely discount if they use our promo code when they book their trip with you.

So would you like to tell the listeners about that?

Andrea Caspani: Absolutely. Yes. I mean, it’s been absolutely a great collaboration with Caroline. We love her. I think she’s doing an absolutely great job. And for everybody that is listening, we are definitely happy to provide all the followers of Caroline with a 5% discount. I believe it’s going to be available on the website. 

Caroline will make sure to provide you with the code and make sure, you know, whenever you get in touch with us to mention it, you know, either on the email or on the phone. So basically our sales representative will apply the discount basically on your quotation.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, excellent. It’s been a very successful partnership and I know our listeners are very appreciative of that. So thank you.

Before we let you go, I just wanted to give you the opportunity to mention the other kinds of trips that you offer, because not everyone wants to take a ski trip. My Mountains also offer hiking trips and Eco Rails, the small group rail tours.

So could you give our listeners a bit of an overview of those different options?

Andrea Caspani: With pleasure. Absolutely. Yes, we do offer ski trips in winter, but of course, a lot of people that come skiing with us in winter, they love Switzerland and the Alps, so they come back hiking with us. We have fantastic hiking trips such as the Via Alpina, which goes from Liechtenstein all the way to Montreux on Lake Geneva. We do offer some of the most beautiful parts of the Via Alpina or the Haute Route, which goes from Chamonix to Zermatt.

Those are fantastic hikes. And during the summer and December, we offer with our brand Eco Rails fantastic rail trips. Both in summer and in winter for people that love, for example, the Christmas markets or the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland. We have many variations of it and our clients absolutely love it.

Carolyn Schönafinger: And yes, you’ve got so many amazing 5-star reviews. It’s wonderful. As you say, the clients absolutely love those tours for sure.

Andrea Caspani: Just a quick note, it’s absolutely a teamwork, you know, all the guides that we use on the ground, the team in the office, everybody. It’s, uh, it’s a team effort to get these 5-star reviews. It’s, uh, fantastic.

Carolyn Schönafinger: And I know from our previous chats on the podcast that, you know, your vision is very much a customer-centric, um, offering that you provide.

Andrea Caspani: 100%. Absolutely. Everybody that works with My Mountains and Ecorace has these values in mind, you know, around the customer.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Excellent. So before we let you go, what would you say, or what is the one piece of advice that you’d give to someone who’s considering their first European ski vacation?

Andrea Caspani: Absolutely do not wait. People think, oh, okay, we will decide later. October, we still have time. Ski resorts, especially at some times of the year, get pretty full pretty quick, sometimes even a year in advance.

So the best advice that I give is to check out whatever ski trips you want to do at least one year in advance and make sure that the hotels are booked. So the hotels are the most critical part of our ski trips.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay, so don’t wait, get planning now for winter. 2027, ’28. Wow, that seems like such a long time away.

Andrea Caspani: We still do have, of course, availability for 2026, but that highly depends on the destination. So if we don’t have space for a specific destination, our sales representative may recommend other places for you. So we will find a solution, but as an advice, probably one year in advance, is the best advice that I can give.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay. Good advice. Well, thank you, Andrea. It was great to chat with you again, and we’ll look forward to chatting to you on the podcast again in the not too distant future.

Andrea Caspani: Thank you, Carolyn, for the invitation. I wish everybody happy skiing this winter. I really look forward to it. And Carolyn, see you soon, hopefully in a nice podcast.

Carolyn Schönafinger: I hope today’s episode has shown you that a Swiss or European ski vacation can be much more accessible—and affordable—than you might think. And that with the right planning, you can combine world-class skiing with beautiful alpine villages, fantastic food, and unforgettable scenery. If you’d like to learn more about the ski trips offered by My Mountains, or their hiking holidays, or the rail tours offered by Eco Rails, you’ll find further information and links in the show notes, along with our exclusive discount code, which is HTSWISS, especially for Holidays to Switzerland listeners.

Thanks so much for joining me today. In next week’s episode, we’re visiting a charming Alpine village that you probably haven’t heard of, so you won’t want to miss it. Make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast so you get notified as soon as the episode goes live. Until then, tschüss!

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.