Grimentz

The most central ski area with several modern hotels at one end of the valley and the old village at the other. The village became a winter sports resort in 1968. The skiing is mostly intermediate and beginner with some easy beginner slopes from top to bottom.

Zinal

This small, simple village did not become a ski resort until 1967, although it has long been popular with climbers for 150 years - Edward Whymper (now buried in Zermatt) climbed here. The skiing is mostly red runs, not ideal for beginners. Zinal has the most challenging skiing with several off-piste routes to Grimentz, although you cannot return to Zinal on skis from Grimentz. We skied one long and solitary route which took us to the bus stop at Mottec and back to Zinal. There are spectacular views of the "Imperial Crown", the five 4,000m peaks of the Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn, Obergabelhorn, Matterhorn and Dent-Blanche.

Vercorin

A beautiful spot with lovely views and wide pistes, excellent for beginners or cruisers. It's the lowest resort (top 2,347m, bottom 1,300m) with stunning runs through the trees to the village.

St Luc/Chandolin

These two resorts, 20 minutes away from Grimentz by car, are now linked by chairlift. A free ski bus operates between the resorts, and the Anniviers Valley has introduced a single ski pass for the entire region. The five ski areas have 46 lifts and 220km of pistes. We barely saw another skier here, and it is a large area consisting mostly of red and blue runs. Food on the mountain costs much less than at a large resort.