Snow’n’Rail 2021-22

In previous years I have updated my SwissWinterSports web site with the latest information on the popular Snow’n’Rail scheme, but this year I have not been able to get the information from the SBB. However information is available on the SBB’s web site.

For those of you unfamiliar with the scheme, you can get a combined 1, 2 or 6 day rail and lift pass at a discount from Swiss Railway stations, and can also load up details on a Swiss Pass which can also, conveniently, be used as a ski pass.

Around 30 or so of the leading resorts participate in the scheme, and it varies slightly from one season to the next. Prices might go up (and sometimes even come down) and some resorts may drop out or join in the scheme. Unfortunately my web site still has last years prices and – from a cursory examination – still has the right resorts listed as participants. However do check with the official site before planning your next trip using the scheme. I will manually update the information over the Xmas break.

What my site is still good for, however, is telling you the best way to get to the resorts by public transport, a rough idea of how long it will take, how many changes you need to make, which stop to take and what to expect when you get there. Also the weather forecast for the next few days, provided as ever by the excellent snow-forecast.com.

It’s another strange season again, but so far Swiss resorts remain open and have more facilities open than they did for most of last season. Let’s hope it lasts!

Stay safe!

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Snow’n’Rail

SBB Train

The Swiss Railways provide an excellent discount deal for skiers, called Snow’n’Rail, which typically discounts the price of a rail ticket to a ski resort by 20% and the lift pass by 10%. it is available online or at Swiss Railway stations.

The new schedule for 2020/21 is out, and it is always interesting to see which new resorts have been added and which have fallen off the scheme. Sadly there have been some substantial losses this year – Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Gstaad Mountain Rides and the Vaud resorts (Leysin, les Diablerets and Villars-Gryon).

That still leaves a number of outstanding destinations such as Engelberg, Andermatt, Davos, St Moritz, Wengen, Portes du Soleil and Verbier, amongst others.

The brochure available at railway stations is thin on details this year, relying on you to see what is available at the Swiss Railways web site. Where routes include buses or cableways, these are also included in the offer. Swiss Railways also offer discounts on a number of other rail and winter sports combinations, such as tobogganing, snowshoe walking and cross-country skiing.

The Austrian Railways, ÖBB, offer a similar scheme which includes world class resorts like St Anton and Kitzbühel. They also run overnight services from Amsterdam, Hamburg and Düsseldorf to the ski resorts and a shuttle to Kitzbühel from Munich.

A full list of Alpine resorts which have a railway station is at the Snow and Rail web site. Daniel Elkan at SnowCarbon can assist people wanting to get to the Alps from the UK by train, offering a wider selection of resorts where the last leg might require a bus or taxi transfer.

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Ski Train seats on sale

The Eurostar Ski Train tickets goes on sale tomorrow at 8am (Wednesday, 17th July 2019). There is a handy guide by Daniel at Snowcarbon on getting the best seats here. I found out about this from an email from Daniel and was also introduced to this character that the he interviewed extolling the virtues of taking the train:

Daniel knows how to get you to the Alps, but if you are already in the area and want to know public transport options, check out Snow and Rail which gives details on every ski resort in the Alps you can get to by train alone.

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Snow’n’Rail Prices Published


Snow’n’Rail is the popular scheme organised every year by the Swiss Railways which provides a significant discount on the combined lift and public transport ticket prices for over 40 resorts. The booklets listing the offers are available from stations in local language versions, and the online brochure also provides details in English.

There are no new resorts for 2016/7 although les Portes du Soleil is back after a one year absence. Toggenburg, Hoch-Ybrig and Val D’Anniviers have fallen off the scheme, sadly, and a couple of minor resorts are now only listed online.

After modest increases last year, it is perhaps not surprising to see significant increases in some of the offers. Adelboden, the 4 Vallées, Saas-Fee and many Graubünden resorts have seen hikes around 10%. However Zermatt has kept prices flat, as have a number of other resorts, including Les Diablerets, Leysin, Villars, Grindelwald, Wengen, Mürren, Gstaad, Meiringen, Sörenberg, Melchsee-Frutt, Klewenalp, Airolo and Stoos – some routes from Luzern have even fallen slightly.

Tickets can still get pricey, even with the discounts, especially if you do not have a half-price rail card. Without the additional discount, a full day skiing or snowboarding in Zermatt from Basel or Zurich will set you back around 270 SFr. Conversely, with a half-price card, a day in Engelberg will give you change from a 100 Sfr note. Meiringen, Sörenberg and Klewenalp, in particular, provide very good value for the extent of piste available.

For more details of the new season prices visit the resort pages at SwissWinterSports.

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