With the winter season approaching, Switzerland Tourism would like to bring the attention of agents with clients looking for an extraordinary ski experience to Switzerland’s Ski Safari along the Premium Panoramic Glacier Express train journey.
Combining cross-country skiing and the world’s slowest express train ride, this is a thoroughly impressive and thrilling 5-day itinerary close to the heart of Bjoern Daehlie, the world’s most successful cross-country skier. With 46 world championship victories and 12 Olympic medals under his belt, Daehlie still skis this Glacier Express Ski Safari to this day, visiting long-time friends along the way.
Starting at the glitzy and glamourous resort of St Moritz, the origin of winter tourism, this is a world famous Alpine destination for the rich and royal jet-setters. The ski safari here covers the fairytale-like Stazerwald forest, the stunning cross-country trail to the Morteratsch Glacier and across vast frozen lakes. For an extended stay to include more activities, agents can advise their clients of the prestigious Snow Polo and White Turf horse race that take place at the end of January and February respectively.
Davos, where Daehlie won most of his World Championship races, is the next destination on the safari. Home to the Spengler Cup, the World Economic Forum and Thomas Mann’s “Magic Mountain”, Davos is reachable on the daily Glacier Express, where the get-off point is Albula. The train ride between St Moritz and Albula meanders through icy glaciers, along the untouched snow-capped wonderland and across the elegant Landwasser Viaduct, part of the Albula/Bernina UNESCO World Heritage Route.
Day three on the Glacier Express Ski Safari takes place in Andermatt, but not before the train traverses the Oberalp Pass, the highest point of the journey at 2,044m asl. With a 30% increase in beds, Andermatt, the Pearl of the Gotthard, also links up with Sedrun, giving cross-country skiers a more enjoyable experience.
Next, the journey continues from Andermatt through the Urserental Valley and Furka Tunnel to Oberwald and finally to Goms, the undisputed cross-country Mecca. Skiers will enjoy the special feature of the Goms trail, which is that it links about 12 picturesque villages all the way from Oberwald to Niederwald, and almost every village has a stop on the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway (MGB).
The final stop on the Glacier Express is the car-free resort of Zermatt, home of the world’s most photogenic mountain, the Matterhorn, just two hours from the valley of Goms. With an extensive area of 360km of pistes, skiers and visitors will no doubt be bowled over by this landscape that boasts nearly 40 4,000m peaks!
Agents with first time ski clients shouldn’t feel left out on this experience as there are ski classes at every resort, including those featured on the Glacier Express Ski Safari, including St Moritz, Davos, Andermatt and Zermatt. For a comprehensive list of options and experiences, agents can refer to Learn to Ski for ideas. To help agents sell first ski experiences to their clients, this video showcases what first-timers can expect and look forward to in Switzerland.
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