ZERMATTERS — Attraction in Zermatt

Disorganized and Disappointing Group Lessons

My experience was frustrating and deeply disappointing. The organization and management of the lessons were among the worst I’ve encountered, and it significantly detracted from my trip to Zermatt.

Including a Beginner in an Advanced Group The ski school’s decision to group students solely to maximize profits was both irresponsible and unsafe. On the first day, it took nearly an hour to assess everyone’s skill levels. While I signed up for the advanced group, one of the five participants was clearly a beginner—not even close to advanced. The rest of us could comfortably ski down any on-piste slope, while this individual struggled with basic techniques like parallel skiing and had to remove their skis to walk down red slopes.

This mismatch caused constant delays, as more than half our time was spent waiting for the beginner to catch up. We were forced to ski easier slopes for their safety, which was frustrating. On the final day, adverse weather conditions made things even worse. We spent considerable time searching for the beginner, calling them and waiting in the cold. By 11 a.m., we had skied a mere 15 minutes.

When I questioned the instructor and the school about this issue, they admitted they needed at least five people to form a group lesson for financial reasons. However, their website clearly states that a minimum of three participants is sufficient. This decision was not only disrespectful to the rest of the group but also endangered the beginner skier, who was pushed beyond their capabilities.

I fully understand there will always be some variation in ability within a group, and I’ve had great group lesson experiences elsewhere with similar dynamics. However, the gap here was far too wide. All participants in an advanced group should at least share a foundational level of skill and confidence to safely ski the same slopes.

Adding New Students to an Existing Group On the third day, the school informed us that a new student from an intermediate group would join us. We waited at the glacier express gondola for 20 minutes, but the student never showed up. This disruption was unnecessary and inconsiderate, further highlighting poor organization.

Despite their claim that "groups cannot be changed once formed," when I questioned about the poorly formation of my group, they clearly tried to merge participants from different levels into our group. This inconsistency in their policies added to the frustration.

Lack of Accountability and Refusal to Refund When I requested a partial refund (for the 3rd day when we skied very little) for the wasted time and poor experience, the school dismissed my concerns with weak excuses. They argued that skill variations are normal, "groups cannot be changed once formed", and that customers should adapt or pay for private lessons—an unreasonable stance given the extreme skill gap we faced. They also falsely claimed that the instructor ensured everyone was happy with the group dynamics.

By contrast, ski schools in the U.S. typically offer refunds or credits for poor lesson experiences, demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction. The unwillingness to address valid complaints here reflects a disappointing lack of accountability.

Traveling from the U.S., this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Zermatt for me. Unfortunately, the mismanagement of these group lessons wasted both my time and money, significantly damaging what should have been an unforgettable experience.

I urge others to carefully consider alternatives if skiing in Zermatt. This ski school needs to prioritize safety, fairness, and customer satisfaction...

Before I explain our not-so-great experience, I just want to say that Zermatters seems like a legit company and I have huge respect for local mountain guides! Unfortunately, our tour did not meet our expectations, at all. Hence, 2 stars just because overall I want to believe that Zermatters can be trusted. We booked a Breithorn tour (good 4000-er for beginners) and a day before the tour got a call from Zermatters saying that the weather seems risky and we might have to cancel/find a new date, but we will only know that the morning of the tour - which is super legit and you get a disclaimer about it before booking. Early morning we arrive and the guide seems to have no knowledge that we are still unsure whether the tour will take place or not. He was really quiet the whole time - didn't ask the participants about their mountainering experience or fitness condition. We later learnt (already during the tour on the mountain!) that half the team didn't have any knowledge of basic mountaineering - I'm talking about how to walk in a rope, or how to put on crampons or a harness! Which led to the whole group suffering during the whole tour - for multiple people crampons kept on deattaching from the boots, so we had to stop in high, windy altitutes to fix it multiple times. My boyfriend ended up carrying one participant's backpack, because the lady wasn't able to walk. To add to this, I don't believe that the weather was ok for the tour and we should have at least been given the option to choose a new date. It was extremely cold and windy (the wind up was reaching 90 km/h and it was +5C in the valley, which is very cold for Zermatt in August). Multiple of our belongings literally flew away when hiking up - the sunglasses were ripped off my face. It felt really dangerous and I considered turning around a few times. However, the guide kept on rushing - we did it all in under 3 hours. In conclusion, adding the very bad weather conditions, unexperienced (at least some basic education while going up the gondola from the guide would have done a huge difference) group and a guide who seemed uninterested in our safety - for the first time myself and my boyfriend feared for our lives up the mountain (we live in Switzerland and hike every other weekend btw:)). Honestly, we returned and questioned the value of the Zermatters service with such guiding - it didn't give us any confidence or...

Do not hire Zermatters for your Matterhorn climb.

The Zermatters guide was the worst guide I have ever had in my life: Constantly distracting me from climbing with a condescending attitude and endless rude and insulting comments all day. The Zermatters guide kept showing unprofessional behavior toward me and others on the mountain to such a point it became unsafe to climb with the Zermatters guide. Tragically during the climb I partially witnessed a Zermatters guide fall to his death. To say the climb was stressful is an understatement, and my terrible Zermatters guide only served to increase the stress, which also increased the risk and danger to me. (the client) Still with this terrible Zermatters guide, I summited The Matterhorn and returned to the Hornli Hut within 8 hours.

I trained for months for this climb, and I was looking forward to an amazing alpine mountain experience, BUT the Zermatters guide ruined it for me and made it the worst mountain experience of my life.

After the climb I reported the Zermatters guide to the Zermatters office and demanded my money back, later I wrote a letter to Zermatters and then had a 1 hour phone conversation with the Director of Zermatters.....the result: "Thank you for your feedback." "We got you up the mountain and down the mountain, so we satisfied the agreement." "We are not in the position to refund your money."

The Zermatters website promise a safe, professional guide service with certified, well-trained guides who follow industry standards and professional guidelines. Zermatter's professional guides have a clear duty to care for the client's wellbeing and adhere to professional guide standards and behavior. That didn't happen in my case.

Therefore, again, I am demanding a refund from Zermatters. If Zermatters continues to refuse to refund my money, I will continue to avail myself of every legal avenue to recover from Zermatters. I will not tolerate paying for a professional service, only to be exposed to negligence in a dangerous environment.

Side note to my fellow climbers: Don't let anyone tell you The Matterhorn isn't a dangerous mountain; it is exposed climbing. A Zermatters professional guide died on the day I summited, and 3 others died the week before. The Matterhorn is a very...