Andermatt or Cortina d'Ampezzo: the same piste, very different weeks
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20266 min read
Of all the resorts we cover, our matching engine places Cortina d'Ampezzo closest to Andermatt, and on the piste it is easy to see why. Run for run, their blues and reds measure almost exactly as steep, and about a quarter of each mountain is steeper than one in four. Both run from December to April, and both are snow sure on our measure.
Away from the piste they could hardly be further apart. Andermatt is a snowy sleeper in the middle of Switzerland, reborn and up and coming, and off piste is what it does best. Cortina is a stylish old Italian town under the Dolomites, where lunch and the evening count as much as the skiing. So the question is what you want from the snow beyond the piste markers, and from the hours either side of the lifts. The numbers first.
The numbers, side by side
| Figure | Andermatt | Cortina d'Ampezzo |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | 1,444 m | 1,224 m |
| Top of the skiing, measured | 2,922 m | 3,028 m, the top of a lift; the highest piste we measure starts at 2,724 m |
| Linked ski area | 180 km, Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, all linked | Separate areas, not all joined by lift; quoted at 120 km, not checked by us |
| Lift pass | Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, the same 180 km | Dolomiti Superski, 1,200 km across twelve areas, only four joined by lift |
| Piste we measure around the village | 61 km | 86 km |
| Blue and easier | 27 km, 44% of the piste | 38 km, 45% of the piste |
| Black | 8.3 km | 9.1 km |
| Marked off piste itinerary | 21 km | 9.2 km |
| Piste steeper than one in four | 27% | 25% |
| Piste gentler than 15% | 29% | 36% |
| Piste at or above 1,800 m | 76% | 67% |
| Season | December to April | December to April |
| Nearest airport | Zurich | Venice or Innsbruck |
The black and steep rows are close to a draw. The ones that are not, the ski area, the itinerary and the height, are where the decision sits.
Size: Andermatt joins up, Cortina has more around the town
Andermatt's pass covers 180 kilometres across Andermatt, Sedrun and Disentis, all linked, and an independent measurement agrees with that figure. The operator also publishes 120 kilometres for Andermatt and Sedrun on their own, but the pass figure is the right one. One sector, the Gemsstock, sits outside the linked area.
Cortina's own areas are quoted at 120 kilometres, a figure we have not checked. They come in pieces: Tofana on one side of the valley, Faloria and Cristallo on the other, with the ski bus or a car between them. The Dolomiti Superski pass reaches much further, to 1,200 kilometres across twelve areas, but only four of those are joined by lift and Cortina is a drive from the Sella Ronda.
Measured around the village itself, the order turns. We make it 86 kilometres of graded piste around Cortina and 61 around Andermatt, about 24 fewer. So Cortina has more piste close to home, and Andermatt has the system that keeps going on skis.
Altitude: Cortina has the higher lift, Andermatt the higher skiing
Andermatt's village sits at 1,444 metres, 220 metres above Cortina's 1,224. At the top, Cortina's 3,028 metres looks like the winner, but that figure is the top of a lift. The highest piste we measure there starts at 2,724 metres. Andermatt's piste goes to 2,922 metres, 198 metres higher on the runs themselves.
27 km blue and easier 44%26 km red 43%8 km black 14%
38 km blue and easier 45%38 km red 45%9 km black 11%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: Andermatt 21 km, Cortina d'Ampezzo 9 km.
The rest of the mountain follows. Of the piste we measure, 64 percent is above 2,000 metres at Andermatt and 52 percent at Cortina, and half of Andermatt's piste sits above 2,122 metres, against 2,019 at Cortina.
Both pass our snow sure test, which asks for more than half the piste at or above 1,800 metres and skiing that reaches 2,500. At Andermatt, 76 percent of the piste we measure is above 1,800 metres, up to 2,922 metres. At Cortina it is 67 percent, up to the 3,028 metre lift top; the highest piste we measure, at 2,724 metres, still clears 2,500. We list Andermatt as best for snowfall too. Nobody can promise snow anywhere, but if snow is the first thing on your list, Andermatt has more of its skiing high.
The skiing: more gentle at Cortina, more off piste at Andermatt
On marked piste, the two are close in shape. Cortina has 38 kilometres of blue and easier piste, about 11 more than Andermatt's 27, and both are close to 45 percent blue and easier. Cortina has the bigger share gentler than 15 percent, 36 against 29, which makes it the kinder place for a beginner or a nervous returner. Neither has much black: 9.1 kilometres at Cortina, 8.3 at Andermatt, both under the 14.1 at a typical resort we cover.
27 km blue and easier 44%26 km red 43%8 km black 14%
38 km blue and easier 45%38 km red 45%9 km black 11%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: Andermatt 21 km, Cortina d'Ampezzo 9 km.
The measured gradients are averages per run segment, and a run's grade is set by its steepest pitch, so read them as how the week feels rather than a verdict on any one run. On blacks, Cortina's average 32.5 percent against Andermatt's 30.7. At Andermatt, 27 percent of the piste is steeper than one in four, the second biggest share of the 15 Swiss resorts we cover. Cortina's is 25.
The real gap is off the piste. Andermatt has 21 kilometres of marked off piste itinerary, the fourth most of the 15 Swiss resorts we cover and about 12 more than Cortina's 9.2, which is itself the second most of the 10 Italian resorts we cover. The longest itinerary we measure at Andermatt runs 5.5 kilometres with 1,170 metres of vertical, more than twice the length of its longest piste. Cortina's longest itinerary is 4.5 kilometres with 479 metres of vertical.
Who each one actually suits
Andermatt suits strong skiers who care more about what lies beyond the piste markers than about kilometres of piste, and anyone who chases snowfall. It is reborn and up and coming, a snowy sleeper, which appeals to people who like to find a place before everyone else does. The linked area gives a confident group room to roam. It is a less natural fit for a beginner, who has less gentle piste here than at Cortina, and Zurich is the airport.
Cortina suits people who want the holiday to reach well beyond the lifts. It is a real Italian town with a pedestrian main street, the Corso Italia, good shops and an evening that begins with an aperitivo and the passeggiata. Lunch in the rifugi, the mountain huts, is a large part of the day. Couples, families with grandparents along and anyone bringing a non skier do well here, and the Socrepes slopes give beginners a gentle start. It was the Winter Olympic host in 1956, and again for the 2026 Games. A group that wants to ski lift to lift all day without a bus will find it harder work.
The bit nobody tells you
Andermatt carries the expert label, and Cortina the stylish one, so you would expect Andermatt's piste to be the harder. On our measurements it is not. Its blues average a gradient of 15.5 percent, and Cortina's 15.3. Its reds average 22.0 percent, and Cortina's 21.9. On the runs most people ski most of the week, these two are twins.
What sets Andermatt apart is the snow beyond the markers: 21 kilometres of marked itinerary, one route alone 5.5 kilometres long, and more of the mountain above 2,000 metres. If your strong skier never leaves the piste, they will not find Andermatt much steeper than Cortina. If they do leave it, Andermatt is the one.
So, which one
off piste is the reason you ski, you want more of your skiing high and joined up on one pass, and your group is confident enough not to need much gentle piste. Also if Zurich is your easiest flight.
the town, the scenery and lunch matter as much as the skiing, someone in the group is a beginner or will not ski every day, or you want more piste on the doorstep and do not mind a bus between mountains.
On the piste the two ski much the same, and Cortina has more of it around the town, more of it gentle, and a town that gives the whole group something to do. Andermatt is the right answer when the off piste is the point, and then it is a clear one.