Grindelwald or Samoëns: two old villages, and one keeps its snow higher
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20265 min read
On our measurements, Grindelwald and Samoëns are a natural pair. Our engine names Grindelwald as the closest match to Samoëns of all the 55 resorts we cover, and Samoëns as Grindelwald's closest in France. Both are traditional villages we tag as good for families. Both are low, at 1,034 and 720 metres. Both are among the gentlest mountains of the 55 resorts we cover, and both run December to April.
So the choice is not about character, which is close, or the steepness, which is closer. It is about how much skiing you get and how high it sits. On both, the numbers say something clear. Here they are.
The numbers, side by side
| Figure | Grindelwald | Samoëns |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | 1,034 m | 720 m |
| Top of the skiing, measured | 2,496 m | 2,372 m |
| Ski area | Jungfrau Ski Region: 150 km reachable from its own lifts, 211 km on the pass including Mürren, which is not lift connected | Grand Massif, quoted at 265 km, not measured by us |
| Piste we measure around the village | 132 km | 89.5 km |
| Green and blue | 55.4 km of blue and easier, 42% of the piste | 48.3 km, 54% of the piste, 10.3 km of it green |
| Black | 19 km | 9.2 km |
| Marked off piste itinerary | 3.3 km | 3.6 km |
| Piste steeper than one in four | 15% | 19% |
| Piste gentler than 15% | 42% | 40% |
| Piste at or above 1,800 m | 59% | 18% |
| Season | December to April | December to April |
| Nearest airport | Zurich or Geneva | Geneva |
One row decides most of this: the share of piste at or above 1,800 metres. The tops are 124 metres apart. The way the skiing is spread below them is not close at all.
Altitude: the tops are close, the skiing is not
Samoëns's village sits at 720 metres, the third lowest of the 55 resorts we cover and the lowest of the 17 French resorts we cover. Grindelwald is 314 metres higher. The measured tops of the skiing are 2,496 metres at Grindelwald and 2,372 at Samoëns, near enough level.
55 km blue and easier 42%57 km red 43%19 km black 14%
48 km blue and easier 54%32 km red 36%9 km black 10%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: Grindelwald 3.3 km, Samoëns 3.6 km.
The difference is in between. At Grindelwald, 59 percent of the piste we measure is at or above 1,800 metres. At Samoëns it is 18 percent. Half of Samoëns's piste is below 1,576 metres, and its lowest runs reach down to 683.
Samoëns does not meet our snow sure test, which asks for more than half the piste at or above 1,800 metres and skiing up to 2,500. Grindelwald sits right on the line of it, with its measured top just short of the bar, so we leave that call open. Nobody can promise snow at either. But in a thin winter, or at the ends of the season, Grindelwald has far more of its skiing where the snow tends to last.
Size: Grindelwald has more you can reach
From Grindelwald's own lifts you can reach 150 kilometres. The pass covers 211, but that includes Mürren and the Schilthorn, which are not linked by lift. What you reach falls on two sides: First above the village, sunny and friendly, and Kleine Scheidegg and Männlichen opposite, shared with Wengen. Trains and gondolas join it up, at an easy pace.
Samoëns has the Grand Massif above it, quoted at 265 kilometres. We have not measured that figure, and our data does not tell us how much of it is linked, so we compare on our own measurement of the piste around each village: 132 kilometres at Grindelwald, 89.5 at Samoëns. That is 42 kilometres more at Grindelwald, and for a week it is a real gap.
The skiing: both gentle, Grindelwald has more at each end
These are two of the kindest mountains of the 55 we cover. At Grindelwald, 42 percent of the piste is gentler than 15 percent, the third biggest share of the 55 resorts we cover. At Samoëns it is 40 percent, joint fourth. Only 15 percent of Grindelwald's piste is steeper than one in four, and 19 percent of Samoëns's, the smallest share of the 17 French resorts we cover. A typical resort we cover has 26.
55 km blue and easier 42%57 km red 43%19 km black 14%
48 km blue and easier 54%32 km red 36%9 km black 10%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: Grindelwald 3.3 km, Samoëns 3.6 km.
Grindelwald has more of most things. It has 55.4 kilometres of blue and easier against Samoëns's 48.3, though Samoëns has 10.3 kilometres of reliably marked green for first timers. Grindelwald has 19 kilometres of black, including 2.9 of double black, against 9.2. Itinerary is level, 3.3 against 3.6.
France and Switzerland grade differently, so the measured gradients are the fairer guide. They are averages per run segment, and a run's grade is set by its steepest pitch. Samoëns's reds average 19.9 percent, the gentlest of the 17 French resorts we cover and well under the French red average of 24.3. Grindelwald's reds average 18.3, under the Swiss 19.9. Samoëns's blues, at 16.6 percent, are steeper than Grindelwald's 13.5.
Who each one actually suits
Grindelwald suits families with small children, couples and big multi generational groups, especially when not everyone skis. The north face of the Eiger rises straight above the village. Non skiers can take the railway up to the Jungfraujoch, go sledging or walk the cleared paths, and nobody needs a car, since the mountain railway runs into the village. Evenings are easy going: terraces in the last of the sun, then a warm bar or a fondue.
Samoëns suits people who want a real old village. We describe it as authentic and calm, a listed old village with a big area above it, and tag it traditional, quiet and good for families. We list it for its historic village, for families and for value. It suits families and couples with gentle skiing in mind who would rather stroll through somewhere old than be in a busy resort.
The bit nobody tells you
The lower, smaller resort has the longer run. The longest piste we measure at Samoëns is the Cascades, a red of 6.3 kilometres that drops 867 metres. Grindelwald's longest is also a red, 5.0 kilometres with 700 metres of vertical. Samoëns's is 1.3 kilometres longer and drops 167 metres more.
For a confident intermediate, a run of that length is one of the best things a week can hold, and it comes with Samoëns's gentle reds. The catch is the same as the rest of this page: a run that drops 867 metres in a resort with so little skiing above 1,800 metres depends on a decent winter to be at its best.
So, which one
you want the most skiing, the black runs, and more of your piste up high, or someone in the party will not ski and wants the Jungfraujoch railway and the sledging to fill the days. Also if the view is part of the reason.
a historic, quiet village matters as much as the skiing, your group is mostly beginners and gentle intermediates, and you are going in the heart of the winter. Also if value matters to you: we list it for that.
It has 42 kilometres more piste by our measure, twice the black, and more than three times the share of skiing above 1,800 metres, with mountains every bit as gentle. Samoëns is the right answer when the old village and the calm are what you are booking.