Pizol Ski Resort • Locals favorite skiing near Zürich

We love the Pizol ski resort for many reasons but mostly for the wide and long slightly off-piste areas, much of it easy enough to explore even for my 10 year old who is just learning to snowboard. We stayed on the long blue and red runs on the Pardiel side, which was perfect for our crew. 

Pizol has an advantage of a high elevation, so the main runs are often just above the cloud layer that covers the valley below. On a clear day, you can see for miles and miles in every direction, one of the prettiest views you can get in Switzerland. I also love that the gondola is right off the freeway, so no mountain driving on snowy roads. It’s also an affordable resort, even offering a family discount pass, a huge discount for families with more than 2 children.

First a little teaser video of our day at Pizol, including a map walkthrough.

Location

Pizol is located in eastern Switzerland, southeast of Zürich. See on Google Maps.

Overview

Here’s the Pizol piste map, showing the main ski area. The resort is accessed by cable cars in the valley: either Pizolbahn Bad Ragaz on the east side or Pizolbahn Wangs on the west side. The areas are connected by drag lifts at the top, but it takes some time to travel between the two sides. So it’s best to start on the side you want to ski. 

We typically stay on the Bad-Ragaz/Pardiel side, where the runs are quite long. The lift takes about 10 mins to go up and it took us about 20 mins to ski down. For little kids, this might get tiring. But we liked getting into the flow of the run instead of hopping on a lift every 5-10 mins.

Activities for non-skiers

The sled run is on the Wangs side. It goes from Furt 1522m to the Maienberg 1045m and optionally all the way to the valley if there’s enough snow.

There is an easy beautiful circular winter hike at the top between Laufböden and Pizolhütte, which can be accessed by lifts on either side of the resort. 

Getting There

If you want to ski on the east side of the resort, you’ll need to take the Pizolbahn Bad Ragaz.

• By car: Using the map below, drive to Bad Ragaz and follow signs to Pizolbahnen.
• By train: Take a train to Bad Ragaz, then a bus to Bad Ragaz, Pizolbahn. The bus drops off at the cable car station.

If you want to ski on the west side, go instead of Wangs and catch the other Pizolbahn from there.

• By car: From highway A3, take exit 50 Sargans then follow signs to Pizolbahn. Park in the metered lot next to the cable car station.
• By public transport: Take a train to Sargans, then a bus to Wangs, Pizolbahn, which drops off at the parking lot near the cable car station.

Prices

This resort is very affordable, especially for families. In 2022/23, a day pass on weekends costs Adult CHF 60, Teens CHF 39 and Child CHF 30. Weekdays are slightly cheaper. All tickets are cheaper if you purchase them online, even the morning before you arrive.

Pizol also offers a family day pass for a significant discount. For example, a weekend day pass for 2 adults and all of their children under 17 is only CHF 159. This is an especially amazing deal if you have more than 2 children. See current prices here.

Operating Times

Winter season at Pizol is usually mid December through early April. The ski lifts run daily from 8:30 – 16:45 (last ride down on the gondola). See current operating times.

This resort faces eastward, away from the sun. So shadows can overtake the resort in the early afternoon, especially in Dec and Jan. So best to arrive early and enjoy the sun while it lasts. Also, this resort is wide open, without trees providing any guidance to trail location. So skiing would be very difficult in the clouds or bad weather. I’d save this one for a sunny day and ski somewhere else with lots of trees (like Flumserberg or Braunwald) when it’s cloudy or snowy.

Arrival at Pizolbahn Bad Ragaz

One of my favorite things is that the Pizol cable car starts in the valley, right off the freeway, so easy to access! This made the drive home so much easier, instead of enduring a winding two-lane mountain road part of the way. Parking costs CHF 5, pay when you buy your lift passes.

Don’t worry if there’s no snow in the parking lot, that cable car takes you up over 1000 meters to lots and lots of snow. Don’t forget to bring a bag of “emergency” clothes/supplies/snacks with you. You won’t want to waste time going back down to your car.

Warning! The last cable car back down to the valley is 16:45. You can’t ski down, so you’ll be stuck if you miss it.

Pardiel chair lift

The Pizolbahn Bad Ragaz cable car drops you off at Pardiel, the central hub for all the action on this side of the resort. The main chair lift (4 person with bubbles) leaves from here. There are ski racks next to the chair lift where you can easily hang a backpack with supplies. There are multiple restaurants in this area, some with sun terraces, some with panorama windows.

Ski School & Bunny Slopes

We saw the ski school meeting at Pardiel next to the cable car station, in front of the ski rental shop, handy if you forgot something or need a complete kit.

Just below the Paradiel station, you’ll find a very easy blue run with a T-bar. I love that this beginning area is so close to the main runs, so families with a variety of skills can easily meet up for lunch or switch off parents that are skiing with younger and older kids. I also love that it has a nice view, whereas sometimes the beginning area is stuck in a not-so-nice part of the resort.

There is a snow garden there too, but I didn’t investigate fully.

Blue Run

The blue run from the Paradiel chair lift is good for advanced beginners, starting with wide slopes and ending on a narrower trail. It never gets very steep, but real beginners will need strong snowplow skills to keep under control.

Kids will love all the jumps and bumps that form on the sides of the trail. My son took me on a “jump” tour, where he had me stop at almost every jump and film him going over it (my filming skills need some work!). There seemed to be an informal “jump course” that many kids followed on their way down – super fun!

It’s a long run, which could tire out little kids. So be aware that you might do fewer runs in the day than you typically do at other resorts.

Red Runs

I like that the red runs are mostly very wide, so hypothetically slower skiers have room to make their turns and fast skiers can zoom by unhindered. However, one skier scolded my son (and me) for not looking uphill behind him before standing up after he fell. I scolded her for skiing so fast, so close to a child who is obviously learning when the rest of the super wide slope was empty. We’re both right.

The red runs are definitely intermediate level, with a nice level of steepness for faster skiing. It’s a good challenge for children that are advancing in skill. But advanced skiers that prefer lots of vertical drops might find it bit boring.

Off piste

The off piste areas and potential powder fields are immense and dreamy. I’ve never seen anything like it. We could ski practically 20 mins all off piste and quite safely in no avalanche zones.

I loved that there were lots of mild easy off piste areas that my younger son could sample without getting into too much trouble.

But there was also plenty of crazy drops (pic below!) to delight and challenge my older son and me, while my dad followed my younger son on the groomed runs next door. This is definitely my first stop on the next big powder day!

Big views

One reason to visit this resort is simply to enjoy the fantastic views. Enough said!

Eating at the resort

There are lots of restaurants near the top and bottom of each lift. We ate at cosy Berggasthaus Pardiel, a short walk west of the Pardiel chair lift. It’s typical hearty Swiss fare, but they usually have a couple regional specialties on the menu and handmade desserts like apple strudel and Bündernusstorte.

My dad and younger son took a hot chocolate break in the Panorama Restaurant Aurea, which has fantastic views and a trip adviser badge. I think we’ll try this one next time.

In 2018, we tried Restaurant Edelweiss right next to the Pardiel lift. The food was tasty, quick service and they had an affordable child’s menu. They also have a family lunch deal: CHF 46 for “Gehackes mit Hörnli und Apfelmus” (meat sauce with noodles and applesauce, traditional Swiss meal) for 2 adults and 2 kids plus 1.5L drink. That’s a great option if you are on a budget.

Connecting the two sides of the resort

You can travel between the two sides of the resort, but it requires taking a couple drag-lifts (some disc lifts, some t-bars) that drag you over the hump between the two sides. You can’t simply take a normal ski run between them. We guessed that it would take so much travel time between the two, that we’d prefer to spend that time skiing instead. The winter walking trail is in this area as well.