Zermatt is a year round resort surrounded by some of Europe's highest peaks, however it is the view of the Matterhorn for which it is so famous. The view of the knife-edged peak, adorns much of Switzerland's memorabilia, from chocolate bars to wrist watches.

Away from the skyline's dramatic scenery, the town itself only adds to the vista, with grand hotels and rustic alpine chalets sprawling across valley bottom, bisected by a river and hemmed in by the steep forested valley sides. Within the car-free streets are hundreds of boutiques, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs. Literally something for all tastes, not just fur coats and big-price watches as you might expect.

As for the terrain, it is not so accessible to all tastes. Beginners are well advised to learn elsewhere and return to Zermatt, when they are happy on blue and red runs. People do learn to ski and snowboard(one of the best snowboard schools in the Alps- Stoked is based here) in Zermatt, but it is less than ideal for confidence building.

In contrast, it is a fantastic resort for competent intermediates and advanced skiers/riders with both cruisey and testing runs, open sunny slopes and darker forest clad runs. There are decent off-piste opportunities, but for the most part you would do well to go with a local guide, or you could easily end up down a crevasse.

However, the drawback to staying in a traditional Alpine resort such as Zermatt, is that they have not been tailored with the skiers' convenience in mind. This is especially the case here, but most feel it is a small price to pay.

The ski areas split down into essentially two separate areas. The first is served by the Sunegga funicular lift and the Gornergrat alpine railway which serve the Rothorn (3103m)and the Stokhorn (3405m) respectively. Both of these mountain trains leave from close to the centre of resort, and if you can find accommodation close to these access points, all the better. The Stokhorn and Rothorn mountains interlink effectively making this sector the more popular.

A good 10-15minute walk, bus ride, electronic taxi ride or horse drawn carriage ride (for these are the only permitted methods or getting about here) is the gondola station which will take you up to the Klein Matterhorn sector. The slopes here rise to 3820m, the highest piste skiing in Europe, and you can connect up with slopes down to Cervinia in Italy if you have the right lift pass. Back in Switzerland and the higher slopes are wide and flattering, but as you come down the mountain you will have to work harder as testing pistes and off-piste will sort out the men from the boys.

Basically if you come to Zermatt, be prepared for some walking, and if you can't be dealing with it, try a different resort. However, you would be missing out on a tremendous alpine experience.

Not only is this a high snow-sure, attractive resort with great slopes and a stunning backdrop, it has plenty to do off the slopes for non-skiers, heady après-ski and lively, varied nightlife well into the early hours. And finally, note should be made of Zermatt's reputation for it's gastronomy. The mountain restaurants, notably at Findeln on the Rothorn, are world famous for delicious and long lunches.

These can be pricey, as can the resort be as a whole, but it is a myth to think it is any more than some of the top French resorts. In fact there are several myths about Zermatt, worth dispelling. Another is that it is purely an upmarket destination.

There are hundreds of hotels, guesthouses, chalets and self-catering apartments to choose from. Zermatt also has a healthy attitude to snowboarders with excellent tuition, a decent park and pipe, and some worthwhile late-night hang outs.

If you do pay a premium to stay in Zermatt, we think it's worth it, and whilst there may be more down-to-earth resorts out there, there are too many pluses to ignore one of the world's best Alpine resorts.