Riederalp is the car-free balcony of the Aletsch Arena, reached only by cable car from the Valais valley below and perched at 1,925 m above the longest glacier in the Alps. Sister to Bettmeralp on the same lift system, it gives 104 km of piste over the UNESCO Aletsch panorama. The Riederfurka and Moosfluh sectors are usually the quietest of the three terrace villages.
Riederalp is a ski-in/ski-out resort (most of the village is genuinely on the snow) in Switzerland, in the Swiss Alps. The village sits at 1925 m and the lifts top out at 2870 m, with 104 km of pistes and 35 lifts. Its BestSnowHotels snow score is 88/100, and the season usually runs Nov 30 → Apr 21.
How we score and classify resortsResearched by the BestSnowHotels team
Run counts and piste kilometres are indicative. Green runs only exist in France, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Lesotho, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Chile; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany start at blue. Indicative average snow depth near the top of the resort, in cm.
A handful of well-rated hotels in and around the resort. Pick one, then compare live prices across Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Excellent · 618 reviews
A long-standing favourite in Riederalp, trusted by thousands of guests before you.
Guests rate this hotel as excellent (4.6/5 from 618 reviews). A upper-scale option for Riederalp, with live nightly rates shown for your exact dates so you always see the best price.
Excellent · 496 reviews
One of the highest-rated places to stay in Riederalp, with guests singling out the service and comfort.
Very good · 474 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Riederalp.
Excellent · 267 reviews
One of the highest-rated places to stay in Riederalp, with guests singling out the service and comfort.
Very good · 340 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Riederalp.
Excellent · 227 reviews
One of the highest-rated places to stay in Riederalp, with guests singling out the service and comfort.
Very good · 301 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Riederalp.
Excellent · 224 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Riederalp.
Very good · 188 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Riederalp.
Great · 294 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Riederalp.
Great · 220 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Riederalp.
Excellent · 81 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Riederalp.
Ratings from Google, prices indicative per night. Live availability and rates via our booking partners.
Because the village is car-free and built along the piste, most hotels are genuinely ski-in/ski-out; bags travel from the cable car on small electric carts.
From the Mörel station at the bottom, a cable car lifts you out of the Rhone valley fog and onto the sunlit balcony where Riederalp stretches along a wooden shelf at almost 2,000 m. There are no cars, only electric carts and ski lifts, and the chalets sit so close to the runs that ski-in/ski-out is the rule rather than the exception. The Aletsch Arena lift system links the village to Bettmeralp and Fiescheralp, with 104 km of piste mostly between 2,000 and 2,870 m and reliable snow from late November to late April. The signature moment is the Moosfluh viewpoint, where the runs roll back towards the village above the slow brown curve of the Aletsch glacier. Beginners get long, easy carousels on Riederfurka, freeride lines fall north off the Bettmerhorn, and the Wurzenbord blue run is one of the best learner descents in the Alps. Evenings are short and quiet, lit by chalet windows and the white shoulder of the glacier across the valley.
Hotels and apartments around the lifts. Compare prices on Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Everything on our site connected to Riederalp: its area, the lists it makes, head-to-heads and trip guides.
Riederalp offers 104 km of pistes across 35 lifts, from 1925 m to 2870 m. Whether it suits beginners depends on the dedicated learner zones at the base of the slopes, so check the local ski-school options for green and blue run access.
The season runs from Nov 30 to Apr 21, with a snow score of 88/100. Snow is usually most reliable in the heart of that window, deep in winter, while the closing weeks bring longer days and softer afternoon snow.
Because the village is car-free and built along the piste, most hotels are genuinely ski-in/ski-out; bags travel from the cable car on small electric carts.
Riederalp has 104 km of marked pistes served by 35 lifts, between 1925 m and 2870 m of altitude.
Riederalp counts about 67 marked runs in total. The colour breakdown above shows how they split by difficulty, a good guide to whether the resort fits your level.
The closest alternatives, an easy switch if dates or hotels are tight.
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