Wasserngrat - Gstaad

Character is what earns Wasserngrat its following: of all the Gstaad sectors this is reckoned the most athletic. The black Tiger Run is the steepest descent in the Saanenland and locals treat it as a test of technique. The shaded aspect keeps the snow soft into the afternoon, and experienced skiers find excellent powder lines along the pistes and in the trees. It stays so quiet that regulars describe it as a private club with public access.

Size is the catch: there is a single lift and the whole sector is covered in a couple of hours, and because Wasserngrat is not linked by pistes to the other Gstaad areas, a day here needs a bus or a car. Beginners have little room - the black run is explicitly not for them and the valley descent demands confident technique, leaving only a handful of genuinely easy options. Anyone hoping for broad groomed terrain will find it thin.