Early birds catch the worm in Zermatt

Winter sports enthusiasts who take luxury ski trips to Zermatt will reap the rewards of being early risers, tourism officials have stated.

Every Thursday, some of the slopes between Trockener Steg and Furi are opened up to skiers earlier than usual, which allows those who don't mind getting out of bed a little prematurely to be the first people to benefit from any overnight snowfall.

Skiing on untouched snow is strangely satisfying and the fact that most other people are still tucked up in bed means the whole resort is extremely peaceful.

"The feeling is overwhelming: the mountain world is quietly starting to wake up, and your tracks in the snow are the very first, and your freedom on the piste is boundless," a tourism chief noted.

Later in the day, official guided tours of Zermatt's artificial snow systems - which help cover 60 per cent of the resort's pistes - are opened up to inquisitive holidaymakers, who want to see how the slopes are maintained on a day-to-day basis.