We may be feeling cold enough already, but Saas Fee's ski slopes open this Saturday, 14th July for their summer skiing and boarding season. In fact unlike most summer ski destinations Saas Fee doesn't actually close again in the late summer or early Autumn, it's open right through to May 2013 – an impressive 10 month ski season.
Saas-Fee remains popular throughout the year, and with its 20km (nearly 13 miles) of summer trails on the glacier, and a vertical of up to 800 metres ( 2630 feet) it's a popular summer training ground for the national teams of the US, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden and others. If you fancy a day out too, nearby Zermatt's year-round ski area is an easy trip.
You can either go an ski or board the glacier yourself in the morning, or sign up for one of the summer camps for a full on experience and professional training. These include camps organised by Brit Warren Smith (www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com) with training right up to competition and instructor level available.
But anyone staying in Saas Fee can make use of its newly declared status as, "the Free Republic of Holidays." They'll receive the new Saas-Fee passport which provides free use of all local buses and cable cars and also provides 10% discounts on summer and winter ski passes, as well as a lot of other benefits including reduced rates on many sport and leisure activities.