Saas Valley Attractions

The narrow Saas valley, through which the Saaser Vispa flows down to join the Rhône, extends for some 28km/17mi to the south of the little town of Visp, on the Rhône, at heights of between 1,000 and 2,000 m/3,281 and 6,562ft, with the popular resorts of Saas Grund, Saas Fee and Saas Almagell. The starting-point of the valley is the village of Stalden, where the Zermatt and Saas valley roads separate.

The name of Saas Fee first appears in the records in 1217, in a document in which the Bishop of Sion disclaims responsibility for the protection of the Antrona pass road. About 1400 the commune of Saas became an independent parish, and in 1893 Fee was also made a separate parish. The local priest, Johann Josef Imseng (1806-69), began to experiment with skis in 1849, and is honored as the pioneer of winter sports in Switzerland.