Nathan Taugwalder

Nathan Taugwalder is a true Zermatt local, who was born and raised in this small town at the end of the mighty Mattertal, in the shadow of the Matterhorn. He first started ski racing at the age of 7, but when he was 14, he turned his attention to park skiing and tricks instead.

He competed in freeskiing and, according to himself, spent more time on his skis than when he was a ski racer, which says a lot. However, after having torn his ACL twice, he decided to call it quits and start working as a ski instructor instead.

His background as both an alpine racer and a park skier is evident in his skiing style, which brings a whole new level of fun and creativity to the groomers. He can lay into the most perfectly carved turn, before breaking out and turning backwards with the same speed and precision.

You might call Nathan a product of the kind of skiing that defines his home mountain with endless, immaculately groomed, runs that drop over 2,000 vertical meters.

Nathan’s style of skiing has also gained him a big following on his YouTube, Instagram and TikTok channels, where he not only publishes clips of himself skiing, but also shares tips on how his followers can improve their own skiing.

In the summertime, you’ll most likely find him tearing up the local trails on his mountain bike.

Outside of his work as a ski instructor, Nathan is also a member of the Swiss demo ski team, an honour reserved for only the very best technical skiers in the game. So, if you ever see a person in a checkered overshirt with a puffy vest on top carving up the Zermatt slopes backwards, it’s most definitely Nathan.

Most memorable skiing experience? “Landing my first 540 after a whole season of 360s. After that, a whole new world opened up, and I began to see the mountain in a whole different light.”

What drives you as a skier? “I just enjoy every moment I get to spend on my skis. I particularly love being up on the mountain with an empty slope ahead, where I’m free to let my creativity flow. The interplay between myself as a skier, my skis, the snow, and the forces of nature when I carve my lines through the snow is indescribable. My background, which includes both racing and a lot of park skiing, and then formation skiing with the demo team, has helped me learn a lot about technical aspects that I’ve been able to incorporate into my own skiing. I also get bored pretty quickly, which is why I’m always trying out new stuff on my skis.”