First time skiing - October 2011

Dear sirs,
Me and my wife will be travelling through Switzerland from October, 18th to 28th. We will arrive in Geneva (2 days), then Interlaken (3 days), Zermatt (2 days), St. Moritz (1 day) and Zurich (2 days).
Since we´ve never skied before, we were considering spending a couple of hours doing a private lesson in Zermatt. I wonder if it´s the best place to do so, considering our itinerary and the time of the year.
We´d also appreciate ANY tips on skiing and booking lessons, since we´re from Brazil and totally clueless about dressing and ski equipment.
Thank you very much in advance!
Claudio

Hello Claudio,

I agree with your choice. October is not winter season yet, so the high ski slopes near Zermatt would be the best location. I would suggest to contact one of the ski schools over there. They can provide suggestions on how to arrange for some lessons.

I hope this gets you started!

Dear Arno,
Tks for your tip! Do you personally know any of the schools and, if so, could you please recommend one of them?
Actually, I really think this is the best way, since we´ve never skied before but I have loads of doubts regarding what to wear, I mean... are there packages with rental equipment and clothes included? I´m afraid we could get there and be "underdressed" on items that will be necessary. I know it´s not winter yet but I´m afraid it could be really cold up there on the high slopes.
Anyway, if there´s any other way you could help me, it will be more than welcome; if not, I´ll try to get all the information directly from the ski school. ;-)
Kindest regards,
Claudio

Hi Claudio,

I don't know these schools personally, but I do know that some of them offer private lessons. I'm sure they can arrange proper gear for you as well. You can ski as high as 3,800 meters at Klein Matterhorn (pictures here), so yes, it will definitely be cold up there. You can contact Zermatt Tourism first and ask whether they can suggest a specific school.

If you find the time, it would be great if you could post back here about your experiences.

Have fun!

Thanks, Arno!
I´ll definitely post here after my trip!
I´m already contacting ski schools and I think everything will be alright!
Kindest regards,
Claudio