The Saastal or the Saas Valley is an alpine

Swiss Alps

The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....

 valley in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. It is separated from the Mattertal

Mattertal

The Matter Valley is located in southwestern Switzerland, south of the Rhone valley in the canton of Valais. The village of Zermatt is the most important settlement of the valley, which is surrounded by many four-thousanders, including the Matterhorn.-Geography:Located in the Pennine Alps, the...

 valley by the Dom.

In 1851, Domherr Peter Joseph Ruppen wrote about Die Chronik des Thales Saas, the Chronicle of the Saas Valley. It is still the work over the Saas Valley. Persons like Peter Joseph Zurbriggen and Alois Zurbriggen kept the chronicle scientifically.

Until 1893, the municipalities of Almagell, Balen, Fee

Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...

 and Grund

Saas-Grund

Saas-Grund is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies east of Lenzspitze and Dom.-Geography:Saas-Grund has an area, , of . Of this area, 11.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.5% is forested...

 were a single parish. A church is in Saas-Grund which includes the inhabitants of Almagell, Balen and Fee.

Mattmarksee

Mattmarksee

Mattmarksee is a reservoir in the Saas Valley of the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. The Mattmark dam was built from 1960-1965. The lake's surface area is 1.76 km².-External links:* *...

 is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 built in the 1960s.

The region hosts an extensive winter sports region, comprising the separate ski areas of Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...

, Saas-Grund

Saas-Grund

Saas-Grund is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies east of Lenzspitze and Dom.-Geography:Saas-Grund has an area, , of . Of this area, 11.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.5% is forested...

 and Saas-Almagell

Saas-Almagell

Saas-Almagell is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Saas-Almagell is first mentioned in 1291 as Armenzello. In 1307 it was mentioned as Almenkel.-Geography:...

. As well as individual ski passes a combined pass is available; each of these areas is connected to the other parts of the region by postal bus, rather than dedicated skilifts.