Car-free village at the foot of the Matterhorn.
On 3 October, Saas-Fee reopened the top of its glacier, below the Allalin. Zermatt followed on 14 October on the Theodul Glacier, closed since late July because of the heatwave. The winter season starts on 31 October in Saas-Fee and on 1 November in Zermatt.
At the very end of the Mattertal, at 1,620 metres, Zermatt nestles beneath the Matterhorn. From the balloon the village looks tiny beside the pyramid that towers over it. All around stands a ring of giants, among the highest on the continent: the Weisshorn, the Dent Blanche, the Dufourspitze or the Liskamm.
For a long time the village was a simple mountain hamlet. Everything changed in 1865, when climbers first stood on the Matterhorn’s summit: first the mountaineers, then the travellers, came flocking from all over. The railway from Visp opened in 1891, and 1944 was the first year in which winter drew more visitors than summer.
In the streets there is no sound of engines. Only electric vehicles get about, moving at walking pace, at twenty kilometres an hour at most, between the chalets and the hotels. Above the village, trains and lifts climb towards the glaciers.
Fly over the village, then go up the valley towards the Matterhorn, following the paths that lead off to the glaciers.
Sources: Wikipedia, “Zermatt” (in French).
Freerider dreams come true in Zermatt! Carve out tracks in fine powdery snow on 36 kilometres of secured but not prepared pistes. The trails are marked in yellow and can be found on the Rothorn, the Stockhorn and along Lake Schwarzsee.
The pleasure-packed Gifthittli to Furi piste consists of sun-spoilt carving slopes with fantastic views of the Matterhorn and plenty of mountain restaurants to top it!
The journey in what has been dubbed the world’s slowest express train takes travellers across the Alps within roughly eight hours, passing through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges.
The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise offers spectacular views of the snow-capped Alpine peaks from lofty heights. The iconic Matterhorn rises majestically on the horizon, making this glacier landscape an unforgettable experience.
The hiking routes around the resort of Zermatt – site of Switzerland’s most famous mountain, the Matterhorn – offer you breathtaking panoramic vistas, lush flowering meadows and fragrant larch forests.
Get back to childhood ...with shrieks of joy on an exciting ten-minute toboggan run from Rotenboden to Riffelberg in snow-white snow facing the Matterhorn.
With its impressive rock formations surrounded by thundering waters, the Gorner canyon between Furri (1865m) and Zermatt (1620m) presents a unique display of the beauty and power of nature.
The Mammoth Fixed Rope Trail Schweifine high above the roofs of Zermatt brings action, views into the depth and a magnificent panoramic vista. Three sections with various degrees of difficulty have been installed. The fixed rope trail can also be hiked with a mountain guide.
Source: Switzerland Tourism — myswitzerland.com, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
