Zermatt by Chad, Emily and Kenny
Posted on 2016-12-11
Giving some background story, initially when we tried to check in to our hotel, apparently the group before us had flooded our room. So we were upgraded to a different hotel which worked out amazingly well. We have a balcony view of the Matterhorn which was beautiful in the morning as well as plenty of room for the three of us. The shower was interesting as Chad was the first to try it out. There was only a half glass on the shower so chad learned quickly that the group before us probably flooded the bathroom because they tried to shower normally which just threw water everywhere.
After getting prepared we headed out early to catch the lift up to Matterhorn glacier paradise. At ground level in Zermatt we were about 5200 feet above sea level (according to my Samsung galaxy S4). At the top of the lift we were aiming to be about 13000 feet above sea level. The lifts went up rather quickly and by the time we hit the top you could tell there was an oxygen difference. Chad felt it mostly as he was getting a bit light headed and sickly feeling but he was a trooper and stuck it out. Once we were at the top we saw a view that was unlike any other.
We were surrounded by the Swiss Alps. The mountains were GIANTS. Each one beside each other were either approaching 4k meters in height or surpassed it. The Matterhorn itself lies at 4478 Meters I believe (Fact checking can’t happen at this point as I am still on the train without internet). After taking a few pictures and videos I had a deep urge to hike. We were right beside Breithorn which was a 2.5-hour hike to the summit (or so I had read), which looked like a fairly doable hike in a day. The problem is that once you approach the base, it starts a pretty huge vertical climb. Equipment should be used such as crampons and ropes and gear we didn’t have.
So I convinced Emily to go on a small trek with me while Chad had a sit down to get ahold of his altitude. We walked over to where we could see several hikers making their way to Breithorn and had a mini photo session. The snow was getting deep and I could tell we would be unprepared to do any real hiking. The snow was slick and the boots we had were not ready for the journey that would lay ahead. So we headed back for Chad and then made our way back down the mountain.
After a quick lunch (Every place to eat in Zermatt is a bit pricy, we tried to save a bit here by grabbing a cheap lunch but we still spent about 9 franks each (which is maybe 11 or so USD). We headed over to the Gornergrat. This is a train that takes you up the mountain to about 3100 meters above sea level (about 10500 ish feet above sea level according to the S4). This place was beautiful and the train ride was equally so. The train winds its way up the mountain giving you views towards the Matterhorn and the east side of the Gornergrat. Once at the top there is a shnazzy Hotel you can stay at (I asked – it was about 374 Franks for that night) and a restaurant to enjoy the view at - It is also an observatory.
From here I hiked a bit our along the ridge where I could see there was a trail. It looked like the trail would go from peak to peak on some of the connected mountains. I was itching to go hiking but once again I knew I was not prepared so I settled with making a cairn on the peak and taking some pictures and video and headed back to the group.
Each of the stops upon the Gornergrat train are also stops to go skiing, you can pretty much ski between each different peak and each different ski lift. It is such a larger area, for as many people as we saw there, none of the routes looked super crowded. The place is just awesome to look at and you can spend a ton of time exploring each different part and not get tired of what you see. You will also be yearning for more of this place – views, experiences time – it’s just not enough.
As we headed down the mountain the light slowly set behind the peaks to the left of the Matterhorn. Darkness hits Zermatt early as it is just surrounded by mountain giants. As we reached the bottom we headed back to our hotel, grabbed our luggage and headed towards the train. We were now heading to Interlaken for the next two nights where we would use this location as a launch pad for our next stops.
