Day 3 was absolutely incredible! The Matterhorn finally showed itself – and it was definitely worth the wait!
It started cloudy again but the forecast was promising. But regardless of any stinkin’ forecast we were committed to going to the top of the mountain! We figured we’d spend some more time hiking with the hopes that the more time went by the likelier we’d see the mountain. Again we stopped at the tour office to figure out how to get to the trailhead. More bad news…the gondola to the top of the mountain was closed…due to wind. In all honesty I was severely disappointed! But – she said – the weather may change; it may be open later in the day. With positive thoughts we set out on our hike.
And the weather was clear – not clear enough to see the Matterhorn – but clear enough to see the other peaks and enjoy incredible views!
Today we chose the only direction we hadn’t been yet – towards the Matterhorn. We hiked alongside the valley and the Matterhorn Glacier Palace gondola to the sweet hamlet of Zmutt. In my eyes Zmutt is straight out of a fairytale. It was – probably obviously – closed for the season so it was deserted but one could picture the charm of the place anyway. It is a small village of tiny, closely huddled houses and barns and of course a hotel and bars for the apres ski crowd. It was adorable. The views toward and away were out of a picture book. This was by far my favorite spot of any hike we’ve done so far. And all along the Matterhorn – still behind clouds – lurked.
The hike was amazing because of the views of the mountain peaks ahead and to the right, the views of the valley to the left, and the views of Zermatt itself behind. Everywhere you looked was something new and stunning!
After continuing on past Zmutt we came upon the ugliest building I’ve seen on our trip! Modern and made of concrete – awful. Well come to find out it is a hydroelectric power company that collects the water from a nearby damn and uses pumps to raise to an altitude of 2400 meters where it bores thought tunnels in the middle of the mountain to the Lac des Dix – a Swiss mountain lake. And I must say, the building itself was ugly but the view from the bridge over the Zmuttbach river was jaw dropping! Picture a deep valley with giant icicles raining down and huge evergreen trees draped in snow…
It was on to the ski hamlet of Furi and the location of the mountain station to get to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.
The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise was my number 1 thing to do in Zermatt so I was literally crossing my fingers that the wind had died down and the gondola opened. Thanks again to the wonderful tour operators – this time a lovely woman with a humongous smile – who said that it was open!!! She may have giggled when I clapped my hands like a small child! If nothing else I made her smile bigger 😀
Half of the trip was on the “old” Matterhorn Express part of which began running in 1962 and now reaches halfway to the Glacier Palace. We changed gondolas at Trockener Steg and boarded the new Matterhorn Glacier Ride – a new and extremely impressive cable car that opened just last month! Prior to the you could still reach the glacier palace via cable car but only via one of two 100-seat cabins.
The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise is the highest cable at station in Europe and boasts over 425,000 visitors in 2017 alone. I can see why!
The ride to the top of the mountain is hard to describe. Gorgeous of course. But also scary and ominous. Seeing the massive mountain with wind whipping the snow around them was just impressive. And parts of the glacier itself – colored that unique blue and sporting scary deep crevasses – was awe inspiring.
We finally reached the top. First thing to note – it is very, very, very windy and oh so cold! I mean you’re on a glacier right?!
We headed right for the Glacier Palace – a winter wonderland 15 meters beneath the glacier. It is a playground in the ice – for adults and children alike! Upon entry you walk through an ice tunnel – you’re walking through the glacier. At the end of the tunnel and exquisite ice sculptures of all types – from Jade Dragon to sculpted ice crystals to wolves howling mountainside. You can also sit on an ice throne and be the king or queen of Glacier Palace!
We made a pit stop in the cafe on top of the mountain to thaw out a little and then made our way to the 360 degree viewing platform. At this point you’re at 12739.5 feet! And boy did it feel like it. The winds were so harsh you felt like they’d toss you off the mountain. And the snow and temperature…well it would be a quick visit.
We still hadn’t seen the entire Matterhorn! Don’t get me wrong, there have been stunning bits and pieces of it but I’d yet to see the famous peak that I’ve read so much about. So fingers crossed again! Perhaps needless to say buy that gorgeous beats of a mountain remained elusive. We did, however, see a lot of it. What was interesting to me was the fact that all of the other peaks were very clear but it seemed like the clouds hung onto the Matterhorn. Perhaps it’s a specific weather pattern – I’m not sure. But it made for stunning photos.
We were also able to see the famous Breithorn peak which is just a mere 400 meters smaller than the Matterhorn but just as impressive.
And – so cool – we could even see Mount Blanc – IN FRANCE – from up here. Words can’t do it justice!
http://www.adventuretravelinggirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1385.movAt this point we were exhausted and frozen. It was back to the gondola to make our way down to Zermatt. As we traveled down – wait for it! – the clouds parted and there she was in all her glory. The Matterhorn! A clear, otherworldly view of a giant, beautiful, scary mountain. YES! Again I was like a kid in a candy store. Even John was speechless. I’m not sure there are enough words to describe seeing this. I don’t think there are. This is something you must EXPERIENCE!
Drop the mic!
But wait there’s more. I’d been wanting to see the view of Zermatt from a rooftop terrace at the Omnia hotel – a 5-star hotel in the heart of the city. We decided to take advantage of the clear afternoon and head up. This is also a must do in my opinion. It’s a completely different perspective of the town and the gorgeous Matterhorn and definitely worth the time.
