Under tender mercies of Matterhorn
An unforgettable journey to the Swiss Alps
Step off the train in Zermatt and be stunned by the speed with which you become hopelessly obsessed with Switzerland’s Matterhorn – a hypnotic pyramid of a mountain. Clouds can sweep across a China-blue sky in the flash of an eye and obliterate the mountain for days on end. Even on perfect sunny days, a puff cloud often loiters irritatingly around its 4478m hooked summit but when the clouds clear you see the sudden pop-up brilliance that is the Matterhorn.
Learn more on Matterhorn ParadiseA bit of history
The Matterhorn has commanded obsessive behavior since the 1850s when British climbers visited Switzerland to take on the Swiss Alps. With the help of skilled local guides, peaks were swiftly conquered until only one remained: the Matterhorn – an invincible Holy Grail, a haunted mountain created by a folkloric giant who tripped and knocked over the wall of rocks protecting the warm green valley from the icy North wind. Milk stopped flowing in streams, snow fell and the rubble of rock left became known as the Matterhorn. It took eight attempts by English mountaineer Edward Whymper to conquer the Matterhorn. Even then, his victorious ascent on 14 July 1865 ended in tragedy. Four climbers in his party plunged to their death after a rope snapped on the descent. Open-air theatre in Zermatt in July 2015 will recreate the high-altitude drama to mark its 150th anniversary.
Walks and ski runs
Loads of trails, no crampons required, embrace Matterhorn views. But nothing beats the summer mirage of the Matterhorn rising above its mirror reflection on the emerald surface of Riffelsee (2757m) – best early morning or evening when the least amount of breeze ripples the lake. Riffelsee is a kid-easy 10-minute walk from Gornergratbahn’s Rotenboden train station or 30 minutes downhill from Gornergrat top station. For big bold Matterhorn views packed with mountain menace, hike the Matterhorn Glacier Trail (6.5km) from Trockener Steg, mid-station of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. The walk is a scramble across a surreal moonscape of glacier-sculpted ice, scree and rock, but the God-like Matterhorn is always exhilaratingly close, demanding to be worshipped. Every ski run on Rothorn venerates the Matterhorn. From the top of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car, it’s a 13km cruise back down to Zermatt: for epic Matterhorn close-ups take red pistes Matterhorn (number 69) and Stafelalp (number 52). You won’t get closer.
“He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary.”