On Location: Zermatt, Switzerland

By Gray Shealy

I was on the Glacier Express, climbing. Tripling my altitude in sheer minutes. It was dark out and all I could see were the silhouettes of these mountains all around, and the twinkles of the occasional village. Zermatt was chilly even in the autumn, so I was happy to have my brand new Nordic ski coat.

I couldn’t see much of the town at night - only in the moonlight could I depict quaint tudor, Alpine architecture. My hotel was half the nightly rate of any other place in town – I was expecting a dump, but I ended up with a fantastically spacious room. Most impressive: the balcony view. In the dark sky, I could detect the moonlit outline of the Matterhorn. It was like I was dreaming - this incredible, world renowned icon from my bedroom!

By the morning light, clouds had already covered the Matterhorn’s tip. And then came a rush of fog and rain. I walked around town in the drizzle - watching the cloudy blue streams rush into the canals, and gazed at the steep slopes all around, tops covered by this cotton-candy-like mist. Daring for more of a hiking adventure, I took this funicular-like vehicle that shot up through a tunnel like a rocket at a 45 degree angle for more than 5 minutes  – a bad 60s abstraction of a roller coaster, a long orange and yellow corridor racing to the top of the Sumegga summit at 2300m (7,500 ft).  The views were spectacular, despite the Matterhorn’s timid vail. I could see tremendous mountains surrounding me, deep valleys and gorges beneath. I was utterly breath-taken - not to mention the high altitude’s oxy-deprivation. My stroll led me down to a crystalline pond, the Leisee, and then the little village of Findeln–the epitome of what I imagined a Swiss town to be: Little wooden cottages clinging to the sides of the hill, surrounded by children blowing on their kazoos, and a flock of sheep, grazing, with their cowbells clanking. 

As I moved out towards the Grindjisee, I realized just how alone I was. I was above the treeline, little bits of moss and rocks surrounded by these awe-inspiring peaks above me. For three hours, I only passed a few silent cable car lines, and heard the distant bells of grazing sheep. At one point, I re-entered the forest –  a land of twisting trunks and fuzzy leaves, a pristine natural environment. Behind me appeared a massive glacier, and then a dramatic waterfall revealed itself. I heard only the distance of the water, and nothing else. Silence. There were some black squirrels and an inquisitive deer. But not a single person the entire time. By the time I reached Zermatt once again, I indulged in some serious Swiss hospitality: the steam room and sauna and a little cheese fondue dinner were just what the doctor ordered.

On my last morning – I woke up early, hoping that the weather would be good enough to catch another glimpse of the Matterhorn before I left. Naturally, the whole city was encased in fog, and it was raining – my hopes shot to the ground. I began to sullenly wander about town and suddenly spotted a little patch of blue sky peering beyond the clouds. I ran back into the hotel and asked the front desk manager to check the webcam at the Matterhorn to see if it was clear up on the mountain…and it was! So instantly, I made a daring decision to risk my train reservation and take the cable car up to the top of the Matterhorn! 

There were three stages of this ascent: first, on a ski lift to the little village of Furi, then a rather large cable car up to Trochener Steg before the final climb to the top of the Matterhorn. Crossing over a great crevasse, we flew into the clouds as though we were travelling on some foreign planet. From Trochner, I could see the peak of the Matterhorn rushing above us like a phoenix, covered in snow, and completely cloud-free. Here I was, face to face with the icon of Switzerland! This, the highest cable car in the world, is a marvel of engineering - crossing glaciers and steep cliffs to the dramatic finale at the mountain peak itself. We were higher than I’ve ever been on land before, some 3883 m (12,740 ft). From here, the panoramas were breathtaking: Switzerland to my North, and Italy and France to my immediate South and East. We crawled beneath the alpine frontiers in a profound glacial grotto - an underground cave system, a blue ice tunnel, polished by the heat of passers by. Emerging into the light, a plaque at the vista read: “Great are the works of the Lord” - and indeed such a place at the ends of the Earth can only be described as such.

Stay: Hotel Albatros

See: Sunnegga and Klein Matterhorn

Photo Source: Tom Archer, National Geographic, The Lover’s Passport, Wikipedia, The Photo Hikes, FullSuitcase

Syllogi’s ‘On Location’ is a series of trip reports reflecting on our personal travels, as we research and experience the bounty the world has on offer.