12 October 2014
I got up for breakfast at 9:45am – I was tired but the hotel had a good spread for breakfast. After breakfast I headed back to bed and only got ready to go out by 12:30pm. It was cloudy and cold with a little drizzle. I decided to try and follow the advice the girls gave me the day before on the Gornegrat Bahn. I walked for 20 minutes to the cable car station for Furi, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Schweitzee.
I was informed that Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Schweitzee were closed due to high winds (over 75km/h). I could go to Tockenar Steg (one stop below Matterhorn Glacier Paradise).
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise has all-year skiing on offer. They have machines to create artificial snow and the ski route ends in Trockener Gret.
It was freezing cold at Trockener Steg (2939m).
I could only get a good view of the Glacier, ski ramp and surrounding mountains.
The buildings in Zermatt looked so tiny from where I was.
I had cup of Swiss hot chocolate at the restaurant. To be honest I don’t know what’s so special about it. It tastes quite… regular.
At the Trockener Steg cable station I saw many snowboarders and skiers returning from Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (the cable car stop above which was closed due to high winds).
On the cable car ride down (which was carrying about 10 people) I was surprised to meet an Indian family from Durban, South Africa. They were on vacation in Europe, next stop being a Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise. They’d be visiting similar destinations that I visited on my cruise with the Celebrity Reflection in 2013.
The full return ticket was 65CHF from Zermatt to Furi to Trockener Steg and back. I wanted to hike from Furi to Zermatt on my way back but still had to purchase the cable ticket to Zermatt as it was more expensive to not purchase it (67CHF), even though I wouldn’t be using that final leg of the cable car.
It’s a 1.5hrs hike from Furi to Zermatt.
There was a little drizzle during my hike.
I walked through beautiful meadows, farmhouses and huts.
I found it interesting to see homes with the year it was built listed on it.
There is a nice river beside parts of the trail that also runs through town.
Once I got to my hotel in Zermatt I rested a little.
Supper was at Molino Pizzeria. I loved the décor.
Before turning in that night I took a short stroll through town to see what other activities are available in Zermatt.
Air Taxi offers paragliding in the area.
Beyard Sports offers activities, gear sales and rental for a number of adventure sports including mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding in Zermatt.
Their pricelist.
The Matterhorn Museum was located besides my hotel but I never had a chance to visit it.
