Skiing: Zermatt
Back after a weekend skiing in Zermatt. Friday afternoon, Richard, Lindsey, Adrienn, Jacqui and I headed out on the train to Zermatt. It was dark by the time we got there, and we decided to go out for a while. Zermatt is known for its nightlife. We found what seemed to be the busiest place and went in. They actually sold pitchers of beer there! First time I've seen that in Europe. The DJ there also had ADD or something, because he only played the first minute or so of every song. He made pretty good choices though, so it was all good. At around midnight we headed home and hit the sack.
In the morning, Shane and Evan came by the hostel, they had renegade camped overnight near Visp. We got all organized and headed up the mountain. The final cable car is pretty intense, you go right up into the side of the Klein Matterhorn, and then have to walk through it by means of a tunnel.
The way down didn't look so great though. It was all a huge groomer, and off-piste on a glacier is really dangerous due to crevasses. We sped down the groomer, and some Swiss guy yelled at Evan, even though he ran into Evan. We caught a different lift up, and hiked up a little section near the top. What we learned from the hike is that the whole other side had no exit, so it wasn't skiable unless we wanted to do a huge hike.
We took the longest T-bar setup ever, did a couple laps of the T-bar and the park and then stopped for lunch at the top. We took a look at the Italian side, and some lady got mad at us for standing in her sun for a moment. People seem to be impatient here. The snow on the Italian side looked pretty good, but our tickets didn't cover that, so we couldn't go down.
After lunch we talked to some guys who told us about one spot up top on the glacier that was safe and had good snow, so we headed over to that. We only got two runs in on it, but they were good fun. After that Evan and I booked it down the ski-out all the way down to Zermatt.
We dropped off our equipment and headed into a Coop to get some food and wandered around town. On the way back, we took a look around the graveyard, which was full of climbing graves.
After getting home and having some food, we started thinking about the party for the night. I invited a Norwegian guy named Axel to join us partying for the night. It was still early, so we waited for a while, then started playing a card game called High, Low, Red, Black. Basically your partner flips a card, then you guess whether the next one will be higher, lower, red, or black. If you get it wrong you drink and start over, if you get it right five times, you switch with your partner and they start guessing.
Needless to say, everyone got pretty drunk after this, and we headed to the same bar as the night before. It was a blast, I think everyone had a really good time, but I only stayed out until one or so. The next morning we were slow to get going, but it didn't really matter since the conditions weren't that good. Axel joined us, and we decided to take the alpine train to Gornergrat instead this time. The train had a really nice view, but kept lurching to a halt and throwing people around.
At the top of Gornergrat they have the highest hotel in the Alps, at 3100m. There is also a great view of Monte Rosa, the highest peak in Italy. We looked around and decided to take the next cablecar over to Hohtälli. We were the only ones going over, and there was a cablecar full of people going the other way. On the other side we realized why. There was no way down. The only run down was closed, and the cablecar going further up was closed too.
We asked around to see why the run was closed, and were told that it was because of low snow coverage towards the bottom. We decided to gamble and go, because the worst that could happen would be a big hike over rocks. It turned out a lot better than that, and we were able to ski the whole way down. We even spotted a good off-piste area, but wanted to see it from below before trying it.
We caught the next cable car back up to the top, and went over to the section we had spotted. We got in some really good turns in there, and then hiked out through a creek bed. We took our skis off because we were worried about sliding in between rocks. Next we headed back up to Gornergrat, and on the way over spotted some tracks under the hotel that looked promising.
At the top we took a few minutes to grab some pictures and relax, then stepped in and dropped in. I really enjoyed that line, even though the snow was a bit crusty near the top. We did another full loop and moved over to the next chute, which was an even better run for me. I got a small 2 or 3m cliff drop in the middle and some great turns. I reinjured my skier's thumb though, and the annoying part was it was on the flat traverse after the run, I stepped off the track and tripped up in my skis and landed on my thumb.
The day was pretty much done, so then we just headed down and met up at the train station and headed home. All in all, Zermatt was definately worth going to, but it wasn't the quality of skiing that made it worthwhile. It was the party atmosphere, the beautiful views and hanging out with friends that made it a good trip. And I guess we can't complain about those lines on the second day.
Richard and Lindsey
Adrienn, Jacqui and I
In the morning, Shane and Evan came by the hostel, they had renegade camped overnight near Visp. We got all organized and headed up the mountain. The final cable car is pretty intense, you go right up into the side of the Klein Matterhorn, and then have to walk through it by means of a tunnel.
View of the Matterhorn from Zermatt
The way down didn't look so great though. It was all a huge groomer, and off-piste on a glacier is really dangerous due to crevasses. We sped down the groomer, and some Swiss guy yelled at Evan, even though he ran into Evan. We caught a different lift up, and hiked up a little section near the top. What we learned from the hike is that the whole other side had no exit, so it wasn't skiable unless we wanted to do a huge hike.
Evan and Shane hiking
Next to the Matterhorn
We took the longest T-bar setup ever, did a couple laps of the T-bar and the park and then stopped for lunch at the top. We took a look at the Italian side, and some lady got mad at us for standing in her sun for a moment. People seem to be impatient here. The snow on the Italian side looked pretty good, but our tickets didn't cover that, so we couldn't go down.
The Italian side
After lunch we talked to some guys who told us about one spot up top on the glacier that was safe and had good snow, so we headed over to that. We only got two runs in on it, but they were good fun. After that Evan and I booked it down the ski-out all the way down to Zermatt.
After a glacier run
View into Zermatt
We dropped off our equipment and headed into a Coop to get some food and wandered around town. On the way back, we took a look around the graveyard, which was full of climbing graves.
He Chose To Climb
After getting home and having some food, we started thinking about the party for the night. I invited a Norwegian guy named Axel to join us partying for the night. It was still early, so we waited for a while, then started playing a card game called High, Low, Red, Black. Basically your partner flips a card, then you guess whether the next one will be higher, lower, red, or black. If you get it wrong you drink and start over, if you get it right five times, you switch with your partner and they start guessing.
High, Low, Red, Black
Needless to say, everyone got pretty drunk after this, and we headed to the same bar as the night before. It was a blast, I think everyone had a really good time, but I only stayed out until one or so. The next morning we were slow to get going, but it didn't really matter since the conditions weren't that good. Axel joined us, and we decided to take the alpine train to Gornergrat instead this time. The train had a really nice view, but kept lurching to a halt and throwing people around.
Evan and Axel in the morning
At the top of Gornergrat they have the highest hotel in the Alps, at 3100m. There is also a great view of Monte Rosa, the highest peak in Italy. We looked around and decided to take the next cablecar over to Hohtälli. We were the only ones going over, and there was a cablecar full of people going the other way. On the other side we realized why. There was no way down. The only run down was closed, and the cablecar going further up was closed too.
Flight over Monte Rosa
Kulmhotel Gornergrat
We asked around to see why the run was closed, and were told that it was because of low snow coverage towards the bottom. We decided to gamble and go, because the worst that could happen would be a big hike over rocks. It turned out a lot better than that, and we were able to ski the whole way down. We even spotted a good off-piste area, but wanted to see it from below before trying it.
Axel in a tight spot
Out without a scratch
We caught the next cable car back up to the top, and went over to the section we had spotted. We got in some really good turns in there, and then hiked out through a creek bed. We took our skis off because we were worried about sliding in between rocks. Next we headed back up to Gornergrat, and on the way over spotted some tracks under the hotel that looked promising.
Shane making a track
Evan spraying snow
Waiting in the cablecar
At the top we took a few minutes to grab some pictures and relax, then stepped in and dropped in. I really enjoyed that line, even though the snow was a bit crusty near the top. We did another full loop and moved over to the next chute, which was an even better run for me. I got a small 2 or 3m cliff drop in the middle and some great turns. I reinjured my skier's thumb though, and the annoying part was it was on the flat traverse after the run, I stepped off the track and tripped up in my skis and landed on my thumb.
At the top of our line
View of the first line from far away
View of our last lines
The day was pretty much done, so then we just headed down and met up at the train station and headed home. All in all, Zermatt was definately worth going to, but it wasn't the quality of skiing that made it worthwhile. It was the party atmosphere, the beautiful views and hanging out with friends that made it a good trip. And I guess we can't complain about those lines on the second day.
The Matterhorn
posted by Devon at 13:25
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