One of the best chocolates in the world, the Swiss Toblerone, has the same shape as the legendary Matterhorn, which the locals affectionately call "Horu? And when the Horu, supposedly the most beautiful peak in the world, has been garnished with fresh powder, the ski area around the Matterhorn becomes a real freeride paradise. And after a perfect day of freeriding, the famous Toblerone tastes even better with an evening view of the countless 4000-metre peaks.
Zermatt lies at the end of the Mattertal valley and in the heart of Valais and boasts an impressive 40004-metre backdrop and overwhelming glacier streams. Above all, the unique Matterhorn, which the Valaisans affectionately call "Hore". The protected inner-Alpine region on the main Alpine ridge may not be breaking any precipitation records, but the amount of snow in winter 2011/12 is still above the long-term average. The decent snow conditions and the predicted heavy snowfall motivated us to visit the Matterhorn ski paradise and investigate its freeride potential.
Every mountain fan who has been bitten by the mountaineering bug should have made a pilgrimage to the Matterhorn at least once in their life. When we arrived, the predicted cold front arrived and greeted us with fresh powder and temperatures well below zero. As it turns out, this decision was more than worth it, even if there is significantly more snow right on our doorstep this winter.
The village of Zermatt, which has around 5,000 inhabitants, is located at 1,620 m above sea level and is bustling with ski tourists from all over the world. The hustle and bustle at the train station is also helped by the many small electric cars that drive tourists through the village, bring the post, deliver goods to the supermarkets and transport building materials to the many construction sites. Zermatt does not live up to its reputation as an idyllic, car-free mountain village when we arrive. Exhausted from the long journey, we move into our accommodation and study the maps over a well-earned beer to plan our descents for the next day. Early in the morning, we march to the cable cars in the direction of Klein Matterhorn, where we have arranged to meet up with three locals.
The area around the Klein Matterhorn and Schwarzsee
We meet punctually at 8:15 a.m. at the access point to the Klein Matterhorn to be the first to pass through the turnstile at 8:30 a.m. and sit in the gondola heading up the mountain. The day starts cloudy and it is still snowing lightly, but the weather forecast gives hope for sunshine. However, the current high avalanche level forces us to be defensive. During the ride towards Schwarzsee via Furi, we do the avalanche transceiver check in the gondola and strap on our boots, helmets and goggles so that we can dive straight into the fresh powder. When we arrive at the Schwarzsee intermediate station, we are immediately directed back into the cable car as avalanche blasting still has to be carried out. Disappointed, we continue on to Trockener Steg. Here, at an altitude of almost 3,000 m, the icy wind sweeps around our ears. After a brief orientation and consultation, we continue up the Furgg chairlift to around 3,300 m.
Our companions waste no time in warming up and so we head straight into the powder over the Upper Theodul Glacier, which is very flat and can only be skied in a schuss with around 30 cm of fresh snow. No matter, the legs are still cold but the skis immediately start to float and the flow feeling slowly starts to set in. At the Trockener Steg, the terrain becomes steeper. There are many different downhill options to Schwarzsee. From here, the terrain is steep enough to make turns that allow you to take face shots while riding and the flow factor increases from turn to turn. Due to the poor visibility, we follow the poles that mark the descent route. Given the avalanche situation and diffuse visibility, this is not the worst choice for the first line. Once we reach the bottom, we get the latest information about the Schwarzsee area. Good luck. The safety work has been completed. From the mountain station, it's skiers right to the possible downhill options through the Inneri forests, which are easy to ski in poor visibility as they run through sparse larch forest, which here reaches up to 2,200 m above sea level. However, if there is a considerable risk of avalanches, you need to know the routes well, as some of them are over 35° steep. We repeat this process three times until the rising air pressure has dispersed the clouds and the sun's rays illuminate a kitschy winter panorama. Now it's time to move on to the Gornergrat area. This area has some interesting off-piste runs, which are located between Hohtälli and Stockhorn and are all untracked thanks to the freshly fallen snow.
Freeriding on the Triftjigletscher
From Gornergrat, we follow the terrain over short steep slopes and couloirs to Gant. Gant is located at around 2,200 m.a.s.l. From here, you can quickly climb more than 1,000 meters in altitude on an aerial tramway and then stand on the Hohtälli at almost 3,300 meters. Continue with the next aerial tramway to the Rote Nase, which is just one mountain peak away. Here you can descend to a T-bar lift that takes you up to the Stockhorn at 3,400 meters. On the Rote Nase, you are in the middle of the huge off-piste area, which runs over the remains of the Triftjigletscher in the upper area and has three secured ski routes. A look to the other side of the valley opens up a view of the glacier world from Monte Rosa to the Breithorn and the Matterhorn. The Gorner Glacier and the Grenz Glacier merge on the valley floor to form a huge ice stream that flows towards Zermatt.
While marveling at the breathtaking panorama, I am approached by an irritated-looking older woman who asks me if this is a glacier? Astonished by the people I meet up here, I strap on my skis and surf down the 1,000 meters of fresh powder to Gant, once again forgetting all the worldly things around me and enjoying the flow. The terrain has a perfect gradient and is interspersed with occasional short steep sections. Freeride experts will also find couloirs and steeper rock faces here. The only downside is the many unsafe skiers and snowboarders who struggle downhill on the secured routes. They can be found all over the slope searching for skis or sliding down. Due to the countless off-piste skiers, the ski routes turn into a mogul slope within a day. Despite all this, there is still plenty of room for turns in untouched snow. If you are looking for new terrain, take the connecting lift to the Rothorn Paradise.
Rothorn Paradise with panoramic views
From the Unterrothorn at over 3,100 meters you have a great view of the Matterhorn. It towers majestically over the village of Zermatt. After a short breather, we follow the Ritzengrad and sooner or later have to decide whether to ski right down to Tufterchumme or ski left to Blauherd. The slope to Blauherd/Tufteren is well over 30 degrees steep in many places and has many hidden shark's teeth (rocks). Due to its south-westerly orientation, the sun quickly eats away the powder snow. With sufficient snow conditions, great firn runs are certainly possible here in spring.
If you want to ski all of the great freeride options on the Swiss side of the Zermatt-Breul Cervinia ski area, you'll be busy for several days. When you've had enough, you should also switch to the Italian side of the ski area. The main Alpine ridge represents a weather divide here. In the event of a südstau, the Italian side benefits from the fresh snow and, conversely, the Swiss side benefits from a really heavy nordstau. Although the snow conditions on the Italian side are not promising at the moment, we decided to visit the Italian side for a day. As the areas are linked, this is not a problem, provided you don't miss the last connection home. The locals tell us that they have often encountered guests from Cervinia, which is on the Italian side, who have stayed behind in Zermatt late in the evening.
Tip visit to Italy
After a day with Bluebird and the finest powder on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn Ski Paradise, today we explore the Italian part of the Aosta Valley. We took the lifts from Zermatt up to the Klein Matterhorn in light snowfall. The weather forecast is mixed, but it should be better in the south. The first descent from the mountain station at Matterhorn Glacier Paradies from an altitude of almost 3,900 meters to Valtournenche at around 1,500 meters is already clear. We use this descent to explore the promising hilly terrain. However, the wind has blown the fresh snow in this part of the ski area. The ridges and exposed areas are free of snow. On the other hand, the weather here is perfect, as the bad weather from the main Alpine ridge is held back on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn. Once we arrive in Valtournenche, we treat ourselves to an espresso in pleasant temperatures and sunshine before heading back into the ski area. As we continue to explore the area, we find some great opportunities for interesting off-piste runs. There are plenty of short runs next to the piste that can be incorporated into the descent again and again. There were even a few powder turns in drifting snow in areas protected from the wind. On the descent to Breuil-Cervinia at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, we found a long, approx. 35° inclined gully near the frozen Lago Giollet, which was great fun.
The day on the Italian side of the ski area showed us how different the weather and snow conditions can be within the Matterhorn Ski Paradise. Depending on where there has been a lot of fresh snow or where the weather is better, you can simply switch sides. The Italian part of the ski area is extensive and very scenic. We experienced a varied day in new terrain with fantastic weather. After Zermatt, we were able to ski back down in 30 cm of powder snow in the evening, which was the icing on the cake of this day.
More pictures of the Zermatt spot report in the gallery
Conclusion
Zermatt boasts a unique mountain backdrop of several 4,000-metre peaks. The freeride area extends over several areas and many interesting freeride runs can be discovered here. However, the terrain is very rocky and requires a thick layer of snow to be able to enjoy it. The touring potential in this area is just as great. Due to the altitude, it should be noted that you are very often on glaciated terrain and that appropriate equipment is required for some descents. Generally speaking, there are not many skiers with wide "laths" for the size of the area. You won't find the many neostylish freeriders that can be found in Andermatt or Disentis here either. In Zermatt, it is the mountain guides who have the terrain firmly under control and lead the ski tourists into the terrain in large numbers. The high price level seems to put some off-piste skiers off, so that you can still find untouched slopes after two or three days with short ascents.
"Horu" - we'll be back to powder!
What you need to know and links
Map material
Freeride Map Zermatt 1:25,000
Ski Touring Map Mischgabel 284S 1:50.000
Ski Touring Map Arolla 283S 1:50.00
Tour Overview (Swisstopo Map)
www.gps-tracks.com
Ski area / accommodation
Zermatt-Tourismus
Costs
Parking garage: approx. 14 CHF/day
Transfer to Zermatt: 7.80 CHF (one-way)
Day ticket: 86 CHF (incl. Italy)
All prices as at: March 2012
