The optimist in me was hoping that we’d wake up to a sunny day given the clear skies the night before. That hope was squashed upon opening the curtains in the morning and seeing some light rain.
We were able to buy our lift tickets at the reception desk of the hotel, which was very convenient. We asked the concierge whether he thought it would be worthwhile to get an international lift ticket (which allows you to ski on both the Swiss and Italian side of the mountain), but he advised us against it given the poor forecast.
The weather actually ended up getting better as we went further up the mountain. As can be seen from the following pictures, the sun even came out while we were waiting for the cable car to head to the top.
The weather held up for a couple of hours and the snow was great. And then it started to snow…and snow…and snow. On the positive side, it felt like no one else was on the mountain and it was great to ski in fresh powder. But as with yesterday, the visibility got a bit limited at times.
The weather started to clear a bit when we were going to stop for lunch, so we decided to take the cable car back up to the Klein Matterhorn peak. It is noted as the highest ski lift in Europe and has a observation platform at 3,883 meters (12,740 feet). On a clear day it offers great views of the Matterhorn, but we weren’t expecting much given the generally poor visibility.
After arriving at the top of the lift, you exit through a tunnel that has been blasted through the entire mountain. About half-way through the tunnel there’s an elevator to the base of the observation platform, which requires a short stair climb of 10 meters or so.
Here are some of the pictures that I took from the platform. Unfortunately, the Matterhorn wasn’t really visible, but the view was still pretty incredible. On the viewing platform there is also a crucifix that I thought looked pretty interesting as well.
The only notable development over lunch was the departure of the prospect of improved weather. The cloud cover had completely returned and the sun had gone away by the time that we had our skis back on and were heading down the mountain. Fortunately, the powder was still fresh and the runs were still wide open.
We skied until the lifts closed and then headed straight to the spa after returning to the hotel. I’m pretty sure that I would have been a lot sorer if not for the solid hour spent rotating between the jacuzzis, pool, sauna and steam room.
For dinner we went out for what I assume will be my last fondue experience until next winter. Unless I have some unforeseen visitors who really want to have fondue in the off-season, I definitely plan on taking an extended break. While I really like it, I feel like I’ve definitely met my quota of excessive molten cheese consumption for the time being.
Here are some pictures of the meal. The appetizer is always my favorite part.
I also found the following interesting. As can be seen from the (poor) camera phone picture, Lionel Richie and Billy Idol are playing at this year’s Zermatt Unplugged event in mid-April. To the extent that you’re looking for a flashback to the 80s, Zermatt is apparently where you find it. As a quick aside, I actually saw Billy Idol at the Bridge School Benefit Concert in 2001 and he was pretty good.
We were able to buy our lift tickets at the reception desk of the hotel, which was very convenient. We asked the concierge whether he thought it would be worthwhile to get an international lift ticket (which allows you to ski on both the Swiss and Italian side of the mountain), but he advised us against it given the poor forecast.
The weather actually ended up getting better as we went further up the mountain. As can be seen from the following pictures, the sun even came out while we were waiting for the cable car to head to the top.
The weather held up for a couple of hours and the snow was great. And then it started to snow…and snow…and snow. On the positive side, it felt like no one else was on the mountain and it was great to ski in fresh powder. But as with yesterday, the visibility got a bit limited at times.
The weather started to clear a bit when we were going to stop for lunch, so we decided to take the cable car back up to the Klein Matterhorn peak. It is noted as the highest ski lift in Europe and has a observation platform at 3,883 meters (12,740 feet). On a clear day it offers great views of the Matterhorn, but we weren’t expecting much given the generally poor visibility.
After arriving at the top of the lift, you exit through a tunnel that has been blasted through the entire mountain. About half-way through the tunnel there’s an elevator to the base of the observation platform, which requires a short stair climb of 10 meters or so.
Here are some of the pictures that I took from the platform. Unfortunately, the Matterhorn wasn’t really visible, but the view was still pretty incredible. On the viewing platform there is also a crucifix that I thought looked pretty interesting as well.
The only notable development over lunch was the departure of the prospect of improved weather. The cloud cover had completely returned and the sun had gone away by the time that we had our skis back on and were heading down the mountain. Fortunately, the powder was still fresh and the runs were still wide open.
We skied until the lifts closed and then headed straight to the spa after returning to the hotel. I’m pretty sure that I would have been a lot sorer if not for the solid hour spent rotating between the jacuzzis, pool, sauna and steam room.
For dinner we went out for what I assume will be my last fondue experience until next winter. Unless I have some unforeseen visitors who really want to have fondue in the off-season, I definitely plan on taking an extended break. While I really like it, I feel like I’ve definitely met my quota of excessive molten cheese consumption for the time being.
Here are some pictures of the meal. The appetizer is always my favorite part.
I also found the following interesting. As can be seen from the (poor) camera phone picture, Lionel Richie and Billy Idol are playing at this year’s Zermatt Unplugged event in mid-April. To the extent that you’re looking for a flashback to the 80s, Zermatt is apparently where you find it. As a quick aside, I actually saw Billy Idol at the Bridge School Benefit Concert in 2001 and he was pretty good.
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