Switzerland

[eddie]

The intention of this thread is not to brag about my recent vacation but to suggest to all fellow hikers and lovers of the mountains that your "Bucket List" must include the Swiss Alps, and especially Zermatt. The geography, history and beauty of the Alps make it one of the most special places on Earth.

Three separate hikes included the Matterhorn to Schwarzsee but the group did not have the gusto to get to the Horhlihutte (base camp for the famous Hornli route up the Matterhorn) down to Stafel, thru Zmutt and back to Zermatt. A second hike was a down-only hike on Gornergrat thru Riffelberg and Riffelalp after an electric cog railway ride up (makes that thing on Mt. Washington look like the piece of junk it actually is). Awesome glaciers and scenery! The third day of hiking was actually a road hike from Brissago to Ascona in the Lakes Region. Also took the tram to Kleine Matterhorn to get the top of the world feeling and bird's-eye view.

Some cool things about the Zermatt area hiking is that this is a huge winter ski resort area that includes strategically placed huts and restaurants/bars throughout, open year-round, and it is not out of the question to be able to "bar-hop" while you are hiking, or lounge on a sunny deck and have lunch served, or get totally away from people and off the beaten path. Another thing that impressed me is the Swiss' attitude toward enjoying the mountains and constructing facilities to take full advantage of the geography and to allow everyone to enjoy the mountains but with an ability to do so in a manner that the facilities seem to fit right into the environment, true balance and harmony. With proper planning it is possible to make everyone happy. We here in the US should take the Swiss model and approach and apply it to our own parks and forests for the benefit of all.

I will post photos as soon as I can. Auf Wiedersehen!

 

[TCD]

Sounds like it was great! I had a great trip to the Bernese Oberland (Eiger) region 3 years ago, and made the same observations. We could also learn a lot about mass transit from the Swiss. You can get anywhere, easily and on time, without a car. My wife and I hope to go back after retirement with an open schedule and just bum around.

 

[leaf]

sweet! look forward to your pictures.

 

[WinterWarlock]

Oh, its OK - brag a little! Sounds like a great opportunity, and looking forward to seeing the pics.

 

[AndyF]

I visited Zermatt in '97 for a couple nights. I went skiing but didn't do any hiking. I'd love to go back to the Swiss Alps for some hiking though.

I got into Zermatt at night so I couldn't see the surroundings of the town. The next morning I woke up, looked outside, and was taken aback by the distinctive profile of the Matterhorn being right outside my hotel.





If you are interested in the rest of my pictures from Zermatt they are here

Zermatt, Switzerland - March 1997

It was the early days of digital photography and these were some of my first photos.

 

[mookie]

andy,
just looked at your photos, as i have been wanting to head to the alps for years now for some snowboarding. was it a dry winter there in 97? noticed there was no snow down low and it was only march.

 

[rhihn]

We did part of the Haute Route (Chamonix to Zermatt) a few years ago. Here are just a few of several hundred pictures.

 

[mookie]

rhihn,
those photos are pretty amazing!! looks like an area i would like to visit!

 

[Willie]

Zermatt ... is a huge winter ski resort area that includes strategically placed ... restaurants/bars throughout ... and it is not out of the question to be able to "bar-hop".

This brings back great memories. When I was in the military on active duty stationed in Germany some years ago, I went to Zermatt to learn how to ski ("bunny" hills with great views of the Matterhorn). I really enjoyed the Swiss style of après-ski. I suppose to be more accurate with all the skiing & bar-hopping going on, it was more like avant, pendant and après-ski.

Say, eddie. Not to get too far off topic, but didn't we bump into each other skiing at Zell am See, Austria, in 1988?

 

[cbcbd]

The intention of this thread is not to brag about my recent vacation but to suggest to all fellow hikers and lovers of the mountains that your "Bucket List" must include the Swiss Alps, and especially Zermatt. The geography, history and beauty of the Alps make it one of the most special places on Earth.

Please... brag away, I completely understand! Ever since going there for a week in '05 I have been dreaming about going back and just yesterday was looking at ticket prices "just to get an idea"

I think I must've lived there in a previous life or something, because the alps definitively draw my soul in.

Post those pics!

 

[Darl58]

Love the pics...I have been thinking of a trip for years and am working on planning one out for soon.

Can't get enough of those views! Thanks for sharing!

 

[AndyF]

andy,
just looked at your photos, as i have been wanting to head to the alps for years now for some snowboarding. was it a dry winter there in 97? noticed there was no snow down low and it was only march.

I am not sure how that winter compared to others. There was dry ground down low, but it is a long way from the top. I had to take two or three trams to get from the very bottom to the very top. Once at top you ski just to the bottom of the last lift for most of the day. At the end of the day you do the long ski run back down to the very bottom and it is a looooong run.

It was great skiing but not terribly challenging as there are no trees, ice, or crowds of people to avoid. I did notice my energy reserves were low for no apparent reason which I think may have been due to the altitude. Guess I won't be climbing Everest anytime soon.

 

[Rick]

I'll be there in a couple of weeks. I am adding Zermatt to my list, which already includes Chamonix. This won't be so much hiking as it will be a family vacation with our 7YO and 11 Month old.
I am interested in any other areas or suggestions. Spent a few years in Germany in Fulda and traveled a lot and have been back a number of times skirting the French, Italian and German Borders, but this is my first real foray into Switzerland and not just through it.
So please feel free to toss out Ideas. I will also be checking Mohammed's Blog.
P.S. We will be renting a car, as based on Eurail Rates for a family, it will still be cheaper for us to rent a a small Diesel golf or Estate Wagon and drive to our locations (Which we still haven't figured out).

 

[DougPaul]

I am adding Zermatt to my list,

P.S. We will be renting a car

You can't drive to Zermatt (or at least you couldn't in 1980). You have to take the train for the last bit of the trip up the valley.


Also we were able to get Swiss Rail passes in 1980 which were cheaper than Eurail passes. Don't know if this will help you.

Doug

 

[Rick]

Thanks DP. WE looked into the Swissrail, but since we need to go to Germany for a few days for a wedding, both the Eurail or a combo Swissrail (limited countries) and simple destination train tickets to Baden for us blew the budget.
Thanks for the tip on the train to Zermatt.

 

[AndyF]

You can't drive to Zermatt (or at least you couldn't in 1980). You have to take the train for the last bit of the trip up the valley.


Also we were able to get Swiss Rail passes in 1980 which were cheaper than Eurail passes. Don't know if this will help you.

Doug

Same was true in 1997 and I doubt that has changed. The Eurail pass did not apply to this train. This train cost 60 Swiss Francs to Zermatt. The fact that there are no cars is one the endearing parts of the town. Roads are filled with people carrying skis not cars.

 

[DougPaul]

Same was true in 1997 and I doubt that has changed. The Eurail pass did not apply to this train. This train cost 60 Swiss Francs to Zermatt.

IIRC, the Swiss Rail pass did cover all the way to Zermatt. (On one rest day, we went all the way from Zermatt to Saas Fee and back at no additional cost.) It also gave savings on a number of the (private?) spur lines such as the train up through the Eiger to Jungfraujoch.

The fact that there are no cars is one the endearing parts of the town. Roads are filled with people carrying skis not cars.

True, but you do have to dodge the horse droppings...

Doug

 

[Abster]

Fantastic!

I wish I were headed to CH this summer also! Have fun!

I did the Haute Route at this time last summer and it was a trip of a lifetime. I have lived in both Garmish-PK in the German Alps and in Liechtenstein where the mountains were the backyard. Agreed that the Europeans have a great way of interacting with the mountains and making them accessible.

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17982&page=2&pp=15

Hanna

 

[Nif]

Absolutely brag away. It is gorgeous. I haven't made it over to Zurmatt, but my tour this spring through the Oberland from Interlaken through Wengen and across to Munster was enought to know I would be going back. The train system is amazing, I wish we had one here. And the COG line there was completely clean...

Glad you enjoyed your trip. I'll anxiously await the pics.

 

[Blue]

I was in Wengen, Bern, Lucerne, and Neuchatel a few weeks ago for work (!) and play. I got to attend the Swiss Yodeling Festival!

I didn't get to hike very much, but my mom and I did hike the Panoramic Trail near the Eiger. Beautiful country.

http://picasaweb.google.com/liza.kelly007/Switzerland2008