Zermatt

an installment of what happens to my photos when i die?

Zermatt, Switzerland

October 2022

Zermatt is a beautiful city at the base of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. You can see the peak above the foothills from almost anywhere in town. There are channels throughout the city that funnel the glacial runoff from the mountains.

One of my favorite things is that the entire town is car-free! We took a train into town and walked pretty much everywhere. There are small electric carts you can hire but otherwise the town is entirely pedestrianized.

I only brought one lens and a tiny tabletop tripod but I did manage to get some star trails in Zermatt! These are about 2 hours' worth of exposures from our hotel balcony.

Matterhorn

The Gornergrat Bahn is a cog railway that goes up into the mountains to a peak called Gornergrat with a great view of the Matterhorn. The ticket allows you to get on and off at intermediate stops, many of which have hotels and restaurants up in the mountains. It starts as a normal train but partway up the mountain you can hear when it switches to the cog-style railway.

The last stop at the Gornergrat peak has a restaurant, hotel, and gift shop sitting at over 10,000 ft above sea level. It was the highest elevation I've ever been to.

Near the top of the railway there are trails headed around the mountain peaks, with ponds where you can catch a great reflection. The elevation made it a little difficult but I stayed out there until I was about ready to pass out. Worth it for these views.

One of the railway stops where we hopped off and caught the next train.

A view from the Matterhorn Glacier Trail

Furi

Partway up the mountain is the hamlet of Furi, accessible via Zermatt's network of cable cars (!!!). It was amazing riding in the gondola up the mountain.

The view from Furi looking down at Zermatt

Furi is also home to some livestock.

This is the Furi Hangebrucke suspension bridge! It's part of the trail connecting Furi to Zermatt via the Gorner Gorge. We walked back down the mountain after taking the cable car uphill.

The view from the Hangebrucke

The aforementioned Gorner Gorge. The trail is a narrow wooden walkway attached to the cliff face.

The river through the gorge

One last Matterhorn

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse