A year ago, I landed at Geneva Airport in the cold of mid-January with nothing booked bar a Swiss rail pass and a flight home from Zurich at the end of the week. I did (spoiler alert) manage to find a place to stay every night. I also discovered that I was pretty much the only visitor to the Swiss Alps not on skis. Nevertheless, I had a ball, and for my first #throwbackthursday on this website, I thought I'd share my day exploring the Gornergrat Railway.
Yes, I get to write about mountains and trains today!
The Gornergrat Bahn snakes southwards and upwards from its terminus in Zermatt to the summit station at 3089m, where there's a hotel (complete with astronomical observatories), shop, restaurant, and a small chapel. The actual summit at 3,135m is just beyond the hotel, but sadly on my visit the viewpoint is snowbound, depriving me of the opportunity to play I spy with the Monte Rosa hut.
That's not to say I didn't get a view. The Gornergrat has arguably the best view from anywhere of the famous Matterhorn. The cable car station at Klein Matterhorn is closer to her big sister (as well as higher at an eye-watering 3,883m) - but whilst the view there is extraordinary in so many ways, the perspective of the Matterhorn itself is better from the Gornergrat. At least, it is to the eyes of this observer. Have a look for yourself.
The Matterhorn from Gornergrat summit station
One stop down from the summit station is the first intermediate halt of Rotenboden. At 2,815m, it's still over twice as high as Ben Nevis - something that's easy to forget when you've just hopped off a train! In winter, Rotenboden is the drop-off point for Iglu-Dorf Zermatt, a genuine igloo hotel and bar. It's an astonishing place but it doesn't come cheap to stay there or eat there. For the more budget-conscious like me, you can settle for a glühwein and a shot of jealousy towards everyone skiing straight into the bar, before heading back up the cleared snow path to the station.
It wasn’t time to hop back on the train just yet though. In summer, the Gornergrat is crossed by a series of hiking routes, but in the winter, unless you are on skis, there are just two cleared trails for walking; a long winding trail from the lower station at Riffelalp back into Zermatt, and a higher trail from Rotenboden to the next station at Riffelberg.
This was my first experience of winter alpine hiking, and although the trail is wide, well-marked, and clear, I can't stress enough how important it is to be prepared. Make sure you check that the trail is open and that the weather is set fair. Even in perfect weather, the wind still gusts and the snow blows in your face. It's not an easy walk either. In summer it would be a gentle meandering downward trail, but in winter the compacted path doesn't always stop your boots from crunching into the snow, and the handful of short uphill sections are hard work.
You get quite the payoff, though. Descending out of Rotenboden as the railway rises, first the Riffelhorn summit rises in front of you, and then the entire vista opens up around. In summer, there's a picture-perfect view from Riffelsee towards the Matterhorn to enjoy. That wasn't on offer for me, as the lake is buried deep under the snow in the depths of midwinter, and the Matterhorn itself had by now veiled itself behind a passing cloud. Not to worry - that still left a breathtaking view of the high alps to the west and then to the north as the trail looped back towards Riffelberg.
With the hustle of the ski-runs mostly on the far side of the railway track, there was a sense of isolation I didn't expect. It's about a mile and a half to the finishing point, with 250m of descent and a short uphill section around the mid-point. Walking on the snow can make for slow progress but nonetheless an hour or so should be sufficient even with ample stops for photographs.
Getting there: the Gornergrat Bahn terminus is across the street from Zermatt's main train station. You can't drive into Zermatt, so you'll almost certainly be arriving by train. There's a big park-and-ride down the valley at Täsch if you insist on using your car.
Walking the trail: the Gornergrat Bahn websiste has this handy map of the area in winter (there’s also a summer map). Please do check the weather and the status of the trail before you set off.
Before I finish, and on the subject of trains, how many of you have been hanging on for some more photos of the Gornergrat Bahn? Well…
