Hiking in Zermatt

The date and time registration opens and closes are the same. This has been done on purpose so that you cannot register for the event directly: you must place yourself on the waiting list first. You may place yourself on the waiting list at any time after 7 pm on January 7. See registration requirements below.

Day 1 (Saturday): Depart Atlanta in the evening.

Day 2: Arrive in Zurich in the morning. Take train to Zermatt at the Zurich airport train station. Arrive in Zermatt in the afternoon, after a 3.5 hour train ride.

Day 3: We meet at Zermatt train station at 10 am and hike 6 km to Täsch. Ascent:176 m; descent: 350 m; hiking time: about 1.2 hs.  The path leads through a variety of terrain, across forest meadows and pastures, and stays near the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn. As walkers approach the large marmot colony, the furry rodents whistle in alarm and disappear into their burrows (the noise of the trains, however, does not disturb them at all). Hikers only have to sit still for a while for the charming creatures to appear again. After lunch in Täsch we hike the 4.4 km Panorama Weg loop. Ascent and descent: 274 m; hiking time: about 1.25 h. The trail leads at first across wide expanses on the valley floor before following the edge of the protective forest along the foot of the slopes. After a bridge across the Vispa river, the route climbs into the picturesque mixed forest. Finally it leads along a high trail at an altitude of about 1,500 m back down the valley, revealing magnificent views of the Mischabel mountains, with the Täschhorn and Dom, as well as of Täsch and Randa. After completing this loop we return to Zermatt for a total hiking distance of about 16.5 km. If you are tired you can talke a 12 min. train ride back to Zermatt. The ticket costs 8.20 Swiss francs (8.20 CHF).

Day 4: We meet at Zermatt train station at 10 am and take the underground funicular to Sunnegga. The journey continues with gondola rail to Blauherd. Finally, a large cable car takes takes us to the Unterrothorn summit (3013 m), with stunning views of many of the 38 4000 m. high peaks surrounding Valais. If we feel up to it, we may then climb the trail to the  summit of Oberrothorn (3,415 m).  After admiring the view we take the cable car down to Blauherd and walk the 5 lake trail (5-Seenweg) http://www.zermatt.ch/en/Media/Planning-hikes-tours/5-Seenweg, which ends at Sunnegga. The hiking distance is 9.3 Km, of which 3.9 km are on a gravel path. The hiking time is about 2.5 hours. Ascent: 285 m; descent: 575 m. After lunch in Sunnegga we walk 3.1 km down to Zermatt (descent: 576 m) or, if you are tired, you can take the cable car down. The cost of the roundtrip by funicular, gondola and cable car from Zermatt to (Unter)Rothhorn is 67 CHF.

Day 5: We meet at Zermatt train station at 10 am and take the cog railway to the Gornergrat (cost of one-way ticket: 45 CHF). The Gornergrat is located between the Gornergletscher and Findelgletscher and offers a view of more than 20 four-thousand metre peaks. This is the last stop of the Gornergrat train, opened in 1898, which climbs almost 1500m through Riffelalp and Riffelberg. At the terminus (3,089 m above sea level) on the southwestern tip of the ridge is a hotel. The station forms part of the Zermatt ski area. From 1958 to 2007 there was a cable car from Gornergrat over the Hohtälli to the Stockhorn which, until the construction of the Klein Matterhorn cable car, was the highest mountain station in Zermatt. After having lunch and admiring the view, which is so far my favorite in Switzerland, we hike around 20 km back to Zermatt, partly along the Gornergrat to Zermatt bike trail. The route leads down via gravel paths and mountain lanes, along single-track trails and fields, past alpine pastures, hamlets and mountain lakes. Each sparkling mountain pool has a character all of its own. If we feel like swimming we can take a dip at the Grünsee. Ascent: 206 m; descent: 1693 m.  Hiking time: between 5 and 6 hours. http://www.zermatt.ch/en/Media/Planning-hikes-tours/Biketrail-Gornergrat-Zermatt

Day 6: This is a free day. We will use it to reschedule events in case of bad weather. We can also use it for a day trip to a different town, such as Visp or Martigny.

Day 7: This is our only D5 hike. We meet at 9 am in front of the Matterhorn museum, ascend to the Schwarzee, have lunch at the inn and return to Zermatt by a different route. If you are tired you can take the ski lift down. If you don't want to walk up, you can take the ski lift up and wait for us at the inn while sipping your favorite beverage and enjoying the view. A one day ski lift pass costs 79 CHF. We will initially follow roads, climbing steadily first to Furi and then to the dam near Zmutt. We will then follow a trail route I used on a previous ascent. Although the elevation change is nearly 1100 meters both up and down, the ascent is not steep at all and I did not find it very challenging. We can stop at Furi and other places for refreshments and/or lunch. Total distance should be around 22 km. Hiking time: around 8 hours.

Day 8: We return to Zurich in the morning. In early evening we take a short train ride to the airport (cost: around 3 CHF) and fly back to the US.

Day 9 (Sunday): Arrive in the US in the morning.

Registration Requirements: To participate in this event you must be either an AOC trip leader or be recommended by an AOC trip leader. This requirement is in place to verify that you have the necessary level of fitness and, most important, that you are a sociable person that will get along with the rest of the group and will not engage in disruptive behavior. Please put yourself on the waiting list. I will check whether you qualify and, if you do, will move you to the list of participants, provided the maximum number of participants has not been reached.  People that put themselves on the waiting list before you will have precedence. After I move you to the list of participants please mail me a check for $25.00 to: Richard Zalik, P.O. Box 29732, Atlanta GA 30359. I will transfer the money to AOC.

DISCLAIMER: The Trip Leader for this event has elected either to personally collect the funds that event participants are required to pay, or to require participants to pay funds directly to a third party. No funds will be paid to the Atlanta Outdoor Club for this event, except for the $25.00 user fee. Therefore, by registering for this event, you acknowledge and agree to the following: (1) the monies paid by registrants will not be monitored, managed, or otherwise accounted for by the Atlanta Outdoor Club; (2) that the Atlanta Outdoor Club bears no financial responsibility for this event; and (3) you waive any and all claims against the Atlanta Outdoor Club, and hold the Atlanta Outdoor Club harmless for the loss of any monies you paid for this event.

You pay AOC a $25.00 nonrefundable user fee, which I will collect. The rest of the expenses you pay on your own.

Here are some tips: Right now, the Swiss Franc (CHF) and the US dollar have the same value. If you are traveling with somebody else, it is much cheaper to rent an apartment for a week than to stay in a hotel. I rented a one bedroom apartment for 976 CHF plus an additional 125 CHF for taxes (2.50 CHF per person per day), and laundry and cleaning fees. Depending on where we travel, expect to pay between 300 and 400 CHF for travel within Switzerland, including chairlifts, gondolas etc. After I receive your payment for the AOC user fee I will send you an information file in which I will suggest a reputable realtor for your apartment rental and advise you on ways to decrease your transportation costs within Switzerland. Allow one and a half times as much for food expenses in Zermatt as you would allow in Atlanta, but good restaurants can be even more expensive. Prices quoted are current up to the date of posting this event and do not reflect any potential discounts.

Pictures of Zurich and Zermatt