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4 days in Zermatt



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 10th 03, 06:12 PM
mike
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Default 4 days in Zermatt

Just returned from early skiing trip at Zermatt. Considered Espace Killy but
thought snow looked better at Zermatt and accommodation availabilty was
easier to find. Conditions were OK, but much worse than last year at this
time.

So, Sunnegga area was very limited with only 3 lifts and a few pistes open.
Rothorn cable car not running with no appreciable snow accumulation visible
above Blauherd (2600 metres). Presumably recent wind has blown the snow
away. Run to Findeln open and a couple of restaurants open on the way down.
Gornergrat area better with many runs open and skiing down to Landtunnel.
But link with Sunnegga only via cable cars.
The best skiing was up at the glacier and over at Cervinia. There, snow
conditions were very good down to Cervinia and seemed most of the area was
open. Even managed to ski right down to Valtournenche although icy and very
uneven lower down - no snow making. On the Zermatt side skiing down to Furgg
was open and the black run from Furgg to Furi was marked closed most of time
but is skiable - badly pisted with big chunks of hard snow in places.
No decent offpiste found - crusty, wind blown.

More crowded than this time last year possibly due to other resorts' poor
conditions and what appeared to be Italian and Swiss public holidays over
the weekend and Monday - can anyone shed light on this?

Accommodation was fairly easy to arrange - about 5th hotel we telephoned on
previous Thursday evening had rooms. Maybe we were lucky. Some hotels were
not open yet.

Queued for Klein Matterhorn cable car for 35 minutes on Saturday midday. On
Sunday we went to Cervinia via the T-bars from Trockener Steg instead of the
cable car, freezing but at least there were no queues for these lifts -
there must have been a long wait for the cable car. Cervinia unfortunately
was covered in low cloud so skiing in really poor visibility. Other days,
and on Zermatt side, were cloudless, sunny but very cold. Generally, the
lifts were busy but I don't think we queued for longer than 10 minutes excep
t as mentioned earlier.

We travelled from Geneva, staying in Visp (Hotel Visperhof - excellent
although only there for 7 hours!) Friday evening, arriving in Zermatt before
9 am on Saturday, then staying in Hotel Derby for 3 nights. Very reasonable
and convenient hotel, in centre on main street about 150 metres up from the
rail station.

The area that can be skied is pretty good, decent base, very few bare bits,
and hopefully more snow will arrive to ease the inevitable congestion over
the Xmas period.

What is scary though is the extent that the glacier appears to have receded
from last Easter when I was last there. From what I remember, great areas
have disappeared and vast new areas of crevasses can be seen.

HTH

Mike


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  #2  
Old December 10th 03, 11:41 PM
Nick Higson
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Posts: n/a
Default 4 days in Zermatt

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the report although it makes for slightly depressing reading !

I am there for 2 weeks from 27 December so am praying nightly to the snow
gods


"mike" wrote in message
...
Just returned from early skiing trip at Zermatt. Considered Espace Killy

but
thought snow looked better at Zermatt and accommodation availabilty was
easier to find. Conditions were OK, but much worse than last year at this
time.

So, Sunnegga area was very limited with only 3 lifts and a few pistes

open.
Rothorn cable car not running with no appreciable snow accumulation

visible
above Blauherd (2600 metres). Presumably recent wind has blown the snow
away. Run to Findeln open and a couple of restaurants open on the way

down.
Gornergrat area better with many runs open and skiing down to Landtunnel.
But link with Sunnegga only via cable cars.
The best skiing was up at the glacier and over at Cervinia. There, snow
conditions were very good down to Cervinia and seemed most of the area was
open. Even managed to ski right down to Valtournenche although icy and

very
uneven lower down - no snow making. On the Zermatt side skiing down to

Furgg
was open and the black run from Furgg to Furi was marked closed most of

time
but is skiable - badly pisted with big chunks of hard snow in places.
No decent offpiste found - crusty, wind blown.

More crowded than this time last year possibly due to other resorts' poor
conditions and what appeared to be Italian and Swiss public holidays over
the weekend and Monday - can anyone shed light on this?

Accommodation was fairly easy to arrange - about 5th hotel we telephoned

on
previous Thursday evening had rooms. Maybe we were lucky. Some hotels were
not open yet.

Queued for Klein Matterhorn cable car for 35 minutes on Saturday midday.

On
Sunday we went to Cervinia via the T-bars from Trockener Steg instead of

the
cable car, freezing but at least there were no queues for these lifts -
there must have been a long wait for the cable car. Cervinia unfortunately
was covered in low cloud so skiing in really poor visibility. Other days,
and on Zermatt side, were cloudless, sunny but very cold. Generally, the
lifts were busy but I don't think we queued for longer than 10 minutes

excep
t as mentioned earlier.

We travelled from Geneva, staying in Visp (Hotel Visperhof - excellent
although only there for 7 hours!) Friday evening, arriving in Zermatt

before
9 am on Saturday, then staying in Hotel Derby for 3 nights. Very

reasonable
and convenient hotel, in centre on main street about 150 metres up from

the
rail station.

The area that can be skied is pretty good, decent base, very few bare

bits,
and hopefully more snow will arrive to ease the inevitable congestion over
the Xmas period.

What is scary though is the extent that the glacier appears to have

receded
from last Easter when I was last there. From what I remember, great areas
have disappeared and vast new areas of crevasses can be seen.

HTH

Mike




  #3  
Old December 11th 03, 12:27 AM
Sue
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Posts: n/a
Default 4 days in Zermatt

In message , Nick
Higson writes

Thanks for the report although it makes for slightly depressing reading !

I am there for 2 weeks from 27 December so am praying nightly to the snow
gods


It had apparently reached 17C in the town last week (there was a foehn)
melting a lot of what'd just fallen. Higher up it didn't melt but it
blew away instead.

It turned extremely cold on Saturday night, the river was freezing up
fast, and Sunday lunchtime at Plateau Rosa the froth froze on our beer!
They were making snow, so unless there's another foehn you should at
least have some steep horrible resort runs to give variety to the
glacier stuff.

Apparently 8th December is some saint's day and is always a local public
holiday, but when it's on Friday or Monday people get a long weekend and
go skiing.
--
Sue ];(
  #4  
Old December 11th 03, 01:00 AM
Sue
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 4 days in Zermatt

In message , mike
writes

Queued for Klein Matterhorn cable car for 35 minutes on Saturday midday. On


That was because Switzerland's First Chairlift on a Glacier wasn't
working, again, Bruce.

You were lucky to get away with 35 minutes.
--
Sue ];(
  #5  
Old December 11th 03, 08:11 AM
Ian Spare
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Posts: n/a
Default 4 days in Zermatt

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 00:27:17 +0000, Sue
wrote:

Apparently 8th December is some saint's day and is always a local public
holiday, but when it's on Friday or Monday people get a long weekend and
go skiing.


It's the day of Immaculate Conception actually :-)

Ian
--
Yeah, because you never know when the value of 2^15 will change and
you have to go through all your code fixing it.
-- Paul Tomblin
  #6  
Old December 11th 03, 08:42 AM
Paul Schofield
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Posts: n/a
Default 4 days in Zermatt


"Ian Spare" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 00:27:17 +0000, Sue
wrote:

Apparently 8th December is some saint's day and is always a local public
holiday, but when it's on Friday or Monday people get a long weekend and
go skiing.


It's the day of Immaculate Conception actually :-)


So Christmas Day is really the day of superfast gestation?


--
Paul Schofield

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana


  #7  
Old December 11th 03, 08:44 AM
Ace
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 4 days in Zermatt

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 01:00:33 +0000, Sue
wrote:

In message , mike
writes

Queued for Klein Matterhorn cable car for 35 minutes on Saturday midday. On


That was because Switzerland's First Chairlift on a Glacier wasn't
working, again, Bruce.


Hello? I'm over here - that's Michael you're talking to.

You were lucky to get away with 35 minutes.


Oddly, it was working all of the previous weekend when I was there -
the delays we had were further down, due to non-running of the top
section of the new Matterhorn Express bubble.

--
Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.
  #8  
Old December 11th 03, 08:53 AM
BrritSki
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Default 4 days in Zermatt

Paul Schofield wrote:

So Christmas Day is really the day of superfast gestation?

Is that a new quad lift ?

  #9  
Old December 11th 03, 09:54 AM
Ian Spare
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Posts: n/a
Default 4 days in Zermatt

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 08:42:48 -0000, "Paul Schofield"
wrote:


"Ian Spare" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 00:27:17 +0000, Sue
wrote:

Apparently 8th December is some saint's day and is always a local public
holiday, but when it's on Friday or Monday people get a long weekend and
go skiing.


It's the day of Immaculate Conception actually :-)


So Christmas Day is really the day of superfast gestation?


I knew someone would say that or something very similar :-)

Probably better to ask a catholic really ....

--
Yeah, because you never know when the value of 2^15 will change and
you have to go through all your code fixing it.
-- Paul Tomblin
  #10  
Old December 11th 03, 05:47 PM
mike
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Posts: n/a
Default 4 days in Zermatt


"Sue" wrote in message
...
In message , mike
writes

Queued for Klein Matterhorn cable car for 35 minutes on Saturday midday.

On

That was because Switzerland's First Chairlift on a Glacier wasn't
working, again, Bruce.

You were lucky to get away with 35 minutes.
--
Sue ];(


Yes, chairlift not working on Saturday due to "software problems" so I was
informed but OK on other days ; incidently the new 6 seater high speed chair
on the Gornergrat (Gifthittli) has the lift pass readers on the exit, after
the lift, so will be interesting to watch the chaos at peak times...

and "only" 35 minutes queuing because we were a lot more determined than the
Italians and other people faffing about... but would have been quicker using
the T-bars though

Mike


 




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