 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello,
been getting concerned about skiing over to Zermatt and not being able to get back due to the lifts closing.
If it is a regular occurrence I'd have thought Tour Ops would advise or have contingency plans.
But I really want to go on the Gornergrat railway and then ski back from there.
How long will it take to get over there and back?
We are intermediates.
Thanks in advance
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi,
The Gorn. railway operates entirely within Zermatt - you catch it from town up the hill and the runs that you ski from the top station are based entirely in Zermatt (with no possible access to / from Cervinia from this lift). You need to use the lifts in the area called 'Matterhorn Glacier Paradise' (or something similar)
I believe that the lift ops people keep and eye on the weather and generally try not to open the link with Cervinia if it looks like the weather is closing in later in the day (however, I guess there would be exceptions when they get it wrong).
Generally, weather issues aside, you should have time to ski from Zermatt in the morning over to Cervinia, sample quite a few runs, have a pasta / espresso and ski back in the afternoon.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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thanks for the reply.
I'm staying in Cervinia so was more concerned about getting over to Zermatt, navigating to Gornergrat railway, going up on the train and then getting back over to Cervinia in time.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@kabooooooom, when I was in Cervinia we easily managed a day trip to Zermatt including a trip on the railway & back to Cervinia again. However we were careful to choose a day when the forecast was clear and still on both sides. Zermatt was fantastic, well worth the trip.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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What queen bodecia said
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think it's easy to get the wrong impression about the lift situation - yes the link can close when either the weather is bad or winds are very high, but generally those conditions are pretty self evident. It's not good business for either side to regularly trap visitors on the wrong side of the mountain so they don't do it if it can be avoided. Of course, there are always occasions when the weather catches everyone unawares and yes, people have sometimes got stuck on the 'wrong' side. So I guess it's something you do need to know about, but if you are sensible and pick a nice weather day to travel over, it really shouldn't be a problem. The Gornergrat railway is a special experience, and one way of doing it might be to ski over from Cervinia, take the bubble from Furi over to Riffelberg, and you could catch the train from Riffelberg down into Zermatt. From the village you can catch the ski bus back to the Klein Matterhorn lifts (or take a taxi) and start ascending again to get over to Cervinia. It is of course equally possible to do that in reverse, i.e. ski down to Zermatt, bus/taxi/ across to the Gornergrat station and get the train up. This will all take a bit of time however, (the whole train journey is between about 30 and 40 minutes, depending if you catch one of the faster trains or not) so you would need to watch the clock a bit. Alternatively, you could just do the short trip on the train from Riffelberg UP to Gornergrat, only one stop on the line, but you would at least be able to say you had got the train up to Gornergrat and there are some great views and a restaurant in the hotel at the top. You can ski down from there and catch all the links in reverse to get back to Cervinia. It really depends how keen you are to cover a lot of ground, and of course if the train trip is of special interest you might want to devote some time to doing the whole thing.
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Thanks for the replies.
Crystal have a recommended route on their app which covers the railway trip involving 13 lifts and 25 runs.
Looks great but time consuming. On their route after Furi to Riffelberg they suggest:
- Riffelberg to Charilft M on blue run
- then lift to Gifthittli
- Red 29 then 28 then 26.
- Lift from Gant to Blauherd
- Blue 7 then blue 6
- Findeln - Sunnegga Chairlift
- Red 4 then red 1 then red 3
- short walk to Gornergrat railway
- Blue 36
- Riffelberg back to Furi gondola
- lift to Trockener Steg
- Klein Matterhorn
- red 85 followed by blues and reds back to Cervinia.
Looks an interesting route which I guess they've chosen to be able to get across to the railway without having to travel far by foot?
On arrival I was going to ask about a shorter route.
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That's a rather circuitous route. Don't see why they suggest fromBlauherd taking 7 and 6, just take 7 & 4 (or 9) before joining red 1 then 3 down into town. And after taking the railway, why not ski all the way back down to Furi?
A rather more direct and quicker route would be so ski all the way down from Furi to the bottom of the lifts then take one of the shuttle buses over to the Gornergrat station in the centre of town.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I go over to Cervinia and Valtournenche all the time. I really wouldn’t worry about getting trapped for the reasons others have said. In any case it is probably easier to get back from Zermatt to Cervinia than vice versa. Coming back from Cervinia you are reliant on lifts that are vulnerable to wind. However in the direction you’d be coming back if the lift up to Klein Matterhorn closes you can take the two T-bars that drag you from Trockener Steg up to Plateau Rosa. They can keep going even if the wind is too strong for other lifts.
Here is what I would do:
1. Get the lifts from your side up to Plateau Rosa or Theodulpass. It doesn’t make much difference.
2. Ski down to Furgg – if you keep on going down the mountain that is where you are going to end up!
3. From Furgg you have two choices. The best way by far is to take the black number 62 to Furi. It will be in good condition at that time of the morning but I don’t know whether your level of “intermediate” would mean you were OK on blacks. If you want to do that stay right as you are getting down to Furgg and go round the back of the right hand side lift station. If you are not OK with blacks head for the lift station on the left as you are heading down to Furgg. Then get on the right hand side of that lift station and take the lift up to Schwarzsee. From there ski down the red 51 down to Furi.
4. From Furi get the Riffelberg express lift up to Riffelberg (you need to go through the lift station to get that – don’t be tempted to hop into the bubbles you’ll see on the left side of the station) At Riffelberg turn left and head down the small ramp to join the chairlift up to Gifthittli.
5. At the top turn left off the lift and follow the signs for Gant – follow the red pistes each time taking the Gant sign.
6. At Gant when you reach the bottom stay right and take the ancient bubble lift up to Blauherd.
7. At Blauherd ski down the mountain any way you want (there are several routes – all good). Some go past Sunnegga or Tufteren. But they all go past Patrullarve and then on to Zermatt.
8. At the very bottom, take the elevator down and then walk the underground corridor to the outside of the Sunnegga Furnicular station.
9. Turn left out of here and walk along the river and under the railway (the one you want!) bridge. Turn immediately right and walk alongside the railway.
10. At the end you are at the Gornergrat railway station. Take that fantastic ride up the mountain to Gornergrat.
11. At the top ski down following the signs for Riffelberg. At Riffelberg keep skiing down to Furi.
12. At Furi take off your skis, walk under the lift via the tunnel and get the bubble on the other side up to the higher Furi station.
13. Walk though the lift station and get the Matterhorn Express bubble on the far side going up the mountain to Schwarzsee/Furgg/Trockener Steg.
14. At Trockener Steg if the Klein Matterhorn lift is working walk through the station and get that. From Klein Matterhorn ski down to Plateau Rosa and you are back in Italy. Alternatively from Trockener Steg ski down the ramp to the T bar and take the two T bars up to Plateau Rosa.
All easily doable in a day. You can play around in some of the areas you like before continuing on or stop for lunch somewhere.
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marvelous thanks for the detailed replies.
Can't wait now!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Furgg - Furi isn't a scary black, it would be the route i'd recommend as well, particularly early its a great run.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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JohnMo is absolutely correct. Even if the lifts from Cervinia are closed due to wind, it is still possible to get back to Cervinia, as the t-bars on the Zermatt side will still operate.
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@JohnMo,  just put a big smile on my face, I love Zermatt and that took me back there, if only for a fleeting moment, great description and while it seems intricate, its just moving across the wonderful Zermatt pistes so take your time and enjoy exploring them
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks all, March 1st not far off now with more snow forecast too
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