 Poster: A snowHead
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Can any one tell me if crossing from one to the other can be achieved without using drag lifts
thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jean claude mont blanc, Yes both ways I think. Certainly from Zermatt a gondola followed by a cable car gets you right to the top where you cross over to Italy. From Cervinia you can get over using gondolas and chairs I think.
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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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Yes, from Zermatt using the Klein Mattahorn Gondola. However if the gondola is not running because it is too windy you need to use the drag lift & it is a long drag. Back as Colin B, says is a choice of a gondola or chairs.
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jean claude mont blanc, yes as others have said, but if that KM cable car is not running - which is quite often - then it's the longest, coldest t-bar in the world. People have frozen to death riding that beast. 
It's easy from the Cervinia side
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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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jean claude mont blanc, the time before last I returned to Zermatt from Cervinia by chair - there are 3 separate chairlifts you need to take from Plan Maison. The last one dumps you on the ridge and there's a red down to the Trocknersteg glacier. They'd made it pretty narrow though and so it turned into a bit of an icy chute! Last time I went, I took the gondola/ cable car combination from Plan Maison to Testa Grigia which seemed quicker and more pleasant.
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| red 27 wrote: |
| jean claude mont blanc, yes as others have said, but if that KM cable car is not running - which is quite often - then it's the longest, coldest t-bar in the world. People have frozen to death riding that beast. |
I'm pretty sure it's the only T-bar I've ever ridden!
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| Quote: |
I'm pretty sure it's the only T-bar I've ever ridden!
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Definitely the only one I have ever ridden. And it did seem pretty parky on there.
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The top of KM is the highest skiing in Europe I think, just over 4K metres. Last time I went it was -27C and windy (but not enough to close it). Skiing into that was as cold as I've ever been skiing.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks for the replies , if I get to the top I will let you know how I get on .
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I know this depends on skiing speed, but without caning it how long would it usually take to get from Cervinia-Zermatt and back?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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hammerite, town to town and back? About 3-4 hours at a leisurely canter.
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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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Thanks Dr John, Jnr is in lessons every morning, so it'll probably mean a swift lunch if we want to get all the way over and back before lifts shut.
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hammerite, you don't have to go all the way down into town, in fact it's better not to. The best slopes on either side are high up. If you're mid station on either side then you can cover good some ground in 2 hours.
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You know it makes sense.
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OK thanks.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Dr John wrote: |
| hammerite, The best slopes on either side are high up. |
And on the Italian side the best restaurants are pretty high up too 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| red 27 wrote: |
| ... the longest, coldest t-bar in the world. People have frozen to death riding that beast. |
Really? People have actually died on the t-bar? Yikes!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sah, last year wasn't as bad, only 4 perished. But in the 90's, before they installed the new fast one it was double figures each season.
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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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Weather was great when I was there - so no probs with freezing to death - but almost died of boredom on several occasions! It takes an inordinate length of time. Worth it for the flattering red cruisers and the awesome mountain restuarants on the Cervinia side though.
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A group of us took the long T bar a few years back. One was so bored he lost concentration, crossed his skis and fell off- about 3/4 of the way up. He then tried to mount to 'spare' T bar of the person behind. He made it but knocked the other person off in the process who was peeved to say the least!
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Whenever I went over to Cervinia with my daughter she insisted on going back to Switzerland to go to the toilet 
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An even slower way down the piste is reported by 1815.ch here, where they tell of a piste machine which fell into a crevasse on the Theodul glacier and has recently re-appeared, 30 years later and about 2 kilometres further down. The Ratrac was being driven by the then owner of the Testa Grigia restaurant on a rescue mission in bad weather (the report doesn't mention what happened to the driver or the skier he was trying to rescue from a crevasse).
Interesting photos of the recovery.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 17-11-11 11:12; edited 1 time in total
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espri, That piste machine seems a bit the worse for wear - I don't think it'll pass its MOT without a bit of work! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Have to say the drag lift near the top of Zermatt is really boring because they are very long. The cable car is shut down regularly. If it is not the queue is too long.
I suppose on any glacier with the ice constantly on the move the safest way is to put drag lifts there because they could still be operational when other lifts are close down to to strong wing.
The drag lift system at the glacier top of Zermatt should be a nice earner in the summer when visitor can try out skiing as beginners.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The biggest problem is not drag lifts but the initial crossing from Zermatt using the cable car. I was there last season in February and only managed to get over twice as the queues for the cable car put me off and as soon as it gets a bit windy they close the link, to be fair it gets damn windy on the top! It is far easier to get back from Italy to Switzerland but NEVER count on the link being open as if you need to get back to Italy you may find yourself stranded. As I understand it they were building a new link lower down which will make the crossing more secure and you won't need to use any drag lifts. Don't know when they are planning to open that lift but when they do it will be great!!!
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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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| Bigrobski wrote: |
| The biggest problem is not drag lifts but the initial crossing from Zermatt using the cable car. |
We found it worked better to take the train up the Gornergrat and then ski down to Furi. That gave a nice warming up run and then it was easier to squeeze into a cabin up to Schwarzsee/Trockener Steg on the Matterhorn Express. Mind you, it was also partly that the train was more convenient for our hotel.
The Zermatt-Cervinia piste map does show a projected cable-car going from the Furggsattel over to Testa Grigia. This plan, however, seems to have been superceded by other ideas. On the projects page of the Zermatt lift company there are plans for:
1) a 3S-cable-car (3S = 3 cables, two carrying + one pulling; a system with multiple cabins, like a super gondola/bubble lift, as e.g. in Kitzbühel or the Peak-to-Peak in Whistler) from Trockener Steg to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (i.e. Klein Matterhorn), planned for 2014
2) a cable-car (traditional style, two large cabins in shuttle operation) from Testa Grigia to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, planned for 2015.
These would offer ways to avoid the T-bars.
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That is a good update on the projects. The only thing I would add is that if you have not taken the train up the mountain before then beware it is a 30 -40 minute journey and that is LONG time. Fun the first time but you don't want to be wasting lots of time taking the train so once in the morning is enough.
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You know it makes sense.
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My strategy for Zermatt is
Stay fairly close to Kleine Matterhorn lifts
Get to KM lifts early before they open (8.30 I think)
If heading to the top get on the first cable car
If heading for Gornergrat get the other Gondola (you'll be there before the other lifts are open)
This worked even when I stayed there at half term. I think I was at the top by 9.00 one morning. I managed to ski down to Valtournenche for coffee soon after 10.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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on the subject of Zermatt/Cervinia can a non-skier in Cervinia get to Plateau Rosa?
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Poster: A snowHead
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john heley,
The answer is no skier can get to Plateau Rosa because from Breuil Cervinia because there are only 2 gondolas and one cable car and the visitor will be at the Plateau Rosa. There is no chance to clip the skis on and use them. I mentioned in a few post here that many can take the 2 gondolas and a cable car from Cervinia, the first time they clip on the skis will be "almost" in the Swiss side ready to ski down to Zermatt as indicated by this psite map.
Therefore any non-skier can reach Plateau Rosa as long as the last link is not shut down due to strong wind.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks will tell non skier ( non skier is skier with injury)
So they will see matterhorn almost from swis side
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Talking about toilets those at the Swiss side did make a very strong impression on. I would say Zermatt's standard could put some national airport facilities to shame. It was really that neat, clean and perfectly maintained.
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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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Looks like an upgrade on the Cervinia side at least:
http://www.cervinia.it/pages/NEW_CABLE_CAR_i_en/1830
Not sure if this will make much of a difference if its on an existing route? Sounds good though.
Also, what's this toilet banter? Are we talking holes in the snow??
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[quote="Jamster"]Looks like an upgrade on the Cervinia side at least:
http://www.cervinia.it/pages/NEW_CABLE_CAR_i_en/1830
Not sure if this will make much of a difference if its on an existing route? Sounds good though.
I hope that they have put a quiet zone in it, as it must be the noisiest cable car in the world with 100 Italians cackling away.
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arlberg, I'm taking the missus; it could be a fine line...
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bigrobski - and getting over to Italia. Yes the train to Gornergrat is slow, but:
You walk safely, easily, quickly to the station in very light shoes carrying your boots strapped over one shoulder, and your skis on your back with a ski strap (basically a rope connecting two loops). Then use the train time to get booted, scarfed and gloved up. Have a warm up ski, down to bubble, either to Furi, or Riffelberg. Take the gondola up to Trockener Steg etc. At the end of the day take your boots off at Winkelmatten (relief!) put your light shoes on, and walk, instead of waiting for one of those awful buses. Worked for me, but I did take great care to get the first or second train of the day, which is not packed to the gunnels.
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FAQ
Only 'proper' toilet on the Italian side 