24 July 2018
We woke up early to witness an incredible show of the sun’s rays lighting up the tip of the Matterhorn at dawn. For the first time since we arrived at Zermatt, there was clear blue sky above the Matterhorn.
We knew instantly that this should be the day that we take the Gornergrat Bahn to the summit of Gornergrat at 3,089 m ASL. Some of the best views of the Matterhorn are from the summit of Gornergrat and also along the hiking trails down from there. In particular, the reflection of the Matterhorn on the surface of the alpine lake Riffelsee, located along a trail just below Gornergrat, is one of nature’s finest scenery.
The reflection of the Matterhorn on the surface of the Riffelsee.
The best time to capture that shot of the Matterhorn at Riffelsee is on a clear day and as early as possible when there is no wind and the surface of the lake is completely still – usually early in the morning or in the evening.
Access to Gornergrat is by cog-wheel railway that departs from the center of Zermatt every 20 minutes during summer. Alternatively, one could walk up the mountain. Yes, that is a possibility too but definitely not an option for us.
We took the 8.24 AM train and sat on the right side of the train with good views of the Matterhorn as the train pulled itself up the mountain past Zermatt.
View of the Matterhorn and Zermatt from the Gornergrat train.
We bought the one-way ticket using our Swiss half-fare card since we intended to do some hiking from Gornergrat. The typical journey to Gornergrat is about 35 minutes, with brief stops at 3 to 4 intermediate stations along the way. We could alight at any of these intermediate stations before re-boarding the next train to Gornergrat.
We got off at Rotenboden station (one stop before Gornergrat) so that we could see and shoot photos of the reflection of the Matterhorn on the surface of the Riffelsee while conditions were still good.
The surrounding mountains were so gorgeous that we spent some time at Rotenboden before starting on our hike down to the lake along a trail known as the Riffelseeweg.
The hike down to Riffelsee from Rotenboden took about 10 to 15 minutes. This lake was not visible from the station and my heart raced a little when I caught my first sight of it from the trail.
The blue waters of Riffelsee and the Matterhorn gleaming in the clear blue sky.
The conditions were quite good for THAT shot of the Matterhorn although there was a slight breeze and slight ripples on the lake’s surface. It was not ideal but good enough for amateurs like me.
Keen landscape photographers would camp overnight at this lake to shoot photos of the first rays of the sun striking the tip of the Matterhorn.
Mission accomplished at Riffelsee, we hiked back up to Rotenboden and took the next train to Gornergrat.
Cog-wheel train to Gornergrat. See the teeth of the gear on the tracks.
Overview of Gornergrat and the cog-wheel train.
Gornergrat offers 360 degree views all round. Up close, we could see the Monte Rosa massif with Switzerland’s highest mountain (Dufourspitze, 4,634 m) and Gorner glacier, the second highest glacier in the Alps.
The Matterhorn at 4,478 m was very prominent as viewed from the Gornergrat although the angle was not the best for viewing the pyramid shaped mountain. Having said that, it was easy to understand why people who had seen this mountain would described it with words such as “majestic, awesome, iconic, splendid, one-of-a-kind, powerful, alluring, beautiful, breath-taking …the list goes on”.
There is also a hotel (3100 Kulmhotel
Gornergrat) with a restaurant, a chapel and plenty of benches to rest on at the viewing platform on the summit.
3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat with observatory at both corners.
Visitors could go light a candle and say a prayer at this mountain top chapel.
There is also an information center cum gift shop where we bought a small Toblerone chocolate, just to take a fun shot of the Matterhorn.
Fun shot of the Matterhorn and free advertisement for Toblerone.
We could also present ourselves with a “Gornergrat 360 diploma” at this same shop.
At an altitude above 3000 m ASL, it could be cold at Gornergrat, even in summer. We were well prepared with jackets and sweaters. However, the weather was very pleasant on this day with almost no wind and we felt strangely warm even though a sign showed the temperature was 7 degree C, with 5 km/h wind.
Checking the weather conditions and map at Gornergrat.
As we sat and enjoyed the views, we could see some clouds forming behind the Matterhorn and slowly moving towards it. Those who came later in the day were going to be disappointed. Hence it is always good to check the live webcam on the internet, showing the real-time weather conditions at Gornergrat, before taking the train up.
After visiting Gornergrat, Riffelsee and taking lots of photos of the Matterhorn and the mountainscape, most visitors and day-trippers would take the cog-wheel train back to Zermatt.
Not for us.
We would do some hiking from Gornergrat. This is only possible during the summer months of July to October, when the snow that usually covered the mountains above 3000m ASL had melted.
More about our hike down from Gornergrat in the next post.
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