Switzerland (Zermatt)?

Sooo, my daughter is studying in Europe this semester.  Emerson owns a 14th century castle in the southern part of the Netherlands, on the German border.  She’s having a blast traveling around, this weekend in Munich.  



The benefit to us is that we are going over to visit her with our spring break the week before Easter.

Turns out we’ll have 4 days to travel on our own.  With easy access to several airports from Kasteel Well we have all of Europe at our disposal.  Looks like my idea has been shot down.  That idea was to make our way, via Düsseldorf and Zurich, to Zermatt.  My idea was to spend one day exploring Zermatt, then the next day take the Glacier Express, one of Europe’s great train journeys through the heart of the Alps, to St. Moritz, from where we would make our way back to Zurich and then Amsterdam.  Well, nobody wants to spend 8 hours on the Glacier Express, and the logistics are ambitious, so that plan isn’t likely to come off.

My wife has an alternative I can live with.  Make our way Wednesday to Zermatt and just spend two days there, one SKIING and one just exploring.  I can give up the historic train ride through the Alps and all of its’ romanticism for a solid day of skiing in the shadow of the Matterhorn!

So, looks like I may check the Alps off the bucket list, for a day at least, this year!  Has anyone here ever done the Glacier Express?  What would we be missing?  Any advice on Zermatt, skiing or otherwise?

I have been to Zermatt twice...
Skied and hiked in the summer..
and a week in the winter....I freaken love it there!!!

My daughter did just did her semester abroad in Australia..Nothing like getting pics from Fiji and Bali

Yes, I was looking at your trip reports.  Looks very nice!

I suppose if the Glacier Express train comes off the table it opens up other possibilities for great/iconic ski towns for a day of skiing and a days of sight seeing, something closer to a major airport, in Germany or Austria maybe.  However, seeing the Matterhorn would be way cool.

If iconic mountains are your thing..The Matterhorn takes your breath away..

James has some experience with Austria..

Ha same here received pix from Bali and Japan must be the places to go if u r 20!

JaPow?

Actually mt Fuji week after tourist season late sept early oct.  Mt was empty.

Still working the Zermatt option, for now.....

Question for those who have skied Zermatt, as I have some ideas for the day skiing and my wife has some concerns regarding her ability to ski the terrain.

My wife doesn’t ski many days.  By the end of March it might only be her third day of the season on skis.  She’d rather shop/spa/eat.  She is an athletic solid beginner who could be a solid intermediate in no time if she put any effort at all into skiing.  Her legs will tire quickly and Boreen at Whiteface still makes her nervous even though she is a strong enough skier that there is no way it should.  It’s a mental thing.

Given all of that, would it be reasonable or crazy to take her on the Furi Express Gondola to the Cable Car and the top of the Matterhorn Glacier, then have her ski the Matterhorn Glacier (run 85) downtown to the Rosa Testa Plateau, where we would have lunch (in Italy!) at the Refugio Rosa Testa Grigia before skiing back down the Testa Grigia Glacier run to the Furi Gondola for a download to Zermatt?

Guess it sounds a little ambitious typing it out, and my wife isn’t sure she could do it.  I’ve watched YouTube video of the very runs she’d take and it certainly looks tame enough for a beginner with strong skills, but it’s hard to trust in YouTube videos.

So, does anyone who has skied that have any thoughts?  

My wife is interested in the lunch part in Italy more so than the skiing.  If we didn’t do that, for her to cross skiing in the Alps off the list I’d take her up the Cogwheel railway to the top of Gornergrat, where she could lap a few blue (easy) runs in the shadow of the Matterhorn before taking the cog railway back down.  There are a couple spots we could grab lunch up on Gornergrat.  That would be pretty spectacular too, just maybe not the same degree of spectacular as the Matterhorn Glacier.

Help me split hairs!

Oh, our other sticking point is Zermatt lodging for a couple of nights.  Anyone have any recommendations?

I’d be happy with Zermatt Budget Rooms in the lower level of the Alpen Resort (Best Western) Hotel a short walk from the Zermatt train station.  Clean, spacious but not fancy room with no view (or real windows even), with access to the buffet breakfast and facilities (pool/hot tub/spa) of the Alpen Resort.  Makes every list of best low(er) cost lodging in Zermatt, and even that goes for $350 a night in late March.  My wife seems to like a few properties that make the list of best luxury lodging in Zermatt, at quite a bit higher price.  Hoping to find a compromise, or some quaint B&B type thing that’s reasonable....

JTG..

For the most part the skiing is all intermediate.. Imagine 5k vert of high speed perfectly groomed trails...There are some off piste too.. The food in the on mountain cafeterias will blow you away..

If it's sunny and you have good snow..Words and pics can't describe the experience..

Going to Cervina is easy , as long as the weather is good , you need to go early and you Do Not want to be stuck there,if the weather closes in..


I have a name of a super high end restaurant in Cervina..

Also I can send you a ton of pics and the  hotel I stayed in Zermatt..

Thanks Jason, that’s about what I figured.  My wife, she can, and has, gotten down Excelsior at Whiteface.  Not her favorite, but she could do it.  If the run from the top of the Cable Car is similar in pitch, but wider, straighter, without trees and perfectly groomed I know she could do it.  Convincing her of that is the challenge.  

We wouldn’t go down into Italy for lunch, the Refugio is on slope at the Swiss-Italian border.  No worries about getting back, just click in and ski toward Switzerland!

Info and pics on your Zermatt hotel would be great!

I have been to the Refugio..Cool place..
I will post some pics tonight...

She will be able to ski down any of the 3 cable cars...

Here is the hotel..right at the base of the Furi...short walk to town..highly recommended

        Hotel-Garni Plateau Rosa, Zermatt

http://www.plateaurosa.ch/

JT

these are pics from a few days ago...

http://www.alpinforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&p=5153991