KLEIN
MATTERHORN CABLE CAR
Breathless Alps Mountain Views
Breathless
seems the best word to describe a trip to the top of the Klein Matterhorn,
both
the breathtaking views of the Alps and the thinness
of the air. The “Little Matterhorn” is a solid rock peak
next to the famous mountain with a shape that mimics its bigger brother
and at 3883 meters (12,740 feet) the highest point in the Alps that can
be reached by cable car. In December of 1979 a cable car lift was completed
from the upper end of the Matterhorn Valley at Zermatt to the top of
the Klein Matterhorn. The ride requires three separate cable rides with
changes at the 
Furi and Trockner Steg stations. The final cable arrives
at a tunnel through the solid rock of the mountain. The final journey
to the peak viewing platform is by an elevator and final stair. From
the panoramic platform at the very peak the views of the mountains over
glaciers reach from Bernese Oberland beyond the Swiss Valais to Mont
Blanc in the French Alps to the Po River watershed in Italy. Ranges.
The Theodul Glacier spreads out a permanent blanket of white between
the Klein Matterhorn and the Matterhorn peak often crowned with its own
weather system.
The
Klein Matterhorn is the crown of the ski area now referred to as the “Glacier
Paradise” with skiing in winter and summer on
the glacial snows and one of the largest ski areas in Europe, with trails
and lifts systems over the Zermatt-Cervinia ski area range. But for non-skiers
a trip to the top of the “Little Matterhorn” is unforgettable.
Aside from the peak views, an Ice Cave provides a trip down into the
eternal ice of the glacier, delicate 
ice
crystal ceilings, color-lit crevasses and with ice sculptures in the
network of caves which must
be continually re-hand cut as the glacial ice moves. Other mountain peaks
with cable or train access have ice caves, (see Jungfraujoch
Highest Rail Station and Mt
Titlis Rotair Cable), but
the ice cavern at the Klein Matterhorn has the distinction of two “floor” levels
with carved ice stairs between. A snack bar and ski service at the end
of the tunnel provides a chance to catch the breath before returning
to the less rarified terrestrial air.
The
full aerial tramway cable ride to the Klein Matterhorn summit is not
cheap, tickets cost
from 61 to
98 CHF for adults and 31 to 49 CHF for children 9-16,
depending on time of year (lower in summer), less to the lower stations.
A 50% discount is offered with a Swiss Pass. A range of day and multi-day
passes are available including other lifts
(bergbahns).
For
skiers, the
cable lifts as well as Zermatt village bus transportation are included
with a overall ski pass to the Glacier Paradise ski area. In summer it
is possible to hike across the glacier to climb the Breithorn or the
Matterhorn with guides. If mountain climbing isn’t your style,
when the snows are gone from the lower slopes, take a hike from the Furi
station back down the Matterhorn Trail to Zermatt, through the green
meadows, past ancient mountain villages of 400 year old log cabins, and
stop at one of the several mountainside restaurants perched on the hillsides
below the peaks.
To get to
the Glacier Paradise cable station is a ten minute walk through the
Zermatt Village
along either side of the stream through the valley.
In any season, a trip to the top of the Klein Matterhorn can be potentially
obscured in fog or stormy weather and not worth the full trip. A detailed
board of the network of lifts and cable cars at the station provides
information on conditions of the various lifts of the Zermatt-Matterhorn
area. But if the sun shines when you’re in Zermatt, take the journey
to loose your breath and touch the sky. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Matterhorn Glacier Paradise Tickets
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Zermatt/Matterhorn
These articles are copyrighted
and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and
may not be copied or reprinted without permission.
SEE
ALSO:
GLACIER
EXPRESS SCENIC RAIL
HOTEL
ALEX -ZERMATT
WALLISERHOF CHALET HOTEL - ZERMATT
GLACIER
3000 CABLE - LES DIABLERETS
