Snowshoeing

North Face Trail (Nr. 144)

Zermatt

5/12°

<p>This trail leads practically under the north face of the Matterhorn. The rock wall, dark and mighty, dominates the landscape. The feeling of wading over the snow under the iconic peak is unlike any other.</p>

Difficulty

Intermediate

Length

3.32 km

Duration

1:05 h

Vorbei am zugeschneiten Schwarzsee und der Kapelle Maria zum Schnee

Description

The trail leads from Schwarzsee, at the foot of the north face of the Matterhorn, through the gorgeous landscape around Stafelalp. It’s hard to believe that mountaineers have scaled the north face of the Matterhorn in winter: such as Walter Bonatti in 1965, climbing alone. The cold at the north face is almost tangible.

Choose time of day carefully, because the sun disappears very early here in winter
Palpable cold descends after sunset
Pink markers approx. every 100 m along the route
Caution: check details of current avalanche risk at lift station
Guided tours bookable through the Zermatters

Turn-by-turn directions

Schwarzsee - Stafelalp

The last part of the walk follows the winter hiking trail back to Furi - snowshoes no longer required.

(Hiking time in reverse direction: approx. 1h 30 - 2h)

Start

Schwarzsee (2,583 m) (2585m)

Destination

Stafelalp (2,199 m) (2200m)

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Author's recommendation

Do not forget your camera, because getting a picture of the steep north wall of the Matterhorn is worth it in any case.

Technical information

Altitude

2585m

2201m

Ascent

+0m

Descent

-384m

Technique

Stamina

Experience

Landscape

Best time of the year

Public transport

By train to the Matterhorn village: 3½ hours from Zürich airport or 4 hours from Geneva airport. Change at Visp onto the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (Matterhorn Gotthard Railway). From Visp, the railway leads through the Mattertal valley past idyllic small villages to Zermatt.

Zermatt is also the start and finish point for the world-famous Glacier Express panoramic train journey (Zermatt to St. Moritz or Davos).

Approach

Zermatt is car-free. Private vehicles are permitted only as far as Täsch (5 km before Zermatt). The Täsch–Zermatt road is closed to the public.

Onward travel to Zermatt is either by private taxi or shuttle train. Trains depart every 20 minutes; the journey takes about 12 minutes, and ends at the Bahnhofplatz in Zermatt.

Parking

Täsch has car parks with both covered and open-air parking – e.g. at the Matterhorn Terminal or privately operated facilities.

Onward travel: see “Getting there”.

Source

This activity is brought to you by Zermatt - Matterhorn. Valais/Wallis Promotion is not responsible for the content provided.