North Face Trail (Nr. 144)
Zermatt
3/13°
<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
IntermediateLength
3.32 kmDuration
1:05 hDescription
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)
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
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Tags
Public transport
Zermatt is also the start and finish point for the world-famous Glacier Express panoramic train journey (Zermatt to St. Moritz or Davos).
Approach
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
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.