Description: This
magnificent walk offers constant views to the Matterhorn's most dramatic
angles - particularly to the fearsome North Wall. A delightful
trail follows the
remote Zmutt valley to the Schönbiel
hut and climaxes with a magnificent view to the Matterhorn's little seen
north west face, and across wild glaciers to the
beautiful Dent D'Hérens (4171m). This walk is also notable for additional
reasons: firstly it follows a very long but gentle uphill gradient -
which is something of a rarity around Zermatt. Secondly it enables one
to penetrate deeply into a remote mountain region, far from ski lifts and
habitation. If you have visited Zermatt in winter, this walk is
particularly interesting because it offers uniquely beautiful
perspectives inaccessible to downhill skiers.
Time required: About 7¼ hours of walking
(4 hours uphill at start / 3¼ hours downhill)
Difficulty: ***
Long but mostly gentle Popularity:
**
Quiet after Zmutt
Begins at: Zermatt (1614m altitude)
Ends at: Zermatt
(1614m)
Goes via: Zmutt (1936m -1¼
hours from Zermatt),
Schönbiel hut (2694m - 4 hours)
Track Notes: This is a good earth footpath with few rocks
and a fairly gentle
uphill gradient for the most part. There are fine fields of wildflowers in the pastures before
and around Zmutt,
especially mid-May to the end of June. This long trail receives a lot of
direct sun; remember the sunscreen.
Nb. Schönbiel is pronounced 'Sh-urn-beel'
Variants:
Stay at the Schönbiel hut for a memorable night before an
easy walk back to Zermatt (80 dormitory bunk beds - sFr.28. Blankets
provided. Meals available. Reservations and enquiries. Phone 027 -
967 1354).
This walk can also be combined with the walk to Zum
See and Blatten, visiting these two lovely hamlets on the return
walk from the hut.
The walk begins at the “Gemeinde Zollhaus” (Customs
office) at the southern end of Zermatt, just by the river and not far
from the Matterhorn lifts (“Matterhornbahnen”). To get to the
Zollhaus; find the river flowing north through the center of Zermatt,
and take the road upstream and alongside so that the river is on your
left. Ie. You want to be on
the west bank.
The Zollhaus is about a fifteen-minute walk from the main train station
of Zermatt, next to the river and the electric bus depot. A wooden
footbridge crosses to the other side of the river and the Matterhorn
lifts, and by the bridge is a big signpost indicating trails in all
directions. We continue on the road upstream in the direction of Zmutt.
Walk further along the road to some park benches and a public
telescope with a view of the Matterhorn. Just beyond this, pass to the
right side of a quarry/gravel pits onto a broad footpath. A fenced path
ascends gradually through pleasant pasture (photo
left) in the direction
of the Matterhorn. After five minutes take a right at an intersection
(1645m) in the direction of Zmutt. The path ascends to the right through
stands of trees and past barns to another intersection (1705m). At this
one take the upper right on in the direction of Zmutt again.
Fine views can be had behind to the Mischabel group of peaks
(photo left) - the Täschhorn, and Dom. Shortly the Breithorn can
be seen over the village of Zum See to the left. The Matterhorn begins
to fade from view as one climbs the path higher. A zigzag or switchback
goes by a stand of trees before the trail swings west again and flattens
out a bit. Pass a couple of pleasant chalets before reaching another
intersection (1910m). At this stage the village of Zmutt is in sight
ahead. Go straight on past the restaurant Edelweiss (not to be confused
with the more famous restaurant Edelweiss
on cliffs above Zermatt) and in five minutes the hamlet of Zmutt (1936m)
is reached amongst very fine pastures and wildflowers. In the village
can be found a charming little chapel, and two nice restaurants: the
Jägerstuße and Zmutt. The hamlet of Zmutt features many fine old barns
and wooden houses. Some old residents of Zmutt apparently never even
visit Zermatt. They feel it is too much like the "big city"!
Zmutt
to the waterfall:
In Zmutt turn right by
the Jägerstuße restaurant and
continue uphill on the path north out of Zmutt. Shortly the path
swings left (west) and a large dam can be seen straight ahead.
Approaching the dam wall one reaches a four-way intersection (1972m).
Continue straight on through. Walk
along the path on a gentle uphill gradient until the north wall view of
the Matterhorn is unobstructed in view - which is about when you are above the
far end of the dam (photo left).
The
trail continues its gentle ascent through beautiful rolling pastures of
wildflowers another mile (1.6 km) to Chalbermatten/Kalbermatten - marked
by a little summer restaurant (2105m altitude) superbly situated below
the north wall of the Matterhorn. Continue from Kalbermatten on the path
west as an enticing waterfall comes into view ahead in the distance. The
trail rambles to the base of the waterfall for a mile (1.6 km), passing
through some stony ground and delightful scattered larch forest.
At
the base of the waterfall, follow any one of a multitude of tracks up to
the right, until reaching the top of the waterfall where it pours over a
ledge (photo). Anywhere by
the waterfall makes a
fine spot for a refreshing break, being one of the prettiest waterfalls
in the whole Zermatt area. At this point one is almost directly under
the north face of the Matterhorn.
Waterfall
to the Schönbiel hut: From
the top of the waterfall (2300m altitude) to the Schönbiel hut is a
further 4km (about 1½ hours walk). The
waterfall itself marks the end of a moraine wall (rubble)
carried and pushed by the Zmutt glacier years ago. The trail flattens and follows
the top of the moraine wall almost the whole way to the hut.
A few hundred metres west beyond the waterfall the trail
crosses the Arben brook. There are fine views up to the right (north) to the
black pyramid of the Ober Gabelhorn (4063m).
The trail
continues west on a very gentle gradient for 1½
km (1 mile) to a series of small lakes.
There are fine views to up above (north/right) to the fresh glistening ice
of the Hohwäng glacier. Skirting past the
lakes, the trail makes a short climb to the very top of the moraine wall
of ancient glacier rubble. Not far below at the
bottom of the Zmutt valley lies the vast glacial ice wasteland of the Zmutt
glacier, although much of its lower reaches are difficult to distinguish
due to its coverage in rubble. The path follows the edge of the moraine
wall for another 1½
km (1 mile), as a superb view opens up to the
beautiful Dent D'Hérens (4171m). Soon the hut becomes visible 150m/500
feet above, and the trail makes the last climb by a short series of steep
zigzags.
The
hut itself is beautifully located on a grassy sun-soaked terrace. A
final reward is the superb 160° panorama to the Matterhorn (4478m), and
across the Zmutt glacier to the Dent D'Hérens (4171m).
The view from the hut. Available in Half
Size 56kb or Full Size 208kb
Admire the
view and perhaps enjoy a well earned picnic. Drinks and set meals are
available at the hut (when it's open), but they are not cheap. Everything has to be
brought in by helicopter. Fresh snow melted water is available at a faucet
and trough outside the hut.
It
can be a fine experience to stay at this remote climber's hut for the
night (when open) and chat to the mountain climbers attempting the local
peaks. Bring warm clothes for the cold evenings. Strangely, the hut is
only open from the end of June to about the 20th of September.
But the trail should be open and free of snow from early June.
Even if there are patches of snow early in summer towards the hut, this
is not a dangerous path, and it is an easy matter to turn back if you
want to keep your feet dry...
Return to Zermatt in a pleasant downhill stroll the
same way.
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