I have never been a coldweather person, but when an invitation to celebrate a friend’s birthday in Zermatt, the luxury Swiss ski resort, arrived, we could not say no. As we would be in the company of skilled skiers we thought why not tick this off our bucket list and take the plunge? 6 lessons at SkyTraxx, the indoor skiing centre in Petaling Jaya and we headed for the Matterhorn. A flight to London, a short change of terminals and we were on our way to Zurich.
GETTING THERE
Getting from Zurich to Zermatt however, was not that easy, involving 3 train changes, one of which with only 6 minutes to spare, with stairs. Try doing that with suitcases and a big bag of ski equipment, not to mention heavy winter coats! Super stressful when you have trolleys loaded with bags and get to the wrong platform OR the lift doesn’t stop. In the end, we all took our bags off the trolleys and took them on the escalators. And still missed the second train! We arrived in the dark and so missed the view of the mountains as we approached the village of Zermatt, just next to the Italian border.
The view from our room’s balcony
OUR HOTEL
We had booked into the Unique Post Hotel right in the centre of the village. Winner of countless awards including Best Pub, Fifth Most Romantic Hotel in Switzerland, and third in Best of Swiss Gastro, it did not disappoint. In 2007 except for the outer walls, almost everything was refurbished, with respect given to the history of the masonry to preserve the unique character and authenticity of the well-respected house. The rooms are lovely and old wooden beams still stand everywhere you look.
The Matterhorn from our gondola
The stunning pink top of Monte Rosa
SKI LESSONS
As soon as we arrived, off we went to rent our skis and ski boots, just next door to the hotel. The next morning, we took the gondola up the mountain to Trockener Steg to meet our Italian instructor Davide who had come over the mountains from Italy on his motorbike. He was very kind and patient and took good care of us. Our friend Izlyn Ramli, also an RSGC Member, joined us for refresher lessons. Suffice to say, learning indoors and transferring it to actual snow on a good slope 3000m above sea level is certainly vastly different. However, after 2 days we had advanced enough to think seriously of trying it again in the future.
The main square of Zermatt from our room’s second balcony
Posing at the famous Zermatt sign
With Izlyn and our ski instructor Davide
A Raclette production line for hungry skiers
THE VIEW
It is hard not to take your mobile phone or camera out every second as everything is so beautiful and breathtaking. The views of the mountains from the gondola, the skiers below, the quaint traditional chalets, the snow-covered houses, and the food, all beg to be photographed. Our ski instructor Davide told us about Dufourspitze which at 15,203 ft is higher than Matterhorn at 14,692 ft but the latter is more famous for its distinctive shape. The Italians give the name of Dufourspitze as Monte Rosa because at dawn when the sun hits the mountaintop it turns pink. I tried to catch this for a few days but it turned out my husband was the only person in our party who got the ultimate photograph of Monte Rosa in all its pink glory. Absolutely gorgeous.
View from our gondola
The snow covered path to Alphitta
Zermatt by night
ZERMATT VILLAGE
As Zermatt is right next to the Italian border, you will find not only many Italians working there but some of the very best authentic Italian restaurants which we wasted no time in trying. The village is basically one long street, with designer shops, restaurants, cafes and of course numerous ski shops. I loved the view of everyone walking up the hill in their ski boots and carrying their skis. On our fourth day, it snowed very heavily and the view of the snow falling from our balcony was just breathtaking.
Rows and rows of handmade chocolate at Läderach
Coffee, hot chocolate and Apfelkuchen
Cheese fondue at Alphitta
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
The food in Zermatt was just fabulous. We had lunch in Fuchs, a well-known family bakery, and a marvellous fondue dinner at Alphitta, up in the mountains at 2222m, which required a train ride to the Riffelalp station and a tenminute walk under the stars on a snowy path. We had Beef Fondue at Imhof in Hotel Alpenhof and chatted with the very young lady owner. Then of course you can’t miss the ubiquitous Apré Ski sessions which everyone goes to straight from the ski slopes in their ski suits and ski boots, drinking warming glühwein and copious amounts of alcohol. I enjoyed a delicious lunch of sardines on toast on the rooftop of Terrace Cervo and on our last night we had an authentic Italian dinner at Osteria Bella Italia. Highly recommended! You don’t have to ski to visit Zermatt. It is a gorgeous Swiss village with many other things to do, such as take the Zermatt Glacier tour and even go sledding with huskies. Although it was paradise in the winter, it is said to be very beautiful in the summer too.
The famous Swiss hot Chocolate cannot be missed
Beef fondue at Alpenhof
Part of our hotel breakfast buffet which included champagne
Sardines and toast on Terrace Cervo
