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SCHÖNBIELHÜTTE
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Schönbielhütte [437 Kb]
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The walk up to Schönbielhütte is one of the longer
day hikes in the Zermatt area, especially when one starts and
ends the day in Genève! The trail ascends the valley
of the Zmuttgletscher as it works its way toward the much less
frequently viewed (also less impressive...) northwest face
of Matterhorn. I did this hike on 21 September, 2003.
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Matterhorn [206 Kb]
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I started on the trail to Schönbielhütte immediately
after arriving in Zermatt, elevation 1615 meters, while my friends
took lunch in town before hiking up to
Findeln
for the afternoon. The trail gains elevation
at a moderate rate as it climbs to the small hamlet of
Zmutt,
and continues past the myriad of waterworks scattered throughout this
valley. Water from several small reservoirs here is diverted
to a network of underground aqueducts and pumped up to the Dix reservoir,
25 kilometers to the west and several hundred meters higher.
The energy spent in pumping the water to a higher elevation is more
than made up with the Dix reservoir's massive hydraulic head of
1750 meters to the power station in the Rhône Valley near Sion.
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Gornergrat and Monte Rosa [202 Kb]
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Although mostly in the open, the trail beyond Zmutt passes through some
lovely stands of alpine larch.
Looking back in the direction of Zermatt one can see
Gornergrat
perched high up on an open ridge with Monte Rosa behind.
The trail ascends the crest of an old lateral moraine before making its
final climb to Schönbielhütte, perched at 2694 meters on a ridge above
the Zmuttgletscher. Due to time (and energy) limitations, this marked the end
of the hike for me, although the trail continues on for another kilometer
as it swings to the northwest alongside the
Schönbielgletscher, probably with some incredible views.
To the west of Schönbielhütte is the massive rock
face of Wandflue, just beyond which lies
Bricola.
I started my descent after a short break, reaching Zermatt at 7 pm to
rendezvous with my friends for supper before driving back to Genève.
Other stuff:
Other pictures
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