Zermatt 2024 Day 8: Gornergrat, then Rotenboden to Riffelberg

This is a mere 3.5km according to Google, with 230m descent, though exploring every rocky outcrop and interesting bank en route meant that we walked a good bit further than that.

Findelbach Falls

The train was crowded, and everyone had cameras or phones out.  Whilst most people were looking out to the south, to capture the Matterhorn across the valley, I was watching the other side, to see first of all the patches of Lilium martagon we had admired, and then the Findelbach Falls.

When Diane and Michael got off the train at Rotenboden, Helen and I stayed on the train to ride up to the top to explore up there before joining them lower down.  The views north up the valley were great, but the Matterhorn was hiding in the clouds, and we had better views of the Zinalrothorn to the west of the valley.

Gornergrat (Gormenghast ?)

When we reached the end of the line, Gornergrat (3089m) was still effectively a winter wonderland.  Like most winter wonderlands, it was crowded with tourists, many of whom, like us, came for 30 minutes to experience the view, and then descended.

The station is dominated by the Kulm Hotel, built around 1900. With its twin observatories, added in the 60s, and isolated by snow and ice, the hotel reminded me strongly of Castle Gormenghast, from the Mervyn Peake novels.

Gornergletscher

The Gornergrat ridge overlooks the Gornergletscher, and from the busy terrace, we had stunning views of the glacier, with Liskamm (4,527m) above it.

Breithorngletscher

Across the valley to the south, the Breithorngletscher hung suspended above the Gornergletscher, and above it the white cap of the Breithorn (4,164m).

Matterhorn

By now the clouds around the Matterhorn had drifted apart again to reveal its splendour.

Dom, Taschhorn and Alphubel

Looking north, we could see the high peaks of Dom (4,546m), the Taschhorn (4,491m) and Alphubel (4,206m), towering above Tasch.

Weisshorn

Looking north-west, there were fine views of the sharply pointed Weisshorn (4,505m) west of Tasch.

Gornergratsee

Below us, the sheet of ice and snow on the circular Gornergratsee was slowly breaking up.

But the Matterhorn commanded every viewpoint.

Rotenboden

It still dominated the view when we returned down to Rotenboden.  Though some visitors seemed to have trouble locating it.

Riffelhorn

When you exit Rotenboden station, a steep slope descends towards the base of the Riffelhorn (2,928m), a steep rocky outcrop beloved of climbers, and home to vultures which nest on its far side, where precipitous cliffs fall to the Gornerbach.  On the north side of the mountain lie a series of small lakes, in particular the Riffelsee, where the reflection of the Matterhorn makes one of the most iconic photographs in the area.

Gornergrat Alpine Garden

The way down to the Riffelhorn passes down through the recently created Gornergrat Alpine Garden at 2,800m, which attempts to introduce visitors to the flora of this area.  Here we were quickly plant-spotting; the first banks held huge mats of the tiny willow, Salix serpyllifolia.  Nearby we saw the four-petalled yellow flowers of Draba aizoides.

Vitaliana primuliflora

Another bank was covered with the five-petalled yellow flowers of Vitaliana primuliflora, which we saw previously at Blauherd.

These were followed by more plants we had encountered already – Viola calcarata and Androsace carnea.

Gentiana schleicheri

However, we did find one significant plant which was completely new to us, Gentiana schleicheri, which does not occur in the Dolomites, but is a rare plant restricted to the south-east Alps.  This has tight rosettes of quite wide leaves with a pointed spear-like tip.

We even found a very pale blue form, though I am not entirely convinced that that wasn’t a different species, perhaps G. brachyphylla.

Gentiana orbicularis ?

Certainly there was one puzzle amongst the spring gentians here.  This plant looked quite distinct, with larger, almost fleshy leaves with blunt, rounded tips; I think it may have been Gentiana orbicularis.

When we reached the bottom of the alpine garden, Helen stopped on a large boulder where she could watch the massed tourists photographing the reflection of the Matterhorn (finding her ‘sit-mat’ very useful), whilst I descended further to where we could see Michael and Diane exploring a rocky outcrop.

Thlaspi rotundifolium

The outcrop which Diane and Michael were investigating was partly clothed in sparse turf lower down.  It was home to tight pink clumps of Thlaspi rotundifolium, in both dark and pale pink.

Thlaspi sylvium ? or T. rotundifolium (white)

But there were also very similar plants with white flowers.  We are still unsure whether these were:

• compact plants of Thlaspi sylvium, which we saw in grass and beside paths lower down,
• or white forms of Thlaspi rotundifolium,
• or possibly a hybrid between the two.

My confusion is exacerbated because a couple of days later, within 300m of this, I found plants of what seemed to be more definitely Thlaspi rotundifolium, growing in rock crevices, in a variety of shades from deep pink to white. Having seen white forms in the Dolomites as well, there is no question for me that white forms of Thlaspi rotundifolium do occur.

Saxifraga sedoides

This rocky ridge was also home to the pale yellow, small-petalled Saxifraga sedoides.

Salix retusa

A small area of rubble yielded Salix retusa in flower.

Ligusticum mutellinoides

On one rocky ledge, above a short drop of 6 feet or so, (our exploration was getting steadily more precarious) I found the curious little umbellifer, Ligusticum mutellinoides.

Gentiana schleicheri

We also found plants we identified as genuinely wild Gentiana schleicheri.

Primula hirsuta

Topping off our finds on this little ridge were some fine plants of Primula hirsuta.

The Gornergletscher

Before setting off towards the Riffelsee, I ventured a little way eastwards, following a path along the side of the Gornergletscher glacier.  In retrospect, I should have gone further, and gloried in the magnificent views, but I was concerned about time, and had left Helen sitting on a rock, so a quick glimpse was all I managed.

Gentiana brachyphylla

On this grassy south facing hillside, there were fine plants of Gentiana brachyphylla.

Androsace carnea

I also found quite a large clump of pale pink Androsace carnea, and the silver leaves of Senecio incanus.

But the real point of taking this track was the wonderful view.  It was like being on a balcony, surrounded by open space, with the glacier way down below.

Breithorngletscher

Across the valley from me, I had fantastic views of the fractured ice of the Breithorngletscher, and the meltwater tumbling down from it.

But it was time to retrace my steps, and catch up with first Diane and Michael, and then Helen.

We ate our lunch high above the Riffelsee, watching the crowds photograph this famous view.

Before we set off again, I descended the muddy, slippery, well-trodden slope to take closer views of both the view and the photographers.

Gagea fragifera

In the wet mud around the edges of the lake, Gagea fragifera was growing with Soldanella alpina.

Gentiana schleicheri

Back near our picnic site boulders, I found a particularly dark blue form of Gentiana schleicheri.

There were also some fine clumps of toadstools; it was a surprise to find them fruiting so early in the year, when we usually associate them with autumn.

Ranunculus kuepferi

When we set off again, following the path down and west towards the Riffelberg train halt, we passed fresh flowers of Ranunculus kuepferi and Pulsatilla alpina subsp apiifolia.

Silene acaulis

As often, Michael was ahead, whilst the rest of us studied plants.  When we caught up with him, he was waiting by a rocky spur, with fine mounds of Silene acaulis, just demanding to be photographed with the Matterhorn behind.

Soon, the stream which had been running down the valley beside us fed into another small lake.

The grassy slopes beside the path were full of flowers: Gentiana brachyphylla, Primula hirsuta and Pritzelago alpina.

Our path now turned northwards, over the ridge towards Riffelberg.  The small gain in height and change of angle  gave magnificent views towards the Matterhorn, and Dent Blanche (4,357m) towering further to the west.

Pulsatilla vernalis

In a couple of places, where the snow had gone recently, the flowers of Pulsatilla vernalis were still out, along with Soldanella alpina.

Pulsatilla alpina subsp apiifolia

Along with some fine specimens of this yellow-flowered Pulsatilla.

In places the strata of the rocks, and the lichen growing on them were amazing.

Minuartia sedoides

In a rather sparse grassland on the shoulder of the hillside, there were big cushions of Minuartia sedoides (lime green flowers), Silene acaulis (pink flowers), and Saxifraga sedoides (small pale yellow petals).

Loiseleuria procumbens

The whole of the top of one ridge was a carpet of Loiseleuria procumbens.

Salix serpyllifolia

This intertwined with mats of Salix serpyllifolia, in full flower.

Draba aizoides

Amongst these low-growing shrubs, on almost bare earth, we found good plants of Draba aizoides.

Zinalrothorn

Again, the views were magnificent.  It was like standing on a balcony, overlooking the Zermatt valley, and gazing directly into the bowl of the Triftbach hanging valley, below the sharp tooth of the Zinalrothorn (4,221m).

Para-gliders

Looking further north, up the valley towards Tasch, para-gliders who had launched from the top of the Rothorn drifted across the scene.

Gornergrat Railway

Behind us and to our right, we could see the tracks of the Gornergrat railway.

Riffelberg

We were descending the far side of the ridge now, and approaching Riffelberg.

Matterhorn

The view on this section of the walk was still dominated by the Matterhorn; previous visitors had constructed a cairn which echoed its outline.

Kapelle Riffelberg

Below us we could see a small, modern chapel, consecrated in 1961, built to echo the shape of a mountain.

The steep slopes, still dotted with flowers, particularly Primula hirsuta and Gentiana brachyphylla, descended to a stream we had to cross.

As we approached the restaurant at Riffelberg, we saw a snowfinch and, on the roof, alpine coughs, waiting for someone to drop a crumb or two.

From the terrace of the restaurant, the Matterhorn loomed above the chapel.

It was time to get back on the train and descend.

Findelbach Falls

On the way down, I found an open window, and got better shots of the Findelbach Falls.

Although Google reckons that walk is only about 3.5 km, it seemed a lot further.  We were tired, and the walk back across town was quite hard work.  Helen in particular was feeling the descent, on rocky paths.  Her totals for the day were 8,289 steps, 3.66 miles.