Gornergrat and The Matterhorn

21st January 2009

On arrival at Zermatt, there seemed little hope of seeing The Matterhorn from the summit of The Gornergrat, but nevertheless we decided to take the railway up to the top - thick cloud and heavy snow greeted us, but once again patience was rewarded when the cloud slowly disappeared and the sun emerged to provide superb views of The Matterhorn and the surrounding peaks

Today's railway photographs may be viewed at http://railphotosbycliffjones.fotopic.net/c1647726.html

A first view of The Kulm Hotel, which houses the Gornergrat Observatory - 21 Jan 2009	Having detrained at Gornergrat Summit station, skiers prepare for an immediate descent of the mountain - 21 Jan 2009	Visibility's not good, so mind the railway line! - 21 Jan 2009	The sign shows the temperature to be 13 degrees below freezing! - 21 Jan 2009
The owners of these skis have headed for a hot chocolate before their descent - 21 Jan 2009	Well, the poles and the skis are ready, so where are you? - 21 Jan 2009	Direction sign, Gornergrat - 21 Jan 2009	These boots are made for skiing - 21 Jan 2009
The main bunch of skiers has gone, now just a few more ready to set off - 21 Jan 2009	It appears that the clouds may be breaking, giving views of the mountains around - 21 Jan 2009	Having climbed above the Kulm Hotel, this view does suggest that the skies are clearing - 21 Jan 2009	There it is - our first view of the Matterhorn! - 21 Jan 2009
Another view of the fast-appearing Matterhorn, 4,478m - 21 Jan 2009	Gornergrat Summit Station, with the Matterhorn beyond - 21 Jan 2009	The KOSMA 3m submillimeter telescope, Gornergrat - 21 Jan 2009	The small chapel at the Gornergrat summit - 21 Jan 2009
The 1.5 metre Cassegrain Telescope, Kulm Hotel, which was decommissioned in 2005 - 21 Jan 2009	The Matterhorn soars above the rest of the mountain range - 21 Jan 2009	The Kulm Hotel and the Gornergrat Observatory - 21 Jan 2009	A gentle walk back down the cleared path towards Gornergrat Summit station - 21 Jan 2009
The viewing area around Gornergrat Summit station, with the Matterhorn beyond - 21 Jan 2009	Monte Rosa (Dufourspitze), 4,634m and Lyskamm, 4,527m, with the Gorner Glacier - 21 Jan 2009	Skis still await their owners, Gornergrat - 21 Jan 2009	The ski-run is closed at 16.45 - 21 Jan 2009
Setting off from Gornergrat, beneath the gaze of the Matterhorn - 21 Jan 2009	A gentle start from the Gornergrat summit compared with the slopes to come - 21 Jan 2009	Riffelberg, 2,582m, is one of the stops on the Gornergratbahn Railway - 21 Jan 2009	A mass of cloud is approaching Riffelberg very quickly - 21 Jan 2009
The skiing's easy, it's carrying the equipment on and off the train that's the difficult part! - 21 Jan 2009	The Matterhorn, from Riffelberg, will disappear from view very soon - 21 Jan 2009	This lady's hat is modelled on the shape of the Matterhorn! - 21 Jan 2009	The new 6-person covered chair-lift from Riffelberg to Gifthittli, below the Gornergrat station - 21 Jan 2009
Gornergratbahn, Riffelberg, with ski-run below and ski-lift above - 21 Jan 2009	That cloud's getting bigger, so say goodbye to the Matterhorn - 21 Jan 2009	The Riffelberg Express bubble links Furi to Riffelberg - 21 Jan 2009	Plenty of skiers and boarders, above Riffelberg - 21 Jan 2009
The Zermatt Church (Pfarrkirche Zermatt) - 21 Jan 2009	One of many memorials in Zermatt to climbers who lost their lives on the Matterhorn - 21 Jan 2009	Zermatt graveyard - 21 Jan 2009	The Zermatt Church (Pfarrkirche Zermatt) - 21 Jan 2009
A view towards the mountains, Zermatt - 21 Jan 2009	The Monte Rosa Hotel, Zermatt, from where Edward Whymper set out to conquer the Matterhorn in 1865 - 21 Jan 2009	In the wall of the Monte Rosa Hotel, Zermatt, is this plaque commemorating Edward Whymper's ascent of the Matterhorn - 21 Jan 2009