Taking The Trio Up The Matterhorn

Not really being built for skiing, it was the music that took us to Switzerland. So John, Chris and I had been playing in a beautiful ski resort called Zermatt. We learned a lot of things. Jägermaister is extremely pungent at altitude and skiers ⛷ party like there’s no tomorrow. In their ski gear. On the tables.

This stunning view of this distinctive mountain stands over the fairytale village, and on the last day we took the trip to the summit.

You can hop on the cable car from Zermatt town which was about 100 Swiss francs but many of the hotels have special deals and discounts if you plan ahead. We didn’t do that. But we had tips!

There are several junctions where you change cable cars 🚡 but basically you go up a bit a left a bit for about an hour across the snowy wilderness. The occasional log cabin offers hot chocolate and other treats. If we didn’t have a show to play that night we may have partaken a little. Such an amazing spot for a drink and a chat.
The last cable car was like something out of a James Bond movie. You could just see the cables going straight up into the clouds, and I don’t mind telling you I was a bit scared! This car was for about 25 standing people, rather than the 6 seaters we’d come this far on, and hung over the gaping crevice between us and the summit somewhat haphazardly. Still, I couldn’t back out now!

We gained a lot of a lot of height quickly on this car, and disembarked at the loading bay you see Chris standing by. I had experienced a little bit of altitude sickness in the past but this was something else. We’d all been a bit nautious on and off the whole time, but we just put it down to the free alcohol. There were warnings everywhere to walk slowly and not rush. There’s just not enough oxygen for that. According to my network coverage we arrived in Italy when we got off the last cable car. 🇮🇹 A short walk, some nausea, a lift, more nausea, and a flight of stairs later, we arrived at the viewing platform, as near to the summit as you can get. This is where you see all three of us grinning, after a short period to settle our stomachs.

Despite the altitude sickness, it was an incredible experience. I’d happily spend more time in the various tavernas overlooking this incredible landscape. But I think I’ll leave to skiing to those with hand-eye coordination.