National, State and County frontiers, borders and boundaries often follow geographical features. High above Zermatt in the Valais Canton of Switzerland, the Swiss-Italian frontier follows the high ridge lines of mountain chains and one particular section is known as The Frontier Ridge.
And this is just one small part of the backdrop to skiing in Zermatt. Is there a bigger, better backdrop in the Alps? Chamonix comes close certainly, but the ski terrain in the Chamonix valley is not as well linked and to really appreciate the scenery you need to be an above average skier. The joy of Zermatt is that the scenery is available to all skiers. Today’s image is taken from the edge of an easy rolling piste from Gornergrat down to Riffelberg
It shows a five-mile stretch of the Frontier Ridge. From Left the main peaks are Liskamm, Castor, Pollux and Breithorn – all of them being 4000M peaks.
Click on the image to see a higher quality enlargement.
The ski slopes are opening, the snow has arrived and in early March I will be standing on this spot gazing at this view. Now that’s a powerful cure for the Winter Blues.
LensScaper 
Missing the Photography show at the NEC in favour of views like that Andy? Shocking! 😉
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Ha! I’ve done four years in a row – think I deserve year off! And a week in Zermatt c/w a day in a crowded NEC – no contest!!
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What an amazing place, and a superb photo too!
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It certainly is an amazing place – the camera can never due these huge panoramas justice.
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It’s an awesome valley but never been in the winter…
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Thanks Pete – winter transforms the landscape in a way that is hard to imagine and you can get to places in winter that are impossible to reach in summer. One thing that always surprises me is the speed with which, on skis, you can move from the Italian view of the Matterhorn to seeing the Hornli ridge in full profile from Stafelalp.
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I think it’s amazing to be in a landscape such as this. Probably not possible to take a bad photo.
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You are right – with today’s cameras and their ability to meter so accurately it is relatively easy to get a well-exposed image even in the harsh light of a sunlit winter’s day
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This looks like something from another planet, love the flare and the depth is impressive, so cool!
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Almost too good to be true. These mountains take on a entirely new character in winter. Thanks for commenting Michael
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And you must be anxious like a child on Christmas morning to be back out there…and understandably so.
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Yes, March next year can’t come soon enough. Despite all the visits we have made there over the years in summer and winter, I never tire of returning.
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