Revealed

Late morning on the second day’s skiing in Zermatt, the cloud cover that had oppressively shrouded the mountains started to thin and a watery sun appeared directly overhead as I reached the top lift station at Hohtalli.

Was it going to clear? An hour later we had the answer – Yes it was. One by one the mountains emerged, and lastly, the Matterhorn shed most of its shroud. Seen from the Gornergrat ski area its shape is particularly striking – a jagged fin thrusting into the sky.

The following morning the blue sky appeared earlier in the morning, only to disappear by lunchtime but not before I shot this image of the Matterhorn from the Tufteren piste in the Rothorn ski area. This is the instantly recognizable view – the same as seen from Zermatt village but with the benefit of being viewed from a higher altitude.

There are eighty-seven pistes in the Zermatt ski area (excluding those on the Italian slopes) and there are very few pistes that don’t feature a view of the Matterhorn. It is the presence of the Matterhorn in the background, with all its moods and subtly changing shape, that makes Zermatt such a magical place to ski.

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