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.
Gorgeous. You have to love it when Mother Nature cooperates.
Thank you Edith, When nature play’s ball, it’s a photographer’s dream.
Stunning shots Andy!
Thanks Norma
Oh, my. I like them both: the first for the blowing snow, the second for the larger, “in context” view. I suspect you’ll never get tired of that mountain, which is good for us. I love seeing it through your eyes.
I’ll nver tire of looking at the mountain – it has a mood for every day, and sometimes several moods per day. It has to be seen to be believed. Many thanks for your comment, Linda.
Lovely stuff Andy!
Thanks Paul. It’s a majestic peak isn’t it.
Such a majestic sight Andy! Wonderful photographs! 🙂
Thanks Adrian.
I don’t know if I will ever see this majestic mountain, but if I don’t, I will have your photos to marvel at Andy.
I do hope that one day you will have an opportunity to travel to this area, Len. Many thanks for the comment.
The Matterhorn is so iconic. My first glance at the first image was that it did not capture the scale of the mountain, but then on closer inspection the subject (in red!) makes it work really well. Nice images.
I think it is very difficult to accurately give a sense of scale to a mountainscape, and particularly to a mountain as extraordinary as the Matterhorn. Glad you liked the images, John, and thank you
A magnificent scene beautifully photographed.
Thanks very much for that kind comment Simon, and welcome to my blog.