The rack railway to the Gornergrat leaves from opposite the BVZ station. This is a must on Day Two for the views of just about every 4,000 metre peak in the area. (You can, of course, walk up the well sign-posted path from Winkelmatten in 3-4 hours & save a lot of money). There are several walking options. Here are two of them & these are all worth doing:-

1. Take a single ticket & walk back down to Zermatt. The best way is to go down past the Riffelhorn (thumb-like peak due West of the Gornergrat) & keep going West. This brings you to the Riffelalp, where there is a choice of ways back to Zermatt, left or right. Either is ok.

Monte Rosa 4681m & the Liskamm 4527m from the Gornergrat. My wife Avis is in the blue anorak.

Castor 4228m & Pollux 4092m above the difficult Grenz Glacier

The Breithorn 4164m These three photos make a panorama from East to West from the Gornergrat

2. Take a return ticket to Rotenboden, the last stop before the Gornergrat. Follow the path down to the Gorner Glacier marked for the Monte Rosa Hut. The route across the glacier is marked & you don't need glacier gear but be careful! There is a slight bit of 'up' to the hut, which serves food. Recently, the hut has been rebuilt in a quite striking manner but I have not been over to it since 1982. Magnificent glacier scenery. There are ice ridges and moraines to cross & in the later season, rivers running across the ice & disappearing into sink-holes. You can walk all the way from Zermatt (see above) but it will take all day & you will have to stay overnight in the hut but watching the Sun go down over the hills makes it worthwhile.

The Monte Rosa Hut (in the circle) from across the glacier

My late 1st wife Jane negotiating a steep ice ridge on the glacier

Monte Rosa, straight up, from the glacier below the hut

3. Alpine option only...Not! I can't believe they have done this but they have taken down the cable car to the Stockhorn & you cannot do this any more! I'm leaving it in case they restore the cable car but they seem to be gearing everything to skiers these days.

For people with glacier crossing gear: Take a return ticket to Gornergrat & the cable cars to the Stockhorn, due East. Walk along the ridge to the Stockhorn proper & on, descending slightly to the Stockhorn Pass. This is out on the glacier. Bear SE to the right of the ridge ahead to the Altes Weisstor, an old & now dangerous pass into Italy. Admire the view from the frontier & go back.

The Cime di Jazzi 3803m from the Stockhorn with the Altes Weisstor to its right.

The author in 1971 on the Altes Weisstor, looking down the 1200 metre drop into Italy

From the Dent Blanche via the Obergabelhorn & Zinalrothron to the Weisshorn 4505m from the Stockhorn Pass

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