STAGE 9

Trail running the Via Valais, Switzerland

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MOUNTAIN LODGE ZE SEEWJINU TO ZERMATT

27km    1254m+ / 1942m-
Bonus Peak:  Mettelhorn (3406m)  9km, 1081m+/-

From the Mountain Lodge Ze Seewjinu, a trail leads directly down to Zermatt. For those short on time, or energy, this is an option. But, there is a very good reason not to drop directly to Zermatt: the victory lap high above Zermatt is one of our favorite runs from our Run the Alps Switzerland book, and what we figure may well be the most perfect single day of trail running. After a morning cruise to Zmutt, a small, well preserved village with great coffee and baked good options, you'll begin an 800 meter climb to gain the upper Matterhorn panorama trail and some of the best running of the entire Via Valais all the way to the Trift Hotel, where you'll surely want to stop for their house made ice tea. From the Trift Hotel, a quick descent leads right into Zermatt, or, if you don't want the Via Valais to end, you can head up to the bonus peak, the Mettelhorn.

Be sure to take an extra day or two to enjoy Zermatt. The town has plenty to offer, and there is some great trail running right from town.

*This is Stage 6 of the 6 Stage Option and finishes the same as the full Via Valais route.


Eat:
  • Both Zmutt and Trift Hut are great places to settle-in for a snack and linger.
  • When you arrive in Zermatt, it's time to celebrate, and recharge. Consider some extra days to explore the area.
Bonus peak:

Mettelhorn (3406m)  9km, 1081m+/-

This is a big bonus. Instead of descending to Zermatt from the Trift Hut, you can add more gain or stay the night at Trift if you're not in a hurry to finish. Following alongside the Böse Tschuggen, “evil cliffs,” you cross a small glacier before reaching the pointed summit for a lookout over the valley. Grade: T3

Sleep:

Zermatt



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Coffee stop in Zmutt after the first 10km.

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The last day comes with all different angles to see the Matterhorn from.

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After the big climb from Zmutt, the victory lap continues on some of the best single track of the entire tour.

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There is more to see than the Matterhorn. Further east of town are the Breithorn and Liskamm groups.

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Heading down to the Trift Hut, just a dot in the bottom right on the trail that plummets to Zermatt.

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The final downhill from Trift all the way to Zermatt. Time to start wishing there was more.

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The trail ends abruptly as you step in to the busy streets of Zermatt.

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