Description

The view from the Schonbiel Hut, your destination, is life-enhancing.

Steeped in history and Alpine folklore, the N Face of the Matterhorn, opposite you, is truly awe inspiring.

Only the purists will shun the opportunity to use lift assistance on this approach day from Zermatt.

It also allows you get your ski legs on the first day and enjoy some of Zermatt's amazing terrain .If conditions and weather are particularly good you could do a descent of the classic Schwarztor from the Klein Matterhorn in the morning, before an approach to the Schonbiel hut in the afternoon.

Equally there are numerous great off piste runs that are easily accessible lower down the mountain, but allow enough time to approach the hut before it gets too warm in the afternoon sun. The quickest route to the hut is to use the lift system to Schwarzee, then ski down the Stafelalp piste number 52.

Leave this as it bends round to the R and ski down and L through the trees, then skin up initially on a track, then crossing the gentle and sparsely tree covered slopes below the Zmutt Glacier.

Pass to the left of a large artificial lake, looking for the zig zag track that is cut into the moraine to the N beyond the lake.

Via this track gain the ablation valley above, which you follow to the SW, then W all the way to the hut, with a final steepening.