Barry in Marburg: Under the Matterhorn

On the 14th July 1865 Edward Whymper and his 6 companions reached the summit of the Matterhorn for the first time. Tragically 4 of the party were killed on the descent. It would be unthinkable today to have 7 people all roped together on a mountain. This event was to change the village of Zermatt forever. It is a mecca for tourists from all over the world. Last week we stayed here for 4 days with friends Hauke and Christa Hennecke from Zurich. Hauke and I did some climbing together in California when we were post docs at Davis. Swiss engineering is to the fore wherever you look around Zermatt. No geological barrier is too difficult to the Swiss, epitomised by the Gonergrat train that takes you to the summit of Gonergrat at around 3000 m and the cable car that takes you into the face of Klein Matterhorn. When you get off the latter you then go through a tunnel in the mountain to emerge to a wonderland of rolling snow plateau and high mountains. But what I did find paradoxical was the cavalier approach to protecting the alpine flora. On the descent from Gonergrat to Riffelberg there is a maize of trails and even then the throng of tourists trample all over the delicate alpine flowers in their quest for another photograph without even thinking they have then ruined the spot for the next person. In NZ there would be one track and you would be required to stay on the track to protect the fragile alpine plants. This laisse faire approach to managing the alpine environment seemed very un Swiss but then this is Zermatt! The view of the glaciers and alps from Gonergrat is simply magnificent but it is also sad to see how much the glaciers have retreated in just 30 years. The outlook for this alpine spectacle is not good with ongoing global warming.