Date/Time
Date - 30/08/2019 - 01/09/2019
Time - All Day

It’s finally time for a truly Swiss weekend escape into some of the most famous mountains and glaciers of Switzerland!

 

Are you ready to see the most famous mountain of Switzerland?! Yes, that image on the Toblerone is a real mountain. No, it’s not called Toblerone mountain – it’s the one and only Matterhorn! (Ok, we might share it with Italy but let’s ignore that for the moment…). And if that isn’t enough to get you excited, we’ll also visit the Aletsch Glacier; the largest Glacier of the alps and a Unesco World Heritage site.

 

Zermatt and Matterhorn: Join us to visit the Matterhorn’s hometown Zermatt. The legendary peak towers over the town. We won’t exactly climb the Matterhorn, but we will go to its little brother Klein Matterhorn, located right beside it, to see some spectacular views of the great peak and the surrounding panorama of peaks and glaciers. Klein Matterhorn is the highest viewing platform accessible by cable car in Europe at over 3800m. Doesn’t sound too high compared to the 4478 of the Matterhorn, if you haven’t grown up in the Himalaya or in the Andes, you’ll still feel the effect of the altitude…

(Image: IAESTE Zermatt Weekend 2013 by Xiaojun Dong)

 

Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the alps. It has a length of about 23 km and covers more than 86 square kilometres. If the idea of seeing the Matterhorn hasn’t taken your breath away already, for sure this will happen when hiking beside this stunning glacier. Bear in mind, the glacier keeps shrinking – so no one knows how long it will still be there…

(Image: IAESTE Zermatt Weekend 2013 by Xiaojun Dong)

 

Don’t miss the chance to experience this absolute must for sightseeing here in Switzerland!

 

Programme

Friday 30th August

• Travelling to Fiesch. Official meeting point is the accomodation – Please see below for the relevant/suggested links to get to Fiesch Feriendorf.
• Check in the accommodation open from 19:00 – Sport Resort Fiesch
• Welcome evening!

Saturday 31st August

• Get up early and full of energy for the day
• 9:00 Breakfast at the hostel
• Checkout
• Hike to Aletsch Glacier. Along the hike we will come across the most magical viewing points of the Aletsch Glacier, where you can really appreciate the scale and beauty of this UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Lunch break
• Travel to Zermatt.
• Check in and drop luggage in hostel – Youth hostel Zermatt
• Dinner at hostel
• Free time and exploring nightlife in Zermatt

Sunday 1st September

• Breakfast at the hostel
• Checkout
• Travel to Klein Matterhorn: Viewing Platform & Glacier Palace Exploration. There will be some time to explore the glacier palace
• Cable car & short hike back down to Zermatt
• Late afternoon/evening to discover Zermatt itself.
• Official end point in Zermatt in the evening

Participation fees

The fees for the event are as follows:

• With SBB General Abonnement (GA):  CHF 120
• With SBB half-fare (1/2) and seven25/Gleis 7:  CHF 190
• With SBB half-fare (1/2) but no seven25/Gleis 7:  CHF 190
• Without SBB half-fare (1/2):  CHF 280

 

A surcharge of 40 CHF will apply for participants who are not affiliated with IAESTE.

Once you register successfully, you will receive an email with instructions on how to pay the participation fee. 

Included in the participation fee

• Friday night accommodation and some dinner
• Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Cable car up until the end of the Aletsch Glacier hike (trains, cable cars, etc.)
• Travel from Fiesch to Zermatt
• Saturday night accommodation
• Sunday breakfast
• Cable car and Entrance tickets for Glacier Paradise on Sunday

NOT included in the participation fee

• Trip on Friday from your home to Fiesch (we suggest leaving after 19.00 if you have seven25/Gleis 7 card)
• Travel from Zermatt to your home (we suggest leaving after 19.00 if you have seven25/Gleis 7 card)
• Lunch or dinner on Sunday

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel your registration:

• Less than 12 hours before the start of the event (that is, 21:00, Thursday 29th of August), you pay the entire participation fee
• 12-24 hours before the start of the event, you pay 75% of the participation fee
• 24-48 hours before the start of the event, you pay 50% of the participation fee
• before 48 hours before the start of the event, you pay 25% of the participation fee

 

Checklist – Remember to Bring

• Hiking backpack: Pack lightly! You will need to carry all of your belongings during the day on Sunday. Backpack is a MUST (no carry on suitcases allowed)
• Hiking shoes – at least comfortable shoes such as hiking boots or trainers for hiking
• Ticket from your home to Fiesch
• Outdoor clothing; layers are recommended as it can get chilly on top of the mountains (check weather forecast for temperatures i.e. on Klein Matterhorn)
• Sun protection (sunscreen, sunglasses, etc.)
• Rain protection just in case – check the weather forecast
• Water bottle for hiking (at least 1.5 L recommended)

Meeting Point and Train Connections

Official meeting point: Sport Resort Fiesch – Just a few minutes by walk from Fiesch Feriendorf

 

From Lausanne

From Zürich

From Basel

From Bern

 

For further information on train connections, check the SBB website or the SBB app.

Contact

Please send an email to zermatt2019@iaeste.ch if you have any question.

Registration Information

Please, state your food preferences (e.g. vegetarian or allergies) and whether you have a GA/Halbtax/Gleis7/seven25.

Registration will open on Wednesday 21 Aug 2019, 13:00 ; and will close on Monday 26 Aug 2019, 22:00.

Remember that your registration will only be confirmed when you pay the participation fee, for which you will receive instructions after registration.

Note: the event is fully booked but you are still able to register and will be placed in the waiting list. In case some spot opens, we will let you know via email.

The number of people already registered for this event is 40. The maximum number of participants allowed for this event is 36 (plus 3 organizers and helpers) and the registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. We reserve the right to prioritise IAESTE Switzerland affiliates during the first 48 hours of registration. If your registration is not among the first 36, it will be put on the waiting list.