The Patrouille des Glaciers, the toughest mountain races in the world, will take place from 25th to 28th April 2012. The start is in Zermatt, and the race continues to Verbier via Arolla. The overall height difference amounts to around 12,000 metres. New feature: the progress of the alpine ski race can be followed with the help of an app for smart phones.
The Matterhorn, local name “Hore”, is in motion. In 2003, rockslides from the Hörnligrat ridge attracted international attention. The Matterhorn has long been under scientific observation. Scientists state that rockslides have always been a possibility and are keeping an eye on the mountain of mountains in order to understand the mechanisms at work.
Helicopter pilot Daniel Aufdenblatten and mountain rescue specialist Richi Lehner were awarded yet another honorary prize on Saturday, 17th March 2012. They were honoured by the FAI at the general meeting of the Aero Club of Switzerland for their mountain rescue in Nepal.
For the first time, the Zermatt Festival is bringing a premiere performance to the Matterhorn with “Der Bergmensch” from the New York based composer and saxophonist Daniel Schnyder. The festival, featuring many musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic, takes place from the 31st August to the 16th September 2012.
Zermatt is car-free. But, of course, this doesn’t stop the participants in the Best of the Alps Classic Rally from driving up the Matter valley. The rally runs up to Täsch, near Zermatt, which is the end of the first stage. The rally will cross the Alps from the 24th to the 30th June 2012.
Zermatt Unplugged, the music festival with stars and newcomers, is now bringing an additional new attraction to Zermatt for the first time, with a new location at Sunnegga – on the mountain, with a view of the mountain of mountains: See and hear music at 2,288 metres above sea level, while watching the sun go down over the Matterhorn.
The users of the Internet portal Skigebiete-Test.de chose Zermatt as the best ski resort in Europe in February 2012. More than 700 ski resorts were available for selection on the largest winter sport portal in Germany, and more than 5,000 users voted.
Zermatt Unplugged presents 12 New Talents from Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain and Australia in addition to the Headliner main programme. This means: 29 free New Talents concerts with bands and singer-songwriters to discover and enjoy. Daily from 12 noon to 1 a.m. in the morning. On stages up to 2,288 metres above sea level from the 17th to the 21st April 2012.
Ski Mountaineering European Championships in Pelvoux (F): February 2012 will go down in the annals of history for the Ski Mountaineering participants from Zermatt. Martin Anthamatten took several medals home with him, and his Junior Team colleague Andreas Steindl was also very well placed.
