My right knee was quite painful getting out of bed Wednesday morning. Nonetheless we decided to get out skiing while the weather remained sunny. Clouds were forecast to come in starting around 2PM. We took the bus across town, then the 5 stage gondola to Trockener Steg.
In 2014 there was only a tram up to Klein Matterhorn at 12,700 feet. We got into Italy then via a very long and flat surface lift. Deterioration of the Theodul Glacier has caused that lift to be removed. But now there is one of those 24-seat S3 gondolas parallel to the old tram. The remaining surface lifts are all up high and only used in summer. That may also be true for a new tram between Plateau Rosa and Klein Matterhorn. Zermatt’s summer ski operations used to go as far down as Trockener Steg 9,600 feet, but now it looks like they are set up so they can run only above ~11,000 feet if necessary.
We were surprised to see the piste connection into Italy at Plateau Rosa closed. It was due to wind and concern that the highest trams might close. Liz on piste between Klein Matterhorn 12,700 and Plateau Rosa 11,400:
View down the piste with Matterhorn in background, sort of the transition between the famous Zermatt view and the Cervinia view.
Glacial ice between piste #85 and Plateau Rosa:
We skied to the Furggsattel chair, terrain park at left.
From the top of Furggsattel, you can view the Italian side off ma backside cliff. From there we could see that the chairs coming up from Plan Maison as well as the Plateau Rosa tram were running. So we went back up Klein Matterhorn,
And ducked the rope into Italy.
Italian Matterhorn view:
A ravine and dam separate the Plateau Rosa side from the Plan Maison side of Cervinia. In the deep snowpack of January 2018 I skied that ravine for a total of 4,700 vertical of powder. But with an average snowpack If you don’t cross at the top you must ski all the way down to Cervinia to access the opposite side.
Off piste coverage below Plateau Rosa is quite different from the optimal conditions of 2014 or 2018.
After a Colle Superiore lap we rode the Plateau Rosa tram back to the border just before 2PM. By now the wind was blasting as you can see in the background here after we ducked another rope to return to the Zermatt side.
We skied a couple of long 2,500+ vertical runs down to Furgg 8,000 feet all in north facing winter snow. We even diverted to ungroomed skiroute 57 on the second of those. We rode one stage of the gondola up to Schwarzsee, where we noticed this sign that James will surely appreciate.
The #51 piste had a nice fall line down to tree line about 7,200 feet and was then a grade road to Furi. We remembered the excellent Zum See restaurant from 2014 and arrived there at =2:45 for our main meal of the day. The weather had turned overcast at 2PM as forecast so we made the best of the day with 19,500 vertical and that gourmet finale.
My knee was most painful when getting up after sitting or lying down for awhile. It loosened up while skiing and pain did not increase from its average level. Nonetheless it seemed inadvisable to ski on an overcast and windy Thursday with just a little new snow.
By mid morning Thursday I realized I should probably see a doctor with nearly two weeks remaining on our trip. The doctor asked a few questions, noticed slight swelling in the knee and suspected some arthritic condition due to my age. To keep me going on the trip he would recommend removing the fluid and then giving a cortisone shot, but he wanted to see an X-ray first. The X-ray showed no indication of arthritis, slight narrowing of the femur/tibia gap on the inside and by feeling around the inside of the knee to the point I was most sensitive, he suspects a torn meniscus. We all think of a torn meniscus as an acute injury be he said it can occur gradually. The mild discomfort started a month ago in Canada but only increased on Tuesday when I fell in sunbaked powder off Piste #26.
He prescribed Voltarin pills and a topical spray and gave me a knee brace to be used when I’m active walking, skiing etc. So far this is helping. Friday’s skiing at Sass-Fee was as good as Wednesday, and the pain from getting up from sleep or sitting is reduced . But per the Swiss doctor’s recommendation I’m seeing Liz’ orthopedist when I get home and requesting an MRI.
In 2014 there was only a tram up to Klein Matterhorn at 12,700 feet. We got into Italy then via a very long and flat surface lift. Deterioration of the Theodul Glacier has caused that lift to be removed. But now there is one of those 24-seat S3 gondolas parallel to the old tram. The remaining surface lifts are all up high and only used in summer. That may also be true for a new tram between Plateau Rosa and Klein Matterhorn. Zermatt’s summer ski operations used to go as far down as Trockener Steg 9,600 feet, but now it looks like they are set up so they can run only above ~11,000 feet if necessary.
We were surprised to see the piste connection into Italy at Plateau Rosa closed. It was due to wind and concern that the highest trams might close. Liz on piste between Klein Matterhorn 12,700 and Plateau Rosa 11,400:
View down the piste with Matterhorn in background, sort of the transition between the famous Zermatt view and the Cervinia view.
Glacial ice between piste #85 and Plateau Rosa:
We skied to the Furggsattel chair, terrain park at left.
From the top of Furggsattel, you can view the Italian side off ma backside cliff. From there we could see that the chairs coming up from Plan Maison as well as the Plateau Rosa tram were running. So we went back up Klein Matterhorn,
And ducked the rope into Italy.
Italian Matterhorn view:
A ravine and dam separate the Plateau Rosa side from the Plan Maison side of Cervinia. In the deep snowpack of January 2018 I skied that ravine for a total of 4,700 vertical of powder. But with an average snowpack If you don’t cross at the top you must ski all the way down to Cervinia to access the opposite side.
Off piste coverage below Plateau Rosa is quite different from the optimal conditions of 2014 or 2018.
After a Colle Superiore lap we rode the Plateau Rosa tram back to the border just before 2PM. By now the wind was blasting as you can see in the background here after we ducked another rope to return to the Zermatt side.
We skied a couple of long 2,500+ vertical runs down to Furgg 8,000 feet all in north facing winter snow. We even diverted to ungroomed skiroute 57 on the second of those. We rode one stage of the gondola up to Schwarzsee, where we noticed this sign that James will surely appreciate.
The #51 piste had a nice fall line down to tree line about 7,200 feet and was then a grade road to Furi. We remembered the excellent Zum See restaurant from 2014 and arrived there at =2:45 for our main meal of the day. The weather had turned overcast at 2PM as forecast so we made the best of the day with 19,500 vertical and that gourmet finale.
My knee was most painful when getting up after sitting or lying down for awhile. It loosened up while skiing and pain did not increase from its average level. Nonetheless it seemed inadvisable to ski on an overcast and windy Thursday with just a little new snow.
By mid morning Thursday I realized I should probably see a doctor with nearly two weeks remaining on our trip. The doctor asked a few questions, noticed slight swelling in the knee and suspected some arthritic condition due to my age. To keep me going on the trip he would recommend removing the fluid and then giving a cortisone shot, but he wanted to see an X-ray first. The X-ray showed no indication of arthritis, slight narrowing of the femur/tibia gap on the inside and by feeling around the inside of the knee to the point I was most sensitive, he suspects a torn meniscus. We all think of a torn meniscus as an acute injury be he said it can occur gradually. The mild discomfort started a month ago in Canada but only increased on Tuesday when I fell in sunbaked powder off Piste #26.
He prescribed Voltarin pills and a topical spray and gave me a knee brace to be used when I’m active walking, skiing etc. So far this is helping. Friday’s skiing at Sass-Fee was as good as Wednesday, and the pain from getting up from sleep or sitting is reduced . But per the Swiss doctor’s recommendation I’m seeing Liz’ orthopedist when I get home and requesting an MRI.