13. The English Church is an important part of Zermatt’s history and tradition, therefore is quite popular amongst visitors at Zermatt. It is closely linked to the British visitors who were among the first to want to see and experience the Matterhorn. It is a lovely little church set high on the hill overlooking Zermatt close to the town. For Zermatt, the English church occupies an important role in the resorts history. Consecrated in 1870, the church also represents the “golden age of alpinism”. During the pioneering days of tourism in Zermatt in the 19th century, English guests made up the greatest share of visitors by far. There are numerous plaques inside the historic church in memory of mountaineers who had particularly close links with Zermatt and its mountains. The remains of the Reverend Charles Hudson are buried under the main altar. Pastoral care of Protestant guests in Zermatt is provided by the Intercontinental Church Society and the clerics, who originated from England, are changed every two weeks and play an important role to this day. The Alpine Club of Great Britain celebrated its 150th anniversary in Zermatt in 2007 and naturally a ceremony was held in the English Church.
14. Zermatt is one of the most popular areas to go skiing during summer since the ski pistes are open 365 days. Many professional skiers come to Zermatt during summer to ski and enjoy the beautiful snows surrounded by alpine nature. The 360 kilometers of pistes and the highest ski lifts that go up to the Klein Matterhorn at 3,883 meters allow skiers to enjoy the magnificent view of the Matterhorn while skiing down. The glacier skiing area offers obstacle free snow suitable for beginners and intermediates, where there are one or two steeper areas. Black and difficult areas such as moguls are for experienced and challenged skiers. During summer, the lifts from the village starts as early as 7A.M and the mid-summer snow conditions are usually icy first thing in the morning but by mid-morning, the conditions become soft like perfect spring snow. Later in the day, the snows may become wet and heavy therefore pistes closes before 2P.M. in mid-summer. But many skiers have the best time of their lives enjoying beautiful snow in the nice warm summer weather. If the weather is nice and warm, some may be able to enjoy skiing in their bathing suit or t-shirts, which is absolutely an amazing experience.
