7. The mountaineer’s cemetery is a moving reminder of the accidents that have occurred in the mountains around Zermatt. Located close to St. Mauritius Church is the town’s cemetery which is quite a sobering experience. The cemetery has the gravestones of two famous climbers who died naturally rather than on the mountain. Peter and Peter Taugwalder, father and son were the mountain guides of the first person to climb the Matterhorn with Edward Whymper. Only these three out of the original party of seven returned to Zermatt alive. The ascent, on July 14th 1865, was a success however, on the way back down four of the climbers fell to their deaths including Michel-Auguste Croz, a mountain guide from Chamonix. His gravestone stands beside that of the two Taugwalders. The mountaineer’s cemetery is home to many graves of unlucky mountaineers who have died during their attempts to climb the various mountains including the Matterhorn. The graves are often decorated with mountaineer equipment like pick axes and the headstones state the circumstances of the death. Many mountaineers visit this cemetery before ascending one of the famous mountains around Zermatt to learn about the famous mountaineers who have attempted to summit those mountains.
8. Biking around Zermatt is one of the most popular way to travel around the village since Zermatt is a car-free area. Mountain bikes can be rented at many sports shops around the village. Dirtscooter and Kickbikes are also very popular at Zermatt. Dirtscooters have super-fat tires allowing perfect ride around the lanes leading through Zermatt’s alpine pastures. Riders can collect their downhill scooters from the Matterhorn glacier paradise valley station and go on a ride in one of the Matterhorn Express gondolas leading up to Schwarzsee. From there riders wear helmets and go down the trail that leads past the waters of the idyllic Schwarzsee and down towards Stafelalp, which is a good spot for a first pit stop. The lanes are not completely smooth, making it an excellent adventure for families. Kickbike is like a cross between a bike and a scooter and is fun to ride for people of all ages. From Sunnegga, the trail leads initially towards Tufteren, past ancient Swiss stone pine trees and tall larches. At Tufteren the track plunges into the lush mountain forest, and follows a giant zig-zag all the way down to the village of Zermatt.
