"Alpine Crossing" Zermatt to Cervinia opens July 2023

[ChrisC]

Thought this was interesting. Zermatt to Cervinia is now all lift served year-round.

Also, the cost of the tickets is ridiculous, especially for Europe: (hell, you take an EasyJet/RyanAir/etc flight to anywhere in Europe for a lot less)

• One-way: 156 CHF
• Round-trip: 240 CHF

What's really interesting, Zermatt prices are higher for pedestrians than skiers. I saw this occur at a ticket window when I was there - an argument ensued.

For example, to get to the top of Zermatt -aka the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise - in the summer, the prices are:

• Skier: 79 CHF (ski and unlimited lift rides)
• Pedestrian: 109 CHF

Project

Matterhorn Alpine Crossing | höchste Alpenüberquerung am Matterhorn

Mit dem Alpine Crossing wird die ganzjährige Verbindung zwischen dem Weltkurort Zermatt und dem italienischen Ort Breuil-Cervinia Tatsache. Jetzt die Neuheit entdecken!

www.matterhornparadise.ch

Pricing

Matterhorn Alpine Crossing online booking | Zermatt Bergbahnen

The Matterhorn Alpine Crossing represents a new dimension of cableway travel. The highest Alpine crossing by cableway between two countries which are both

www.matterhornparadise.ch

 

[jamesdeluxe]

the cost of the tickets is ridiculous, especially for Europe:

Wow. Sounds like they've been looking at U.S. prices and saying "if they'll pay that much for a day ticket at [some comparatively less impressive North American resort], they'll surely do it for our product/experience."

I've never been to Zermatt so the lengthy project description above doesn't mean anything to me.

 

[ChrisC]

Wow. Sounds like they've been looking at U.S. prices and saying "if they'll pay that much for a day ticket at [some comparatively less impressive North American resort], they'll surely do it for our product/experience."

It's interesting. Europe ski/train operators will often price gauge pedestrians - especially in the summer - for experiences to get into the alpine. Some lifts are really for summer-only traffic.

I was shocked when traveling to Europe Continent the first time and visiting Interlaken. Wanted to go to the top of the Jungfraujoch, but a ticket was well over 150 CHF at the time. Instead, we rented mountain bikes and took the gondola up First for a fraction of the cost. Another day, we hiked up to Murrent. Wanted to go up the tram to the summit, but it was over 50 CHF. Pass.

Just to show a few prices today:

Stechelberg to Murren to Piz Gloria (summit): 120 CHF in summer. Winter lift ticket: 75 CHF

Interlaken to the Jungfraujoch: 240 CHF I had to take a screenshot because of the absurdity.

The issue - you can get all of this in a winter lift ticket for much less.

There are a number of other Euro lifts like this in the summer:

• Aguille du Midi tram in Chamonix - 75 EUR
• Skyway Monte Bianco in Engelberg - 60 EUR Ski ticket 56 EUR
• Titlis tram in Engelberg - 108 CHF Ski ticket 59 CHF

There are other lifts like this throughout the Alps in the Dolomites, Verbier, St Anton, etc that charge exorbitant rates in the summer. It's really funny how skiers are somewhat 'subsidized' by the lift companies. However, in the summer the same companies really go in for an American-style kill.


Meanwhile in Vail, a gondola ride:

• Winter $250+
• Summer $50

Hell, the Telluride gondola is free: $0. (However, that is because of an EPA requirement. Telluride had horrible cold winter morning air pollution. Particulant settlement from fireplaces and cars. So to build the Mountain Village, it was required to decrease potential traffic).


If I were to recommend anything to someone visiting the Alps in the summer: go to Saas-Fee. It is an in-your-face glacier overload. Nearly 6000 vertical face of them. Kinda like Interlaken/Grindelwald/Murren/Wengen.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Many of these high alpine resorts do huge summer sightseeing business. It's obvious because so many of them have viewing decks at/above upper tram terminals. And often skiers are walking down 100+ steps to the snow from upper lift stations located with viewpoints as top priority. Mont Fort at Verbier and the destroyed upper tram at Grands Montets come to mind.

The only high alpine tram I have used not for skiing was from the Austrian side of the Zugspitze in August 1999. I don't recall what it cost but it was very busy.

 

[ChrisC]

Also, the cost of the tickets is ridiculous, especially for Europe: (hell, you take an EasyJet/RyanAir/etc flight to anywhere in Europe for a lot less)

• One-way: 156 CHF
• Round-trip: 240 CHF

It looks like the Lift Companies over-priced this lift ticket/crossing.

229 EUROS TO CROSS THE ALPS BY CABLE CAR: TOO MUCH? THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THE PININFARINA-DESIGNED SYSTEM DISAPPOINT IN TERMS OF USERS​

Link

The news was reported by Tvsvizzera.it which informs: “The market response so far does not seem to be enthusiastic, according to what SontagsZeitung has just found, which speaks bluntly of a real 'flop'. The weekly magazine has in fact collected testimonies from an important tour operator and the Cervino AG mountain railway which confirm the lack of interest aroused by the cross-border cable car".

 

[Skieric]

This almost certainly seems to be a pricing issue. It cost much less to cross as a skier while using the lifts all day long than a single back and forth pedestrian.

 

[ChrisC]

This almost certainly seems to be a pricing issue. It cost much less to cross as a skier while using the lifts all day long than a single back and forth pedestrian.

Yes. It is so strange that pedestrian and skier pricing diverges so much for trains/cable cars/lifts in the Alps.

But I think the connection has been closed most of the winter for 'maintenance.' Very odd considering it just opened in 2023.

 

[Skieric]

Yes. It is so strange that pedestrian and skier pricing diverges so much for trains/cable cars/lifts in the Alps.

But I think the connection has been closed most of the winter for 'maintenance.' Very odd considering it just opened in 2023.

The crossing was closed when I was there in January.