Zermatt - Europahutte

(S) In Zermatt, find the Tour du Cervin trail, head east and you will soon reach the forest.

(1). The path winds gently to reach the ski area and the lower cable car station at Patrullarve.

(2) Leave the station on your left and continue east then north along a good path. Reach Tufternhutte and then join the shared "Tour du Cervin - Europaweg" route.

(3). Stay on this path, which is almost horizontal, until you reach the mountain village of Ottafe.

(4) Before the village, cross the stream and head north-west, first on flat ground and then down a slight slope, entering the forest above the village of Tasch. A scree slope separates the forest; it can be easily crossed via the tunnel, but a headlamp is useful for this crossing.

(5) Shortly afterwards, the slope becomes steeper and, as you leave the forest, the large Himalayan footbridge appears.

(6) Take this to cross the valley between the two peaks, Gross Haupt and Chli Haupt.
Then begin a short descent followed by an identical ascent to reach Europahutte (E), the day's destination.

Water supply at the Ottafe fountains.

Please note that the Himalayan footbridge we used was opened in 2010. It replaces the tunnels that used to cross this area, where landslides are frequent. There are currently reports of a landslide that may have damaged the footbridge, meaning that the route would now be via the lower path.
If you have any recent information on this, please let us know.

Zermatt and the villages in this valley:
- Tasch, where the funicular railway stops,
- Randa, site of a huge landslide that isolated the upper valley for several months.