Giant ice maker - Zinal Glacier

The perfect G n T made with glacial ice and a slice

How far will you go to put some ice in your drink? Well the other day we headed off to search for the most perfect lump of frozen water we could find -  layers of snow, crushed over hundreds of years into a beautifully clear lump of turquoise ice. This natural ice maker was the snout of the Zinal Glacier.

A 5km walk from Zinal following the Navisence towards the Pointe de Zinal 

The ice caves at the snout of the Zinal Glacier

Inside the ice caves

Five icy masses - the Glacier du Cornier, Bouquetins, Durand, L'Obergabelorn and Mountet - creep down from the head of the valley and merge together to become the Zinal glacier. From the village, it's a 5 km walk south, following the Navisence river to its source - the turquoise blue ice caves at the snout of the glacier. These days it's 1.7 km further than it was 120 years ago, but the extra walk is definitely worth it.

Fifty shades of blue

The most perfect lump of ice

Snow - making it happen

Snow making 

After an unusually wet summer, autumn was long, warm and relatively dry. Finally, temperatures have dropped and winter is creeping in, but the 'good' weather has continued, so not much snow. But at least it can now be made, which is exactly what's been happening.

For the last week or two all across the alps and around this valley, snow cannons have been drawing thousands of k-joules of electricity to pump and mix water with air, atomising the water into droplets which, when jetted into the freezing air form ice crystals. Over the years snow making techniques have improved so it's now less icy and comes pretty close to feeling like the real thing.

But it comes at a price:
To cover 100m x 100m's to a depth of 30 cm you need 3000m3 of snow, made from 1.3 million litres of water.
The estimated cost for 1m3 of snow is about £5 (chf 7.50) so the above 10,000m sq would cost about£15,000 (chf 22,000).

To put this into a context, a piste 60m wide and 800m long will cost around  £72,000 (chf 105,600) - that's a lot of ski passes and all you've got is a pile of snow. You then need piste machines to spread it around and the lifts to get people up the mountain....

And of course there's the cost to the environment - the extra energy used, water drained from reservoirs and other water sources and the extra water when it melts - which isn't just when spring arrives. The snow they made in November all melted on the lower slopes because it was so warm, but higher up the snow making is putting down a good base so for the Christmas guests things are looking 'al-white'.


Figures are based on information in the following articles:
www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/07/snow-climate-change-effect-on-skiing
www.mtbuller.com.au/Winter/Snow-Report/Snow-Making
www.adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/snow-sports/snow-maker.htm

Turning the clock back

Inside Zinal's 'Peasant-House' Museum

The villages of the Val d'Anniviers contain buildings dating back to the 16th century. Until 50 years ago life was lived in much the same way as it had been for hundreds of years. This film was shot in Zinal in 1967 but it could have been 200 years earlier.

Main living and sleeping room 

Part of the valley's charm lies in the old wooden buildings whose beams have been blackened by the weather over the years. Several houses in the valley have been preserved as museums and display collections of furniture, tools and photographs which show how life in the valley once was.

Cuttlery and wooden platters

Zinal's museum, pictured here, dates back to 1768. There's an outer store/workshop and kitchen area with steps that lead up to the main living room where the whole family slept in 3 truckle beds stacked one above the other by day. You can see daylight through some of the walls and even with the soapstone stove going, it must have been chilly in winter. You can imagine people living under those conditions in the middle ages but the fact that the last inhabitants lived here into the 1960s seems quite extraordinary.

Milking stools

Straw bonnet fixed to the mould awaiting final ribbon

Outside and downstairs is the cellar which was shared with the neighbour who lived above, and where the family stored their food and wine. Now it displays old photographs and a collection of agricultural tools.

Cooking corner

Tools, skis and workbench stand in the opposite corner to the hearth

Pebbles cover the floor of the 'cave' where more old tools are displayed 

Many thanks to l'Association des Amis du Vieux Zinal who look after  the 'Ancienne Maison d’Habitation, Musée'.  

In Vissoie and Ayer there are similar houses that can also be visited during the summer months: www.valdanniviers.ch/tourism/museums-exhibitions.html

Moiry Via Ferrata

Wonderful views across to the Moiry Dam

We finally got to try our local via ferrata route on the crag next to the Moiry dam. It's a 230m piece of cliff which looks insignificant from afar but once up on the rock gives a sense of airiness along with great views.

It's a long way down and I've only just started...

The route starts with a D+ (difficult +) grade but then branches - you can continue along the same grade, or opt for a harder TD (very difficult) or easier options - AD (fairly difficult) or F (easy). The climbing is almost entirely done using metal staples for hand and foot holds - a system used a lot on the via ferrata routes in France. No one's pretending to climb the rock here.

Most of the route uses staples for hand and foot holds

In addition to the main climbing routes there are options to cross a 70m bridge suspended 100m above the ground, or (new this year) climb a 30m metal scrambling net; if you're with a guide who has the key for it, you can do the massive tyrolienne zip-line.

View from the bridge

For more information visit the following sites:
www.valdanniviers.ch/tourism/moiry-ferrata.html
www.sites.google.com/site/viaferratatrail/moiry

Yes, there really is a picnic table on a ledge at point 10....

The various routes and levels of difficulty 

Redcurrant Jelly fest

We left redcurrant picking till later this year - what with all the rain this summer things took a little longer to ripen. But it was worth the wait. The berries were plentiful, large and deep ruby in colour. In total we picked 12kg of fruit - freezing 2/3rds and making 4 lge jars and 3 smaller jars of jelly from the rest.

12kg of redcurrants picked on just one day

The best jelly recipe.

It's an old recipe so I use imperial measurements as it makes life a lot simpler. Redcurrants are high in pectin so setting is never a problem - that being the case you can use granulated sugar.

• Wash the berries - there's no need to remove them from the stalks - discard leaves and other debris.
• Place berries in a large pan - for every 3 lb of fruit add 1 pint of water.
• Simmer gently for 30 minutes until the fruit is really mushy.
• Line another large saucepan with a cloth or jelly bag, and pour cooked berries into the cloth.
• Tie the cloth up, and raise it so the juice can run freely into the pan below.
• Leave this to strain overnight.
• Discard the contents of the cloth.
• Measure the juice extract. For every 1 pint of juice add 1 lb of sugar to the pan.
• Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
• Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 15 minutes.
• Test for set. (Take a saucer that's been in the freezer, drip some jelly onto it and leave for a minute. If it crinkles when you run your finger through it then its reached setting point).
• Remove from heat.
• Skim off scum with a slotted spoon.
• Pour jelly into clean sterilised jars. To sterilise your clean jars place in oven for 20 mins at 130 - remove from oven and pour jelly into warm jars. Put the lids on straight away.

Riding the Rhone

Cycling through the vineyards

Cycling around Zinal can be hard work - it's either sweating slowly up or a white knuckle descent which leaves your hands aching from braking so hard. For an easier day out, we head down to the main valley to follow one of the many cycle routes.
SwitzerlandMobility covers the whole country - road & mountain bike, walking, inline skating and even canoe routes. The app gives you the country's best mapping for free as well.

Plenty of mapping and signs

Many of the road bike routes are mostly traffic free tarmac and wind through the valley's fruit orchards and vineyards with occasional detours into small villages. Best to head out to the west through the vineyards and villages and then get blown back along the perfect path beside the Rhone by the prevailing winds. In the event of breakdown - you or your bike - you can always just hop on the train to get back to where you started.

Routes through hill villages and orchards

From the upper Valais it's possible to follow the Rhone all the way to the Mediterranean - perhaps the ultimate summit to sea trip - use the SwitzerlandMobility site for the swiss leg then www.viarhona.com for info on the journey through France.

Routes and mapping:
www.veloland.ch/en/cycling-in-switzerland.html
www.lacyclosportivevalaisanne.ch

Rent a bike for an afternoon or two
www.valaisroule.ch/fr/velospot.html
www.rentabike.ch/?dsmid=113360&action=viewdet&id=542
www.veloland.ch/fr/services/location-de-velos-et-e-bikes-0641.html
www.publibike.ch

Zinal to Cabane Petit Mountet - the 'high' way

Stunning mountain views

Lowering yourself on a chain through an ice cold waterfall is not everyones idea of a good walk, but if you can cope, you're rewarded with some of the most spectacular views the valley has to offer. This high route is a 'mountain fest' of snow, ice and peaks. In front of you is the whole Imperial Crown -  the collective name for the five 4000m+ peaks (Bishorn, Weisshorn, Zinal Rothorn, Obergabelhorn, and Dent Blanche) that sit at the head of the valley, plus the other 'little' mountains that fill your horizon - oh and lets not forget glimpses of the Matterhorn right at the back.

Not for the nervous walker

Taking the cable car up to Sorebois saves the 800m climb up from Zinal village and puts you near the start of the 2400m contour that you follow south. The route winds and climbs around the mountain on flower lined paths, crossing streams, waterfalls, rock shoots and in early summer the possible snow patch before opening out in a meadow - the perfect picnic spot to sit and soak up the view.

Picnic spot with wonderful mountain views

Descend through meadows of Alpenrose to the Cabane

After this point the route descends through meadows of Alpenrose to Cabane Petit Mountet (2142m) where you can relax with a beer and look out onto the Zinal Glacier before heading north and down to Zinal through meadows and across La Pla.

Heading back to Zinal through meadows and across La Pla

Total distance: 14.5 km
Time: about 5 hrs to include stops
Ascent: 250 m
Descent: 1015 m