What is it like to live more than 3000 meters above sea level? A self-experiment in Europe’s highest ski area above Zermatt.
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View into the valley, of the ever-shrinking lights of Zermatt, this cosmopolitan village. A pair of slalom skis rests in my arms, and my backpack vibrates quietly on the floor of the wagon. I’m standing on the cog railway that’s supposed to take me up the Gornergrat, 3,089 meters above sea level, to the highest hotel in the Swiss Alps. I’ve already climbed a few hundred meters when I complete this check for the first time. Pulse rate: normal. No dizziness. No hallucinations.