Gornergrat Kulm Hotel

The Telescopio InfraRosso del Gornergrat (TIRGO), or the Gornergrat Infrared Telescope, was located on the northern tower of the Kulm Hotel at Gornergrat (3,135 metres (10,285 ft) altitude) near Zermatt, Switzerland. It was a 1.5-metre (4.9 ft) Cassegrain telescope with a tip-tilt correcting secondary and optimized for infrared observations, but was decommissioned in March 2005. The telescope and related instrumentation were run by the Istituto di Radioastronomia (IRA - C.N.R.), sezione di Firenze (former CAISMI), with the assistance of the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri and the Dipartimento di Astronomia e Scienza dello Spazio of the University of Florence.

The Gornergrat (English: Gorner Ridge; 3,135 m (10,285 ft)) is a rocky ridge of the Pennine Alps, overlooking the Gorner Glacier south-east of Zermatt in Switzerland. It can be reached from Zermatt by the Gornergrat rack railway (GGB), the highest open-air railway in Europe. Between the Gornergrat railway station (3,090 m (10,140 ft)) and the summit is the Kulm Hotel (3,120 m (10,240 ft)). In the late 1960s two astronomical observatories were installed in the two towers of the Kulmhotel Gornergrat. The project “Stellarium Gornergrat” is hosted in the Gornergrat South Observatory.

Gornergrat is the upper terminal railway station of the Gornergrat railway, a rack railway which links it with the resort of Zermatt. The station is situated at the summit of the Gornergrat, in the Swiss municipality of Zermatt and canton of Valais. At an altitude of 3,089 m (10,135 ft) above mean sea level, it is the highest open-air railway station in Europe.Near the station is the Kulm Hotel, a hotel and observatory.

The Kölner Observatorium für SubMillimeter Astronomie (KOSMA) was a radio telescope for submillimeter astronomy located at 3,135 m (10,285 ft) on Gornergrat near Zermatt (Switzerland). It was operated by I. Physikalisches Institut, University of Cologne, and Radioastronomisches Institut, University of Bonn.The telescope had a primary diameter of 3 m (9.8 ft), and a secondary diameter of 0.27 metres (0.89 ft). It was equipped with heterodyne receivers covering 210 to 820 GHz, corresponding to wavelengths between 0.35 and 1.4 mm, for observations of lines from the interstellar medium.Because of the good climatic conditions at the altitude of 3135 m (10285 ft), astronomical observatories have been located in both towers of the Kulmhotel at Gornergrat since 1967. In 1985, the KOSMA telescope was installed in the southern tower by the Universität zu Köln and, in the course of 1995, replaced by a new dish and mount. In the northern tower, a 1.5 m infrared telescope was operated until 2005 by an Italian association of universities (TIRGO). In 2010, the telescope was moved to a site in Yangbajain in Damxung County in Tibet at an altitude of 4300m and renamed CCOSMA.

Rotenboden is a railway station on the Gornergrat railway, a rack railway which links the resort of Zermatt with the summit of the Gornergrat. The station is situated west of the Gornergrat, in the Swiss municipality of Zermatt and canton of Valais. At an altitude of 2,815 m (9,236 ft) above mean sea level, it is the second highest open-air railway station in Europe, after the Gornergrat railway station, on the same line.From the railway station a trail leads to the Monte Rosa Hut, across the Gorner Glacier.

The Gant-Hohtälli Aerial Tramway is a large-cab cable car near Zermatt, Switzerland. It is 2,707 metres (8,881 ft) long and spans an elevation of some 1,057 metres (3,468 ft). This cable car is notable in that it runs over the tallest aerial lift pylon in Switzerland, with a height of 94 metres (308 ft).

The Hohtälli is a mountain of the Swiss Pennine Alps, located southeast of Zermatt in the canton of Valais. It lies on the range that separates the Findel Glacier from the Gorner Glacier, between the Gornergrat and the Stockhorn. Its summit has an elevation of 3,275 metres (10,745 ft) and includes a cable car station. The Hohtälli is part of a ski area and features several ski runs leading down the mountain.

Riffelsee is an alpine lake above the town of Zermatt in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.

The Grünsee ("Green Lake") is a small lake near Zermatt, Switzerland, which is fed by the Findel Glacier. It is quite remote and is only accessible by foot, a small hub of the many footpaths in the area. There is a small hamlet nearby of the same name.

The Gorner Glacier (German: Gornergletscher) is a valley glacier found on the west side of the Monte Rosa massif close to Zermatt in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is about 12.4 km (7.7 mi) long (2014) and 1 to 1.5 km (0.62 to 0.93 mi) wide. The entire glacial area of the glacier related to Gorner Glacier is 53 km2 (20 sq mi) (2007), which makes it the second largest glacial system in the Alps after the Aletsch Glacier system; however it ranks only third in length behind the Aletsch and Fiescher Glacier, respectively. Numerous smaller glaciers connect with the Gorner Glacier. Its (former) tributaries are (clockwise on this map): Gornergletscher (after which the whole system is named, but the upper part is now disconnected from the lower part), Monte Rosa Gletscher, Grenzgletscher (nowadays by far its main tributary, now disconnected from the actual Gornergletscher), Zwillingsgletscher, Schwärzegletscher, Breithorngletscher, Triftjigletscher, and Unterer Theodulgletscher (although the last three ones are actually disconnected now). The Grenzgletscher (English: Border Glacier) between the central Monte Rosa massif and the Liskamm to the south is nowadays by far the lower Gorner Glacier's main tributary. The Gorner Glacier's upper part is almost already disconnected from its lower part. Also the former tributaries Breithorngletscher, Triftjigletscher, and Unterer Theodulgletscher lost their connections to the Gorner Glacier during the last century; the Lower Theodul Glacier became disconnected in the 1980s. An interesting feature of this glacier is the Gornersee, an ice marginal lake at the confluence area of the Gorner- and Grenzgletscher. This lake fills every year and drains in summer, usually as a Glacial lake outburst flood. This is one of few glacial lakes in the Alps exhibiting this kind of behavior. There are also several interesting surface features including crevasses and "table top" forms where large surface boulders have been left stranded above the glaciers surface. These tabular rocks are supported by ice that the boulder has sheltered from melting that has effected the more exposed surrounding ice. Due to the immense information about the glacier, it is perfect for a glacier project. It is the source of the river Gornera, which flows down through Zermatt itself. However, most of its water is captured by a water catchment station of the Grande Dixence hydroelectric power plant. This water then ends up in the Lac des Dix, the main reservoir of Grande Dixence. The glacier as well as the surrounding mountains can be seen from the Gornergrat (3,100 m or 10,200 ft), connected from Zermatt by the Gornergrat Railway.

The Riffelhorn (2,928 m) is a mountain in the Swiss section of the Pennine Alps, located south of Zermatt in the canton of Valais. The Riffelhorn forms part of the Gorner ridge and provides excellent rock climbing facilities having several routes of a different Climbing grades. It has been used a long time by the local Alpine guides to train rock climbing skills for climbers before ascending on higher mountains. It is also very popular view point being in the middle of one of the most famous valleys in the Alps, between the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa. Also the altitude of nearly 3,000 m gives a needed atmosphere of Alpine conditions. Nearest access is Rotenboden train station. Gornergratbahn continues from here up to summit of Gornergrat. On the northern side of the mountain lies the Riffelsee.

The Moosjisee (also Mossjesee, Mosjesee, Moosjesee) is a reservoir in the Findeltal valley above Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais. The lake is located at an elevation of 2,139 m (7,018 ft) slightly north of the Findelbach river. The reservoir is used for power generation and snowmaking. It is fed in part by the glacial milk of the Findel Glacier and therefore gets its characteristic milky turquoise color.