Forest
Zmutt dam
The arch dam in the Zmutt valley retains the water of the Zmutt Glacier and the Zmuttbach river. Built between 1961 and 1964, the dam is 74 m tall and can be visited in summer.
Description
Anyone hiking in the area around the dam encounters some of the signs of modern-day use of the Alps’ resources: roads around the works site, piles of gravel and so on. Here, water is used to generate electricity.
The hydroelectric power company Grande Dixence S.A. collects the water here and uses enormous pumps to raise it to an altitude of 2,400 m. The water then flows through tunnels bored through the interior of the mountains to the Lac des Dix. This reservoir is held in place by the world’s second-tallest gravity dam (285 m high).
- Summer: weekly visits of the dam and the Grande Dixence works in Zmutt. Bookable through Zermatt Tourism
- Within the dam: maintenance operations
- Beside the dam: control centre
- Works access: plant’s own cable car from Zen Stecken
Map
