Swiss Alps: Matterhorn

0 ft

Elevation

Switzerland

Country

Days

3B

Difficulty

Early July

Start

Early Sept

End

About the Mountain

WHY CLIMB IT?

Climbing in the Swiss Alps is like revisiting your childhood on the playground – you’re constantly learning, yet every moment is filled with awe and joy. Among the many great alpine peaks you could climb there, the Matterhorn (14,697 ft) stands above all as the most beautiful and iconic. It towers above Zermatt like a chiseled pyramid of adventure. While the climb is mostly above the treeline, it looks out to meadows and forests in the valley below, giving you a taste of the laid back alpine lifestyle waiting for you once you descend.

“The Matterhorn is climbed for a variety of reasons, but first and foremost it is climbed because it is the Matterhorn.”

- Gaston Rebuffat

While the Matterhorn is an extremely popular mountain with thousands of people attempting the summit each year, it requires prior mountaineering and rock climbing experience, as it is a technical climb. Those hoping to summit should be able to manage 5.7 grade climbs in boots and be comfortable traversing steep snow and ice in crampons. Past climbing experience should include a mountain like Denali or Rainier that requires technical mountaineering skills in addition to endurance. Guides may also spend time reviewing key skills during the acclimatization period, such as on Pollux (13,430 ft) and Breithorn (13,660 ft), two nearby mountains well-suited to this purpose. There are several routes up Matterhorn once your preparation is complete, but the classic route is up Hornli Ridge, which is a moderate and exposed climb.