Tour
Training Course Matterhorn 4478m by the Swiss or Italian normal route
Country: Suisse
Symbol of Switzerland, the Matterhorn disputes in Alpamayo (the Andes) and Ama Dablam (the Himalayas) the title of most beautiful mountain in the world. It symbolizes, by the steepness of its faces and the beauty of its pyramid, the ideal mountain that any mountaineer dreams to climb one day.
Highlight Our Matterhorn Training Course: To allow you to optimize your chances to reach the summit, we created a training course which the first two days will enable you to acclimatize yourselves to altitude and practice rock climbing, and while always sleeping above 3000 meters altitude.
Description:
A demanding peak:
The Hörnliridge, with more than 1000m high and a route not always obvious, is a normal way to take with the serious one. The weak rate of success on this normal way (only 40% of the candidates reach the top) is explained by the following causes:
- The ascent of Matterhorn is long (1200 meters from the Hörnli hut) and physically demanding (many passages equipped with fixed ropes on which it is necessary to tract). Altitude amplifies these difficulties. The candidates for the ascent of the Matterhorn must be in excellent physical condition (lasted 8-9 h.). Our preparation table in the Level heading gives you the elements for a good preparation of the physical condition.
- The top culminates at 4478 meters, it is thus essential to be very well acclimatized before trying this ascent in high altitude. The ascent of peaks above 3500 m or even 4000 m bring only little acclimatization, if you do them in a day trip from the valley, or if you don’t sleep in altitude rather in huts, because you don’t remain long enough in high altitude, above 3000 m, which doesn’t allow the acclimatization phenomena to occur.
- Even if several parts of the ascent are similar to a walk on an air path, many small passages imply short climbings of 2nd degree (the rare passages of third and fourth degree are equipped with fixed ropes). It is thus essential to very regularly practise the climbing indoor or outside during the two months preceding the training course.
- A reserve day allowing to face one day of bad weather, and thus to shift the ascent to try it by good weather conditions.
According to the conditions, we privilege the Italian normal route for the ascent of Matterhorn. The Italian normal route has the advantage of a shorter ascent from the Carrel hut, altitude 3829 m, to the top (4477 m) than the Swiss normal route (start at 3260 m from the Hörnlihut). In addition, environment is much more convivial and cordial there, than on the Swiss Hörnliridge with a considerable number mountaineers in high season.
Guiding standards for Matterhorn:
- For safety reasons, the mountain guide takes only one person.
- Matterhorn Training course, 5 days, start each Monday from the end of June to the end of September. We highly recommend to choose dates as of the end of August. The number of mountaineers on the mountain is thus strongly reduced and makes the ascent much more pleasant. It is nevertheless possible that on the end of season, snow come to make the ascent more difficult and thus requires ease in climbing with crampons.
For an optimal physical and technical preparation and to adapt you to altitude, we propose to the candidates the following preliminary program:
1st day: Travel to Zermatt and ascent in the cable to Klein Matterhorn. Acclimatization and ascent of Breithorn with 4164m, easy in 3h. Night in the Ayashut 3394m in Italy.
2nd day: Ascent of Polux 4092m and the Castor 4228m. Night in the Theodule hut 3317m.
3rd day: Cross to the Hörnlihut 3260m.
4th Day: Ascent of Matterhorn on the Hörnliridge. Descent to Zermatt and return trip.
5th day: One reserve day is planed to shift one day the attempt of Matterhorn in case of bad weather.
Included in the price:
The guide's fee, accommodation in the hut with half board for the guide and the guest, tea for on the way. Not included: cost for cable car.
Accomodation:
Ayas hut 3394m
Theodule hut 3317m
Hörnli hut 3260m
Gear:
See the gear list
