Alps, Europe

The Matterhorn was first summited in 1865 and four of the seven climbers died on the descent – the guides and the wealthy clients all made different decisions about the rope

The Alps stretch across eight countries and through 1,200 kilometres of mountain terrain, and they have been described so many times in so many forms of promotional material that the actual experience is difficult to perceive through the accumulated cliche. Let’s start from something real. The Matterhorn is 4,478 metres, shaped like a pyramid by four glaciers wearing away from four sides simultaneously, and was considered unclimbable until Edward Whymper’s 1865 first ascent. On the descent, the rope between the upper and lower groups broke – or was deliberately cut, depending on which account you believe – and four climbers fell to their deaths. This did not stop mountaineering. It increased it.

The Alps became a destination for the wealthy British in the 19th century because the British invented alpinism as a sport, founded the Alpine Club in 1857, and proceeded to spend the remainder of the century using Swiss and French mountain guides to attempt and sometimes complete first ascents of every major peak. The guide culture that began then still operates: for serious peaks, you hire a guide, not because you couldn’t theoretically attempt it alone, but because the guide’s accumulated knowledge of route conditions and weather windows is the difference between a successful ascent and the wrong kind of outcome.

Chamonix and Mont Blanc

Chamonix sits at the foot of Mont Blanc (4,808 metres – Europe’s highest peak, though the exact boundary with Asia shifts the Caucasus claim depending on which geographer you ask). The Aiguille du Midi cable car ascends to 3,842 metres in 20 minutes, giving non-climbers access to a high-alpine environment that would otherwise require several days of mountaineering. The views of Mont Blanc from the summit platform are unobstructed and vertiginous. A return ticket runs around €65-70. The Mer de Glace, accessible by the historic Montenvers railway, is a glacier in visible, measurable retreat – the painted lines on the cliff wall showing glacier levels in 1820, 1850, 1900, and subsequent decades are among the most direct illustrations of climate change you’ll find anywhere.

Chamonix is busy in winter for skiing and in summer for hiking and mountaineering. The best months to avoid crowds while still having full access are June and September.

Zermatt

Zermatt is car-free – arrivals park at Tasch and take a shuttle train the final distance. This matters because the village has preserved a pedestrian quality that most Alpine resorts lost in the 1970s. The Matterhorn is visible from the main street and from most hotel windows, which is one of those facts that sounds ordinary until you have the experience of eating breakfast with that specific pyramid in the window frame.

The Gornergrat rack railway ascends to 3,089 metres above 28 glaciers including the Gorner Glacier, the second-largest glacier in the Alps. The view from the top takes in a panorama that includes Monte Rosa (4,634m) and 28 other four-thousand-metre peaks. The Matterhorn Museum in the village covers the history of the 1865 first ascent in detail, including the contested rope. Admission is around CHF 12.

The Dolomites

The Dolomite range in northeast Italy is technically distinct from the main Alpine chain and geologically different – the pale limestone faces turn orange in the evening light in a way that the granite and gneiss of the main Alps don’t replicate. The Julian Alps in Slovenia, less visited and significantly cheaper than Swiss or French alternatives, offer excellent hiking and the Triglav National Park with the country’s highest peak at 2,864 metres.

Eating, Staying, Costs

Raclette and fondue are the two Alpine dishes that every mountain visitor encounters, and they are both better than their tourist-menu versions suggest. Raclette cheese melted over boiled potatoes with cured meats is winter mountain food at its most functional and satisfying. Apfelstrudel with coffee is the Austrian register.

Switzerland and France are the expensive end (CHF/EUR 80-150+ per day for modest travel). Austria, Slovenia, and the Italian Dolomites allow significantly more for less. Mountain huts (rifugi in Italian, Hutte in German) throughout the Alps provide basic dormitory accommodation with surprisingly good food for multi-day trekkers.

The Glacier Express train between Zermatt and St Moritz through the Swiss Alps takes eight hours and passes through 291 bridges and 91 tunnels. It is a legitimate experience, not just a tourist product.