Matterhorn

The Matterhorn: What Makes It Different and What to Expect in Zermatt

The Matterhorn at 4,478 metres is not the highest peak in the Alps (that’s Mont Blanc at 4,808 metres), not the most difficult to climb (there are more technical routes elsewhere), and not the most remote. What makes it recognisable worldwide is its shape: a near-perfect four-sided pyramid that stands in isolation above the valley rather than as part of a ridge. From Zermatt, looking south, the peak is framed perfectly against the sky in a way that photographs without effort.

The first ascent was made by Edward Whymper and six companions in 1865. Four of them died on the descent. The accident attracted widespread coverage in Victorian England and fixed the Matterhorn in the imagination of anyone who read a newspaper. Whymper wrote his account, Scrambles Amongst the Alps, which remains worth reading. The 1865 rope that broke is in the Matterhorn Museum in Zermatt.

Zermatt

Zermatt is a car-free resort town at 1,620 metres. Private vehicles stop at Täsch, 5 kilometres down the valley, where there’s a large multi-storey car park. From Täsch, an electric train runs to Zermatt every 20 minutes, taking 12 minutes. This arrangement keeps the air in the valley genuinely clean and the streets genuinely walkable.

The town is expensive in the way Swiss mountain resorts are expensive. A simple restaurant dinner for two with wine costs CHF 100-150. Hotel rooms below CHF 150 per night are hard to find in summer. A day ski pass in winter runs CHF 90+. These are not departures from the norm; they are the norm.

The main pedestrian street, Bahnhofstrasse, runs from the station through the centre of town. The cluster of old wooden chalets in the Hinterdorf area, above the main street, is the pre-tourist Zermatt. Some of these buildings date to the 17th and 18th centuries and are still inhabited. The Matterhorn Museum (Zermatlantis) is partly underground, designed to minimise visual impact on the village. The exhibits cover the 1865 first ascent, the rope, the equipment, and the relationship between Zermatt and the mountain over the past 200 years.

Views Without Climbing

The Gornergrat, at 3,089 metres, is reached by the Gornergrat Bahn, a cog railway that has been running since 1898. The journey from Zermatt takes 33 minutes and passes through increasingly dramatic alpine scenery. The view from the Gornergrat summit encompasses the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa (the highest peak in Switzerland), and the Gorner Glacier. A half-day at this altitude is enough to affect people who aren’t acclimatised; take it slowly and drink water.

The Schwarzsee, at 2,552 metres, reached by gondola, is the highest point from which you can look straight up the Matterhorn’s north face. The chapel of Maria zum Schnee at the lake has been there since 1788. This is a better place to see the mountain than Gornergrat, closer and more direct, and the cable car costs less than the cog railway. If you have to choose between them, choose Schwarzsee for the Matterhorn specifically, Gornergrat for the panoramic glacier view.

Climbing the Matterhorn

The Hörnli Ridge (northeast face, from Zermatt) is the standard route, the one Whymper climbed. It requires a guided ascent; unguided climbing is technically possible but strongly discouraged by the mountain guides association. The route is graded AD+ (fairly difficult), requires previous alpine climbing experience, and takes 5-8 hours to the summit. The Hörnli Hut at 3,260 metres is where climbers spend the night before the summit attempt, departing at 3:30am.

Only around 3,000 people successfully summit the Matterhorn each year; the mountain has a refusal rate that surprises most people. Guides will turn back parties who are not moving at sufficient pace by a certain altitude. The standard ascent season is July through mid-September. The summit is regularly crowded by European alpinism standards, with 50-100 people attempting on good days.

The Italian side, via Cervinia, has routes that are generally considered slightly easier in the upper section. Italian guides operate from Cervinia.

Practical Notes

Arriving at Zermatt before 9am gives you the station square and the first views of the Matterhorn without the tourist density that builds from mid-morning. The famous view of the mountain reflected in the Stellisee lake (a small alpine lake above the Schwarzsee) requires about 30 minutes of walking from the Schwarzsee cable car station and a calm morning with no wind. Worth the effort specifically for photographers.

High season is July and August (skiing tourists have left, hiking tourists have arrived). Accommodation books out significantly in advance for these months.