Situated
in Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy, is one of the most
famous and distinctive of all Alpine peaks. The Matterhorn is a pyramidal –
shaped colossus standing at a skyline – dominating 4478 m. its four step faces
rise above the nearby glaciers and the
four compass points north east south and
west. Although not the highest peak in the Alps its fame is due to its almost
impossible shape. An unusual landform with a summit that appears to extend over
its north face, making it look like a cobra about to strike.
The History of Matterhorn
The formation
of the Matterhorn (and the rest of the Alps) began some 50
to 60 million years ago, when the
African and Eurasian tectonic plates
collided and layers of sedimentary rock that had formed in the seas
between them were thrust up above sea level. Experts suggest that the
Matterhorn began as a round hill, but gained its distinct pyramidal shape as a result
of natural erosive forces over the last million years.
The first
successful ascent of this iconic peak was on July 14 1865 by a team led
by English climber and explore Edward Whymper. He had previously made several
attempts. the climb was marred by tragedy as four team members lost their lives
in a fall just below the summit during the descent. The second ascent occurred just
three days after Whymper’s triumph, from the Italian side. The mountain’s
difficult north face was not climbed until July 31 and August 1, 1931.
The Matterhorn’s
north face overlooks the Swiss Zmutt Valley, whilst the south stands guard over
the Italian Ski resort village of Breuil – Cervinia . the Theodul pass a trade
route used by ancient Romans and Celts
as early as 100 BC connects the two destinations. Unknown to most the Romans
originally named Matterhorn, (“ Mans Silvius”), in fact it was not until
sometime during the 1550’s that Germans named the Mountain Matterhorn, derived
from “mate” meaning meadow and “horn” meaning peak.
Climbing Matterhorn
The
climbs are long and demanding and it is essential that climbers have previous alpine
mountaineering experience. The usual route is up the North – East ridge. This is the central ridge that can be
seen from the village of Zermatt at the foot of the mountain. The ascent starts
at Hornli Hut, a mountain hut situated at 3620 m above sea level. It involves
1219 m climbing and takes around six hours up and five hours down. There are fixed ropes on some parts of the climb. Although
this is considered the easiest, it has on AD (fairy difficult) rating. Other routes
on the mountain include the Zmutt ridge, the north face and the Italian ridge
(South – West), or Lion ridge), which was the route taken by the party that
reached the summit three days after Whymper.
When to visit Matterhorn
If you
are attempting to climb the Matterhorn the best time is from mid – July to mid –
September, depending on the amount of snow on the mountain. However it’s
important t obear in mind that the weather on the mountain is dangerously
unpredictable and changes are commonly occur throughout the day.
How to get to Matterhorn
International
flights into Switzerland arrive at either, Geneva, or Zurich airports, with
both providing easy access to Zermatt through the Swiss rail network. Train is
the most convenient way to get to Zermatt as it is a car free village. Only electric
cars are allowed to operate within its boundaries.