The matterhorn is a mountain of the alps, straddling the main watershed and border between. The zmutt ridge is not for novices, but for skilled and experienced alpinists. After clearing the zmutt teeth, somewhat difficult but better climbing follows towards the zmutt nose. He spent six hours on this ridge, which he had never been on before. So we had to try lots of different ways to get to the ridge again above the zmutt s nose.
Other harder routes that can be taken are zmutt ridge or the italian ridge of uiaa iii and iv grades. The main season for climbing the matterhorn is high summer late june early june to early mid september. The north west or zmutt ridge the north face or schmid route. To climb the matterhorn by the easiest ridge the hornli ridge or hornligrat one needs the ability to cope with roped scrambling for a long period of time. Since 1865, year of the conquest, our guides regularly climb the matterhorn to take willing clients to climb it. Though not as famous as whympers on the hornli, its first ascent was in 1879. All of which offer their own challenges and each one is a unique experience. Zmutt ridge, matterhorn 4 478 m 14 692 ft overview, tours, guide list, itinerary, gear list, photo gallery, climbers, climbing costs and trip reports. The zmuttgrat on the matterhorn is an alpinists route. From there the climbers will climb up again to the top. For more information or to book this unforgettable climb click here. When climbed via the hornli ridge, the matterhorn ascent is graded ad with a vertical height gain of 0m from the. This route is one of the most difficult routes to climb the matterhorn.
I climbed the mountain again with client and friend kurt buchwald in august of 2005. His walking and climbing books have become a fixture on the. Great and fast climbing on the zmutt s teeth, but then we wandered a lot on the west face of the matterhorn because of the bad conditions. Though not as famous as whympers on the hornli, its first. Myself and some friends are interested in the zmutt ridge on the matterhorn. Each year, numerous mountaineers try to climb the matterhorn from the hornli hut via the northeast hornli ridge, the most. On 17 april 2014 davide capozzi, julien herry and francesco civra dano descended the west couloir of the zmutt ridge on the matterhorn, switzerland. There are four routes up the matterhorn which are climbed relatively. The first ascent of the matterhorn s zmutt ridge albert mummery. Zmutt ridge, matterhorn 4 478 m 14 692 ft description. Climbing the matterhorn from the zmutt ridge zermatt.
How to climb the matterhorn despite the number of people who climb the matterhorn, it should not be looked on as an easy challenge, even in the best of weather. It is the zmutt nose, the greatest overhang of the western alps. First up, weve got news from zermatt of italian mountain guide and all round mountain beast herve barmasse becoming the first person in history to link all 4 of the matterhorn s iconic ridges, in a single winter day. Matterhorn, the descent of the zmutt ridge west couloir by julien. Technical rock climbing ability is not really required but sure footedness, good balance and an ability to deal with the heady exposure of such a significant summit are useful for a. Climb the matterhorn summit zermatts most famous peak.
Matterhorn zmutt ridge west couloir skied by capozzi. Our success over the years on the matterhorn has been with climbers that generally have taken and successfully completed a matterhorn prep program or have equivalent experience. The zmutt ridge was really an alpine adventure, he said. To its west lies the zmutt ridge zmuttgrat, between the north and west faces and aligned towards the. This is when the summit ridges clear of snow and allow easier and swifter progress. He sprinted up and down the mountain in a mere 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 2 seconds, shaving 22 minutes off the previous roundtrip speed record. Whether you are a young alpine tiger or are starting your mountaineering career in your 40s, the matterhorn is. There the route traverses right onto the west face and has a large sloping terrace known as carrels gallery. There was very few snow, and the quality of the rock was really low. Somewhat more difficult but better climbing follows to near the zmutt nose, the large overhang just left of the ridge. Matterhorn hornli ridge a guides guide trek and mountain. Bill birkett is one of the uks most respected outdoor photojournalists. The 7day program offers more fun climbing in the alps, better training and preparation, more flexibility for weather. You will find long rock climbs with steep snow at altitude and plenty of exposure on all matterhorn routes.
First day from zermatt to quote 3600, where we bivouacked, second day we started at 4. Although the hornli ridge is the the easiest and most popular, we also offer ascents of the lions ridge and the zmutt ridge for those who are capable. From here we climb up again, then left to regain the ridge proper. Vo from the bossi bivouac hut he acscended the furggen ridge, descended the hornli route, crossed the matterhorn glacier and then climbed the zmutt ridge and descended the lion. About 14 hours after starting up the furggen, tekieli reached the summit of the matterhorn for the second time that day. Ive already climbed matterhorn 2 times before, one was back in sept 2009 when ive climbed zmutt ridge and second time was in oct 2014 when ive climbed its n face. On august, 21, 20, kilian jornet, a 25yearold catalan mountain runner and climber, set a new speed climbing record on the matterhorn. On this trip, we will ascend and descend by way of the hornli ridge.
Matterhorn zmutt ridge west couloir skied by capozzi, herry and. The conditions were excellent and i tried to document the ascent. Guide du valais swiss alpine club series in french. It is the usual route for those staying in zermatt, and roughly follows the matterhorn s north east ridge. Matterhorn beta from zermatt supertopo rock climbing. The classical route lies along the zmutt ridge zmuttgrat. But this, believe us, really is nothing but a minor detail. This route is one of the most difficult to climb up the matterhorn, and has a d climb rating. So we had to try lots of different ways to get to the ridge again above the zmutts nose. In the past i have heard anecdotal evidence that the ridges on the matterhorn are better done later in the season august as the rock is more likely to be dry. However, hornli ridge offers a moderately technical ascent and is littered in climbers throughout the summer. Here the route traverses right onto the west face and gains a large sloping terrace know as carrels gallery. Great and fast climbing on the zmutts teeth, but then we wandered a lot on the west face of the matterhorn because of the bad conditions.
Rory enjoying the fine dry late summer conditions at the shoulder on the hornli ridge. As dawn came on, i turned on the camera and begin to record the climb. Ascent of the north face by jean troillet in 4 hours and 10 minutes. Only by climbing the zmutt ridge itself can you approach the real enigma. Forget about the traverse under the north face from the matterhorn hut and the hut at the bottom of the zmutt which is still in many guide books was demolished by an avalanche back in i think 99. Mummery attempted the first ascent of the furggen ridge. I heard it is a very difficult climb and pretty technical, how hard truly is it. If you need to spend a night in zermatt we can book good quality and. If you are unconfident or your techniques are not refined you will be left for dust and therefore going against the flow as they all climb back down on top of you as they descend. How to climb the matterhorn british mountaineering council. We slowly start the descend back to carrel and as we abseil and see how many people are climbing up, i am happy that we decided to start early.
It was the route of the first ascent and is considered to be the easiest route to. Ukc forums zmutt ridge, matterhorn what time of year. However, hornli ridge offers a moderately technical ascent and is littered in climbers throughout the. Matterhorn beta from zermatt supertopos climbing discussion forum is the worlds most popular community discussion forum for people who actively climb outdoors. The fourth matterhorn ridge tackled by the two alpinists was the lion ridge. An elegant circumnavigation of the matterhorn, accomplished without ever retracing his steps. Biners account of the route as a descent was a small help. Hans kammerlander and diego wellig would expand upon this feat seven years later, on july 19, 1992, when they ascended the matterhorn four times in less than twentyfour hours. Our sixday tour includes four days of acclimatization and. The hornli ridge can be an intimidating place to be, surrounded by guides jostling for position. Eventually we made the zmutt ridge ledges and got mixed up with an italian team that reached utter exhaustion and created some difficulties for us to pass them as they meandered on and. It was climbed by alfred mummery, and his guides, alexander burgener, augustin gentinetta and johann petrus, 14 years after the peaks first ascent. Want to reach the summit of one of the most renowned mountains in europe. Mountain climbing trips matterhorn as one of the iconic peaks of the alps, the matterhorn stands 4,478 meters tall and is a wellknown climbing objective for all types of mountaineer.
This is an extremely demanding climb and we require climbers to have prior experience before joining this program. At the level of the swiss shoulder they were forced to traverse along the east face to the swiss ridge, to. As a guide, i personally think of the matterhorn as a unique challenge, the overall itinerary being a much greater undertaking than its constituent parts. Climbing the north face of the matterhorn via the schmid route switzerland.
Both the furggen and zmutt ridges, less frequented, are full of challenging passages. In the evening, from the hut, the wall reveals a little more of its complex relief without allowing you to seize all the details. The aim of this tour is to enjoy a wonderful week mountaineering around the zermatt and the saas fee, as well as to make a safe and successful ascent and descent. After a quick rest, he charged down lion ridge southwest ridge in 3 hours and 30 minutes. We have guided the mountain many times and know what it takes. This is why this ridge is only climbed a few times each year, with the first ascent in 1879. It is a difficult climb on a famous peak, and its first ascent in 1879, though not as famous as whympers on the hornli, was also ahead of its time. They climbed the furggen ridge route to the shoulder, then abseiled down the south side to the top of simona pillar, where they put up a small. His remarkable ascents on the great alpine peaks zmutt ridge on the matterhorn, amongst many others and his fantastic daring to be the very first to attack a himalayan 8. Zmutt is a great ridge but it has changed considerably of the past few seasons due to a lack of snow on the matterhorn. Those ridges include the hornli ridge, the furggen ridge, the leone ridge and the zmutt ridge.
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