Matterhorn ascent

The day before the ascent, take the gondola from Zermatt (1,620 m) to Schwarzsee (2,583 m). From there, follow the hiking trail to the Hörnlihütte Matterhorn (3,260 m). The hut ascent takes about two hours. One should not arrive too early because the sleeping quarters are only available from 3:00 p.m. After dinner, the schedule for the next day is discussed with the mountain guide and the equipment is checked. Then it is already time to sleep. At 4:00 a.m., the hut warden wakes you, and after breakfast, it is time to put on climbing harness, mountain boots, and climbing helmet.

Mountaineers with guides line up at the front of the group and lead the way. In the dark, it is difficult to find the correct path; here, a mountain guide and headlamp are necessary. Caution is required on loose rock, as every misstep can cause rockfall that endangers climbers behind.

The joy of climbing on the Hörnligrat becomes pure pleasure with a mountain guide, provided you have the necessary fitness. The summit experience remains unforgettable. Upon reaching the ridge, an breathtaking panorama unfolds: Mont Blanc, the Grande Paradiso, the Bernese Alps, and below the Liongrat ridge to Italy, the steep north face, and the Mattertal.

• Climbing difficulty 4
• Overall difficulty of the route: ZS+ (fairly difficult)
• New Hörnlihütte Matterhorn from July 2015 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first ascent of the Matterhorn
• Mountain guide highly recommended
• The route on the Hörnligrat is often difficult to find
• Partly exposed climbing sections with risk of falling
• Absolute sure-footedness and no fear of heights required

Hörnligrat
Even the first climbers took this route to conquer the Matterhorn. The Hörnligrat consists of gneiss rock and is prone to rockfall. For this reason, it is important to approach the climb with a mountain guide. If you stray just one meter from the route, you are already exposed to rockfall or can trigger it. On the way to the summit, you pass several famous spots: At the start, the protective Madonna, the Grampiturm, yellowish band, rotten corner, teeth, lower and upper Moseley slab, Solvay hut, shoulder, fixed ropes, roof, Swiss summit (4,478 m), Italian summit (4,477 m) with a metal summit cross. The Solvay hut at 4,003 m on the Hörnligrat was built in 1915 and serves only as a shelter for mountaineers in distress.