Matterhorn

The Matterhorn is a famous mountain in the Alps, located between Switzerland and Italy. Standing at 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) tall, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps and Europe. Known as the "Mountain of Mountains" in German, the Matterhorn is famous for its beautiful, pyramid-like shape and is often called the most beautiful and most photographed mountain in the world.

The mountain has four steep faces, each facing one of the four directions. Three faces are on the Swiss side, while the fourth is on the Italian side. The Matterhorn overlooks the town of Zermatt in Switzerland and Breuil-Cervinia in Italy. It has been studied by famous scientists and artists over the centuries.

The first successful climb of the Matterhorn happened in 1865, led by Edward Whymper. Sadly, four climbers died during the descent. Today, many climbers still attempt to reach the summit each year, making it one of the most popular—and dangerous—mountains to climb in the world.

Names

The name Matterhorn comes from German words Matte ("meadow") and Horn ("horn"), meaning "the peak of the meadows".

In old maps, the mountain had different names. One map from 1545 called it Mons Silvius or Augstalberg, while a 1548 map used only Mons Silvius. In French, it is called Cervin, which comes from the Latin Mons Silvanus. This name changed over time from Selvin to Servin and finally to Cervin.

The Matterhorn is also known as Gran Bècca ("big mountain") by the local people and Horu in Walliser German. The German name "Matterhorn" was first used in 1682. Because of its special shape, many mountains around the world are called "the Matterhorn" of their own countries.

Height

The Matterhorn has two peaks at each end of a 100-meter-long rocky ridge that forms the border between Italy and Switzerland. Scientists have measured its height many times over the years. In 1999, they used special technology to find that the summit is 4,477.54 meters (14,690 feet) above sea level.

The Matterhorn stands out because of how much it rises above the surrounding land. It is one of the highest points in the Alps and Europe. It is an important peak in the regions of Valais and Aosta Valley, as well as in the towns of Zermatt and Valtournenche.

Geography

The Matterhorn has a pyramid shape with four sides facing the four directions. Three sides are in Switzerland and one side is in Italy. The mountain is steep, and only small areas of snow and ice stay on its sides. Avalanches push snow down to glaciers at the base of the mountain.

Well-known sides are the east and north, which can be seen from the area of Zermatt. The north side is very dangerous because of rockfalls and storms. The south side offers many different climbing routes, while the west side has the fewest routes and is in a more remote area.

Weather

The Matterhorn is a lone mountain that stands apart from others. Because it is very tall and sits on the main water divide of the Alps, its weather can change quickly. The steep sides of the mountain and its lonely spot often cause special clouds to form around it. The air moves around the mountain, creating condensation on the side away from the wind and forming swirling patterns in the sky.

Geology

See also: Geology of the Alps

The Matterhorn's pyramid is made from very old Paleozoic rocks. These rocks were pushed over the mountain's base a long time ago. The ice and weather shaped the mountain into its current form.

Mostly, the Matterhorn is made from a special kind of rock called gneiss. This rock is part of something called the Dent Blanche klippe, which comes from a piece of land that moved away from Africa long ago. An explorer named Horace-Bénédict de Saussure looked at the Matterhorn and thought about how powerful forces shaped it.

The Matterhorn began to form when a huge landmass called Pangaea split apart 200 million years ago. The rocks that make up the Matterhorn ended up moving toward Europe. Over time, the mountain grew its sharp shape because of ice and wind wearing it down. The ice freezes and thaws, breaking the rock and creating the mountain's pointed look.

Tourism and trekking

Since the 1700s, many people have been drawn to the Alps. The Matterhorn was not well known until 1865, but a famous climb and a sad accident made it very popular.

Trains and cable cars help visitors reach amazing heights. The Gornergrat railway goes up to 3,100 metres, and the Klein Matterhorn is the highest cable car station in Europe at 3,883 metres. Skiers and hikers enjoy the Zermatt and Breuil-Cervinia areas, which are connected by lifts. The Matterhorn Museum in Zermatt shows how people have explored and visited this area.

Trekkers can walk around the Matterhorn in about ten days, passing through beautiful valleys and crossing high passes. Each year, nearly two million people visit Zermatt to enjoy its wonders.

Climbing history

The Matterhorn was one of the last major Alpine mountains to be climbed, not because it was very hard, but because people were afraid of it. Early climbers mostly tried from the Italian side, which is actually more difficult. Key climbers were Jean-Antoine Carrel and his uncle Jean-Jacques Carrel, who made early attempts in 1857 and 1858, reaching 3,800 meters. In July 1860, three brothers from Liverpool tried but turned back around 3,500 meters. Later that year, Jean-Jacques Carrel guided others to nearly 4,000 meters.

Edward Whymper joined the efforts in 1861 but only reached 4,100 meters in his first seven tries. Finally, on July 14, 1865, Whymper reached the summit via the Hörnli ridge in Switzerland, guided by Michel Croz and the Taugwalder father and son, with Charles Hudson, Lord Francis Douglas, and Douglas Robert Hadow. During the descent, Hadow, Croz, Hudson, and Douglas fell and died. Their bodies were later found, except for Douglas’s.

Just three days later, on July 17, 1865, Jean-Antoine Carrel and Jean-Baptiste Bich reached the summit from the Italian side.

Before the first ascent

In the summer of 1860, Edward Whymper saw the Matterhorn for the first time. He was an English artist hired to sketch the mountains near Zermatt. The unclimbed Matterhorn fascinated him. Whymper’s first try was in August 1861 from Breuil. He hired a Swiss guide and almost hired Jean-Antoine Carrel but decided against it. The Carrels tried alone and reached 4,032 meters. Whymper and his guide camped and turned back.

In 1862, Whymper tried again from the south side but was injured on the descent. In July, John Tyndall and guides reached near the summit but were stopped by a deep cleft. The Matterhorn stayed unclimbed.

Whymper returned in 1863 with Carrel but a storm forced them to turn back halfway. He didn’t try again for two years.

In 1865, Whymper planned to climb via the south face. On June 21, his group turned back due to rockfall. He spent weeks climbing other mountains before returning on July 7. Meanwhile, the Italian Alpine Club planned to climb it first. Felice Giordano hired Carrel but kept plans secret from Whymper.

Whymper discovered Giordano’s plan and went to Zermatt to hire guides. He joined forces with Lord Francis Douglas, Charles Hudson, and Douglas Robert Hadow, who had hired Michel Croz. They decided to try the Hörnli ridge with two local guides, the Taugwalders.

First ascent

Whymper and his group left Zermatt early on July 13, 1865, reaching the foot of the Hörnli ridge in six hours. Meanwhile, Carrel and six Italian guides started from the Italian side.

Whymper found the Hörnli ridge easier than expected. After camping, they started up the ridge early. Whymper noted the slope was like a giant staircase, and they made good progress. Near the summit, they switched to the north face because the ridge was too steep and rotten. Hadow needed help, but they reached the summit area. Croz and Whymper reached the top first at 1:40 p.m.

Carrel and his group were about 400 meters below on the Italian ridge and gave up when they saw Whymper on the summit.

After building a cairn, they stayed an hour on the summit and began descending. Croz went first, then Hadow, Hudson, and Douglas, followed by the elder Taugwalder, Whymper, and the younger Taugwalder last. During the descent, Hadow slipped and fell on Croz, dragging Hudson and Douglas down. The rope between Douglas and the elder Taugwalder broke. The survivors were stunned and couldn’t move until the younger Taugwalder descended to help them. They searched in vain for the fallen climbers and continued down, reaching Zermatt the next day. Searches found Croz, Hadow, and Hudson on the Matterhorn Glacier, but Douglas’s body was never found.

Second ascent

On July 16, 1865, just two days after the first ascent, Jean-Antoine Carrel set out to prove the Italian side could be climbed. He was joined by Amé Gorret, a priest, along with Jean-Baptiste Bich and Jean-Augustin Meynet. Giordano wanted to join but Carrel refused, saying he couldn’t guide a traveler and couldn’t guarantee anyone’s safety. After a Sunday mass in Breuil, they started. Gorret described reaching the Col du Lion and setting foot on the Matterhorn’s pyramid. The next day, they continued and reached Tyndall’s flagstaff. Opinions differed on the route; Gorret wanted to climb the ridge, while Carrel preferred to go west to the Zmutt side. Carrel’s plan won as he was the leader.

They crossed the enjambée and went down the west face to the Zmutt ridge. A false step and falling icicles warned them, so they returned to the direct route. Gorret and Meynet stayed back while Carrel and Bich went on and reached the summit. Meanwhile, Giordano watched from Breuil and saw their flag on the western summit.

Other ascents

On August 22, 1871, Lucy Walker became the first woman to summit the Matterhorn, followed weeks later by Meta Brevoort.

In 1876, three English mountaineers made the first ascent without guides: A. H. Cawood, J. B. Colgrove, and schoolmaster A. Cust from Lancashire. They chose a day with good weather and reached the summit on July 23.

Ridges

The north and west faces with the snowy Zmutt ridge in the center

On the Zmutt ridge, with north face in background (c. 3,900 m)

The first direct climb of the Italian (south-west) ridge was by J. J. and J. P. Maquignaz on September 13, 1867.

Julius Elliott made the second ascent via the Hörnli (north-east) ridge in 1868, and later that year, John Tyndall, J. J. Maquignaz, and J. P. Maquignaz were the first to cross the summit using both the Hörnli and Italian ridges. The first winter ascent of the Hörnli ridge was by Vittorio Sella with guides J. A. Carrel, J. B. Carrel, and L. Carrel on March 17, 1882, and its first solo ascent was by W. Paulcke in 1898. The first winter solo ascent of the Hörnli ridge was by G. Gervasutti in 1936.

The Zmutt (north-west) ridge was first climbed by Albert F. Mummery, Alexander Burgener, J. Petrus, and A. Gentinetta on September 3, 1879. Its first solo ascent was by Hans Pfann in 1906, and the first winter ascent was by H. Masson and E. Petrig on March 25, 1948.

The last of the Matterhorn’s four ridges to be climbed was the Furggen (south-east) ridge. M. Piacenza with guides J. J. Carrel and J. Gaspard climbed most of it on September 9, 1911, but bypassed the overhangs near the top to the south. It wasn’t until September 23, 1941, during World War II, that Alfredo Perino, with guides Louis Carrel (“The Little Carrel”) and Giacomo Chiara, climbed the full ridge including the overhangs.

In 1966, René Arnold and Joseph Graven made the first solo climb of all four Matterhorn ridges in 19.5 hours. Starting at the 3,300m Bossi Bivouac hut, they went up the Furggen Ridge and down the Hornli Ridge, crossed the Matterhorn Glacier, climbed the Zmutt Ridge, and descended the Italian (Lion) Ridge to Breuil. In 1985, Marco Barmasse did the same but included the first solo ascent of the Furggen overhangs, finishing at the Abruzzi Hut in 15 hours.

On August 20, 1992, Italian alpinist Hans Kammerlander and Swiss guide Diego Wellig climbed the Matterhorn four times in 23 hours and 26 minutes. They climbed: Zmutt ridge–summit–Hörnli ridge (down)–Furggen ridge–summit–Lion ridge (down)–Lion ridge–summit–Hörnli ridge (down)–Hörnli ridge–summit–Hörnli Hut (down). However, the Italian route (Lion Ridge) didn’t start from Duca degli Abruzzi Refuge at 2,802 m but from Carrel Hut at 3,830 m.

In 1995, Bruno Brunod climbed from Breuil-Cervinia to the Matterhorn in 2 hours 10 minutes and back in 3 hours 14 minutes and 44 seconds.

On August 21, 2013, Spanish mountain runner Kilian Jornet broke Brunod’s record, reaching the top from Breuil-Cervinia in 1 hour 56 minutes and returning in 2 hours 52 minutes.

Faces

William Penhall and guides made the first partial ascent of the west face one hour after Mummery’s first ascent of the Zmutt ridge on September 3, 1879. It wasn’t until 1962 that the west face was fully climbed by Renato Daguin and Giovanni Ottin. In January 1978, seven Italian guides repeated Daguin and Ottin’s route in winter, but a storm brought two meters of snow, and one climber died during the descent.

The north face was one of the last big wall problems in the Alps before it was climbed in 1931. The Schmid brothers, Franz and Toni, climbed it on July 31 to August 1, surprising everyone as they kept their plans secret. They biked from Munich and cycled home after. The first winter ascent was by Hilti von Allmen and Paul Etter on February 3-4, 1962. Dieter Marchart made the first solo ascent on July 22, 1959, in five hours. Walter Bonatti climbed the "North Face Direct" solo from February 18-22, 1965. Yvette Vaucher was the first woman to climb the north face that year. Bonatti’s direct route wasn’t soloed again for 29 years, in winter 1994 by Catherine Destivelle.

Ueli Steck set the record for the north face (Schmid route) in 2009 with a time of 1 hour 56 minutes.

After Bonatti’s climb, alpinists still faced the "Zmutt Nose," an overhang on the north face’s right side. In July 1969, Alessandro Gogna and Leo Cerruti attempted it, solving it in four days but avoiding the steepest part. In July 1981, Michel Piola and Pierre-Alain Steiner climbed the Zmutt Nose directly.

The first ascent of the south face was by Enzo Benedetti with guides Louis Carrel and Maurice Bich on October 15, 1931. The first complete ascent of the east face was by Enzo Benedetti and G. Mazzotti with guides Louis and Lucien Carrel, Maurice Bich, and Antoine Gaspard on September 18-19, 1932.

Legacy: beginning of mountain culture

The first ascent of the Matterhorn changed mountain culture. Whymper’s book about it, Scrambles Amongst the Alps, published in 1871, was a worldwide bestseller. Tourists began visiting Switzerland in summer to see the Alps and often hired local guides. With alpine skiing starting in the early 20th century, tourists also came in winter. Mountaineering helped turn Switzerland’s mountain regions from poor rural areas into tourist destinations. This mix of climbing, skiing, and tourism spread to places like Sun Valley, Vail, and Jackson Hole.

Climbing routes

Many people climb the Matterhorn each summer, especially using the northeast Hörnli route. Up to 150 climbers try to reach the top each day during this time. While the climb is challenging, it is possible for skilled climbers. Fixed ropes help make the route safer.

Climbers usually start by taking a cable car from Zermatt up to Schwarzsee, then hike to the Hörnli Hut to stay overnight. Early the next morning, they begin their climb to reach the summit before afternoon storms arrive. There are other routes too, such as the Italian (Lion) ridge and the Zmutt ridge, but some faces of the mountain are much harder to climb.

History

One of the earliest writers to talk about the area around the Matterhorn was Aegidius Tschudi. He wrote about it in 1538 but didn’t focus much on the mountain itself.

For many years, the Matterhorn wasn’t studied much. Then, a scientist named Horace Benedict de Saussure visited the mountain. He didn’t climb it, but he was very interested in it. He was the first to measure its height. He climbed a nearby peak called the Klein Matterhorn and wrote about what he saw.

More people began to visit the Matterhorn. Some English travelers crossed a high pass to see it and were amazed by its beauty. A book about Switzerland published around this time described the Matterhorn as one of the most amazing shapes in the Alps.

Over time, many scientists, artists, and travelers came to see the Matterhorn. They wrote poems, drew pictures, and studied the mountain. One famous writer, John Ruskin, called it “the most noble cliff in Europe.”

In 1865, a climber named Edward Whymper reached the top, but some of his friends did not survive the climb down. Many people talked about what happened.

Later, there were plans to build railways and cable cars to the top, but people wanted to protect the mountain, so these plans were stopped.

In 2015, the 150th anniversary of the first climb was celebrated with special events. In 2020, during a difficult time for the world, lights were shone on the mountain to show support and hope.

Other mountains

Many mountains around the world are compared to the Matterhorn because they look similar or are hard to reach.

Mountains named after the Matterhorn

• Little Matterhorn (1,480 m), Australia
• Matterhorn (1,600 m), in Antarctica
• Matterhorn (3,305 m), in Nevada
• Matterhorn Peak (3,744 m), in California
• Matterhorn Peak (4,144 m), in Colorado
• Matterhorn Peak (2,636 m), in British Columbia
• Neny Matterhorn (1,125 m), Antarctica

In culture

The Matterhorn mountain has inspired many artists, filmmakers, and creators over the years. In the 1900s, famous people like Luis Trenker and Walt Disney used the Matterhorn in their work. You can see large copies of the Matterhorn in places like Disneyland and Window of the World. In 2021, a new exhibit opened at the Swiss Museum of Transport where visitors can experience climbing the Matterhorn virtually.

A famous poster of the Matterhorn was made in 1908 by an artist named Emil Cardinaux. This poster helped promote the town of Zermatt and even appeared in many Swiss military buildings during wartime. Cardinaux also created a poster for the chocolate brand Toblerone in the 1920s, and the Matterhorn first appeared on Toblerone chocolate bars in 1960. The shape of the mountain is still used today in many advertisements and artworks.

The Matterhorn has also appeared in paintings, coins, music, and movies. It can be seen on the cover of a popular album by the band Depeche Mode, and there are songs and films named after this famous mountain.