Matterhorn
From Mount Wiki
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Matterhorn Cervino (it)
Cervin (fr) | |
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| General | |
| Elevation | 4,478 m14,691.601 ft 2.783 miles |
| Prominence | 1,029 m0.639 miles 3,375.984 ft |
| Location | Valle d'Aosta, Valais, Switzerland |
| Massif | Dent d'Herens - Matterhorn Group |
| Sponsored Links | |
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| Coordinates | |
| DMS Coor. | 45°58´35"N, 7°39´30"E |
| Swiss Coor. | 617050 / 91680 |
| Links | Topographic Detail |
| Nearby Features | |
| Alpinist's Info | |
| Topo. Map | SLK 1347: Matterhorn |
| Easiest Route |  AD
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| Map | |
  Matterhorn | |
[edit] General information
The Matterhorn (4,478 m) is a mountain in the Pennine Alps lying on the border between Switzerland (Valais) and Italy (Valle d'Aosta). It is one of the highest peaks in the Alps and its 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) north face is one of the Great north faces of the Alps. The mountain overlooks the town of Zermatt north and Cervinia on the south. Although not the highest mountain in Switzerland, the Matterhorn is considered as an iconic emblem of the region of the Swiss Alps.
The Matterhorn has two distinct summits, both situated on a 100 meter long rocky ridge: the Swiss summit (4,477.5 m) on the east and the Italian summit (4,476.4 m) on the west. Their names originated from the first ascents not for geographic reasons as they are both located on the border.
The Matterhorn has a pyramidal shape with four faces facing the four compass points: the north and east faces overlook, respectively, the Zmutt Valley and Görnergrat ridge in Switzerland, the south face (the only one south of the Swiss-Italian border) fronts the resort town of Breuil-Cervinia, and the west face looks towards the mountain of Dent d'Hérens which straddles the border. The north and south faces meet at the summit to form a short east-west ridge.
The Matterhorn's faces are steep, and only small patches of snow and ice cling to them; regular avalanches send the snow down to accumulate on the glaciers at the base of each face, the largest of which is the Zmutt Glacier to the west. The Hörnli ridge of the northeast (the central ridge in the view from Zermatt) is the usual climbing route. The most well known faces are the east and north ones, both visible from Zermatt. The east face is 1,000 metres high and presents a high risk of rockfall, making its ascent dangerous. The north face is 1,200 metres high and is one of the most dangerous north faces in the Alps, in particular for its risk of rockfall and storms. The south face is 1,350 metres high and offers many different routes. Finally, the west face, the highest at 1,400 metres, has the fewest routes of ascent.
The four main ridges separating the four faces are also the main climbing routes. The least difficult technical climb, the Hörnli ridge (Hörnligrat), lies between the east and north faces, facing the town of Zermatt. To its west lies the Zmutt ridge (Zmuttgrat), between the north and west faces. The Lion ridge (Cresta del Leone), lying between the south and west faces is the Italian normal route and goes through the Pic Tyndall. Finally the south side is separated from the east side by the Furggen ridge (Furggengrat), the most difficult ridge of all.
However, on July 14, 1865, the party of Edward Whymper, Charles Hudson, Lord Francis Douglas, Douglas Robert Hadow, Michel Croz and the two Peter Taugwalders (father and son) was able to reach the summit by an ascent of the Hörnli ridge in Switzerland. Upon descent, Hadow, Croz, Hudson and Douglas fell to their deaths on the Matterhorn Glacier, and all but Douglas (whose body was never found) are buried in the Zermatt churchyard.
[edit] Additional Photos
 North side of the Matterhorn |
Hörnliroute1.jpg
Hörnli route |
Hörnlihut1.jpg
Hörnli Hut seen from the Hörnli ridge |
 Matterhorn seen from Zermatt |
