You’ll meet your guide at around 4pm either in Zermatt or Cervinia (to be determined). After a briefing, you’ll ascend by lift to the Matterhorn Guide Refuge.
Climbing Matterhorn is tough and requires excellent physical condition and previous winter mountaineering experience at high altitudes. Progression above 4,000 m (1,300 ft) is more tiring than at lower altitudes (due to the lack of oxygen). If you have previous winter mountaineering experience and have already summited another, or better yet, multiple, 4,000-meter (1,300-ft) peaks of intermediate difficulty, you can sign up for this adventure.
Here are some other prerequisites:
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- Knowledge of safety and progression techniques in winter mountaineering and glacial terrain
- You know your way around snow or mixed ridges
- You’re familiar with preservation and all safety techniques in case of a crevasse fall
- You’ve already climbed beginner and intermediate level peaks (e.g. Western Breithorn, Gran Paradiso, Monte Castore, Monte Rosa, Mount Pollux, Mont Blanc…)
This Matterhorn guided climb is considered to be advanced level climbing, so making sure you check all the boxes is a must. Safety is a top priority. If you’ve overestimated your skills, you’re inadequately trained and you’re moving too slowly, to the point where the guide cannot ensure a safe continuation of the tour, the guide has the right to stop the tour at any moment due to safety concerns.