Climbing the Matterhorn via the Hornli Ridge in 5 days

Join Cristina, an IFMGA-certified guide, for this 5-day mountaineering program! Begin with training climbs in the classic alpine landscapes of Chamonix before heading to your ultimate objective - the Matterhorn!

Private

5 Days

Jun - Aug

High

Intermediate

Highlights

Stand on the summit of the Matterhorn, a dream for many aspiring mountaineers
Training climbs in the awe-inspiring alpine landscapes around Chamonix
Local guide with extensive knowledge of routes and conditions
Further your development as a climber and practice key mountaineering skills

Description

During this 5 day program, we will explore some of the best climbing the Alps has to offer as we train in the mountains around Chamonix before pushing to the summit of the legendary Matterhorn!

Many climbers aspire to reach the summit of the Matterhorn, one of the most aesthetically pleasing and iconic mountains in the Alps. Climbing its sleep slopes and sharp ridges is a rite of passage for many mountaineers.

I’ve designed this program to maximize your chance for success. We will take our time to reach the summit, training on some of the best routes around Chamonix before tackling the Matterhorn. You will learn the important climbing techniques and rope skills that you will need on the Matterhorn, and during all your future mountaineering adventures.

The program includes short rock climbing routes around Chamonix, Arete des Cosmiques, and Aiguilles d’Entreves or Aiguilles Marbrées. From there, we head to Switzerland, spending a night at Hornli Hut before our final summit push. For more details about the program, refer to the day-by-day section below.

This program is suitable for intermediate mountaineers looking to take their climbing to the next level. Strong level of fitness is required.

Book now – not only will you conquer an important mountaineering goal by summiting the Matterhorn, you will also grow your skills and further your formation as a mountaineer as we train around Chamonix!

Check out my other mountaineering and climbing trips – 1-day Aiguilles Marbrées Traverse in Chamonix-Mont Blanc, Climb the Freshfield Arete in a day, Tour Ronde, Mont Blanc, or Vallee Blanche multi-day summer traverse!

Price includes

Price details

The price does not include the guide´s expenses (accommodation, meals, lift tickets, etc).

Itinerary

Day 1: Meeting/Training

We begin the adventure with a fun training day rock climbing around Chamonix. We will practice rock climbing, climbing with boots, and rope skills.

Day 2: Arete des Cosmiques

We meet in Aiguille du Midi and take the cable car up the mountain. We cross the glacier by completing the Arete des Cosmiques climb, one of the classic routes around Chamonix. This will further your comfort with the mountaineering skills and techniques that will help you successfully climb the Matterhorn.

Day 3: Aiguilles d’Entreves/Aiguilles Marbrées

For our final training climb, we will traverse either Aiguilles d’Entreves or Aiguilles Marbrées, both accessible from the Italian side of the Alps. We will choose the climb based on which has the best conditions.

Day 4: Matterhorn approach - Hornli Hut

We begin our journey to the Matterhorn. We take the train to Zermatt. From there, the cable car at Schwarzsee takes us up the mountain. After climbing for 2-3 hours, we arrive at Hornli Hut, where we have a restful evening before our summit push.

Day 5: Matterhorn Summit

We leave the hut around 4 AM. We must move quickly to ensure a safe summit. We have about 5.5 hours maximum to reach the summit before conditions deteriorate.

Once we celebrate our achievement, we begin the tricky descent. We aim to be in Schwarzsee cable car station by 4pm. From there, we head back to Chamonix from Zermatt.

Details

More info

Guide ratio for Matterhorn summit is 1:1. However, 2 people could choose to share costs for days 1-3. If this is the case: - summiting person pays: 2040 - companion pays: 600. If both people want to summit, they can share days 1-4 and each pays 2060 EUR each and on the summit day there are 2 guides to keep the 1:1 ratio. Huts, transport, lifts (except Cham valley) and meals not included in the price. These are to be paid directly by clients both for themselves as well as for the guide/guides.

Meeting point

Chamonix

About the guide

Cristina

5.0

(1)

Mountain Guide

I'm an IFMGA mountain guide from Romania and a member of the Austrian Mountain Guides Association (VOBS) and the East European Mountain Guides Association(EEMGA).

My passions are alpinism, rock and ice climbing and ski touring. Over the last decade and a half I have climbed and skied all corners of the World, spent numerous seasons guiding in the Himalayas, New Zealand, Alps and the Carpathians Mountains.

My primary concern as your guide is your safety. With that comes a great deal of fun, learning and engaging in experiences that will be memorable for a lifetime. I hope to have the opportunity to climb with you and help you achieve climbs, summits and experiences not yet imagined!

I have a very strict policy on guide-to-guest ratios for all types of terrain and these are clearly explained prior to engagement. For multi pitch climbs it is usually 1:1 and it never exceeds 1:2. For single pitch venues (especially on instructional outings) it never exceeds 1:4. Higher ratios are possible with the hiring of additional guides and only following prior arrangements. For treks and ski tours the ratios are more generous but depending on the terrain and/or the group’s experience.

I am comfortable in using for guiding and teaching purposes the following languages: English and Romanian.
Contact me for availability, rates or to customize a program to help you achieve your climbing goals.

Languages

Romanian | English

Certificates

AGMR | IFMGA

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What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

Maxine

Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

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Joshua

We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.

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