Matterhorn Base Camp (Hornlihutte)
DATE 04.09.2019 | DISTANCE approx 8KM | HIGHEST POINT 3260M
Posted by Matt | Filed under OTHER LOCATIONS
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Earlier on this trip we ticked the Eiger off our bucketlist. Now we were about to visit the Matterhorn too!!
The day before was spent exploring the amazing mountain town of Zermatt. I definitely drank too much beer which meant spending too much too. It's EXPENSIVE!
That evening we walked up to a great viewpoint of the town which I had found on google maps. It was amazing to see the sun setting on the Matterhorn in the distance. It was a great teaser for the hike the following morning.
Very early the next morning and feeling rather tender headed from the beer consumed we made our way through a sleepy Zermatt to the cable car required for our hike. We took the cable car from Zermatt to the plateau stop Schwarzsee. It's a 15 minute ride and a return ticket costs a whopping £50 each!!! I guess sometimes you gotta just take it as it is, we were heading to one of the most iconic mountains in the world.
From Schwarzsee its a 4km hike to Hornlihutte which sounds easy but add in the altitude, occasional exposure and the interesting walkways bolted into the cliffs and you have an epic hike!!
Switzerland is the land of paragliding or should i say sky of...?
Paraglider at an incredible height
Zermatt from a perfect viewpoint I found online. We stood here for 2 hours easily.
Early the next morning in Zermatt. Could the sky be any clearer? So lucky!
The £50 each 15 minute cable car up to Schwarzsee. Yes it seems a lot but it is worth it. Or you could walk but that's adding a good 8 miles to your day. I'm sure it's a gorgeous 8 miles though.
You wont see many photos here without the matterhorn poking up
looking back to zermatt
on the trail to hornlihutte
you about to see a lot more photos of this amazing iconic mountain
so there are some places where you need a head for heights and to trust the walkways, even if they look a bit iffy in places
you can see hornlihutte sat on the shoulder of the matterhorn
epic!
it may not look it in this photo but the track was very clear. may be different in snow but i think it's still probably fairly obvious
zigzagging up the ridge
almost there and feeling slightly light headed. could be a combination of altitude and slight hangover. it was pretty tiring although we got up there quickly.
looking back. stunning scenery and so lucky with the weather
zooming in from hornlihutte to the mountain climbers, can you see the mountain hut?
zooming in on the summit
I was carrying a 100-400mm lens and was able to zoom in pretty close to the summit. it's hard to see here on these compressed photos but it was clear to see the summiters
catherine looking extremely happy
back down to zermatt. glad we have a cable car ride from schwarzsee because it looks a long way from here.
a climber coming down from the mountain
yes that's 10,700 ft!!!! The summit is 14,692 ft
nice spot for a cappuccino from the cafe!
descending
some sections have ropes to guide you and provide stability. mostly not needed today but there was a couple of sections it helped for balance whilst feeling light headed.
such a dramatic landscape
looking back. I know, i cant stop!
Very aware of the sun beating down on us. definitely not complaining
have you seen a trail as stunning as this?
back on the walkways
you can see the cable car at schwarzsee below
schwarzsee chapel down at the lake. we were going to pop in but we still had to get down to zermatt, catch a train and then a 4 hour drive to lake lucerne. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE I WAS DESTROYED WHEN THE DAY ENDED BUT VERY VERY HAPPY.
LAST LOOK BACK. FAIRWELL MATTERHORN. COULD BE MY FAVOURITE MOUNTAIN I DONT WANT TO SUMMITT.
