From: AWaddington@acorn.co.uk (Andy Waddington)
Newsgroups: rec.climbing
Subject: Re: Europe bound => The Matterhorn
Date: 7 Apr 92 02:40:23 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

(David Kriegman) writes:

>
>I'm going to be in Nice in the second week of May. We're interested
>in doing something truly classic, and like most Americans, the
>Matterhorn instantly came to mind. Anyway, I've done a fair bit of
>moderate mountaineering, ice climbing, and rock climbing, but I don't
>have any information about the nature of the routes.
>
>I gather that standard route is called the Hornli Ridge and sees quite
>a bit of traffic, but I was told a couple of years ago that the Lion
>Ridge is a better route.

The Hoernli is probably the best place in Europe to catch Hepatitis A. It
sees a LOT of traffic (up to 150 people on a good day in the season). Most
of these are not used to alpine huts, didn't use the bogs and crapped on the
mountain, usually on your handholds. Many of them are guided and have no
right to be on the mountain. If you sit down for a breather, expect to have
a jabbering Japanese or an obese German businessman lowered onto your head by
his guide, crampons thrashing wildly (this is not an exaggeration, we were
nearly kicked off a substantial ledge by the Solvay hut, my friend went down
with Hep. A three weeks later - just about the right incubation time).

The Italian ridge from the Col de Lion is a better route, though a bit
harder and a lot more serious. The hut is higher, but unlike the Hoernli,
there isn't a high hut for emergencies if you take too long (like we did).

>Is the mountain likely to be in climbing shape in the middle of May?

Mid-May is ski-mountaineering season in the hiher Alps. There will be lot
more snow on the Matterhorn than in Summer, but whether the route will 'go'
depends on the weather in the preceding weeks or two. There is a diificult
slab with fixed rope high up on the Italian ridge - go too early and the
rope will not have been fixed, I'm not sure when the guides fix this, or if
the oldest bits of rope are left all year. If the ridge is out of condition,
the slab will be verglassed and the rope probably buried in snow or ice -
this makes it a LOT harder. The Italian ridge is the SW ridge, and is
steeper than the Hoernli (the NE), so is more likely to be in condition in
May. Again, there are a lot of fixed ropes near the top of the Hoernli,
which may not be there or may be iced up in early season.

>What is the best English language guide book?

The Alpine Club publish "Pennine Alps" in three volumes. I'm fairly sure
that the Matterhorn is in "Pennine Alps Central".

>What kind of gear should I haul over from the States?

Both of these routes are normally rock scrambles with some snow or mixed
ground in the summer. There would be a lot more mixed and snow in May. Both
routes would be AD+ to D at that time, I would guess, so you would need
mountaineering boots (probably best in plastic), clip-on (not strap-on
unless you are very quick and confident) crampons, ice-axe. Probably one
north wall hammer in the party and a few ice screws (not needed in summer)
and pitons. 9mm rope, a few runners (tricams are supposed to be good in
iced up cracks). Quick draws for clipping pegs. You must be both confident
and efficient in moving together roped up over exposed terrain of scrambling
difficulty. A second 9mm (or 7mm, depending on your confidence) rope to use
with the first for abseil descent (this will typically be easier if the
fixed ropes are iced or absent). Helmets are absolutely essential for any
rock route in the Alps, even more so if other climbers are on the route at
the same time. Head torches are also obviously essential since you will be
well up the route before dawn. Its worth prospecting the bottom half to one
hour up the route the previous afternoon, so you can get moving confidently
in the dark before you get fully alert.

On the other hand - if you are a competant (alpine, not telemark) skier, I
would recommend taking or hiring ski-mountaineering gear at this time of
year, either for ski ascents as the main objective, or for skiing in to
rock climbing ascents (best based at Chamonix). 

>Any idea how far it is from Nice to Zermatt?  by car? by train?

Allow a full day - many of the passes will still be closed, though obviously
various tunnels are kept open all year. If you use the Mont Blanc tunnel,
then the Col de Forclaz should be open by then (Hope so, we will be using
it sometime in May !). You should note that you CANNOT go to Zermatt by car.
The last few miles of road are reserved for residents only and you will incur
a fine and much inconvenience if you try to drive beyone Taesch. However,
camping and other accomodation is cheaper in Taesch or Randa, and the
trains to Zermatt are very frequent.

Some other questions which you didn't ask, but perhaps I should answer:

How long do the routes take ?

The guidebook time for the Hoernli is 4.5 - 5 hours, and I think is similar
for the Italian. Start time for the Hoernli is 4-5 am. We took ten hours,
as we weren't acclimatised. This meant an overnight bivouac on the way down
in the Solvay Hut (at 4000m), which is not a pleasant location, and may well
be the best specific point to catch Hep. A. The Hoernli Hut is just over
3000m, so you have almost 1500m to climb. The Italian ridge is only about
1100m to climb, but if you are to descend to the valley the same day, by
the same route, it will take longer than the Hoernli.

What are the best training/acclimatisation routes ?

DO acclimatise - we arrived to perfect weather which we didn't expect to
last, so went for it straight away. This was foolish, dangerous and really
quite unpleasant as we were both beset by splitting headaches for the upper
700m of the route, and for the duration of our bivouac and most of the way
down to the main hut. Go climb the Mettelhorn - a pleasant days stroll to
a very good viewpoint for the Matterhorn and other peaks - take binoculars.
Then for maximum acclimatisation with minimum effort, take the first Klein
Matterhorn cable car (to 3800m) of the morning and saunter up the Breithorn
(4164m, and well worth an ascent - probably easiest on skis in May, but on
ski or foot, stay roped up - though technically very easy, there are plenty
of crevasses).

>Any other suggestions for fun/classic climbing in southern Europe?

There are a vast number of almost deserted and very fine mountains in the
Maritime Alps, up to about 3500m. These, of course, are much nearer to Nice.
There is very fine ski-mountaineering (the French 1:25 000 and 1:50 000 maps
show ski-routes) here, although mid-May is getting a little late this far
south.

If you are telemark skiers, rather than alpine, then you could find good
sport in the Vanoise alps, which has a large glacier field, but is not as
intimidatingly steep as the higher main alpine chain. I know people have
toured this area successfully on hippy-sticks.

If you choose to be based in Zermatt, then you have the finest collection
of 4000m peaks in the Alps, from snow plods and easy mixed (almost certainly
in condition in May, but watch out for the speeding ski-mountaineers) to
big mixed and rock routes. Any of the big snow peaks at the southern end of
the Mischabel chain should be a good bet (practice your crevasse rescue
first). If the Matterhorn is in condition, then very likely so will be the
Weisshorn. The East ridge is a very fine route at AD- with a glacier approach
a short couloir (a nasty scree scramble later in the season), then a fine
narrow rock/mixed ridge and a knife-edge snow arete to finish. It is a finer
route to climb than the Hoernli, though probably easier and certainly much
less crowded. The mountain has a fine summit, but is obviously not as well
known as the Matterhorn, since it does not stand so isolated from the other
peaks.

>I've already climbed a bit around Chamonix, so I'm looking for other
>recommendations -- Verdon might be nice, but rapping into gorge to
>climb out seems like its going in the wrong direction.

Of course, this is a good time of year for the Verdon, but if you don't
want the serious commitment of a deep abseil-in gorge, then how about the
Ardeche gorge ? You can walk along the bottom of most of it (or canoe down
it), as well as finding lots of somewhat less serious rock-climbing in the
area.

>
>Cheers,
>Dave

Hmm... another great hunk of verbiage. Well, hope its some help.     Andy.