The Hörnli Ridge Route | 1220m AD+ III
The Matterhorn 4,478m
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The Matterhorn is not only a steep, massively exposed, 4,000m peak in the Alps - it is one of the most iconic peaks in the world. The desire of climbers from across the globe to ascend the most famous summit in the Swiss Alps converges at the Hörnli Ridge - the "easiest" route up the awe-inspiring monolith. But easiest is a relative term.
The Matterhorn is one of the deadliest mountains in the world. The Swiss Alpine Club has calculated that 1 in 415 climbers has died while attempting the summit the Matterhorn in the last 20 years. At first glance, this is a shocking number considering the relatively low technical difficulty. But this low difficulty (AD+/ mostly USA 4th Class rock with a couple of brief low 5th class moves) combined with lots of ground to cover, means teams must move quickly to the summit and back down over wildly exposed terrain. With thin margins for error and the need to move quickly, the chance for an accident increases greatly. Dedication to solid movement must be maintained for the entire climb.
Constant focus, movement and cardio output in a dynamic and exposed alpine environment is what makes the Matterhorn a tough summit to bag. Heady exposure, constant terrain and route-finding challenges, jockeying for position amongst other climbers and the need to move quickly to ascend and descend before weather or fatigue catch up with you make the Matterhorn an engaging climb. All this is to say that Matterhorn can't be climbed in any style you choose - the Matterhorn calls the shots. If you're going to climb this thing, you need to be moving!
This guide to the Hörnli Ridge Route on the Matterhorn explores the challenges, hazards and highlights of one of the most iconic and classic routes in the Alps.
Overview | Hörnli Ridge Route on the Matterhorn
The Hörnli Ridge Route on The Matterhorn is unlike any climb on the planet. And while its technical difficulty isn't staggering, it would be hard to call the Hörnli ridge an easy alpine climb. More akin to a sprint than a traditional alpine climb, the challenge of the Hörnli lies in the style in which it must be climbed: that style is FAST.
Why does everyone climb the Matterhorn so fast? With the amount of ground that needs to be covered in a day and the number of climbers competing to get through bottleneck sections before other climbers, the race is on from the moment you wake up. Breakfast is fast, getting out the door is fast, the hike to the start (where a via ferrata instantly creates the first bottleneck) is fast, and the climb continues like this throughout the ascent and descent until the last climber has descended the last rung of the starting via ferrata. You might ask, but WHY the rush? Why not take it slow?
There are 3 main factors that dictate a fast pace on the Matterhorn:
- The amount of exposed, challenging terrain to be covered is massive. 4,000' of 4th class rock, snow and ice. You simply need to move quickly to complete the climb before the point of diminishing returns - the point where you become less efficient and less capable of moving safely on exposed terrain.
- Other climbers can slow your progress significantly throughout the course of the day. They create bottlenecks on the more technical sections of the climb and can simply be moving much slower in places where it's difficult to pass. These delays can compound and allowing a slow team to pass while you're taking a break can add significant time to the length of your day.
- The lifts down to Zermatt close around 5pm. This means that climbers need to be back down to the Hörnli before 3:30 if they expect to catch the last lift down. Missing the lift means adding an extra 2-3 hours onto an already long day - not what you or your guide want to do!
In a lot of ways, these factors make climbing the Matterhorn like a race. Getting behind a slower team can cause you to wait at multiple bottlenecks throughout the route. Taking a snack break or being slow to put on your crampons can mean losing your position to a slower team that will grind to a halt on the tricky parts of the climb. It can be difficult or unsafe to pass in many places on the Hörnli ridge, so once you've found a good pace for you and your team, it's best to stay there. This means moving steadily and efficiently throughout the day, and can mean that the number of break opportunities will be limited to mandatory stops for transitions and when waiting for other parties at bottlenecks.
Statistics | Hörnli Ridge Route on the Matterhorn
Approach to the Hörnli Hut: 1.5 hrs 2.75 miles, 2200’ (4.4 km, 680m)
Hörnli Hut to Summit: 4-6 hrs 1.1 miles, 4,000’ (1.7 km, 1220m)
Descent, Summit to Hörnli Hut: 4-6 hrs 1.1 miles, 4,000’ (1.7 km, 1220m). Descend the Hörnli Ridge (ascent route). Descent time is equal to or greater than the ascent time. For most climbers it is slower and more difficult than the ascent!
Hazards:
- Extremely exposed ridge climbing
- Rockfall and/or Icefall (Roof)
- Verglas or Snow on Rock
- Other Climbers
- Inclement Mountain Weather
Technical Difficulty:
- Extended sections of wildly exposed 4th and low 5th Class Rock (UIAA III)
- Knife Edge Ridges
- Steep Snow or low angled ice climbing
The Approach | Hörnli Ridge Route on the Matterhorn
The approach to the Hörnli Hut is straight forward and is one of the easiest approaches in the Alps. From the Zermatt Station, the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise gondola brings climbers to the Schwartzsee Station at 2587m. From there, a well-maintained trail gains 2,200' (680m) to the Hörnli Hut. There are numerous hiking trails that crisscross the area, so it's key to choose the right one!
The trail is moderate by Alps standards, but has consistent inclines, a few steel bridges, stairs, fixed lines and a bit of exposure here and there. The exposure is nothing compared to the climb, so it should feel very casual. The hike in should take fit parties who are ready to tackle the Matterhorn 1:15 to 2:00. If it takes longer than two hours consider the climb with be much more strenuous and at higher altitude - this could be a sign you will take a long time on the route.
The Hörnli Hut | The Matterhorn
The Hörnli Hut is a beautiful and modern Swiss hut with a friendly staff. It is equipped with a large dining and lounge area, small dorm rooms, flush toilets and sinks with running water. It also has pay showers (5CHF/3min), WiFi, charging stations, and a drying room. Dorm rooms are comfortable and have crocs and cubbies appointed for each climber.
Food at the Hörnli Hut is pretty good, and seconds on soup and main courses are available for anyone who is still hungry after the first serving. The staff is creative with food dishes and meals are generally quite good for "hut food." Breakfast is simple, but well done - bread, basic meat and cheese charcuterie, butter, jam, yogurt and granola as well as instant coffee, tea and juice. Fast climbers trying to be in the front of the line won't have much time to eat anyway - most climbers simply cramming in a few hundred calories and taking off!
The Climb | Hörnli Ridge Route on the Matterhorn
The climb starts at the Hörnli Hut. A key nuance to climbing this toute is that the local Zermatt guides leave the hut first. Doors remained locked until they are ready to leave. Don't worry- they eat breakfast in about 8 minutes and are ready to go fast! At first, this seems like an unfair approach to climbing, but in reality, it tends to work out well for everyone. Their teams are very fast (they have a 2-hour cutoff time for reaching the Solvay Hut - climbers who are slower than that are turned around there) and they prevent other less experienced climbers from wandering around in the sea of 4th class rock that exists below the Solvay Hut.
Leaving the hut is a short hike to the Klettersteig (via ferrata) start of the route. This section is a bit of a bottleneck, but since it was installed in 2024, it has made the start much smoother, allowing teams to get onto the mountain faster than before when the route ascended a tougher section straight up the face.
- Erstes Couloir / First Couloir
- Zweites Couloir / Second Couloir
- Auf Dem Grat / Tower on the Ridge
- Drittes Couloir / Third Couloir
- Old Hut Site
- Lower Mosely Slab
- Solvay Hut 4,000m
- Upper Mosely Slab
- Unter Roter Turm / Lower Red Tower
- The Shoulder
- Ober Roter Turm / Upper Red Tower
- The Roof
- Swiss Summit 4478m
- Italian Summit 4476m
When the fixed lines end, the Roof is the last stretch guarding the summit. This section ranges from snow, to hard ice to bare rock. This section is protected with steel stanchions that allow climbers to quickly move from anchor to anchor. Have a good plan for not getting trapped by other climbers ropes and be considerate by doing your best not to trap others! A Petzl Connect Adjust with a Mammut Workhorse HMS carabiner works great on this!
The summit ridge is a wildly expose ridge a few feet wide that can taper down to a snowy knife edge. Careful footwork is essential here and the gravity of the situation is front and center. The first summit reached is the higher Swiss summit at 4478m and the Italian summit, 4476m is a few extra minutes of insanely exposed ridge walking to the west. Just below the summit there's a great spot to take a quick break before diving back into the descent down the Roof.
The Descent | Hörnli Ridge Route on the Matterhorn
The descent from the summit of the Matterhorn is more challenging than the ascent. While there are sections that can be rappelled or your guide can lower you over, the vast majority of the route is downclimbed. This requires diligence and is more challenging than climbing up - especially after already ascending 1,200m/4,000'!
The route finding is also much more challenging on the descent. Having climbed significant sections in the dark, only focusing on moving up, means that you may not have paid attention to what the features will look like when you're facing downhill! Make sure to look back and take mental notes on the ascent of key features for the descent. Remember, it will all look the same in broad daylight on the descent, so find whatever distinct features you can that stand out.
Climb The Matterhorn with Blackbird Mountain Guides
Our IFMGA guides know all about the best approaches to climbing Mont Blanc our office team will sort out all of the logistics for you! From trains, cable cars and buses to hut bookings, start times and hazards on the route, our team will make sure everything runs as smoothly as it can on the mountain.
The best way prepare for the Matterhorn is to pair it with some nearby 4,000ers for acclimatization and a movement refresher. Alps Private Climbs are a great way to add on some of the finest climbing the alps have to offer and are perfect for tuning your climbing up before heading up the 'Horn. Being acclimatized to the altitude, feeling sharp and having some synergy with your guide before the climb will put you at ease and is a ton of fun! Then all that's left is climbing the most iconic peak in the Swiss Alps!
Book ahead - Huts sell out extremely quickly and our guide team has limited availability! The best chance of success is to book a full year in advance to get the optimal times for hut reservations in the prime climbing season.
Climb the Matterhorn with Us!
We're happy to answer any questions you might have about the climb or our guides so reach out today!
About the Author
Zeb Blais is an IFMGA Mountain Guide based in Truckee California. He loves all the disciplines of mountain guiding - ski, rock and alpine climbing - and tries to spend as much time as he can in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. He has summitted the Matterhorn multiple times including a solo climb.