Matterhorn - North Face

King of the alpine mountains, the Matterhorn is also known to be a giant pile of unstable plates and loose rock, which makes it a good idea to climb while well frozen. The north face and its handful of frigid lines is a perfect playground for winter climbers.

One of the six north faces of the Alps, it was also the first of all of them to be climbed, in 1931, by two unknown brothers who biked from Münich, stunned the climbing world with their daring ascent, and immediately cycled back. Though not too extreme by modern standards, the Schmid route is still considered a major achievement in any climber's career.

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Route List

1: Furggen Ridge, via diretta per gli strapiombi, TD 5b X, Carrel “Le Petit”, Chiara, Perino, 1941

2: Hörnli Ridge, AD 4b, Croz, Douglas,Hadow, Hudson, Taugwalder, Taugwalder, Whymper, 1865

3: Czechoslovakian Route, ED 6a A3 WI4, Pitelka, Rybicka, Smid, 1983

4: Schmid Route, TD+ WI4+ M5, Schmid, Schmid, 1931

5: Czechoslovakian Direct (Sébastien Gay Mémorial), ED WI5 A2/M8, Drilk, Horka, Kadlcik, Prokes, 1972 (Dumas,Fredriksen, Troillet, 2008)

6: Bonatti Route, ED 5c, Bonatti, 1965

7: Japanese Route (Schweizernase), ED, Furukawa, Miyagawa, Okitsu, 1972 (Arnold, Huber, Senf, 2017)

8: Gogna-Cerruti, ED+ 6a A3, Cerruti, Gogna, 1969

9: Direttissima Piola-Steiner, ED 6c A2, Piola, Steiner, 1981

10: Free Tibet, ED 6c A2+, Gabarrou, Ravaschietto, 2001

11: Aux Amis Disparus, ED 6c A2+, Daudet, Gabarrou, 1992

12: Zmutt Ridge, D 3c, Burgener, Gentinetta, Mummery, Petrus, 1879

Updates

Feb 10, 2024: Graphic design update

Sept 5, 2025: Graphic design update

Sources

• “Alpenglow: Les Plus Belles Voies sur les 4000 des Alpes,” Ben Tibbets, Éditions du Mont Blanc, 2019
  
• “Mountain Profile: The Matterhorn,” Alpinist Magazine, Issue 16, Summer 2006
  
• “Cervin, Dent Blanche, Weisshorn, du Col Collon au Theodulpass,” Banzhaf, Biiner, Theler, Club Alpin Suisse CAS, 2012
  
• Camptocamp
• PlanetMountain
• Vertiges Prod
• Roger Schäli
• Marcel Dettling
• Francesco Ratti