Mont Blanc / Matterhorn Climbing Trip: July 24 – August 9 2001 The long awaited climbing trip has finally come and gone. Looking back I can truly say I underestimated what it would take. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but there was no way to know how physically demanding it would be. The main thing was always the weather and if it would be good enough during each of the two-day climbs. Luckily, for the most part, this worked out well. Another aspect was whether an injury of some sort would keep me from making a climb. This never was an issue although my feet seemed to always be bandaged up from blisters starting on the second day. The final aspect was physical endurance. While I felt that I had prepared fairly well aerobically before leaving, it turned out that physical conditioning would play a secondary role to that of oxygen efficiency at altitude. Sitting here at virtually sea level in Washington, there was no way to train in that capacity. There is really no way to know how ones body will react /perform at a higher altitude – regardless of physical condition. While the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc are not altitude hogs, they are both higher than any peak in the lower 48. The Matterhorn is 14,678 feet (4478 m) while Mont Blanc is 15,771 feet (4807 m) and is the second highest in Europe. Again, nothing too extraordinary but the oxygen levels do start to fall around the 9000 – 10,000 foot level. The main goal was always the Matterhorn climb. Mont Blanc and the hikes/climbs around Chamonix were initially to be used for acclimatization before heading to Zermatt. I quickly realized, however, that even the Mont Blanc 'training' climb could easily have been the feature climb. I went on this climbing excursion with Andy Harrah, a former work colleague. Chamonix is a small town that sits in a thin valley in the Eastern part of France that borders both Italy and Switzerland. It is a world-renown alpine destination for anything that has to do with mountain sports. It is a climbing mecca in the summer and skiing paradise in the winter. We arrived in Chamonix via train from Geneva on a beautiful summer day. It was truly amazing at how the mountains rose virtually straight up on both sides of town. The beginnings of the mountains were lush green-forested slopes that were extremely steep. Above them were mammoth solid rock jagged spires and ridges mixed with snow covered domed peaks. It all just seemed so intensely massive and daunting because it was so close. The snowy dome of Mont Blanc seemed to be just at the edge of town. The peaks rose so fast from the town that to see Mont Blanc you would have to tilt your head back. At first I mistakenly took another dome (Dome du Gouter [goo-tay]) for Mont Blanc because it looked like the highest one. We later would cross over this dome on our way to the top of Mont Blanc. We had made reservations to hire a guide from the 'Association Internationale Des Guides du Mont Blanc' for five days. The first three days would be to work with the crampons and ice ax on snow and ice as well as help acclimatize for the final two-day ascent of Mont Blanc. We met with our guide on that first day. His name was Richard Dupont and is from a small town in the Pyrenees. He guides in the Chamonix Valley during the summer months and then in the winter goes back to the Pyrenees to guide ice climbing and ski touring clients. That night we went to rent the equipment we would need over the next five days – boots, crampons, ice ax, harness, and helmet. Day one with our guide started with a cogwheel train ride up the mountain to Montenvers (1913 m), one of dozens of large 'huts' that serve as mountain hotels/restaurants on the Mont Blanc Massif. The goal was to then hike down to the Mer de Glace, which is one of several large glaciers in the area. We would practice using our crampons and ice ax on the ice in various circumstances, from simple walking to ascending and descending steep pitches. During the day we traveled up the glacier (relatively flat in this area). In several places there were small, but fast moving, glacier streams from the melting ice that would bore deep holes in the glacier and disappear in a black void. Richard had mentioned that the glacier was about 300 feet thick. From this part of the valley we were able to see some of the more famous climbing and skiing areas in the area. Such places as the Grande Jorasses (climbing), Dent du Geant (climbing), Vallee Blanche (skiing), and the Grands Montets (skiing) surrounded us. These are places that always seem to be mentioned when reading an article or watching a video concerning the Chamonix area. The day ended with no problems and the weather seemed to be just perfect. Richard had stated that day two would be a long one and a bit more intense than day one. We started by driving just outside of Chamonix to a small town called le Tour. From there we took two ski lifts up before starting our hike to the mountain hut Albert 1st (2702 m), which was situated next to the Glacier du Tour. The goal for the day was to walk the nearby snowfields and then climb to the top of the peak Aiguille du Tour (3544 m). We put on our crampons and roped up for our snow walk. For a while it was a rather low angle uphill hike but was still pretty tiring. As we rounded another area we noticed a long uphill slope that some other people were coming down from. Richard stated that it was only about a 30-degree pitch but looked worse than that. Anyway, that was the route we needed to take. As we started to go up, it became very tiring very quickly, and I thought I was already as tired as I could get. It seemed that I always wanted to rest but because we were roped together we needed to move as one unit. Richard never seemed to tire, as Andy and I were about to blow a lung. The ridge at the top of the snowfield never seemed to be getting any closer. After awhile you just found yourself in this daze where all you did was look in the snow at where your next steps would be and you just kept putting one foot in front of the other. I was constantly fatigued as I walked but every so often I could stop for 3-4 seconds as the rope lost its slack and could catch my breath. Recovery from the exhaustion was rather quick because it came from the altitude more so than physical exertion. When we finally reached the top we could finally stop and rest. The ridge represented the border between France and Switzerland at that location. We then walked a bit more in the snow on the other side before coming to the base of the Aig. Du Tour. From there it was about a 15-minute rock climb to the top. There were a lot of hand and foot holds so was not technically difficult and was a lot less tiring than the snow trekking. As we sat at the top you could see snow covered mountains ranges in all directions, one ridge behind the next. From this perspective you could really see that Mont Blanc was the highest in the area. After climbing back down, it was suppose to be just a long simple downhill snow hike back to the mountain hut. While going downhill was much better than going uphill, it wasn't a trivial task (for me). We had taken off our crampons so that as we walked down we could sort of slide/ski down. Richard made it look easy but we were a bit ungainly. I would keep my body in this rigid position as I came down trying not to fall, but that only made me more tired. After awhile we just kind of gave up and if we fell we would kind of slide down a bit on our butt. It was cold and wet but took no energy. At one point, before unroping, we were traversing an area and one of my legs all of a sudden went all the way through the snow. I had broken through at the edge of a snow bridge covering a crevasse. Richard had already crossed and Andy was behind me about 5 feet. As I peered into the crevasse all I could see was a black void. It looked like the crevasse was only a few feet wide but I did tell Andy that where he was standing looked to be on the snow bridge. That was about as eventful as it got; a pretty humorous event on a long tiring day. We finally made it back to the mountain hut and had a little rest. The final part of the day was just hiking down on the dirt paths until we got back to the ski lifts. This was the day that I started to get my blister problems on my heels. I don't know whether it was the boots or the socks on that day but by the end of the day it was too late. From that day on, I would go to the pharmacy about every other day to get something to bandage them with. It seemed to be a very long and extremely tiring day. I would say that that was probably the most physically exhausting day of the trip. The third day was going to be a shorter day. I imagine that Richard didn't want to wear us totally out before we tried Mont Blanc. On this day we were going to visit the mountains on the other side of Chamonix. The goal was to do a small bit of snow hiking and then climb the peak Aiguille Crochues (2840 m) that was part of the Aiguilles Rouges range. We started from an adjoining town called Les Praz and again took two ski lifts up before beginning our hike on another gorgeous day. I had noticed an older guy that had a Jackson Hole hat on so I started to talk to him. He was head of the New England section of the American Alpine Club. As we were talking he asked if I had heard about the Japanese climber who had died the day before from a fall on the Grandes Jorasses. Anyway, we again put on our crampons and roped up for our snow trek. We walked for about half an hour and then came to a steep pitch about 50 yards high. This was about a 50-degree pitch. I wasn't tired climbing it as much as nervous about losing my footing. It was a long way down (although it seemed to level out at the bottom) and I didn't know if Richard and Andy could stop a fall as they were climbing. No problems though. Once at the top we began our climb to the top of the peak. Like the day before, there were plenty of foot and hand holds and so was pretty fun. I liked the climbing much better than the snow trekking. After spending about 10 minutes at the top we started to traverse the ridge. There were three other people that were just ahead of us. As they were scrambling up the ridge in front of us we noticed a mountain goat directly above the lead climber looking down at him. The goat then proceeded to walk down and along the steep side of the mountain with no problem. It then got on to a somewhat steep snowfield and casually walked down. Pretty amazing. After coming down from the ridge we found ourselves with another downhill snow walk. It seemed a lot easier, which was probably due to the practice the day before and the fact that I was not nearly as exhausted. We finally made it down to a lake (Lac Blanc) where we were going to eat lunch. From the lake you could look across the valley to the other side where the Mont Blanc massif was. With the Mer de Glace in the middle forming an open gap so that the jagged peaks could be seen in layers, it looked like a picture that could be found on the front of a calendar featuring the world's most amazing mountain ranges. There was another mountain hut there and was rather crowded with other hikers that had hiked to it from the ski lift. The lake was more like a large pond and had large chunks of ice floating it in. We noticed someone standing on one of the ice chunks in the middle of the lake. He was in shorts. We think he jumped on the ice when it was close to shore for a picture or something and it started to drift away and he couldn't jump back. The ice chunk was flat and the top was just above the waterline. This guy looked like he was in trouble. A couple of minutes later we heard the rescue helicopter come over the hill. It circled for a bit and then started to lower a rescue guy on a line. He handed the poor victim a harness to put on. The wind from the rotors was so strong that it forced the guy almost lay on the ice for fear of being blown off. After he got his harness on he was standing at the edge of the ice. As the helicopter started to move away, the line pulled the guy off of the ice and into the water where he was fully submerged. That may have been payback for having them come and rescue him. Richard stated that helicopter rescues in the mountains during the summer carry no fee. It is different in the winter, however, if you have to be rescued while skiing. We finished the day by hiking down to the ski lift. We had finished our three days of prep work for Mont Blanc. We were sore and tired but ready to go the next day. The day had finally come that we were to begin our two-day ascent of Mont Blanc. We were going to take the more traditional route via the Gouter Ridge that would include a long, arduous approach to the mountain hut (Gouter hut) on the first day followed by a shorter and more straightforward summit climb. The Gouter hut is situated on a spur on the Gouter Ridge at 12,500 feet (3819 m). The hike up to the hut would involve a hike/snow trek/climb of 4700 feet. Summit day would then involve a glacier climb on steepening snow and ice up to about 35 degrees along the Gouter Ridge. We would start on the ridge at the top of the Aiguille du Gouter (3817 m), go over the Dome du Gouter (4304 m), and then to the top of Mont Blanc via the Bosses snow ridge. The total vertical gain would be approximately 3250 feet. We started the day by driving up the valley to the town of Les Houches where took a cable car up to a place called Bellevue. From there we would take a cog railway to the Nid d' Aigle, which was simply a dropping off point for hikers and climbers. From there we started our hike to the hut. It took about four hours to reach the hut. It was a pretty uneventful route. We started with a general hike along dirt trails. This led to some short snow walks. Before we could start our final section we had to cross a steep couloir. The coulior was a steep snow and rock gully where rock falls are frequent. Anyone that wanted to cross the couloir needed to essentially make a 50-foot dash along a narrow snow path in the couloir with the goal of making it to the other side while no rocks were falling. The final part was a rock climb similar to the two previous days but much longer. While going up we did see a couple of rock falls in the couloir. These rock falls involve a short period of falling rocks the size of small stones to about bowling ball size. I really would hate to be crossing the couloir when that was going on. We made it to the hut about 1:30 in the afternoon. We had hurried a bit because as we were climbing the clouds were coming in and there was some thunder. It started to snow slightly as we got to the hut. Arriving at the hut was greatly satisfying because you could finally rest and there would be no more climbing that day. The bad part is that there is nothing to do – all day long. You essentially just hang out while waiting for dinner (6 PM) and then bed (8 PM). It was a cloudy, somewhat cold day so you couldn't enjoy a leisurely rest outside. Initially I was feeling tired but good. I decided to try to take a nap but that was a bad idea. Lying down made my stomach upset. For about two hours I tried to rest but it was rather unsettling. I don't know whether it is solely due to the altitude or a combination of the altitude and my nervous anticipation. Later we all sat around a table and just talked. At about 6 PM dinner was served. Basically everyone at the hut was there to climb Mont Blanc the next day so every day the hut's proprietors would cook that evening's meal for all of the climbers. For the most part, everyone was either a client or a guide. There was a flat part on the snow just above the hut where other climbers would pitch tents. I had taken some Tylenol and half of a Diamox tablet (used to help with altitude sickness symptoms) to help my stomach and anything else that may come along. After dinner we prepped our packs for the next day and discussed what the plan of action was. Everyone there was basically on the same schedule. Up at 2 AM, eat breakfast, and then go. Richard had warned us that although wakeup was at 2 AM, there would be those that would start getting up at 1 AM for an early start. It didn't really matter, as sleep was hard to come by. All of the clients slept in one large room that had two levels of bunks stretching about 12 bunks wide. As Richard had indicated, people started stirring about 1 AM. When I finally decided to get up about 1:45 I was just about the last one up. After a short breakfast we gathered our gear and headed outside. It was fairly cold so we layered up pretty well. We put on our crampons, roped up, and headed out with our headlamps on about 2:45 AM. It was pitch black out but was a very clear night. The stars were all out but the moon was nowhere to be seen. We started out from the Aig. du Gouter in a calm silence. I knew it was going to be a long and tiring walk so I started to concentrate on my breathing and focused mainly on Andy's footsteps in front of me. In a short while Richard had mentioned that we were about to start up the Dome du Gouter. I remember looking back and seeing this scattered line of lights from the headlamps below us. Everyone followed the same line of ascent. As I looked up I could also see the lights of the parties ahead of us higher on the Dome. There seemed to be about four parties ahead of us. Every once in awhile I would look for the lights of the leading party to see if they had reached the top of the Dome. It was really disheartening to see their lights so far up there because you knew you had at least that far to go. They never seemed to reach the top. I decided after awhile not to look anymore. I soon found myself like I was on the second day; very labored from the altitude but just continuing to put one foot in front of the other. I concentrated a lot on my breathing – taking long deep breaths instead of short rapid ones. Again I was last on the rope so every so often I could steal a few seconds break before the rope would become taught again. About halfway up I noticed that my camelback waterline was starting to freeze up. I don't ever remember feeling cold myself however. We were on a rope of three people. Other parties had up to five or six people. As the morning wore on we would catch another party and Richard would take us off the path to pass them. It usually took a bit more energy to do this because the pace was increased and the snow was harder to walk through. Unfortunately, the never tiring Richard failed to ask our opinion about whether we were up to this burst of increased activity. I found this to be a common occurrence with my guide on the Matterhorn as well. It didn't matter though, we would have been too tired to answer. The climb continued on. We finally reached the top of the Dome du Gouter. By now it was fairly light out so we could see the route up the Bosses Ridge to the Summit. At that point, we had reached the Refuge Vallot; a small emergency hut. We had been climbing for two hours. That meant that the final ridge would take another two hours +. The ridge looked steep and long, much longer than the Dome du Gouter. I was already pretty tired but I guess there was no way I was just going to stop. I knew Andy was also just as tired. Richard knew we were tired too but as a guide he also knew that the key was a good pace and constant motion rather than frequent stops. I came to believe that it wouldn't matter how slow the pace was, you would always be tired. I also believe that if I tried it myself I would constantly be stopping and it would either take me twice as long or I would just not make it. I would never normally push myself to such a continuous exhaustive state. Having a guide force the pace was the only way for a novice to make it. Unlike the route to that point, the ridge consisted of a fairly narrow snow path bordered by two steep slopes. The route would continue to broaden and narrow as we went up. It was easy to lose track of how long you were climbing because you get in this sort of walking trance. We finally came across an area where the summit seemed within reach. Not long after that, the first party out that morning passed us on their way back down. All of a sudden, we were on the last bit of the ridge. We soon were on the Mont Blanc snow dome summit at 15,766 feet (4807 m) at about 7:15 AM – 4 ½ hours of continuous exhaustion. It was such a relief. All of a sudden I was no longer tired and I could, for the first time that morning, enjoy the surrounding scenery. It was a beautiful morning with the clouds sitting lower in the valleys. Peaks and ridges were sticking up through the clouds in all directions. I gave Richard my camera to take some pictures that included a few shots of me drinking my summit champagne – a Mountain Dew. From the summit we could see the top ¼ of the Matterhorn poking out of the clouds about 40+ miles away. It would be exactly one week until that summit attempt. Ice had formed on our packs but I didn't feel cold until I took my gloves off. We stayed at the top for about 10 minutes before heading down. As we headed down we passed other parties that were still heading to the top. Seeing the fatigue on some of the faces made me feel glad we had pushed ourselves so that our anguish would be over and we could head down. On the way down we could finally see the route we had taken in the darkness earlier that morning. In some places there were steep drops that we were oblivious too – good thing I guess. We made it back to the Gouter hut in about 2 hours 15 minutes. We stayed there about an hour gathering all our gear we left behind and eating some lunch. We then started back down towards the cog railway. On the last part of the trail we ran across a few mountain goats that wouldn't get off of the trail. They had some big pointy horns so we just waited a bit. By the time we got to the railway station my body just ached. It had been a very long day. We had climbed over 3000 vertical to the summit and then descended almost 8000 feet to the railway station. After we got off the train we needed to walk to the cable car that would take us back to the valley. The walk consisted of about 100 feet at a slightly uphill angle. During this walk my body ached, my heels hurt, and I was out of breath. I remember asking myself how could I even attempt the Matterhorn if I felt like this. We arrived back at the hotel in Chamonix about an hour or so later. The first goal was a success and I could temporarily relax. It was definitely harder than I had anticipated. The last two days in Chamonix were spent resting and taking in a couple of hikes. We were ready to finally head out of Chamonix and travel to Zermatt for the main quest. I was happy that at a minimum, we would be 50 % successful on the trip. Not until I either was successful or failed on the Matterhorn would I be completely relieved on this trip. From the beginning I was anxious about the weather, injury, fitness, etc. and whether these climbs were really even feasible for me to do. We left Chamonix in the morning so that we could be in Zermatt by early afternoon. It was another beautiful day and the scenery was great. We passed from France to Switzerland and went on to a town called Visp. From there we needed to take the specialty BVZ (Brig-Visp-Zermatt) train. Zermatt does not allow cars (except for a few of the locals), so everyone heading to Zermatt has to take this train there. Like Chamonix, Zermatt is a small town deep in a valley surrounded by the Alps. Unlike Chamonix, however, Zermatt is really dominated by a single mountain; the Matterhorn. There are other mountains around Zermatt of course, some even higher, but the Matterhorn is such a unique triangular rock that it is the most photographed and climbed mountain in the world (or so I have read). I recently read that there have been over 450 deaths on the mountain – more than Everest, Denali, Rainier, or the Grand Teton. I suspect that they are mostly due to inexperienced climbers that did not have a guide. Having hired a guide, I felt OK. There are now really only four main routes up the Matterhorn. We would take the Hornli Ridge, which is probably the most common route by far. Like Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn straddles the Italian border and contains an Italian summit. The Italian summit is only a few feet shorter than the Swiss summit. Unlike Mont Blanc, however, the Matterhorn would be technically much more difficult. While Mont Blanc was simply a long, tough snow trek, the Matterhorn is a mixed climb of rock, snow, and ice. It would be much more of a true 'climb'. My main concern with the Matterhorn was the length of the climb. The mountain hut at the base of the mountain sits at 10,693 feet (3260 m). The summit of the Matterhorn is 14,687 feet (4478 m). That is a 3994-foot vertical. The average time needed to climb it is between 4 and 5 hours. By comparison, the climb 3 years ago on the Grand Teton was much less. The hut there was at 11,620 feet and the summit was at 13,770 feet (a total of only 2150 feet) and that took us 4+ hours to climb. Aside from the numbers, I had read that the standard route up the Matterhorn (the Hornli Ridge) was technically more difficult than the standard route of the Grand Teton (the Exum Ridge). Although I was not sure whether it was beyond my abilities, I had to believe that I could do it because so many people have made it. We arrived in Zermatt on a sunny summer day about 2 PM. We needed to arrive early because we were going to have to visit the Alpine Center to pay our reservation fee for the guide. In Chamonix we were able to hire a single guide to take both of us on the climb. In fact the client to guide ratio for the Mont Blanc climb could have been 3:1. For the Matterhorn, however, the ratio was only 1:1. Part of the reason is for speed and part is for safety. When we got to the center we were told that there was still a good bit of snow and ice on the mountain and that we would have to use crampons for about half of the climb (upper half). This would involve not only using the crampons on the snow and ice but also on rock. She then asked the all-important question – "You have experience with this right?". We kind of danced around the question a bit and basically said we were ready. Although I knew there usually is always a bit of snow scattered around on the top area of the mountain, I never really thought about having to wear crampons because this was suppose to be a 'rock' climb. The faces on the Matterhorn are steep and there is not much room for snow to accumulate, especially during summer. When she mentioned "half the climb" I needed to do a double take. When I looked at the route earlier in the day, it looked clear of snow except for the final bit. This was going to be a bit different than I had anticipated. We left the center scratching our heads and asking ourselves whether we really thought we could handle the crampon part. That night we found out that that day (August 1st) was the Swiss National Day. There was a small parade, speeches, and fireworks. The next day we decided to do a long hike that would eventually take us to the Hornli hut. This was the mountain hut at the base of the Matterhorn where we would spend the night before the climb. We wanted to get a close-up of the route and talk to anyone that had just climbed it that morning. It was another gorgeous day and the Matterhorn stuck out like a giant monolith that made you just stare at it. It was free of any clouds, which at the time went unnoticed. Not until we were there several days did we come to find that the Matterhorn, with its unique triangular shape, seemed to create or attract its own cloud formations. The rest of the sky could be clear but the top of the mountain would be encircled by a cloud or a cloud would be positioned up the entire East Face as if the winds off of the other faces would trap the cloud. The Hornli hut was much more accessible to hikers in the area than the Gouter hut was on the Mont Blanc climb. Because of this, there would be many non-climbing tourists at the hut just enjoying the scenery and the mountain. We talked to a couple of people that had just finished the climb and they stated that the route was good. They mentioned that the crampons had to be put on about at The Shoulder which was a little above the Solvay Hut. The Solvay Hut is a small emergency shelter at 4003 m, which is about 2/3 of the way to the top. It is a frequent resting point for climbers on their way up and down. The Shoulder was an area not far above the hut that was the start of the last sections of the climb. Although the hut was about 2/3 of the way up, it represented only about half of the climb time wise. From the base we could see (through binoculars) some climbers at the Solvay hut. Not far above them we were able to see one party of 3 just coming down from The Shoulder. All I noticed of them was that they were on a very steep snowy section and it looked like the lower climber was just at the lip of a straight vertical drop. I knew I could handle the climbing and make at least a good attempt with the crampons on rock, but my worst fears were in the heights where there was immediate exposure. The area that those 3 climbers were at looked like it could be in an area that would make me just freeze up. Little by little, the mountain seemed to get more and more ominous. In a way though, that would make the attempt a bit more adventurous and challenging, at least psychologically. We headed back down to Zermatt feeling that there was at least a shot of making it. At the very least we were confident that we could make it to the Solvay Hut which, at the time, seemed like we would have made at least a valiant effort. By the time we got back to Zermatt it had clouded up a bit and was starting to sprinkle. The rain was not enough to make you run for cover but it did make us think about what it was doing on the Matterhorn. The last thing we needed was for more snow or ice to accumulate on the route. The next day we woke up to a fairly cloudy sky. The Matterhorn was almost fully engulfed in clouds. Before heading off on another hike we were going to go back to the Alpine Center to pay our 20 swiss francs (about $14) for a weeks worth of helicopter rescue insurance. Unlike the Chamonix valley area, helicopter rescues in Switzerland were not free. We were required (although no one ever checked) to have this insurance for the climb. For another 10 francs the insurance would have run for a full year. It was also good in any part of Switzerland. Anyway, while we were there they told us that the weather had been bad on the mountain and the guides were heading down that day because they were not going to guide anyone on the mountain the following morning. We were suppose to check back with them at the end of the day to see whether or not we should head up to the hut the next day for our attempt the morning after that. This all wasn't playing out very well but we would just deal with whatever happened. Because we were making the climb during the peak time in the peak season (Aug. 1 – 15), if we were not able to make the climb on our appointed day it would be unlikely that we could get another guide because they were booked solid. We could probably have booked another climb in the area but of course that would have been much less rewarding. I would rather have made a failed attempt on the Matterhorn than a successful climb on another peak. Our plan that day was to try to hike up to the top of a nearby peak called the Mettelhorn. The top was at 3406 m and because that was higher than the mountain hut (3260 m), we thought it would be good for more acclimatization. The day was mostly cloudy but pleasant and the Matterhorn would be fully engulfed in the clouds all day long. We weren't sure if we would really be able to make it up to the Mettelhorn because our generic tourist map showed a large snowfield leading to the top. We didn't have the proper equipment for the snow with us so we decided to go as far as we felt safe. As we headed up and around we came across several small snowfields on a slight angle. We felt those were safe so we continued on. It started to get very windy in parts as the wind whipped down the valley. We saw the top of the ridge where it looked like we would then be able to start the final hike of the mountain. When we reached the ridge it was very windy. We saw a couple of people coming down from the top. At the top of the ridge there was the start of a large snowfield that continued on past the mountain. As we were hiking up the switchback trails I noticed the guy who was not far behind us continue on over the snowfield. I had no idea where he could be heading. The wind was really blowing hard and our hands were getting pretty cold. When we got to the top I stated that we must be there because I couldn't see anything higher. Andy was on a rock just above me and stated "Yeah, I don't see anything higher either, except that peak right over there." We had climbed the wrong one. The peak just behind us was the Mettelhorn. We had climbed the Platthorn peak, which was about 100 m shorter. As it turned out, that guy was crossing the snowfield to get over to the Mettelhorn. Anyway, we rationalized that we didn't have the proper boots to cross that snowfield. The wind made it bitterly cold so we headed down almost immediately. All day long I had been thinking about the Matterhorn and whether we would even get a chance to make an attempt. With the mountain always in the clouds I knew the conditions could not be getting any better. My thoughts kept focusing on the use of crampons, steep exposures, and bad weather adding worse conditions. Part of me started to wish maybe we could get an easy out by having the weather keep us from the attempt. I would have a legitimate excuse then. Then I would think that I felt I could easily make it to the Solvay Hut and that would be good enough. I kept bouncing between the good and the bad, a failed attempt or a good excuse. We took the long way back to Zermatt. The scenery was still beautiful even though the clouds were closing in. A bit after we got back to town we headed for the Alpine Center. At that time they stated that we could head up to the hut the next day. The guides would be going back up because the weather was supposed to get a bit better. I'm not sure whether I was happy or disappointed that we may get the chance but I kept telling myself that this climb was the main reason for the trip. That evening the clouds sunk down to the town itself. You couldn't see any of the surrounding hillsides. I didn't know what was happening on the mountain but I did finally realize that I was glad that we would most likely be able to make the attempt. We woke to another partly cloudy day. The clouds had lifted from the town and were scattered around in a deep blue sky. The bottom half of the Matterhorn was clear but the rest was in the clouds. We had decided that we would take the tram (actually 3 different lifts) to the Schwarzsee (another mountain hut by a lake) and then hike from there to the hut. This cut our hike from about 4 ½ hours to a bit over 2. We were carrying our larger packs and wanted to save our energy. We got to the hut around 1:30. It was cloudy but the sun kept coming and going. All day long the mountain would be covered on its upper half. Because the weather wasn't at its best, there weren't as many tourists at the hut as there normally would be. Like the hut on Mont Blanc, there isn't much to do except just hang around. We were just waiting to meet our guides at 6:30. It was a bit weird to think that we wouldn't meet the guy leading us up until the evening before. Later I found out that the reason was because the guides stay at the hut for about 5 days at a time. Instead of going back down to Zermatt after a climb and hiking all the way back to the hut the next day, they would just stay up there. They would meet their client in the evening, climb the next day, rest, meet their next client the next evening, climb the next day, etc. After about 5 days or so, they would head back to town to rest or lead other climbs in the area and a new set of guides would go to the hut. Finally it was time to meet our guides. There were only about 8 or so of us that were there to meet the our guides from the Alpine Center. These guides were the 'Zermatt' guides. There were other climbers at the hut that had hired a guide from outside of Zermatt to lead them. Still other climbers were there to try to go up without a guide. At 6:30 sharp we started to gather. Someone would call the client's name and then introduce them to their guide. My name was first. I think I got lucky because I later pieced together that the sequence usually followed the pattern of best, most experienced, or senior guides having their clients assigned first. My guide's name was Thomas Dunsser. He had been guiding for over 25 years and was a world- class mountaineer. He had climbed Everest, K2, Denali, Aconcogua, etc. Besides guiding in Zermatt he runs his own guiding business. Apparently, when he was younger, he began his quest of obtaining international certifications. He has certifications for guiding climbs, alpine ski instruction, and cross-country ski touring. He can do any one of these anywhere in the world. Obtaining international certifications is usually a long process and there are only a few places where one can go to obtain them. I'm not sure of all the intricacies concerning guides and certifications but I would probably use the analogy that my guide had a college degree in mountaineering guiding whereas a guide without an international certification (but was certified say to work with their guiding company in Yosemite Valley) may be considered to have a high school diploma. That's not to say that other guides aren't as capable, just that it's probably the same as we look at someone's educational background. The Matterhorn, however, was not a mountain where it would take the best of the best. I would be Thomas's 125th client up the Matterhorn. Apparently there have been other Zermatt guides that have climbed it over 300 times. Anyway, I knew he would be a good one because he never told me about his exploits. I had found out from some others and later got some more information after asking him. After dinner, he checked all of my equipment. I was ready to wear all of my clothing layers just as I did for Mont Blanc when he mentioned that I should only wear one layer. He stated that the week before he had worn a t-shirt to start the climb. While it would be a bit brisk in the morning, the constant motion would warm things up. We were to wake at 4 AM, eat breakfast, then head out. I felt better physically (no upset stomach) than I did before the Mont Blanc climb. It looked like the weather would be OK. I was just a bit worried about the exposure and the crampons. Once again, people started stirring well before the stated wake-up time. After getting on my gear and stowing the excess stuff, we headed down for breakfast. I met Thomas and we roped up in the hut. I'm not exactly sure when we left the hut but I believe it was a bit past 4:30 AM. The weather was great. It was pretty clear and the temperature was comfortable. The night before was a full moon but unfortunately the moon had already made its cycle over the area and it was now a moonless morning. Similar to the Mont Blanc climb, there was a trail of headlamps both in from of us and behind us. This first part was essentially rock scrambling and climbing. We climbed together for the most part. Every so often, where there was a longer pitch with fewer handholds, Thomas would go first and then belay me. Since it was dark I could not really see the surrounding area. I liked this because I could not see what was, or was not, around me. We were constantly moving and my concentration was focused on what was just in front of me so I guess it would have hardly mattered. Once again, my guide didn't like being held up by another party and would try to take a slightly different course on the rock to make a pass. I wasn't consulted on these moves but moving up the rock was a bit better than the snow climbs. Actually, both guides had the same style. They would ask how you were doing but I don't think it would matter what the answer was. If I seemed tired and needed a second or so, they would state that the key was a comfortable pace and constant motion even though our pace seemed faster than the others. The Matterhorn had sort of a timeline. Because it would take just as long coming down as it did going up, the guides needed to ensure that certain points were made by a specific time. Later, after inquiring about it, Thomas had mentioned that he has had about 30 clients that had to turn back due to the time. The average time is 4-5 hours one way. That would make it 8-10 hours from hut to hut. I think the upper timeline was about 6 hours, which would make it a 12- hour climb. Anyway, after about 2 hours or so we finally made it to the Solvay hut. We rested for all of about 5 minutes. It started to get a bit colder so I added another layer on top and switched to some thicker gloves. As mentioned earlier, the Solvay hut was about 2/3 of the way up the Matterhorn but only represented about ½ of the climbing time. I had made my initial goal. I knew that not long after, we would have to put on the crampons but I now felt that there was a good chance of success. We hadn't had any problems and had made the Solvay hut in a good time. We started out again and by now the sun had come out. It was a similar morning to that of the Mont Blanc climb: clouds below us covering the valley but clear above. As we started out, it started to get a bit snowier. There was much more of a rock/ice/snow mix. We had passed another group that was stopped and putting on their crampons. I guess Thomas wanted to get as high as possible before having to put them on. We finally rounded this corner and started to climb this steep snowfield. This was the beginning of The Shoulder. A few minutes later, Thomas stopped and stated that it was time to put on the crampons. I looked around and realized that we were stopped on a very steep slope. I asked him whether he was sure we should put them on here because of the steepness. I thought there must have been a better place (flatter) to do this. He didn't think it was any big deal so we put them on. This was the same place (I believe) that I saw those three climbers a few days before that gave me such anxiety about the exposure. Although it was steep and I don't know what Thomas would have done if I lost my balance in the snow, it wasn't as bad as I first thought. We then started up The Shoulder towards the final ridge that would take us to the summit. Thomas had mentioned (and I had read about this) that parts of the upper ridge and North Face that we would be going through would have some fixed ropes. These were thick ropes that would be secured at the top end and sometimes at both ends. They were used to help get up some of the icy parts. I would find later that using the ropes were very tiring and at times a bit dicey (to me at least). Unlike using a nice solid, non-moving handhold, the ropes would sway a bit as you climbed up. Thomas had also mentioned that at one point there was also a latter to help you get over a little ledge. This was a fixed loop chain latter that was secured at the top but the bottom was not. It was essentially two chains joined by three steel foot rungs. It was there because some time before, that area had a good handhold to help get over the ledge. The handhold was chiseled away in hopes that it would make the route harder and increase the demand for guides. The missing handhold, however, started to prevent even guides from getting past the spot in bad weather. The chain latter was installed to redress the situation. Well, in short time we were just below this latter. As we came up, the latter was just on the left and a fixed rope was on the right. I saw Thomas quickly get over this small ledge using his left hand on the latter and his right on the rope. As I got to the spot I couldn't do it. It seemed that all of my arm strength was sapped. I couldn't use one hand on the latter and one on the rope so I tried using both on the latter. Nothing. I was totally drained. All I had to do was pull myself up just a bit so that I could get my feet on this other rock. Here I was, no strength left with my left arm just curled around the lower rung swinging back and forth (because the lower part of the latter was not fixed). I could not see Thomas but I did hear him say "What is the matter Peter, climb". I thought that this was it. The climb was going to end because I couldn't get over that ledge using the latter. I didn't know what to do. I then realized that there was another party just below us. The other guide was right at my feet trying to give me some instruction. I felt pretty embarrassed. Thomas said something else and I kind of desperately stated "Just a second, I need to rest". Finally, about a minute later, I was able to get myself up. We were soon on our way again. Not long after that we got off the ridge and onto the North Face to climb up the steep summit snow slope. By my standards, it was pretty steep. Sometimes I had to put my hands on the snow in front of me for balance. As I stated earlier, one of the reasons that there is only one client per guide is safety. While Thomas seemed to be very safety conscious, I always wondered about our steep snow climbs. I don't see how he could have stopped my fall if I slipped while we were both climbing the snowfield. I had never really been worried about that because the crampons gripped everything solidly. Even using the points on one side of the foot stuck convincingly. Once again, I was really only looking at where I was going to step next. At one point I did look up and saw that the summit was very close. Some were already on their way down. The next thing I knew, we had reached the summit ridge. It was now just a short walk along the narrow ridge to reach the actual Swiss summit point. At the point where we reached the ridge, there was a statue (about 3-4 feet) of St. Bernard – the patron saint of hikers and climbers and is considered a special symbol to the Zermatt guides. We had reached the top in about 4 ½ hours. There was only one other guide and client there at the time. Just as with Mont Blanc, once I reached the top my tiredness faded and I felt great. I had Thomas start taking some pictures. Once again, I opened my mountain Champagne (Mt. Dew). It was a very clear day and we could see Mont Blanc in the distance. It seemed so close. Switzerland has 38 peaks over 4000 m and Thomas mentioned that it is possible to see them all from the top of the Matterhorn. On the other side of the Matterhorn was Italy. I'm sure there were many climbers coming up the opposite ridge from the Italian side. Just before we left I saw Andy and his guide coming up the snowfield. I knew it was going to be a long climb down and anything could happen but I felt so relieved to have made it that it didn't concern me. The climb down was indeed loooooooong and somewhat tiring. On the way down we waited until we got to the Solvay hut before taking off our crampons. After coming off of The Shoulder, we were using our crampons mostly on rock. Afterwards I realized that it wasn't as bad as I had initially thought. About halfway down from the Solvay hut we came across some climber who was belaying his other companion. He asked Thomas how much further to the summit. Thomas asked him when they had started the climb and he said about 4:30 (the same time we left). We had already climbed to the top (4 ½ hours) and part of the way down (about 3 hours) and they were not yet even to the Solvay hut. Thomas unequivocally stated that their best course of action was to turn back. They would never make it to the top and down before dark. After climbing down past them, Thomas mentioned that he often comes across climbers trying the Matterhorn without a guide. He stated that it was so easy to get lost and take dead-end routes. If you didn't know the route you had very little chance of making it. Since all of the Zermatt guides leave while it is still dark out, it is too hard to just follow the headlights. I got the feeling from talking to Thomas and hearing other guides, that they do not like climbers without guides on the mountain. I don't think it is so much that they want (or need) their business as it is for safety concerns. Climbers not using guides tend to be in larger groups (3 or 4) and can cause traffic problems because they can't move as fast. They apparently are also responsible for a lot of falling rocks because they often get lost in areas where they shouldn't be. We finally made it back to the hut around 2 PM. It took us around 9 ½ hours I believe, which is right in the average timeframe. I finally felt a large burden lift from my shoulders. The climbs were now over and both had been a success. I couldn't believe our luck. The weather had held and neither had been technically or physically too tough. While there was a good bit of exposure on the Matterhorn, it never did become an issue for me. Andy got to the hut about half an hour later. It turned out that he had the exact same problem with the latter that I had. We spend about an hour or so at the hut before heading down to the cable car. The last couple of days were again spent resting and on some regular hikes. The 2-½ week climbing trip was now over. Everything went according to plan even though the climbs were not at all like I had initially envisioned. The altitude did play a part in the physical endurance aspect, as I had suspected, but I did not realize just how tiring it would be. In the end though, I realized that neither mountain was too technical and, although physically demanding, was not beyond a mere mortals abilities if pushed to do so. With some good weather, a little physical ability, and a strong desire, both of these classic mountains are within anyone's reach.