You see it all here: dog walkers, tourists in walking boots, parties without ropes in crevassed terrain, lycra clad ski mountaineering racers. To avoid crowds and the melting glaciers take the first cable car to the Kleinmatterhorn.

The Breithorn is a heavily glaciated ridge comprising several peaks. Great pictures, thanks for sharing! Photo: Andy Perkins.

Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and The Normal Route is something that can be achieved in a day. On the final arête, have a few coils in your hand so if your mate falls into Suisse, you can jump into Italia. You can revoke your consent at any time. It is, technically, an easy hike, but you do need a good level of fitness and should be an experienced hiker to take on this challenge, accompanied by an official guide. Crevasse rescue kit is vital as some of the holes on the approach are huge. Breithorn North Face.

We started in the village of St. Jacques near Champoluc. The Half Traverse can be done in two days starting from Champoluc in the Val d’Ayas and staying at the Ayas hut. During my last visit in Switzerland I visited the Gornergrat (3135 m high) that is easy accessible with the Gornergrat train starting in Zermatt. Andy Perkins on the Triftjigrat headwall. This, in my opinion, is one of the finest routes of its grade in the Alps. Tactical route choice is tricky, and belays are hard to find, so a good apprenticeship in less committing positions will be wise before embarking on what is effectively a D version of a ‘grande course’. After a 2am breakfast from the Gandegg, you drop down onto the Theodul glacier and head across under the imposing face. Photo: Andy Perkins. It is quite an enjoyable glacier walk with stunning views all around. As you approach Zermatt from the Rhone valley, an alluring wall of snow and rock topped by two shapely domes comes into view. The Half Traverse: I take a 50m rope and a few wires and slings for the route itself. I did not have a chance to get a picture from the northern side of the mountain.

Breithorn (Lauterbrunner) : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering. Also, note that you can get hypoxemia because of the height. Reviewed April 22, 2014 . Any similarities noticed between real people and the fictitious ones in this article are purely coincidental. You can also do the Normal Route from Cervinia: cheaper, better coffee and only a slight additional walk from the Theodulpass to the base of the slope. After a short distance on ledges, a delicate downward traverse leads left and across a little couloir to a rocky rib. There’s no escape to left and just a massive drop to the right. It is better to go in a bigger group. The ascent is very demanding.

It’s long at over 1,400m, so you’ll need to be fit and fast. Ample reward awaits you at the summit: stunning views over 38 other four-thousand-metre peaks in the Italian, Swiss and French Alps. The ascent is very demanding. So, which one are you going to tackle next? Going up this rib in a few short pitches gets you on to the ridge proper. If you want an intro to alpine snow then the Breithorn is a good venue. Also, note that you can get hypoxemia because of the height. Traversing right across this, you reach a steep couloir coming down from the summit.

Normal Route: This is within the realm of most competent Scottish hill walkers, but in addition you should know how to rope up for glacier travel and short-roping on grade half snow. It is necessary to start early in the morning to be sure you will get back down as soon as possible. Would you like to login to post your comment? Breithorn, Half Traverse.

Hiking 400 km of Zermatt - Matterhorn trails. 2020 Breithorn is one of the most visited 4k peaks in Switzerland during the Summer. Get an early start from the Ayas so you can beat the Zermatt guides doing it in a day from the first lift. This eventually leads to the summit slopes of the western summit before an easy descent down the normal route and celebratory beers and burgers at The Brown Cow. July and August are very hot and the glacier can melt very fast in the afternoon when the sun is out. It is recommended to ascent and then descent to get used to a lesser amount of oxygen in the air. As Europe is unlocked, BMC travel insurance is loaded with the essential cover that you need for adventure.