Matterhorn

One of the tallest mountains in the Alps, straddling the border of Switzerland and Italy. The Matterhorn has a pyramidal shape with four faces facing the four compass points: the north and east faces overlook the town of Zermatt; the south face overlooks the resort town of Breuil-Cervinia; and the west face looks towards the mountain of Dent d'Hérens, which straddles the border. The north and south faces meet at the summit to form a short east-west ridge. The Matterhorn's faces are steep, and only small patches of snow and ice cling to them; regular avalanches send the snow down to accumulate on the glaciers at the base of each face, the largest of which is the Zmutt Glacier to the west. The 4478 m high mountain can be climbed by experienced mountaineers. The usual pattern of ascent is to take the Schwarzsee cable car up from Zermatt, hike up to the Hörnli Hut elev. 3,260 m (10,700 ft), a large stone building at the base of the main ridge, and spend the night. The next day, climbers rise at 03:30 to reach the summit and descend before the regular afternoon clouds and storms come in. The cost is approx. Fr. 1200 with a mountain guide from Zermatt