Matterhorn.

[Boy Blue]

Long shot but has anyone climbed the matterhorn or know any friends that have. It's a beautiful mountain and always appealed to me and more so because of the history.

I've no mountain experience apart from reading countless books about Everest, K-2, the Eiger and the Matterhorn and am going to book on next year's expedition. If Pipa Middleton and her brother James can conquer the Matterhorn without any experience ( experience is necessary unless you're related to royalty) then why can't I because I'm much fitter than those toffs and I'll not complain if I break my finger nail.

Costs around £3k.



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[spence]

No mountain experience and you want to climb this?

My advice is to start off with Wolstonbury Hill then moving onto Skiddaw

 

[Notters]

No but would love to.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Conquered that many times

 

[Rogero]

I suggest you join a clinbing club. There are loads around. You cannot just turn up and climb. People die doing this sort of thing.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Through work I've been lucky enough to spend some time in the French Alps doing various outdoor pursuits. Some of the instructors are serious mountaineers and we often walked/scrambled up to some of the lower refuges from where climbers attempt to summit some of the "lesser" Alpine peaks. I've seen climbers on their way up/down packing some serious gear and looking shattered, and heard some great stories from the people I was with about their own experiences. Like I said, we only ever ventured as far lower refuges. Without reading the details of this £3k package, I am astounded that they would let beginners go anywhere near that thing.

 

[swindonseagull]

Managed to conquer the Eiger 10 days ago......strenuous and expensive but worth it for the views......

who would expect a train to go through and up a mountain?

 

[Stoichkov]

I walked up to the Hornli Hut a few years ago. I think it gets 'serious' from that point onwards.

Had a bowl of soup and walked back down.

A superb mountain

 

[blueandwhitestripes]

Thought this was a thread about our new centre half :

 

[Boy Blue]

I suggest you join a clinbing club. There are loads around. You cannot just turn up and climb. People die doing this sort of thing.

I'm going to Boulders in Brighton next Tuesday. I know climbing plastic isn't the same as rock but I need to know what ropes are what and how to use carabiners. Crampons are straight forward.

 

[Boy Blue]

No mountain experience and you want to climb this?

My advice is to start off with Wolstonbury Hill then moving onto Skiddaw

No thanks. I just want to climb the well known mountians. I'll take my chances.

 

[Boy Blue]

I walked up to the Hornli Hut a few years ago. I think it gets 'serious' from that point onwards.

Had a bowl of soup and walked back down.

A superb mountain

Did you have to pay like being guided up or is it like backpackers just hiking up on their own.

 

[VAL1850]

WSU - enough for me.....................

 

[Blazing Apostle]

think its around 500 people have died trying to climb it since 1860s...and they knew what they were doing!!

 

[WATFORD zero]

I've seen the Matterhorn from a number of different places around the Alps over the last 30 years and it is an incredibly impressive sight.

I have seen a number of your threads and posts around NSC in the last couple of months and you are an incredibly stupid person.

I would suggest the two shouldn't and won't come together anytime soon.

 

[Justice]

Does it matter when you get the horn?

 

[LlcoolJ]

I'm going to Boulders in Brighton next Tuesday. I know climbing plastic isn't the same as rock but I need to know what ropes are what and how to use carabiners. Crampons are straight forward.

I have 32 years of climbing experience. Bouldering has nothing to do with mountaineering and doesn't involve ropes so this won't be of any use.

The easiest route up the Matterhorn is not difficult climbing wise (like most mountaineering) but it's exposed, on loose rock and is very sustained so fitness and being quick over tricky terrain is important.

To attempt this having done nothing similar before, although totally possible, would be pretty stupid. Better to get a load of mileage in first in Snowdonia, Lakes etc Not just walking but scrambling & climbing as the Matterhorn is basically quite difficult scrambling for around 1300m.

Without the experience, the likelihood that you would shit yourself at an inopportune moment and either endanger yourself and the rest of your party (or just waste your money by having to be escorted back down) would be quite high.

Also worth bearing in mind that lots of experienced climbers die in the Alps due to circumstances completely out of their control. Weather, rockfall, avalanches are indiscriminate. Paying £3k doesn't guarantee success or lack of death.

 

[Stoichkov]

Did you have to pay like being guided up or is it like backpackers just hiking up on their own.

Nah, it's totally walkable up to that point. Feels quite high but is still 'backpack' territory. I wouldn't fancy any higher than that though.

 

[knocky1]

1995 Faisal's Finger 10 miles from Riyadh. The Arabian desert Matterhorn.


On the top with a Scots help. First major climb.



Hardest bit for me was abseiling down after we tied two 80m ropes together.


Do the Matterhorn.

 

[knocky1]

This is a good read. A flat cap, northern, working class ****. Brilliant climber and traveller. He motorbiked from England to Nepal in the 60's to meet up with his expedition. Died early from drink. A legend Don Whillans.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Villain-Life-Don-Whillans/dp/0099416727