Zermatt is one of the worlds top climbing and mountaineering destinations offering something for climbers and mountaineers of all levels of ability on both ice and rock. A bold claim but with indoor climbing walls in resort, famous peaks like the Monte Rosa and Matterhorn on the doorstep, the massif of the premier cradling many a glacier and the fact that 38 of the regions summits reach over 4000 meters, it’s really not difficult to see why this is a fair assessment.
Of course one of the highlights of Zermatt is the majestic Matterhorn which has unsurprisingly become a rather popular mountain to climb, so at peak times of the year can be cluttered with – for want of a better word – tourists.
Don’t be alarmed if this all sounds like serious stuff because climbing life around Zermatt isn’t all extreme. In fact there are several relatively low altitude options on Riffelhorn for one, a fixed rope course in Gorner Gorge, a via ferrata route on Schweifinen and the ascent – not really a climb – of Breithorn is said to be one of the least taxing 4000 metre climbs in the Alps .