Monte Rosa Climb Traveller Reviews

An epic high alpine adventure! I flew from Gatwick to Geneva and enjoyed a very scenic train ride to St Niklaus via the town of Visp. The latter part of the journey used a rack and pinion railway, which cut its way through rocky gorges and slowly passed idyllic mountain pastures. After a pleasant night and meal in the modern Hotel La Reserve, we caught a taxi to Zermatt and then the feat of engineering which is the cable car to the Klein Matterhorn station at 3883m. Donning crampons, we ascended the Breithorn (4164m). The sky was cloudless and the views from the summit sensational. We could see the iconic triangle of the Matterhorn, as well as the sublime snowy ridges towards Liskamm. We descended, via foot and then cable car, to the Gandegg hut. An amazing place to while away an afternoon, eating top class chocolate cake and photographing the alpenglow on Monte Rosa as the sun sets and transforms the snowy mountain to its namesake. Another ride to the Klein Matterhorn and then a superb traverse of the glacier underneath the Breithorn ridge to the base of Pollux. A few hours of scrambling and then an exciting three pitch rock climb in a chimney-like structure, using fixed chains. A final airy walk along a scythe-shaped snow crest to the summit. An equally challenging downclimb then a triumphant descent along the glacier to the Ayas hut, in Italy. An early start the following morning with the objective of climbing Castor, the mountainous twin of Pollux. This was an increasingly steep snow and ice slope, which required careful and sustained crampon skills. Unfortunately the slope became too icy for a safe belay to be setup, so we turned back 300m from the summit. Another fabulous glacier walk back to the Klein Matterhorn, then a cable car descent to Zermatt for a night of rest and relaxation. Tasty dinner in an Italian restaurant. Next day a trip on the Gornergrat railway to the second highest station, Rotboden. An incredible vantage point with the Riffelhorn in the foreground and the Matterhorn, Breithorn and numerous other 4000m peaks completing the panorama. A delightful walk along good paths overlooking the sinuous Gorner glacier. An exciting descent to the glacier via fixed ladders and then a glacier crossing to a pretty lake and a large rocky spur. Crowning this outcrop is the state-of-the-art Monte Rosa hut - a polished metal spaceage polyhedron, announcing a bold, sustainable and comfortable future of high alpine refuges! The following morning (just!), we began an epic summit day. The exposed ridge of the Zumsteinspitze was reached after about six hours, with a journey consisting of a night-time navigation of a boulder field, a dry glacier, a labyrinthine crevasse field and finally a huge snow filled valley between Monte Rosa and Liskamm. Summit views were tremendous, and much of northern Italy was covered by a cloud inversion. Descent to the Monte Rosa hut via the same route. Overall about twelve hours sustained effort! After enjoying the near hotel-like standards of the Monte Rosa hut for another night, a delightful five hour hike back to Rotboden and a decent to Zermatt via the Gornergrat railway. A last night in Zermatt then train to Geneva and Easyjet flight back to Gatwick.

Smooth booking arrangements from KE Adventure. Note for this trip you have to arrange your own transport to and from Zermatt. If travelling from the UK I would recommend Easyjet from Gatwick to Geneva and then an SBB rail return, via Visp. If you are happy to stick to defined times, significant savings can be made if one purchases all tickets online. Our IFMGA Guide, Hannah Burrows-Smith, was superb. She was both enthusiastic and highly competent, in particular when we faced technical difficulty and more serious exposure on the high Alpine peaks!