Around the world with lots of peaks, inc Matterhorn and Fuji

[alpiner84]

Hi everyone,

I'm embarking on a round-the-world adventure next year in the footsteps of my hero, Richard Halliburton, an adventurer/explorer in the 1920's and 1930's. Along the way I'll be climbing a number of peaks, including the Matterhorn, all the famous Greek and Italian volcanoes, and Mount Fuji. I'm looking for advice, tips, and support for these climbs. Check out my website http://www.uneventenor.com

--The Matterhorn: I am assuming I'll need a guide for the Matterhorn. Beyond CO's 14ers, I haven't much mountaineering experience (Gannett Peak and Huayna Potosi, both with leaders/guides). Because I'll be trying to stretch my dollars for a whole year of travel, I really can't afford the roughly $1500 price tag of a guide up the Matterhorn. What are my other options? Ideally I would like an experienced independent climber to help me climb the peak--do any of you have any contacts I might be able to get in touch with?
--Mount Fuji: Richard climbed this peak in the winter, and I was thinking about doing summer instead, until I read about how many people climb it daily in the summer. How are the crowds? Have any of you climbed it in the winter, or have any information regarding a winter ascent?
--Other peaks include Stromboli, Olympus, and Parnassus. Any info?

Thanks in advance!
Sarah

[MountainMedic]

Sorry to provide nothing but admonishment, but the Matterhorn is a very serious mountain - it's responsible for more deaths than any other mountain in the world. I wouldn't skimp on the guide unless you're truly confident in your own abilities to climb it. Going with an experienced friend is one thing; going with a guide familiar with the mountain and with bringing people up it is another. The Hornli Route is the most popular but is apparently so crowded that rockfall is a serious issue. There are plenty of other routes you should take a look at. The AAC library in Golden is a great place to start. Good luck!

[Pops921]

Wow that sounds like fun. The Matterhorn is on my list too. I was at the Hornli hut last year after my wife and I did the Haute route. I played around on the lower bit and did some asking around. They use a different classification system there, but near as I can tell it is a lower Class 5 climb if you stay on route. It is important to be able to move quickly and efficiently through low level class 5 rock to do the climb. I know some experienced climbers (guides in other parts of the world) who were not able to summit, because they were not familiar with the area did not allow enough time and got off route. Hanging out at the hut and trying to find a local guide is probably the cheapest (while still being safe) way to go. If you are a fit and efficient climber the local guides say they can get you through this in 8 hours. I can't help much on other peaks (even though Olympus is also on my list).

[kman]

"Because I'll be trying to stretch my dollars for a whole year of travel, I really can't afford the roughly $1500 price tag of a guide up the Matterhorn. What are my other options?"

[alpiner84]

To kman and future posters: In regards to the Matterhorn, I am trying to gather useful information on who I might contact to find a guide cheaper than $1.5k. Less expensive does not always mean worse. Finding a guiding individual rather than guiding company sounds perfectly logical and responsible to me, so please cut the judgement and help if you can.

Medic and Pops, thanks for the tips. Hanging around the hut seems a little too uncertain for my taste, but maybe there are ads hanging around town in Zermatt...

[Scott P]

To kman and future posters: In regards to the Matterhorn, I am trying to gather useful information on who I might contact to find a guide cheaper than $1.5k. Less expensive does not always mean worse. Finding a guiding individual rather than guiding company sounds perfectly logical and responsible to me, so please cut the judgement and help if you can.

$1.5K sounds really low. As I understand it (info from friends who have climbed it), you may be able to get someone to guide you to the Matterhorn for $1.5K, but not before taking a class with the guide or doing other climbs with them first. More than likely, it will be more than $1.5K.

[justiner]

"Switzerland on a Budget" is a very interesting idea. I'd be very surprised if someone would guide you, for money, without being an actual, licensed guide - from what I understand (and have read), they take that type of thing very seriously.

If I was you, and didn't want to go broke for a guide (which I wouldn't either), I'd just get in the right shape and have the right skills to do it. From the Summitpost page, the Hörnligrat route looks pretty weird, tons of fixed ropes, huts everywhere - including almost at the top, and throngs of people,



(nevermind that he's bounding up/down it all)

Would that be fun to do? I'm not really sure. Perhaps another route, and a partner.

I was a little taken back by this pages description of people who climb the Matterhorn:

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/archive/The ... id=2828052" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"There are two groups of people on the Matterhorn," says Jelk. "The first group are experienced and have good material, but there is always a risk in the mountains and if there's an accident its just tough luck."

The second group, he says, are holiday-makers who want to climb the Matterhorn as part of a "to-do" list and who schedule it in for a day during their stay.

Sounds kinda like the 14ers here

[jblyth]

Sarah - Just browsed through your website, looks like an awesome trip you're putting together! My wife and I did an 18 month rtw trip a few years back and climbed quite a bit so I might be able to help out(most climbs aren't in the blog, so ask for specifics on areas we visited you're interested in). Here is the blog my wife did: http://coloradovagabonds.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I've also done a few other 6-12 month trips if parts of the world you're visiting....so even if there isn't a blog let me know, I might have been there and I'm happy to help a fellow traveler.

Travelblog.org is a great resource for the traveling/logistics bit, with some info of climbing usually from a budget backpacker point of view.

In regards to the Matterhorn - I'm not any help yet, but my wife and I plan on going there in July 2014 with a Swiss friend I met on a trip. When are you going there? From my research, it's hard to find a guide for under $1500, and that is assuming a guide will take you up without pre-qualifying your experience on other climbs that cost $400-600 each.

Europe/the Alps are insanely expensive (especially CH), if you're on a budget, maybe your money is better spent in Asia? You can spend two months climbing in Nepal with that money....

Jason

[Rainier_Wolfcastle]

I don't know if you've seen this link to a recent trip report for an unguided climb up the Matterhorn, but I thought it was excellent. I'm not suggesting you go unguided, but it talks a lot about the costs of the area, the rigors of one of the routes, the crowds, and guided versus non-guided customs.

http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 44#p506044

[TomPierce]

Sarah: Sounds like a cool trip, quite the adventure. Good luck and come home safe.

I've been to Zermatt many times and have been on the Hornligrat route a few times. Never summitted due to a variety of reasons, but came very close once. I'd like to go back and summit but will almost certainly try a different route.

My observations:
The climb: The Matterhorn in good conditions isn't too bad for the Alps; much of the loose stuff has been knocked off, the rock is relatively solid. But note I wrote "for the Alps." Its easy/standard route is harder than any peak in Colorado of which I'm aware. You'll be climbing much of the route with a headlamp when it's darn cold, and always in mountain boots (I used LS Trangos, fwiw). The crux sections are low 5th class and cannot be avoided, and much of the route is sustained 3/4th class. I don't recall any hiking except for maybe sporadic, short sections. Near the Solvay hut and beyond you'll find occasional patches of hard snow, some occasional ice year 'round. Slick enough to kill you if you pop off (it happened to some Colorado climbers when I was there last time). It's also colder than any peak here; take a look at the summit photos of summer climbers and you'll see most bundled up. Not to dissuade you at all, it's a very, very cool mountain, but regardless of how you go, be prepared for a stiff climb by US standards.

Guides: I didn't use a guide when I was there, just not my style. But unless you are very prepared and with an experienced partner I'd say a guide would be a good idea. The lower sections of the route are not intuitive. But guiding in Europe is a jealously guarded profession. Guide certification is very difficult and well earned. But freelance guiding from what I can tell is illegal, and you obviously don't know what you're getting, e.g. could be an impatient hotshot that doesn't help you much. In all my travels in Europe I didn't see any ads by unlicensed guides, and never saw such approaches/conversations in the huts. But maybe? I can't speak to the recent fees, but even the lowest quoted figures when I was there required a day or so of messing around near town so the guide could assess fitness and basic skills. I think that intro session cost additional money as well.

Probably not much help but I suspect any plans to wing it and find a cheaper guide may not pan out in the more regulated European environment. But again, I wish you good luck and a safe return.
-Tom

[uwe]

Fantastic!
Best of luck.
Will enjoy following your posts.

[alpiner84]

$1.5K sounds really low. As I understand it (info from friends who have climbed it), you may be able to get someone to guide you to the Matterhorn for $1.5K, but not before taking a class with the guide or doing other climbs with them first. More than likely, it will be more than $1.5K.

I've done a fair bit of research on the guiding companies, and $1500 seems like an attainable price for a two-day trip up the peak. I'll be arriving straight from a summer of 14ers etc in Colorado, so I'm hoping I won't have to "test out" of anything first (though I will, of course, inquire about that first).

Justiner: Yeah, the climb sounds less than ideal in terms of crowds and popularity. Part of my reason for climbing it, though, is to compare a modern ascent of the Matterhorn to Richard Halliburton's experience in 1921. I would love to climb a different route than the uber-popular Hornli route, but I feel like the costs will increase if I do so... And, despite all the people on the peak, and the cost to climb it, it looks like a fantastic climb with absolutely astounding views--I can't wait! As for acquiring the skills necessary for me and a partner to climb it sans-guide...very tempting, especially considering I'd have 100 headlamps to follow up the route! But I'm hesitant. I think I'd be more comfortable having a more knowledgeable and experienced person along.

Jason: thanks for the resources and info! I'm certain you will be hearing from me. I'll be climbing in July or August 2014, depending on how things work out. Sounds like we might be there around the same time!

Ranier: thanks for the link.

Tom: Excellent info, thank you very much! I've done a freezing, dark of night, glacier ascent before in Bolivia, and though the elevation was higher (20,000 ft), the technicality was lower--just ice and snow, no rock. I'm familiar with the bulkiness of the gear, though, and having to deal with the cold, cold, cold and wind. It's looking like, unless I can find someone who has climbed it before and wants to voluntarily take me up it, I'll be forking out the money for an official guide. I'll keep looking, though. Never know when a friend of a friend of a friend is going to be there, able and willing to help.

Thanks everyone! Matterhorn seems like the hot item to discuss, but I'm still looking for info on an off-season ascent of Fuji, specifically from the POV of 14er climbers. Cheers!