Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

Post general questions and discuss issues related to climbing.
no avatar
Flatlandish

 
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:27 pm
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post

Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by Flatlandish » Wed Dec 17, 2014 6:07 pm

I'm a Floridian who has only done some indoor climbing and mountain scrambling here and there. I would like to train for the next 18 mos and do a guided climb of the Matterhorn in summer of 2016.In addition to general conditioning I was thinking of doing an Alpine climbing or mountaineering course this summer. Which of the courses out there would best target the skills that I will need rather than spending lots of time on things don't need like crevasse rescue, etc? Also, it would be good to keep the length of the course reasonable to minimize time away from work and family. I have been looking at courses onlike like AAI, Exum, Alpine Ascents, etc. I would appreciate any first hand info I can get, thanks.

User Avatar
ExcitableBoy

 
Posts: 3666
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 9:33 am
Thanked: 663 times in 496 posts

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by ExcitableBoy » Wed Dec 17, 2014 7:30 pm

I would think an alpine rock course would be the way to go. AAI, Alpine Ascents, or Exum could all fit the bill if you target a course that covers all the necessary skills; technical rock climbing, rope work, rappelling, belaying. You will also need to get comfortable with an ice axe and crampons. If you come out to the Cascades you will want to climb mountains like Forbidden Peak, Sharkfin Tower, Liberty Bell, Mt Shuksan, just to throw some ideas out. In the Tetons the Grand and Middle Tetons, Teewinot, would be good choices.

Here is an excellent TR written by a couple of former Cascades locals. http://www.summitpost.org/my-experience ... /450263/p2

no avatar
Flatlandish

 
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:27 pm
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by Flatlandish » Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:52 pm

So maybe a series of progressively more intense rock climbing days or weekends (with instruction) would be better than one of those 8-12 day Alpine schools.

User Avatar
ExcitableBoy

 
Posts: 3666
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 9:33 am
Thanked: 663 times in 496 posts

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by ExcitableBoy » Thu Dec 18, 2014 12:18 am

Flatlandish wrote:So maybe a series of progressively more intense rock climbing days or weekends (with instruction) would be better than one of those 8-12 day Alpine schools.

Ummm, not really. The Matterhorn is pretty darn alpine so you need a full tool kit. This article may be of some interest to you: http://www.summitpost.org/alpinism-101- ... ion/756518. A

User Avatar
Damien Gildea

 
Posts: 1443
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2002 6:19 pm
Thanked: 265 times in 164 posts

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by Damien Gildea » Thu Dec 18, 2014 1:48 am

ExcitableBoy wrote: If you come out to the Cascades you will want to climb mountains like Forbidden Peak, Sharkfin Tower, Liberty Bell, Mt Shuksan, just to throw some ideas out. In the Tetons the Grand and Middle Tetons, Teewinot, would be good choices.


+1 to all that. Many introductory 'alpine climbing' courses are mostly glacier travel and snow plodding, which are not relevant to a guided ascent of the Matterhorn, if that is what you are set on doing. The Tetons would be good due to the steep rocky terrain, accessibility and experienced guides.

You might also want to consider the High Sierra in CA, as it has better weather than the PNW so you will get more done in a short window of a training trip or course, and it has lots of long rocky routes, plus decent guides. You need to get used to moving efficiently over 4th class terrain and easy 5th. The Hornli Ridge is fixed with thick ropes and any local guide will be hustling and dragging you, so leading 5.9 trad is not really useful. Either in the Tetons or Sierra a guide should be able to find you enough ice to practice smooth confident cramponing skills above a big drop.

Doing lots of long, exposed, but technically moderate routes will give you an idea of the kind of fitness you need, so you can work on it. The Hornli is a long day, with other performance-decreasing stresses such as crowds, insomnia, hut life, jet lag, fondue, loose rock, expensive drinks, darkness, electrical storms and Germans.

User Avatar
dadndave
Forum Moderator
 
Posts: 15076
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 12:21 am
Thanked: 2002 times in 1325 posts

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by dadndave » Thu Dec 18, 2014 5:26 am

Never drink in Switzerland. You can't afford it!
The strawman is evil and must be punished,

User Avatar
JanG

 
Posts: 34
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:50 pm
Thanked: 5 times in 4 posts

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by JanG » Thu Jan 29, 2015 12:19 am

If you climbed the Vinson Massif (supported by the pictures on your profile) then the standard route (Hornli ridge) on the Matterhorn should be fairly easy. It is a very long ascent [scramble/low 5.4 rating climb] (4-5 hours each way). Probably the best for you would be to combine the Italian ridge UP from Italy (Lion arete) with a Hornli descent to Zermatt. The Zmutt ridge is more difficult but probably within your expertise.

I can only speak from experience on the Hornli ridge (you can read my TR in the Matterhorn page) but the key element is the weather (best to climb after mid-July to mid-Aug) which can cause many delays. Spend a week in Zermatt and get acclimatized by climbing Pollux, Zinalrothorn, Obergabelhorn and others in the area. We climbed the Grand Teton (Exxum ridge) one month before traveling to Zermatt.

Lots of luck!
JanG

User Avatar
Buckaroo

 
Posts: 146
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:49 pm
Thanked: 9 times in 7 posts

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by Buckaroo » Thu Feb 12, 2015 4:25 am

Second the notion. Do the Liongrat instead of Hornli, much less crowding, a little more difficult but all fixed. Just watch some vids, there's always a crowd on the Hornli.

no avatar
Flatlandish

 
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:27 pm
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by Flatlandish » Fri Feb 13, 2015 8:26 pm

JanG - You must be looking at someone else's picture because I haven't climbed anything to speak of. I went with a group in the Sierras for this summer and I'd like to get in a trip up Forbidden Peak next spring with Matterhorn a few weeks later. When it's all done I should have some good info for other beginners.

User Avatar
Buckaroo

 
Posts: 146
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:49 pm
Thanked: 9 times in 7 posts

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by Buckaroo » Sun Feb 22, 2015 6:14 am

You also want to get some altitude training. And you should plan on acclimatizing for at least 4 days before you do the Matterhorn.

Go to a climbing gym and get familiar with 5.9 climbs. There won't be anything that hard but the altitude will make 5.7 feel like 5.9.

User Avatar
Fred Spicker

 
Posts: 1308
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 5:47 am
Thanked: 59 times in 37 posts

Re: Best US course to prep for Matterhorn?

by Fred Spicker » Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:19 pm

If you plan to go with the Swiss guides you should read this and prepare accordingly.

http://www.alpincenter-zermatt.ch/UserF ... 202015.pdf

Main website:

http://www.alpincenter-zermatt.ch/welcome.html

UIAA Grade IV is in 5.5 to 5.6 range of rock climbing difficulty. When I climbed the Hörnli we never encountered anything that hard even when we got off route (we went without a guide). Most of the route is 4th and / or very low 5th class unless you are trying to bypass the fixed ropes which a guide will not be doing.

You certainly should get some experience in climbing easy rock and mixed terrain in crampons.

Your best bet for coming close to what climbing is like on the Matterhorn is the big peaks of the Canadian Rockies - high ones with relative poor rock and mixed conditions. I would look more for Canadian training schools than American.

I was going to include something about what I observed about the guided experience on the Matterhorn - but won't. Perhaps it has changed in the last 30 years.

BTW as of today:

1,600.00 CHF = 1,705.50 USD

The following user would like to thank Fred Spicker for this post
Scott


Return to General

 


  • Related topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests