Hi,

a friend and I are considering climbing the Matterhorn next summer. We are still in the early stages of planning, but so far the Lion ridge looks much more appealing than the Hornli. We have a concern, though: as far as we can see, the way you are "supposed" to climb is by pulling on fixed lines, or even using a ladder at the top.

I expect that the AD grade reflects this, so the questions we have are:

- if not using this fixed gear, how serious does the climb become? I'm especially worried about the Jordan stairs near the summit, since they are supposed to be overhanging.
- how much of a pain would it be to not use the fixed lines if there's a crowd pulling on them? I would be worried about running it out only to have someone push me out of the way while they are ascending the cable.
- if climbing on our own pro makes us so slow that we lose daylight, are there suitable spots for bivying?

If anyone has climbed the route or has information on these questions, that would be great!

Hi there..

On the climb, they use the fixed line, but there are no other people on the route so it might be a good idea to attack it of season.
From what I have heard about the two main routes, situation can get desperate when a lot of people pull on the fixed line. I would feel very unsafe, climbing roped up wtih my partner around a lot of beginners, that might mistake our rope with the actual fixed line.
The Lion looks fantastic though

http://www.tobiasgranath.com/files.asp?catID=1535