This winter, I've already been there twice with Nadine Wallner, one of my favorite mountain partners, to ski the 45-degree steep east face, but both times it failed due to the lack of snow. Climbing seemed impossible until the end of April. For the film "Between" by Shades of Winter, the Matterhorn was to appear on the big screen, with a new time slot scheduled for the end of May... But as so often in life, everything turns out differently.
As luck would have it, I was in Chamonix with Lorraine Huber at the beginning of May and we met Giulia Monego (one of the best ski mountaineers in the Alps) and Liv Sansoz (French climber). Roberto Rossi, a mountain guide from the Aosta Valley and an acquaintance of Giulia and Lori, has wanted to climb the Matterhorn for 15 (!) years. Now was the right time. He had asked the two girls a few days ago if they would accompany him. However, he would like to climb from the Italian side. As the lifts there are no longer in operation, I know the Swiss ascent up to the Hörnlihütte, the lifts are still running there and we can spend the night in the cozy winter room of the Hörnlihütte, we don't want to make it unnecessarily difficult and choose the Swiss side, while Roberto starts from Italy.
On 4 May, we drive from Chamonix to Zermatt. I keep my expectations low to avoid another disappointment. We take a leisurely train ride from Täsch to Zermatt in the early morning. We continue by bus to the Matterhorn Railway. Ascent with the gondola. At the Trockener Steg station, we can see the Matterhorn from the front. And we want to go up and down there? It looks quite impressive from this perspective. But the snow conditions look promising.
