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Articles

Hiking in the Alps - Switzerland's Highest Trekking Peaks

By Pete Buckley

Zermatt may be famous for the Matterhorn but to tackle that icon of the Alps you'll need to be a proficient mountaineer. A reasonably fit hill walker can climb peaks such as the Breithorn or one of the Monte Rosa summits - Signalkuppe is the easiest - with a guide from the Zermatt Alpin Center but what of the walker whose desire is to climb one of Zermatt's mountains without the need for any specialist kit or the cost of a mountain guide?

The term trekking peak is more often used when referring to Himalayan summits deemed to be within the abilities of trekking groups as opposed to climbing expeditions. Officially though, the term actually refers to the level of peak fee chargeable by the Nepalese government to make an ascent, not to the difficulty of the peak. I therefore use the term trekking peak loosely and refer to Alpine summits that have a marked trail to the top and are within the capabilities of reasonably experienced hill walkers using only standard mountain hiking gear. Under normal summer conditions you will not need a guide and the routes involve walking and maybe easy scrambling only. There are no crossings of crevassed glaciers on these routes and both will give spectacular views - weather permitting - of the Matterhorn and the other 4000 metre peaks that surround Zermatt.

We'll begin with the Oberrothorn which at 3415 metres or 11204 feet is the highest trekking peak in Switzerland. The mountain lies to the South of Zermatt and is accessed from any station on the Rothorn Cableway. A well marked trail heads from Sunegga where you can begin the ascent up to Blauherd which is another good start point as you can ride the cable car up to it. From Blauherd the trail bends to the right below the peak of the Unterrothorn - the top station of the cable car - and up into a high valley south of the peak where you will often see marmots. The wide path climbs steadily to the col between the Unterrothorn and Oberrothorn. <<more>>