Traverse of the Cervino

A Once in a Lifetime Experience with Those Who Know the Mountain Best - The Cervino Guides

Climbing the Matterhorn is much more than reaching a summit: it is touching a symbol, living a dream. This is a mountain that leaves no improvisation, where every step counts and every detail must be known. Climbing with a Guide of Cervino is  not only a choice for safety - it is a unique privilege.

We are local guides, raised in the shadow of the mountain. We know every rock, every section, every change in the weather. Our history is inseparably linked to the Matterhorn since the first ascents, and today we still accompany climbers every day with the same passion and respect.

The Italian normal route, or Leone Ridge, is the path first climbed by the early guides of the local society, led by Jean-Antoine Carrel, nicknamed “Il Bersagliere,” who had among his climbing partners the famous historian and priest Amé Gorret. From Rifugio Oriondé/Duca degli Abruzzi (near the Carrel Cross), the route climbs a long series of slabs to the Colle del Leone, where the final ascent to the summit begins. A stop at the charming Capanna Carrel allows climbers to regain strength for the next day, when at dawn the guide and client traverse Pic Tyndall and the dizzying Jordan Ladder to reach the summit and touch the cross erected in 1902.

Other ridges are also climbable. The Hörnli Ridge is the Swiss normal route, first ascended by Edward Whymper and his guides. The Furggen and Zmutt Ridges, less frequented, offer challenging passages for experienced climbers.