Tour of the Matterhorn. Hilary Sharp

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      The chapel en route to the Theodulpass, now dedicated to Italian Alpinist Franco Bontadini

      The col's title dates from this time; it was named after Saint Theodul, who was present in the region around 1688. Would-be travellers regularly fell victim to severe weather whilst attempting this passage, be it from the cold, avalanches, or crevasses. In 1825 a merchant fell in a crevasse with his horse, allegedly taking 10,000 francs with him – an incentive for bounty hunters for years to come.

      Horace Benedict de Saussure (famed as the main instigator of the first ascent of Mont Blanc) came this way, and at the col apparently found the remains of an old fort built in 1688 by the Comte de Savoie.

      The 20th century saw conditions become easier on the col – in 1910 a herd of 34 cows successfully made the passage – but, nevertheless, care must be taken here.

      Glaciers respond to climatic change. In cold periods with heavy snowfall, glaciers expand downwards, only to retreat in warm dry periods. In the course of the centuries the climate has changed more than once, influencing the life of the Alpine populations.

      The Middle Ages were a time of relative warmth which favoured the colonisation of the Alps at increasingly high altitudes. Glaciers retreated considerably and artefacts found at now glaciated passes attest to the fact that much of this terrain was ice-free for many centuries. The 17th century saw the beginning of the Little Ice Age, a cold period of heavy snowfall which lasted three centuries and saw an impressive regain of territory by the glaciers. Little is known about the consequences, but they were certainly negative for the inhabitants of the Alps. The most significant phenomenon was the advance of the glaciers which buried many of the high pastures and caused panic among the local people. The ice was literally pushing up against their front doors, and they were moved to call the priests to exorcise these demonic forces.

      The mid 19th century saw the start of the warm period that has continued, with occasional colder intervals, to this day. Whether we are now in a natural cycle, or whether the recent fast melting of the glaciers is due to the effects of modern civilisation, is still a moot point.

How to Use This Guide

      This guide has resulted from several trips around the tour, plus years of walking in the region. However, no doubt some things along the route will have changed already; if you come across anything please let me know by sending an email or letter to Cicerone. Use this book as a tool to plan your trip. Once on the tour a map, compass and willingness to adapt to conditions are all essential; the book is not enough on its own.

      For this guide the Tour of the Matterhorn has been divided into seven stages. These are not necessarily one-day stages, and may need two days or more. I have chosen to describe the route this way so as to give each individual the choice of how to plan the trek.

      Each stage has an introduction, followed by the details for that stage:

      Variants are also noted, and each stage also has escape routes briefly described along with transport options to regain the start point. The accommodation is noted by name, but details (phone numbers, fax numbers and Internet sites) are given in Appendix II.

      Walking down to Arolla (Stage 4 link route)

      Time for each stage is calculated roughly on the basis of climbing 300m every hour; the ascent time is halved for descent; where there are long flat sections these are calculated on a rate of 4km per hour. These times are given as a rough guide but should not be taken as anything other than that – this is not a challenge! Times are often noted on signposts in Switzerland, and may vary from those given in this guide. Equally you may find your own times do not match those given – after a day or so you'll have figured out your own rate of progress, so if there is a wild difference between your times and the times in this book, adjust your planning accordingly.

      The distance of a stage is difficult to calculate as there are often many zigzags on the ground that are not shown on the map. The kilometre distance noted is the nearest I can get, but will not be exact.

      Sketch maps accompany each stage. These are designed as a planning aid, and to show where the route goes. Relevant details have been noted on the maps but these are not a substitute for the real thing. When walking this route you need to take the relevant maps, and a compass, and know how to use them.

      Route profiles are provided to give a rough idea of the ups and downs encountered along the way.

      The section Short Walks suggests short variations of the trek, as well as some good walks from the main bases of Zermatt and Breuil-Cervinia. You will find local guidebooks to local walks, and the tourist offices are always good sources for information on pleasant rest-day strolls or interesting explorations.

      This book contains a fair amount of information that is not strictly relevant to the trek, but which provides background detail about the history and nature of the region. You may only choose to read these sections when stuck in a hut on a wet afternoon with no reading material other than dog-eared out-of-date Alpine Club magazines printed in a language you don't understand!

      Safety and rescue and glacier travel are all covered in the guide; see Appendix V for information on the latter. The glaciers encountered on this trek are, however, relatively innocuous. You do need to rope up, and you do need crampons, but this is not major mountaineering.

      The Appendices contain additional information: further reading, accommodation details, glossary of phrases and terms, tourist office and guides' office information. Do please appreciate that these numbers and Internet details were correct at the time of writing, but that details do change. If a number doesn't work, or an email comes flying back ‘undeliverable’ from cyber space, get on Google and do a search.

      Haymaking at Jungu (Stage 2)

When to Go

The Tour of the Matterhorn crosses cols of over 3000m, where snow is likely to remain until well into June. The huts used on the trek generally do not open until late June or early July, so it is not advisable to set out before the summer Alpine season begins. However, later is not necessarily better as certain areas benefit from a coating of snow to disguise the horrors of denuded ski resorts, which are far more acceptable in their winter garb.

      You have to decide if you plan to walk every part of the route, or whether you intend to take the occasional lift, for example from Breuil-Cervinia to Testa Grigia. This section of the trek is quite ugly when there is no snow, but such conditions do allow you to walk up to the slopes. When névé remains walking may be more difficult – either because the snow is hard and СКАЧАТЬ