Second ascent of the Matterhorn

The Matterhorn (, German: [ˈmatɐˌhɔʁn]; Italian: Cervino, [tʃerˈviːno]; French: Cervin, [sɛʁvɛ̃]; Romansh: Mont(e) Cervin(u)) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) high, making it one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points and are split by the Hörnli, Furggen, Leone/Lion, and Zmutt ridges. The mountain overlooks the Swiss town of Zermatt, in the canton of Valais, to the northeast; and the Italian town of Breuil-Cervinia in the Aosta Valley to the south. Just east of the Matterhorn is Theodul Pass, the main passage between the two valleys on its north and south sides, which has been a trade route since the Roman Era. The Matterhorn was studied by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure in the late eighteenth century, and was followed by other renowned naturalists and artists, such as John Ruskin, in the 19th century. It remained unclimbed after most of the other great Alpine peaks had been attained and became the subject of an international competition for the summit. The first ascent of the Matterhorn was in 1865 from Zermatt by a party led by Edward Whymper, but during the descent, a sudden fall claimed the lives of four of the seven climbers. This disaster, later portrayed in several films, marked the end of the golden age of alpinism. The north face was not climbed until 1931 and is among the three biggest north faces of the Alps, known as "The Trilogy". The west face, the highest of the Matterhorn's four faces, was completely climbed only in 1962. It is estimated that over 500 alpinists have died on the Matterhorn, making it one of the deadliest peaks in the world.The Matterhorn is mainly composed of gneisses (originally fragments of the African Plate before the Alpine orogeny) from the Dent Blanche nappe, lying over ophiolites and sedimentary rocks of the Penninic nappes. The mountain's current shape is the result of cirque erosion due to multiple glaciers diverging from the peak, such as the Matterhorn Glacier at the base of the north face. Sometimes referred to as the Mountain of Mountains (German: Berg der Berge), it has become an indelible emblem of the Alps in general. Since the end of the 19th century, when railways were built in the area, the mountain has attracted increasing numbers of visitors and climbers. Each year, numerous mountaineers try to climb the Matterhorn from the Hörnli Hut via the northeast Hörnli ridge, the most popular route to the summit. Many trekkers also undertake the 10-day-long circuit around the mountain. The Matterhorn has been part of the Swiss Federal Inventory of Natural Monuments since 1983.

Pic Tyndall (from French: lit, Tyndall Peak) is a minor summit below the Matterhorn (western shoulder) in the Pennine Alps, on the boundary between Aosta Valley (northern Italy) and Switzerland. Because of its small prominence it was included in the enlarged list of alpine four-thousanders. It was named in honour of John Tyndall who made the first ascent.

Picco Muzio (French: Pic Muzio) is a minor summit below the Matterhorn on the Furggen ridge. Because of its prominence on that ridge, it was included in the 'enlarged list' of alpine four-thousanders.

The Solvay Hut or Solvay Bivouac (German: Solvayhütte) is a mountain hut located on the north-eastern ridge (Hörnli Ridge) of the Matterhorn, near Zermatt in the canton of Valais. At 4,003 metres (13,133 ft) it is the highest mountain hut owned by the Swiss Alpine Club, but can be used only in case of emergency. The Hörnli Hut, lying 700 meters below on the same ridge, is the starting point of the normal route to the summit. The Solvay hut was built in 1917, 50 years after the first ascent of the Matterhorn which took place on the same ridge. It offers 10 beds and is equipped with a radiotelephone. The hut was named after Ernest Solvay, a Belgian chemist and industrialist who in 1904 donated 20,000 francs for its construction.The building materials for the hut were brought with a cable rising from the Hörnli Hut. It was rebuilt in 1966 and the emergency telephone was installed in 1976.

The Matterhorn Glacier (German: Matterhorngletscher) is a glacier of the Pennine Alps, located at the base of the north face of the Matterhorn (4478m above the sea), south of Zermatt. It has a maximum width of approximately 2.5 km and reaches a minimum height of 2,800 metres. The glacier lies within the basin of the Zmutt Glacier. In 1865, following the first ascent of the Matterhorn, four climbers died in a fall on the way down from the summit. Three of the dead were retrieved several days later on the Matterhorn Glacier, but the remains of Lord Francis Douglas were never found.

Refuge Jean-Antoine Carrel is a refuge in the Alps at an altitude of 3,830m in Aosta Valley, Italy. It is located on the south-west ridge of the Matterhorn, near the Swiss border. The mountain hut was named after Jean-Antoine Carrel who made the first ascent of the Matterhorn via the south-west ridge. It is located along the south-west ridge of the Matterhorn (Arête du lion). The new shelter, owned by the Società delle Guida del Cervino or Société des guides du Cervin, was inaugurated in 1969 and partially redone after the major landslides that affected this side of the mountain in 2002–2003. The Carrel shelter has 50 beds and is always open. The nearby Capanna Luigi Amedeo di Savoia, built in 1905 by the CAI section of Turin, has been transformed into a museum and moved first to the village of Valtournenche and then, in September 2009, in front of the Italian Matterhorn Guide Company office. This bivouac was an alternative shelter to the Carrel refuge, and was heavily damaged in the summer of 2003 following a large landslide (the same that caused the fall of the so-called Cheminée). The platform where the bivouac was located is now used as a landing point for the helicopter. Access is from Breuil-Cervinia. The refuge can be reached from the Duca degli Abruzzi-refuge in a hike of about four hours. The last part of the track, despite the presence of fixed ropes, is reserved for experienced mountaineers.

The Testa del Leone (3,715 m; Italian, lit. "lion head") is a mountain of the Pennine Alps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy. It lies on the main Alpine watershed, west of the Matterhorn.

The Hörnli Hut (German: Hörnlihütte) is a mountain hut located at the foot of the north-eastern ridge (Hörnli Ridge) of the Matterhorn. It is situated at 3,260 metres (10,700 ft) above sea level, a few kilometres south-west of the town of Zermatt in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is also known as Berghaus Matterhorn. The first Hörnli hut was built by the Swiss Alpine Club in 1880 and had 17 beds. It has since been expanded and rebuilt several times. In 1911, the municipality of Zermatt built a hut directly next to the Hotel Belvédère (also Berghaus Matterhorn). Both were merged in 1987 and managed by the municipality and offered since its last renovation in 1982 a number of 170 beds. From 2013 to 2015, the Belvédère was renovated and a new extension built. The original Hörnli hut was demolished. The new hut was inaugurated on 14 July 2015, the 150th anniversary of the first ascent of the mountain. It offers 130 beds (in a total of 34 8-,6-,4- and 2-person rooms) and an enlarged kitchen, modernized sanitation with showers and electricity from solar energy. Camping around the hut is prohibited and there is a winter room with limited provisions. Overcrowding on the several routes have become an issue and guides and local authorities have struggled with how to regulate the numbers. The new Hörnli hut became the first mountain shelter in Europe to purposely limit the number of beds.The hut is accessible to hikers. From the cable car station of Schwarzsee (or from Zermatt) a marked trail leads to the ridge and then to the hut. It is used to climb the Matterhorn on the normal route. The Solvay Hut lies also higher on the same ridge, but can be only used in case of emergency.

Refuge Duc des Abruzzes à l'Oriondé is a refuge located above Breuil-Cervinia in the Aosta Valley. The refuge lies on the south side of the Matterhorn, at a height of 2,802 metres. It is used for the ascent of the Italian normal route.

The Furggen (3,492 m) is a mountain of the Pennine Alps, located on the border between Italy (Aosta Valley) and Switzerland (Valais). It is the culminating point of the ridge named Furgggrat stretching from the Furggjoch (3,271 m) to the Theodul Pass (3,295 m), and is located halfway between the Matterhorn and Testa Grigia. The peak is the site of the now abandoned cable car station. Construction on the cable car began in the summer of 1950 - with the station on the Furggen summit designed by Carlo Mollino - and the lift opened to the public on 25 December 1952. The lift had a single span of 2,887m long - making it the world's longest at the time of its opening. The car could hold 25 passengers and transport 240 people per hour. The lift between Plan Maison and Furggen was designed as part of a system of cable cars reaching from Breuil-Cervinia to the Matterhorn, with leg one running from Breuil-Cervinia to Plan Maison (opened on 4 March 1939). Leg 2 running from Plan Maison up to the summit of Furggen, and leg 3 reaching the top of the Matterhorn. The final leg was never constructed, partly as a result of the large cost and due to environmental opposition. The leg between Plan Maison and Furggen was abandoned in 1993 after ice brought down the cables and they were never replaced. The station on the summit of Furggen is now abandoned, but the leg between Breuil-Cervinia and Plan Maison is still in place.

The Punta Maria Cristina (lit. 'Maria Cristina Peak') is a mountain (3,706 m) of the Pennine Alps, located on the Swiss-Italian border. It lies on the main Alpine watershed, between the Dent d'Hérens and the Matterhorn. On the summit is the permanent bivouac shelter named Giorgio e Renzo Novella, dedicated in 1983 to the Novella Brothers from Vercelli, who both died while mountain-climbing.

The Schönbiel Hut (German: Schönbielhütte) is a mountain hut located north of the Matterhorn. It is situated at 2,694 metres (8,839 ft) above sea level, north of the Zmutt Glacier, a few kilometers west of the town of Zermatt in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The actual hut was built by the Swiss Alpine Club in 1955, after the demolition of an older hut, built in 1909. The hut is accessible to hikers, from the cable car station of Schwarzsee with a marked trail. It is used to climb the Matterhorn on Zmutt ridge and many other high summits in the area (Dent d'Hérens, Dent Blanche, Ober Gabelhorn, Tête Blanche).