Breithorn - a four thousand meter peak for beginners

8 Highlights on the Breithorn

• When you arrive on the Breithorn, you have a clear view of 37 four-thousanders!
• The Breithorn is a four-thousand-meter peak for beginners, which is easy to climb.
• From the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise you walk in 3.5 hours with a mountain guide to the highest peak of the Breithorn (4164 m above sea level) and back.
• The highest mountain railroad station in Europe (Klein Matterhorn) at 3821 m above sea level can be reached within 45 minutes by cable car from Zermatt.
• You can climb the Breithorn with an experienced mountain guide all year round.
• The Theodul glacier connects the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise with the Breithorn.
• The Breithorn is a mountain ridge that consists of five peaks.
• The border between the Valais and the Aosta Valley in Italy runs over the Breithorn.

The Breithorn is a great four-thousander for beginners. By taking the cable cars up to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, you save around 2,200 meters of elevation gain. This reduces the total time, including return, to about 3.5 hours. While the mountain is relatively easy to climb, you shouldn't underestimate the ascent. There are crevasses and other dangers along the way. It's absolutely essential to be guided by an experienced and local mountain guide.

Though this high-altitude mountain tour is considered moderately difficult, it involves navigating around crevasses that need to be avoided. The ascent of the Breithorn should only be attempted by those who are sure-footed and experienced hikers. Many people struggle with the altitude at 4,000 meters. The journey starts at Klein Matterhorn at 3,821 m above sea level, with the highest point, Breithorn, reaching 4,164 meters.

What awaits you on the Breithorn climb

The Breithorn is a mountain massif near Zermatt, which consists of five peaks. The westernmost one is the highest and at the same time the best to climb of the summit ridge.

The five peaks of the Breithorn from west to east

summit name	altitude (m a.s.l.)
West summit Breithorn Occidentale	4164
middle summit Breithorn Centrale	4159
Breithorn twin east summit (western twin)	4139
Breithorn twin Gendarme (eastern twin)	4106
Schwarzfluh Roccia Nera	4075

Between the Breithorn and Klein Matterhorn lie the Breithorn Plateau (3795 m a.s.l.) and the Breithorn Pass (3814 m a.s.l.).

Prerequisites for climbing the Breithorn

For this high alpine tour you need the appropriate equipment and should already be an experienced mountain hiker. Under the guidance of a local mountain guide, you will be led safely to the summit of the Breithorn and back.

Route for Breithorn Ascent

You will go with a mountain guide on the Breithorn ascent across the Breithorn Plateau and over the Breithorn Pass. This connects the Klein Matterhorn with the Breithorn. The starting point is the mountain station of the 3S Matterhorn Glacier Ride at 3821 m above sea level. At the plateau, you start with a slight descent.

The most commonly used route initially leads over the firn of the Breithorn Plateau. You will walk over a glacier that has crevasses. The group of climbers will be safely guided on a rope. Later, you will ascend a 35-degree steep slope. Overall, you will climb 415 vertical meters. The round trip distance is about 5.4 km. The mountain tour takes up to 3.5 hours.

Individual Stages: Start at the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise mountain station (Klein Matterhorn) Crossing the glacier over the Breithorn Pass and the Breithorn Plateau Climbing to the summit of Breithorn (West summit) via firn slopes (35 degrees steep)

In summer, the path leads you back the same way. In winter, the descent via the Schwarztor is very popular. The mountain guide will accompany you down as well.

Activities at Breithorn

You can climb the Breithorn all year round. In the winter, this is done with snowshoes or through guided ski tours. Are you an experienced and confident freerider? Skiers and snowboarders love the descent from the summit of Breithorn at its easternmost end. There lies the Schwarztor (3,734 m above sea level) between Schwarzfluh and Pollux. With a mountain guide, you'll safely and enjoyably ride down to Zermatt, navigating between crevasses and séracs. Séracs are towers of glacial ice formed at crevasses and edge cliffs.

At the ski area below Breithorn, you’ll find the highest ski slope in Europe. You can enjoy skiing on the Theodul Glacier.

Safety on the Breithorn

On the heavily glaciated Breithorn, as well as on the Breithorn Plateau, crevasses form again and again. As long as you are with a local mountain guide, you don't have to worry. He leads all participants in the group on the rope and takes care to carefully avoid the crevasses.

You don't need any high alpine experience, but you should be free from giddiness and already a safe alpine mountaineer. The right equipment is also important. It differs depending on the seasons.

Because of the thin high altitude air, an ascent of the Breithorn is not suitable for children. Adults also have to reckon with health impairments if they undertake a high alpine hike or ski tour for the first time.

Already from 3000 m altitude there are less oxygen molecules in the air. This causes the vessels to constrict and can lead to high-altitude edema in the lungs or brain. Mountain sickness or altitude sickness develops at altitudes as low as 2000 meters. It starts with headache and nausea and reaches its peak with confusion and severe shortness of breath. Therefore, we advise you to seek medical advice before climbing.

Required equipment in summer

The necessary equipment differs according to the seasons.

In summer it is important to have:

• ankle-high mountain boots with good, stiff soles
• warm and weatherproof clothing, hat, finger gloves
• hiking/ski pole (incl. plate)
• sunglasses, headgear and sunscreen
• climbing harness and crampons
• backpack (max. 30 l), thermos bottle 1l, high energy food

Required equipment in winter

In winter you need:

• snowshoe or ski touring equipment
• warm and weatherproof clothes, hat, gloves
• avalanche device
• sunglasses, headgear and sunscreen
• climbing harness and crampons
• backpack (max. 30 l), thermos bottle 1l, high energy food

You can rent the mountain equipment in Zermatt in one of four sport stores.

Getting to the Breithorn via the Cable Cars

From Zermatt, you can take the 8-person Matterhorn Express gondola in four stages to reach Klein Matterhorn. After that, you’ll ride the 3S cable car (three-cable circulation lift). The gondola features heated seats, and in just nine minutes, you’ll arrive at the highest cable car station in Europe.

Between Zermatt and Klein Matterhorn, these lifts overcome about 2,200 meters in elevation. The total journey, including transfers, takes up to 45 minutes. This means you’ve already tackled most of the ascent comfortably, allowing you to focus on the last few meters of altitude.

Mountain railroads to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise on the Klein Matterhorn

Valley station	Height (m a.s.l.)	Mountain station	Height (m a.s.l.)	Train type
Zermatt	1638	Furi	1871	8-seater gondola lift Matterhorn-Express 1
Furi	1871	Schwarzsee	2583	8-seater gondola Matterhorn Express 2
Schwarzsee	2583	Furgg	2432	8-seater gondola lift Matterhorn Express 3.1
Furgg	2432	Trockener Steg	2939	8-seater gondola lift Matterhorn-Express 3.2
Trockener Steg	2923	Matterhorn Glacier Paradise	3821	3S Bahn Matterhorn Glacier Ride
Dry Footbridge	2920	Matterhorn Glacier Paradise	3820	100-seater aerial tramway

Do you, like thousands of other people every year, also have the dream of climbing a four-thousand-meter peak one day? As you can see, this is very well possible on the Breithorn without any high alpine experience.