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Zinalrothorn
13848 feet/4221 meters
Wallis (Weisshorn), Switzerland, Europe
Last update: September
6th, 2003
© Copyright by
Rahel Maria Liu
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Obergabelhorn, Wellenkuppe, Zinalrothorn,
and Weisshorn.
View from Hörnlihut at Matterhorn (August 2003)
© Copyright by
Rahel Maria Liu
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Overview
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When Sir Leslie Stephen,
professor of theology in Cambridge, climbed the Zinalrothorn
for the first time on 22nd August 1864 with an age of
32 together with Florence Craufurd Grove and the guides Jakob and
Melchior Anderegg via the N-ridge, the Zinalrothorn had the
name Moming. People forgot this name. Later, this old name
was replaced by the "Zinalrothorn": the red horn of Zinal.
In the SE, there lies Zermatt. Both valleys are importen as
starting points for the normal routes.
The Zinalrothorn has a very good rock quality and
offers nice climbing possibilities on all routes. Therefore it has
the reputation to be the most beautiful climbing 4000-meters-peak
in the Wallis. It is situated between the Matterhorn
and the Weisshorn . It looks different from each perspective.
It is also attractive for the reason that the ascent from
the high situated Rothornhütte is quite short. The
easiest route is the SE-ridge which is as well best descent.
It does not go directly to the summit but to the SW-ridge.
The SW-ridge (Rothorn-ridge) offers more climbing pleasure
anyway. It is also the most beautiful ridge. The N-ridge is
recommandable as well although people do not climb it very often.
A special tip is the connection Arête de Blanc, the
white ridge of the Blanc de Moming (3657m) which goes 2 km to
the Zinalrothorn.
The routes in the flanks have a lot of rockfall. Therefore,
the E-face has a very bad reputation. The swiss steep ice
specialists André Roch, Robert Grélou and Ruedi
Schmidt found the first route through this face on 6th
of August 1945. It is a dangerous way. Today there are two
other routes besides this one. The first winter ascent was
undertaken by the swiss mountaineers Paul Etter, Ueli Gantenbein,
Ernst Scherrer and his brother Andi on the 27./28. December
1971. The W-face (above the Mountetglacier) was climbed for
the first time by Martin Conway, William Penhall and G.
S. Scriven with Ferdinand Imseng, Peter and M. Truffer in only 2,5
hours in August 1878. Their routes is objectively dangerous
as well. The northface with its 800m is a beautiful challenge
for iceclimbers as well. It was climbed for the first time
on the 2nd August 1941 in 5 hours by the 29 old secretary
Loulou Boulaz from Geneva. She has been the most successful
female mountaineer in the world till the beginning of the 60ies.
She climbed it together with Pierre Bonnant. Before this climb,
she had also made the second climb of the northface of the Grandes
Jorasses only a few hours after the first climbers Peters/Meier.
She had also climbed the northface of the Aiguille
du Dru , the Furggenridge of the Matterhorn , the northface
of the Jungfrau and the Walker-pillar. 1959 she was member
of a women's expedition to the Cho Oyu .
Often the Zinalrothorn is traversed, for example,
in a combination of the SW-ridge and SE-ridge.
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Routes Overview
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1. SE-ridge (normal route):
- ZS, III,
4 h (Biner)
- 1030 hm, G 4-5, III-, 4h (Waeber)
- AD-, III (sometimes), mostly II and I, 3 1/2 to 4 h, 1050
hm ascent to the summit, mixed (Dumler)
2.
SW-ridge (Rothorn-ridge):
- ZS+,
IV, 5 h (Biner)
- G 8, IV (short passage), III+ and easier, 3 1/2 - 4 h
(ridge), 400 hm, 7 h (totally) (Waeber)
- D, IV and III+ (passages), 3-4 h, 370 hm (Dumler)
- ZS+, 3-4 h for the ridge, 2-3 h from the hut to the ridge,
total high difference from the hut: 1335 hm (Vaucher)
- IV, 400 hm, 3-4 h from Rothornjoch (Pause)
3. N-ridge (normal
route from Mountethütte):
- ZS, III,
4 1/2 h (Biner)
- G 7, III+ or IV (some passages), the rest II-III, 5-6 h,
1350 hm (Waeber)
4.
Complete SE-ridge (Kanzelgrat):
- G 10,
till V, 4-5 h (Waeber)
- TD-, V (key passage), the rest III and IV, 285 hm, 4-5 h,
variante of the SE-ridge (normal route) (Dumler)
- SS, 6-7 h (Vaucher)
5. Northface:
- Extreme
routes in rock and ice (Dumler)
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Getting There
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1. To the Zinalrothorn:
- a.
You can come from the Rothornhütte (3198 m).
- b. You can come from the Cabane du Mountet
(2886m).
2.
To the Rothornhütte (3198 m):
- You
reach the hut in 4,5 hours from Zermatt (1580 hm). You reach
the Berghaus Trift (2337m) in 2 hours from Zermatt. The best
way is if you follow the sign in the center of the village. You
go over grass to Bodmen and on the northern side of the
Triftbach to the Triftschlucht. The way goes through is
and to a bridge to the S-side. In zigzag you go up to the
hotel Edelweiss and the way along the Triftbach, pass it
then and climb up to the Trifthaus along the northern side
of the stream. Then you go further up along the stream
and reach Vieliboden. You go up to the moraines of the Triftglacier
and along the left/northern moraine in zigzag to the
Rothornhut. 2,5 h from Trift.
- You reach Zermatt (1616m) with car or
bus from Visp/Brig and by train from Täsch. Zermatt
is well-know in the whole world as one center of the Walliser
Alps. You are not allowed to drive your car in the
village.
- Brig is the main city of the upper Wallis
and the junction of the trains:
a. Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon-Domodossola
b. Furka-Oberalppass (Andermatt/Disentis,
Glacierexpress)
c. Brig-Visp-Zermatt
d. Lake of Geneva-Milano
- In Brig, many busses arrive as well:
a. Simplon-Gondo
b. Saastal
c. Blatten
d. Mund
e. Rosswald
- You reach Visp/Brig by car:
a. from the West: From Geneva (airport) on the A1 to
Lausanne, on the A9 via Montreux, Martigny and Sion to
Sierre. From Sierre the road no. 9 with direction to
Brig. But at Visp, you turn already right to the S
with directin to the Saaser valley. In Stalden, you
turn right and leave the Saaser valley to the left.
Here, the Matter valley beginns. Via St. Niklaus, Randa
and Täsch, you reach Zermatt.
b. from the North: from Bern on the
A6 to Spiez, from here the road to Kandersteg, at
Kandersteg, you drive your car on a train and go
by train through a tunnel; end of the tunnel: Goppenstein;
you continue the road to the S and reach the main road from
Sierre. On the crossroad, you turn left (E) and reach
Visp. From here, continue as route a.
c. from the East: from Bregenz on
the A13 to Chur; turn off at Reichenau and continue
the road no. 19 to Brig/Visp via Flims - Sedrun - Andermatt -
Gletsch - Fiesch. From Visp, continue as described in a.
d. from the South: either from Como on the A2 via
Bellinzona to Airollo, then road no.2 till Hospental and
here to the left on the road no. 19 to Brig/Visp or from
Arona till the end von the A26 and then the E62 via
Domodóssola to Brig.
3.
To the Cabane du Mountet (2886m):
- You
reach the hut from Zinal on the E-route (4 1/2 h, 1250 hm,
9 km): From the parking place at the southend of Zinal, you cross
a bridge and follow the road on the western side of the
Navisence to the S till it goes up. You keep on the road
which goes up to the alphut Le Vichiesso (1862m). Shortly
afterwards, you turn right to the new Mountet-hut-way.
You go the road down to the left, traverse the stream of
the glacier end (Zinalglacier) on a bridge. You reach the
turn off to the Tracuit-hut and Ar-Pitetta-hut (1,5 h).
You take the right way and go up zigzag in SE-direction,
traverse the western hangs of the Besso above the breaks
of the Zinalglacier. You turn around the Besso-SW-ridge via
a rock zone below P. 3052m. In SE-direction, you reach the hut via
lumps of rocks.
- You reach the hut from Zinal on the W-route (4
1/2 h, 1350 hm, 9 km). From the parking place at the southend
of Zinal, you cross a bridge and follow the road on the
western side of the Navisence to the S till it goes up.
You keep on the road which goes up to the alphut Le Vichiesso
(1862m). Here, you leave the way and go up to the Petit-Mountet-hut
(2 h). The new way goes up over the hangs of the Pgne
de la Le, around a rock zone at about 2550 m. Then you
go down and reach the falling line of the Bouquetins-O-rib which
leads to the Zinalglacier via the break. You traverse the glacier
with SE-direction and go up on the orographically right
side. You leave it at P. 2652m and go up to the hut over
the W-hang. The skiascent goes over the whole Zinalglacier.
Pay attention to avalanches from the flanks if there is
much sunshine!
- You reach Zinal from Sierre (28 km) by bus or
car via Vissoie and Ayer (Val d'Anniviers).
- To Sierre from Sion (491m) in the West of Visp/Brig
in the East.
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When To Climb
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Summer: rock climb
Winter: with ski to the Zinalrothorn-N-shoulder
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Camping and/or Accomodation
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The most recommendable
Campingground in this area is the Camping in Randa-Attermenzen:
http://www.camping-randa.ch/
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Mountainhuts
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1. Rothornhütte (3198 m):
The hut is situated at the foot of Eseltschuggen,
at the end of the SE-ridge of the Zinalrothorn, and on
the left side of the Triftglacier.
(according
to
Waeber:)
- 100 beds
- winter room with 20 beds (Dumler)
- serviced: middle July to middle September
- phone: ++41(0)27/9672043
- internet:
Rothornhütte or
vs.wallis.ch
2.
Cabane du Mountet (2886m):
The hut is situated right above the glacier de
Zinal, the lowest end of the Blanc-de-Moming-SW-ridge.
(according
to
Waeber:)
- 105 beds
- serviced from July until the end of September
- from October to June: 50 beds
- phone: ++41(0)27/4751431
- internet: Cabane
du Mountet or vs.wallis.ch
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Mountain Conditions and General Information
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1. GENERAL INFOS:
2. WEATHER
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Maps
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Schweizer Landeskarten:
1:25000 no. 2515 Zermatt Gornergrat
1:25000 no. 1327 Evolène
1:25000 no. 1328 Randa
1:50000 no. 5006 Matterhorn-Mischabel
to order at:
http://www.dav-lifealpin.de
http://www.swisstopo.ch/
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Books
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Hermann
Biner , Hochtouren im Wallis. Vom
Trient zum Nufenenpass. 2nd ed. 1996.
ISBN 3-859022-160-5
Helmut
Dumler /Willi P. Burkhardt, Viertausender
der Alpen. 11th ed. Munich 1998.
ISBN 3-7633-7427-2
Michel Vaucher, Walliser Alpen. Die 100 schönsten
Touren. 2nd ed. Munich 1990.
ISBN 3-7654-2124-3
Michael
Waeber , Walliser Alpen. DAV-Gebietsführer.
12th ed. Munich 1999.
ISBN 3-7633-2416-X
Walter Pause, Im schweren Fels: Klassische Genußklettereien.
New ed.: Michael Pause. Munich et al. 1985. (=Klettern/W.Pause;
Vol. 2)
ISBN 3-405-12909-5
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