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Cervin @ Mont Valezan

Mountain·ItalySwitzerlandItaly / Switzerland

Matterhorn

4,478m

Pennine Alps

Summit weather

Rémih · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
4,478m
Prominence
1,043m
Isolation
14km
Relief
2,460mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
67°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
All yearSee month by month ↓
First ascent
1865
Summit
45.9767°N, 7.6567°E

Mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy

Matterhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps (Italy). Its summit stands 4,478 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,043 m, and the nearest higher ground is 14 km away. It was first climbed in 1865.

From the lowest point within 5 km (2,018 m), it rises 2,460 m. The steepest side is the west face: 55° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 67° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Zermatt, 9 km away at 1,608 m: 2,870 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Matterhorn for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

9.3/10

Difficulty to the top

Alpine climb

Most path sections around the top are T6 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 2.5/2.561 waymarked routes and 215 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.515 huts and shelters
  • 2.0/22,870 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.3/1.51,043 m of prominence
  • 1.0/1.54 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 1.0/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

10.0/10

  • 4.0/4332 km of downhill runs
  • 1.5/1.567 ski lifts
  • 1.5/1.52,265 m between the lowest and highest lift station
  • 3.0/39 months of snow at about 2,752 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Easy 74 km
  • Intermediate 211 km
  • Difficult 20 km
  • Freeride 26 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 2,752 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from October to June.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

67 lifts · lift stations from 1,620 to 3,885 m · 18 km cross-country

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

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Snow

When there is snow on Matterhorn

At the summit, snow all year round. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit4,478 msnow all year round
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up3,043 msnow from October to July (some years from September to July)
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowSnow some of the timeSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Zermatt1,608 msnow from November to April
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Matterhorn, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average July afternoon the summit reaches about 0 °C; on January nights it falls to about -29 °C. In 11 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,510 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, February is the driest month (50 mm) and May the wettest (109 mm).

0 m1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 m5,000 mSUMMIT · 4,478 mZERMATT · 1,608 mJanuary: 1,370 mFebruary: 1,470 mMarch: 1,940 mApril: 2,700 mMay: 3,510 mJune: 4,250 mJuly: 4,510 mAugust: 4,450 mSeptember: 3,880 mOctober: 3,200 mNovember: 2,200 mDecember: 1,530 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CZermatt high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-20-29-21,37063113.3
February-20-29-11,47050104.5
March-16-2521,94063125.5
April-12-2072,70070146.3
May-6-15123,510109186.6
June-2-11174,25097178.5
July0-9194,51096168.8
August0-10184,45099157.9
September-4-13153,88068146.9
October-8-17103,20072135.0
November-15-2242,20091143.1
December-19-2701,53068122.6

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 2,251 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. True scale: no vertical exaggeration.

West – east
4,478 m2,253 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
4,478 m2,238 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 50°NNE: 50°NEE: 48°ESE: 54°SES: 54°SSW: 48°SWW: 55°WNW: 46°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Matterhorn

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Matterhorn seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

A lift reaches 3,885 m — just 592 m below the summit.

  • 15mountain huts and shelters

    Berggasthaus Trift (2,337 m), Rifugio Ottorino Mezzalama (3,036 m), Rifugio Aosta (2,785 m), Col de la Dent Blanche CAS Bivouac (3,540 m) and 11 more

  • 32cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    Zermatt–Sunnegga funicular, Riffelberg-Express, Furi - Trockener Steg, Zermatt - Furi and 28 more

  • 2ski areas

    Zermatt - Breuil-Cervinia, Valtournenche

  • 61waymarked hiking routes

    Tour du Cervin, Sentiero Bivacco Umberto Balestreri, Matterhorn glacier trail, Itinerario 17 Breuil/Cervinia-Bec Pio Merlo and 57 more

  • 4via ferratas

    Via Ferrata di Vofrède, Route C, Route A, Route B

  • 9climbing crags and routes

    Forrest Fun Parc, Climbing, Hörnligrat and 6 more

  • 33named glaciers

    Triftjigletscher, Theodulgletscher, Stockjigletscher, Tiefmattengletscher and 29 more

  • 35viewpoints

    View Cervino/Matterhorn, Belvedere sul fondo valle, Grandes Murailles e Cervino, Belvedere sul Cervino, Cervino e Grandes Murailles and 31 more

  • 1campsites

    Camping Zermatt

  • 346hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Igludorf, Hotel National, Hotel Sonne, Edelweiss Zermatt and 342 more

  • 181restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

215 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T1T2T3T4T5T6
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking
  • T5 demanding alpine hiking
  • T6 difficult alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Zermatt9 km · 1,608 m
  • Paquier11 km · 1,593 m
  • Valtournenche12 km · 1,518 m
  • Chamois16 km · 1,844 m
  • Ayas18 km · 1,708 m
  • Antagnod18 km · 1,708 m
  • Antey-Saint-Andrè20 km · 1,074 m
  • Evolène20 km · 1,340 m
Car hire at TRN airport (Caselle Torinese)Discover Cars · Affiliate link

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Das Matterhorn, fotografiert von Sunnegga aus.
Daniel Reust · CC BY 4.0
Cervin, Obergabelhorn, Dent d'Hérens
Bertrand Semelet · CC BY-SA 3.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average-20-20-16-12-6-200-4-8-15-19
2020+2.3+3.1+0.5+2.0+2.1−1.8+1.0+0.8+1.1−2.4+3.5±0.0
2021−1.7+2.9−0.3−0.5−2.5+1.0−0.2−0.4+1.6−0.3+0.3+1.5
2022+1.3+1.8+1.0+1.5+3.0+2.4+3.2+2.1−0.4+3.6+0.5+1.4
2023+0.3+2.2+2.1−0.3+0.4+0.7+1.3+0.9+4.1+2.4−0.9+2.2
2024+2.2+4.1+1.5−1.5−0.5−0.3+2.1+2.9−2.0+0.8+2.7+1.6
2025+2.1+2.6+1.2+2.3+0.7+4.0−0.7+1.4+0.5−0.4+0.3+2.5

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

Nearby

More mountains nearby

4,634 mDufourspitzeSwitzerlandSwitzerland17 km away4,173 mDent d'HérensItalyItaly4 km away4,357 mDent BlancheSwitzerlandSwitzerland7 km away4,160 mBreithornItalyItaly8 km away4,063 mOber GabelhornSwitzerlandSwitzerland7 km away4,505 mWeisshornSwitzerlandSwitzerland15 km away

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q1374) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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