Breithorn was my first 4000 m peak. Why? Well, it is considered as one of the easiest. Easy choice. When my friend Carsten came over to visit we decided to hit it. Hit it sounds hard, but Breithorn isn’t hard at all.
The easiest way to get the closest to the peak is to take a aerial tramway to Matterhorn glacier paradise, which takes you up to 3883 m. From there on it’s less than 400 m ascent and you’re on your 4000 m peak. The ‘hike’ is alpine but it’s really easy. You have to be good with altitude though since some people tend to be a bit lightheaded when up. Round trip is around 5 km and takes about 2 hours. There’s no point of describing which route you should take since there’s always so many tourists around that for sure you will find your way.
Hike start is very easy and then you start climbing up a bit. There’s just a little crevasse close to the summit (well, there was one when I was there). When you get to the top views are just breathtaking.
Way down to the Matterhorn glacier paradise goes quicker since you’re all happy that you managed to climb up to 4164 metres. Lift down and a beer in Zermatt and your day has just finished.
Practical information:
Starting point: Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (3 883 m)
Target: Breithorn (4 164 m)
Hike lenght: 5,4 km
Difficulty: L – easy.
Tips: If you have no experience take a guide that you can book: here. Go in a bit off season when there’s less people around and enjoy Breithorn with nobody stepping on you.
Text: Agnieszka Wajs
