Tour of the Matterhorn. Hilary Sharp

by having a go at communicating in the local language. Generally people will meet you halfway and will respect your endeavours in the realm of international relations!

      Viewed from the Höhbalmen trail above Zermatt the Matterhorn looks especially fine

      Pleasant walking on dry glacier (Stage 5)

      In the Swiss part of the walk you will hike in both German- and French-speaking Switzerland, and the languages do not really overlap. From Zermatt to the Meidpass or Forcletta (Stage 3) German (or more precisely Swiss-German) is spoken, then it changes to French. From the Col Collon onwards Italian is used, all the way back to the Theodulpass.

      Some useful words are noted in the Glossary and Useful Terms (Appendix IV), and those relating to the weather can be especially useful if you do not manage to find a forecast in English.

Currencies

      With the introduction of the Euro it has become very easy to travel around Europe, although some consider it to be a bit dull – gone are the heady days when you had to go armed with millions of Italian lire to buy a loaf of bread! In Switzerland, however, the Swiss franc remains the currency, but some cafés and supermarkets will accept Euros if that's all you have with you. The same applies to Swiss mountain huts, but don't expect to get a good rate of exchange. Change will generally be given in francs.

      In the big towns credit cards are generally accepted and travellers' cheques can be cashed. There are also ATMs. However, bear in mind that there are really only two centres that fit these criteria on the trek: Breuil-Cervinia and Zermatt. In addition there are banks, as well as all other facilities, at Evolène, 3km off the route at Les Haudères, and at Grimentz in the Val d'Anniviers (Stage 4). Valpelline is probably too far from Prarayer to serve a similar purpose – you'd have to make a long detour to get there – unless bad weather has closed in.

Difficulty of the Trail

      The Tour of the Matterhorn takes in non-glaciated and glaciated terrain. As glaciers go, the ones crossed on this trek are relatively gentle slopes, and the gear and experience needed is covered elsewhere in the book (see also Appendix V). The rest of the trek is generally waymarked. The trails are quite rough and rocky in places, and occasionally the steeper sections have been equipped with metal rungs and/or cables. These sections are short and not difficult, although in rain or snow they would be a bit slippery.

Maps

      There is now a dedicated Tour of the Matterhorn map: Tour of the Matterhorn 1:50,000 Edition IG IVRN available at Wega bookshop in Zermatt. Other 1:50,000 maps: Carte Nationale de la Suisse 5006 Matterhorn Mischabel; Istituto Geografico Centrale 5 Cervino-Matterhorn e Monte Rosa.

      1:25,000 maps: Carte Nationale de la Suisse 1328 Randa; 1308 St Niklaus; 1307 Vissoie; 1327 Evolène; 1347 Matterhorn; 1348 Zermatt; Istituto Geografico Centrale 108 Cervino Matterhorn, Breuil-Cervinia, Champoluc.

      1:30,000 map: Istituto Geografico Centrale 115 La Valpelline, Valle di Ollomont, Valle di St Barthelemy. Note Although this map is 1:30,000 I have used it as a 1:25,000 map as there is no alternative.

      Maps are available locally, or from:

      The Map Shop

      Freephone: 0800 085 40 80;

      tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

      e-mail: [email protected]

       www.themapshop.co.uk

      Stanfords

      Tel: [phone]

      Fax: O207 836 0189

      e-mail:

      [email protected]

       www.stanfords.co.uk

Footpaths and Waymarks

      The Tour of the Matterhorn has been very well signed and publicised since its inauguration in 2002. To my horror, for a few months during its setting up large signs appeared along some paths, announcing that you were indeed on the Tour of the Matterhorn. Thankfully these have now disappeared and the trail has settled down. In Switzerland the paths are generally waymarked in red and white paint flashes, indicating that this is a long-distance trek. In Italy the waymarks are yellow.

      You're unlikely to miss this turn-off en route to Perrucca-Vuillermoz (Stage 6)

      However, do not expect simply to step onto the path and follow the paint flashes until the end of the tour. This would be reckless and, surely, part of the fun of hiking is to use the map and decide which route to take. There are quite often route options, or you may decide you'd like to include a nearby summit or visit an interesting village. Equally some path junctions are not signed – thank goodness. Having said that, if you plan to follow the main trail and the path you're on is very indistinct you should check to see it you haven't missed a turning. Although most of the trails for the Tour of the Matterhorn are well used, you do need to use a map. Fog and snow can occur at any time in the Alps, and at such times those friendly little paint flashes tend to disappear. It is important to try to stay on the path as the terrain ‘off piste’ can be very rough and difficult. In snow or bad visibility you will need to use map and compass (and maybe GPS if that's what you're used to).

      Swiss signposts are always very precise

      The Italian maps often number footpaths, and whilst these may correspond to numbers painted on the trail signs, do not bank on it. It's far better to use the map to see which direction a path should take rather than trying to blindly follow unreliable numbers on the ground.

Lifts and Buses

      There are several possibilities for using a variety of lifts during the Tour of the Matterhorn. These can be very useful for several reasons:

       If you are pressed for time using a lift could cut off several hours of walking and enable you to cover more ground that day.

       If knees are hurting, taking a lift down could make all the difference to the rest of the trip.

       Lifts are inevitably in ski areas, some of which look a lot better in winter when covered in snow. It's a bit like removing clothes from a body that is best left dressed – inadvisable to say the least! So to avoid walking up bulldozed pistes it may be a good idea to take the lift – the ascent from Plan Maison to the Theodulpass springs to mind.

      However, it is important to bear in mind that the lifts have a very limited open season in the summer. Typically this may be from the first week of July to the first week of September, so if these are an integral part of your trek planning you need to be absolutely sure they will be running. If they are just an option this is less crucial. Nevertheless, do bear in mind that once you've decided to take a lift, finding it closed can be a very traumatic experience! It's worth knowing that some lifts have a timetable in the summer (rather than running continuously), and they tend to close for lunch.

      Buses are a useful means of escape if you have to abandon the trek for some reason, or if you only plan to do part of it. Most of the bus services mentioned here are year-round regular services, but the frequency can change radically outside the high summer season. Tourist offices will have details.

      This flat rock below Forcletta provides a pleasant resting place (Stage 3 variant)

Emergencies