Jared Forte

The Mettelhorn, a fine summit that for me is the highest I have reached. In planning, I was torn between it and HB/VS-125 on the other side of the valley, Oberrothorn. I decided that, after realising the lift that takes you most of the way to Oberrothorn is closed due to rockfall, I would go for a less activated summit!

The weather was okay, the rain was forecast to get in at around midday and slowly increase, so I opted for an early start, getting off the Zermatt shuttle shortly after 6. For the ascent, I opted for the more direct route of going up and around the Weisshorn, rather than going up the gorge to Trift. I think it saves about 1km.

The hike up from Zermatt was hard work but I felt alright after porridge for breakfast. It was really peaceful and as I got higher up I passed the cliffs which the Schweifenen Via Ferrata goes across (I had done this the previous day, it was very fun). I was then greeted by a mostly cloud free and with a dumping of snow view of the Matterhorn.

I then carried on around the Weisshorn, I felt a bit weird on this path, it kicked off my vertigo slightly as although it wasn’t very exposed, it was quite high up. This was quite short-lived as I reached a more calm climb which took me the rest of the way to the foot of the Platthorn.

The glacier crossing was okay, I put on my crampons for them, and luckily after the heatwave it wasn’t too difficult. From what I have read online the crevasse risk is not great, so many do not take a kit. However on reflection I would have felt a bit more at ease with an ice axe.

It was then a short, steep pull up to the summit, in which I was happy to reach, my first 3000m+ summit! I hastily set up, trying not to admire the view too much as my vertigo kicked in slightly and I felt slightly funny at altitude.

The activation went great, despite the band conditions I swiftly got 10 in the log including a summit-to-summit, happy days! Not wanting to hang around, I set down, took my photos and headed back across the glacier, where I stopped for a well deserved sandwich.

I then decided to add in the Platthorn, not a SOTA summit but still worth going up after the effort of the climb up from Zermatt. It was a short, sharp climb which by the time I reached it I was in a cloud, and could not look at the Mettelhorn.

I then headed back down, feeling better the lower I got, opting for the longer route down via Trift and the gorge to Zermatt, where I had a celebratory coffee and dip in a stream! On the way down I saw some Valais sheep too, which was also a goal I wanted to reach on my visit! They are massive.

It was a fantastic day out and will be one of the most memorable SOTA activations.