{"id":20797,"date":"2022-11-09T12:41:24","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T11:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.albertodegiuli.com\/en\/2022\/11\/cervino-cresta-hornli\/"},"modified":"2025-06-04T12:03:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T10:03:56","slug":"climbing-matterhorn-hornli-ridge-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.albertodegiuli.com\/en\/2022\/11\/climbing-matterhorn-hornli-ridge-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Climbing the Matterhorn via the Hornli Ridge. A dream comes true."},"content":{"rendered":"

I met Laura last year through her dear friend Maurizio \u2013 we’ve been skiing together for years. An avid hiker exploring the Alps’ 4000m peaks, we’d planned our first outing in the Monte Rosa group. But the weather, as sometimes happens, wasn\u2019t cooperating out West. Laura, unwilling to miss a mountain adventure, had a little Dolomite wishlist ready and pitched it to me: “A hiking peak, a via ferrata, an easy climb… all lovely ideas, of course.”<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always believed (and told anyone interested) that if curious, lively people want to “hire” me for a day in the mountain, they should aim for something they couldn\u2019t possibly do alone or inexperienced. So I replied:\u00a0“Laura, I\u2019d rather you save ferratas and hikes for solo days. Let\u2019s do something more interesting… like climbing!”\u00a0With a mix of fear and curiosity, she took the challenge. And she loved it \u2013 first at\u00a0Cinque Torri, then on the\u00a0Sass di Stria Arete\u00a0(what I jokingly call\u00a0“Falzarego\u2019s Matterhorn”).<\/em><\/p>\n

Between climbs, we savored the summit of\u00a0Tofana di Rozes. Dreams deserve to come true, though early-season conditions made the ascent trickier. Standing on the shoulder with crampons, I almost felt like I was on\u00a0Castor in the Monte Rosa range.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Tofana di Rozes shoulder, late June 2021<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

That\u2019s how Laura discovered the vertical side of mountains.\u00a0It pushed her to get fit \u2013 even training indoors (you\u2019re a legend, Laura!). She learned climbing isn\u2019t synonymous with “extreme,” but offers routes for every taste and skill. A huge step, especially when you\u2019re no longer a kid. Later, she sent me a photo of her desktop background: the Vall\u00e9e Blanche Glacier\u00a0from Helbronner, with the Aiguille Marbr\u00e9e and\u00a0Dent du G\u00e9ant\u00a0looming. Ever the instigator, I teased:\u00a0“C\u2019mon Laura, next year we\u2019re climbing the Dent du G\u00e9ant!”<\/em><\/p>\n

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With Laura on the Sass di Stria S-Arete, June 2021<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Long story short: we crushed the Dent in late June, despite the high mountains already smelling “rotten” \u2013 the approach to Salle \u00e0 Manger felt like a rubble heap (worse than usual), and the summit ridge was crumbling. I don\u2019t recall exactly when the Matterhorn idea emerged, but the Dent du G\u00e9ant is my favorite test run. Planning it for September was risky (a single snowfall could end the season), but in this hot summer, we pulled it off with last-minute luck and logistics.<\/em><\/p>\n

For me, it was my 11th time on the summit of the Matterhorn (sounds like a joke compared to local guides, but as a city-born guide living in the Dolomites, it\u2019s a sweet little win). For Laura?\u00a0A dream realized.\u00a0Who\u2019d have thought she\u2019d stand atop the Matterhorn via the Hornli Ridge just one year after touching rock for the first time? Deep down,\u00a0I think I was the first to believe in her.\u00a0And I wasn\u2019t wrong. Heart, passion, grit, and preparation make the leap possible.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Laura on top of Dent du G\u00e9ant, June 2022<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019ll leave you with Laura\u2019s own words<\/strong> \u2013 I asked her to write about this journey, to voice her emotions and inspire others afraid to dream big. And if you ever want to peek at the Matterhorn… just to dream…\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

THE NOBLEST CRAG<\/strong>
\nThe Matterhorn, the perfect mountain.<\/p>\n

This story begins years ago, at a birthday celebration with a gift to unwrap: I pull off the ribbon, tear the wrapping paper as tradition demands, and read the title of the book I\u2019ve been given:\u00a0“THE NOBLEST CRAG”<\/em>\u00a0by Reinhold Messner.
\nI thank the giver and place it on my bookshelf. Occasionally, passing by, this book would wink at me\u2014until one quiet autumn evening, I finally picked it up and embarked on a magnificent adventure.<\/p>\n

Reading the history of the Matterhorn\u2019s conquest, this perfect mountain, stirred extraordinary fascination in me. Learning how those valiant men\u2014with their limited knowledge and rudimentary gear\u2014reached that feared yet coveted summit made me sigh and dream awake. To walk in those climbers\u2019 boots was like living a parallel life, one that captivated me so deeply I began unconsciously craving that high place where their hearts found peace.<\/p>\n

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On top of the Matterhorn.<\/p><\/div>\n

Life then brought special people to my side. Sensing my tenacity, stubbornness, and passion, they chose to help my dreams surface and placed their trust in me. Enter\u00a0Alberto, a mountain guide from Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo\u2014and with him, climbing. At first, I feared it, but soon discovered it suited me perfectly. We started in the Dolomites: Cinque Torri, then Cima Grande di Lavaredo… until his proposal came:\u00a0“The Matterhorn next year.”<\/em>
\nI said yes\u2014though I clearly didn\u2019t grasp what that meant. I brushed it off, climbing all winter in indoor walls and crags until May, when I reunited with Alberto for the extraordinary Selvaggio Blu\u00a0trek (whose ruggedness would prove vital training for the Matterhorn).<\/p>\n

Summer arrived, and Alberto proposed the\u00a0Dent du G\u00e9ant, facing Mont Blanc. An overwhelming landscape. The day before, we warmed up on the\u00a0Aiguille d\u2019Entreves\u2014touching rock, making peace with it. Everything went perfectly, and I was euphoric.<\/p>\n

Now the test was passed, and my long-awaited dream seemed possible. Alberto consulted other guides who knew me\u2014all gave their approval. First milestone achieved:\u00a0The Matterhorn was on!<\/em>\u00a0But the scorching summer threatened our plans; high temperatures battered the Alps, closing the Matterhorn routes. Hope faded…<\/p>\n

Until a Friday in early September:\u00a0“Laura, conditions are good! Depart for Zermatt Monday, summit Tuesday. You have two hours to pull the trigger.”<\/em>\u00a0I had to choose\u2014fast. Huts needed booking, Alberto needed to organize.<\/p>\n

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The first fixed rope minutes from the hut. Matterhorn, H\u00f6rnli Ridge.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

A significant personal commitment made me hesitate\u2014but the dream\u2019s pull was too strong. I called my family. Their understanding didn\u2019t come easily (this sport defies comprehension for outsiders), but then a message arrived:\u00a0They\u2019d felt my joy.<\/em>\u00a0My heart lightened; my mind settled.<\/p>\n

And so, one miraculous September day\u2014barely a year after learning what “climbing” meant\u2014I stood in Zermatt, face-to-face with\u00a0Him<\/em>.
\nThe Matterhorn loomed immense, breathtakingly beautiful. Finally at its feet, my dream was becoming reality; obsession would soon release into gasping breaths and sweeping vistas. I gazed reverently, realizing these tales had seeped into my bones and stayed.<\/p>\n

Like those valiant climbers of old, I now reckoned with my own stubbornness and passion\u2014pounding my heart until it found peace up there.
\nFear of failure, respect for this sacred mountain, the historic Carrel-Whymper<\/em> rivalry\u2014all threatened to paralyze me. But Alberto read my thoughts:\u00a0“Come on, let\u2019s get closer.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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A taste the day before summit push. Matterhorn, H\u00f6rnli Ridge. Auf dem Grat.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

We rode the cable car through dreamlike panoramas to Schwarzsee, then trekked two hours to the\u00a0H\u00f6rnlih\u00fctte<\/strong>\u00a0at the Matterhorn\u2019s base. My thoughts soared; I felt transported\u2014reliving history\u2019s pages. Whymper and his companions climbed beside me.<\/p>\n

At the hut, Alberto grounded me:\u00a0“Drop packs, Laura. We\u2019ll scout the first part of the route in daylight\u2014tomorrow\u2019s ascent starts in darkness.”<\/em>
\nJust over a year ago, I barely knew what climbing meant. Now it was my turn: to deploy every skill learned, every hour trained, every stubborn ounce of grit. With infinite trust, I placed myself in Alberto\u2019s hands\u2014his silent, focused client.<\/p>\n

The evening passed calmly: a hearty meal, a sunset worthy of masterpieces, packing gear, then bed\u2014heart trembling, emotions sky-high.\u00a0I was touching the sky with a finger.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, September 13, 5 AM.\u00a0As I joined the procession of headlamps snaking upward, doubt\u2019s darkness\u2014chilling and stifling\u2014threatened my first steps from the H\u00f6rnlih\u00fctte. But Alberto\u2019s short rope did its work: occasional tugs sharpened my focus on the next move. Dawn\u2019s light began etching the peaks above me, clarifying the purpose that had drawn me here.<\/p>\n

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Matterhorn, H\u00f6rnli Ridge. At the Solvay Hut.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Around two hours later, we reached the\u00a0Solvay Hut\u00a0at 4,000 meters.\u00a0The sea… who knows when these rocks lay beneath it?\u00a0Thoughts drifted as the climb slowed, syncing with my breath and heartbeat.<\/p>\n

Step by step, in my parallel world\u2019s bubble, we gained the shoulder, passed St. Bernard\u2019s statue, and finally\u2014the summit. That silent, intimate ecstasy will forever live in my most profound memories:\u00a0Believing. Fighting. Dreaming. Trusting.\u00a0Four hands gripping a rope, one life entrusted to another.<\/p>\n

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Matterhorn, H\u00f6rnli Ridge. The steep pitch after Kreuzsatz. Thanks also to Wolfi of Zermatters for encouraging Laura with a solid pull!<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Alberto met my eyes, recalling a request I\u2019d made the day prior. We understood without words. My smile widened as I slowly straddled the Matterhorn\u2019s ridge. Downclimbing a narrow passage, crampons bit perfectly into pristine snow. I felt safe\u2014blissfully, utterly safe. A few more steps brought us to the cross on the Italian summit of the Matterhorn.<\/p>\n

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Laura on the Italian summit. Matterhorn, H\u00f6rnli Ridge.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The dream was now reality.<\/strong>\u00a0A happiness so explosive it would keep resurfacing in my heart for days.<\/p>\n

One summit photo\u2014then descent. Hours flew; no time to waste. Alberto belayed as I moved carefully, dizzying voids yawning below.\u00a0I never wanted to leave.<\/em>
\nA quick snack, then the endless downclimb began\u2014rappel after rappel, rock after rock\u2014consuming 1,200 meters of descent. Hours later, we touched the final rocks near the H\u00f6rnli.<\/p>\n

And there we were\u2014journey\u2019s end, hearts overflowing with indescribable joy. Joy that will keep me dreaming, simply because\u00a0t<\/strong>he Matterhorn enters your soul and never leaves.<\/p>\n\n\t\t