IMG The Matterhorn Itinerary

Zermatt, Switzerland: The Matterhorn, Pollux, Castor and the Breithorn
The trip starts and finishes in Zermatt, Switzerland. It is the responsibility of each participant to arrange transportation to Zermatt by the night prior to the starting date. The simplest route is to fly to Geneva, arriving in the morning and take a train or bus directly from the airport to Zermatt. There is frequent daily train service to Zermatt and charter buses are another option. When making arrangements, keep in mind the time change. It would be wise to allow a day of rest in Switzerland prior to the start of the program to help deal with jet lag. If you would like help with your flight arrangements, recommendations for a hotel in Geneva, or plan to arrive in Zermatt early, feel free to contact IMG's travel agent, CTT Destinations, img@cttdestinations.com. For specific reservations at the hotel in Zermatt, contact the IMG office for directions.

Day	Itinerary
Day 01	Meet for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. at the Hotel Alpenblick, Zermatt. After breakfast we will take light daypacks and ride the Gornergrat cog rail train up to the Riffelhorn for a day of rock practice and training. In the early afternoon we will ride back down to Zermatt, stopping, perhaps at one of the beer gardens in town for refreshment. Back at the hotel we will retire early. (hotel reservation required),
Day 02	After breakfast the team will catch a pre-arranged taxi for the ride over to the town of Saas Almagell. From here it is a four hour hike up to the Almageller Hut (2898m). As time permits, the group will do some training and cragging on the rock near to the hut. (overnight in hut)
Day 03	Following a continental breakfast of tea, coffee, bread and jam, the team will ascend the Dri Hörnli (3209m), a fun, exposed rock ridge climb rising just above the hut. This multi pitch climb will expose the group to some excellent rock climbing training. The team will make a rappel descent and head back to the hut for a late lunch. Second night at Almageller Hut.
Day 04	The Weismies, an excellent 4,000 meter peak, is the next challenge. The route of ascent is via the southeast ridge, gained after 1½ hours hiking up to a pass on the southeast ridge (3298m). Ascend on the west side of the ridge over scree and steeper snow until the ridge is gained again and excellent rock is climbed up to 3900 meters. From here the ridge narrows and becomes snow until a final hump of rock just before the summit at 4017 meters. This will be our final training climb prior to our attempt of the Matterhorn. We will descend the Weismies either back down the route climbed or down the north side via the Trift Glacier. We'll be met by our taxi and ride back to the hotel in Zermatt. (hotel reservation required)
Day 05	Tram ride up then an easy hike to Hornlihutte (3260m). The afternoon will be spent previewing and practicing on the first part of the climb of the Matterhorn (4478m). We will be joined by two additional guides for the ascent. (Overnight in hut)
Day 06	First summit day for the Matterhorn attempt. The team will have an early morning wake up for a quick breakfast at 4am and make the up to 12-hour round trip climb, then descend to Zermatt. (optional hotel reservation)
Day 07	Second optional day for an ascent of the Matterhorn, and descent to Zermatt. If the team climbs on day 6, day 7 will be available for a climbing or adventure outing as interest dictates. (required hotel reservation)
NOTE: This itinerary is merely a guideline for the trip. The guides will retain the right to make changes to suit the climbing conditions, the weather and the strength and experience of the group. Our main goal will be the Matterhorn and changes in the schedule may be made to increase our chances of success. This may involve moving the climb up a day or more on the schedule to take advantage of better weather. However, the Matterhorn is a very demanding and exposed climb. It is not uncommon for stormy weather to render the mountain unguidable for days at a time. This could preclude us from even making a summit attempt. In this case, there are countless other possibilities for other ascents in the area. The final decision on climbing the Matterhorn and all peaks rests solely with your IMG guides. In addition, the guides will have complete authority over determining each member's continued participation in each of the climbs.