The
Matterhorn is located on the border between
Switzerland and
Italy, towering over the Swiss town of
Zermatt and the
Italian town
Breuil-Cervinia in the Val Tournanche. It was the last major mountain of the
Alps to be climbed, not merely because of its technical difficulty, but of the fear it inspired in early
mountaineers. The first serious attempts began around
1858, mostly from the Italian side, but despite appearances, the southern routes are harder, and parties repeatedly found themselves on difficult slippery rock and had to turn back.
Photo credit: Stan Shebs