Zermatt Climbs

July-August 1958 During a driving tour of Europe with Dean Taylor taking train from Visp to Zermatt. Climbers were told to first visit graveyard.

Gornergrat, Rifelhorn, Monta Rosa

Rifelhorn practice climbing with Eddie Petrig

Glacier Ice Fall – Monte Rosa

Dean Taylor

Charles Mader

Eddie Petrig, Dean Taylor, Charles Mader

Monte Rosa Trip was September 14 to 30, 1963 to Geneva then to London to attend meeting at AWRE – Aldermaston. Monta Rosa climb was 9/18/1963 New York International Airport Sunset

Zermatt Train Station and Pollux Hotel No Automobiles

Petrig Hotel and view

Matterhorn had too much snow for climbing for rest of 1963.

Monte Rosa – Second Highest Peak in Alps at 15,203 ft was still climbable.

Train to Gornergrat and Riflehorn

Trail to Gorner Glacier

Monte Rosa had not been climbed for several weeks because of weather and snow hazards.

Breithorn from Gorner Glacier

Monte Rosa Hutte

Monte Rosa Hutte – 9170 ft

Toilet overhung Glacier but had great views

Matterhorn and Castor from Hutte

Bergfurher Eddie Petrig decides to climb Bergfurher Eddie Petrig decides to climb. Other climbers and guides in the Hutte told him the American could never make the summit that they had not been able to climb for days.

The climb to the summit of the Dufourspitze was in clouds on a snow covered ridge with plaques where climbers and guides had fallen. They made interesting reading while on belay. A snow gulley that Petrig was climbing came lose. He called – “I hope you have it.” I called back “I am bombproof”. After the rope stopped his fall he later told me he had wondered as he was falling what American idiom “bombproof” meant.

Descent

. Petrig –Damn IT- Why did you stop? Mader – To take a picture – why are you bitching? Petrig – Because you stopped in the middle of a snow bridge over that big crevasse.

Return at about 4 p.m. Climbers at Hutte met us with hand shaking and hugs. Petrig said “ I told you this old American has climbed more mountains than any of you.”

Hikes from Zermatt

Ober Rothorn Hike

Monte Rosa from Ober Rothorn

Rimpfischorn from Ober Rothorn

Zinalrothorn and Trift Valley

September 9-10, 1971 Matterhorn – 14,688 feet – Third Trip to Zermatt to climb Matterhorn and this time during climbing season – it was last climbing day of 1971 as snow storm arrived after we returned to hut. From hut climb took 5 hours up, 4 hours return.

Matterhorn Hutte

ROUTE

Eddie Petrig and Zermatt Friend

Charles Mader and Zermatt Local on Matterhorn Summit

Charles Mader on Swiss Matterhorn Summit Cross on Italian Summit

Weisshorn – looking NW from Matterhorn Summit

LOOKING NORTH – ZERMATT - DOM

Nadelhorn, Dom, Rimpfischhorn, Ober Rothorn

Gornergrat, Rifelhorn, Monte Rosa

Monte Rosa, Castor, Pollux, Breithorn, Kleine Matterhorn – Looking East

Looking South into Italy and toward Turin

Breithorn, Kleine Matterhorn, Theodulgletscher from Matterhorn Summit – Skied it 3/1986

3/1986 Emma Jean and Charles Mader on top of Kleine Matterhorn Gondola

Breithorn

Breithorn and Kleine Matterhorn

Skiing at base of Matterhorn

9/2000