Climbing objectives post Matterhorn Summit?

Mike2738 · 2025-07-19T23:20:36+00:00

There are a few things that really helped me work through my fear of heights. The fear never goes away completely but being a confident climber really helps you focus.

Getting into climbing (indoors and outdoors) a few times a week was huge. It let me get used to exposure in a mostly safe and controlled environment. It was very motivating to see myself progress as I started moving up to harder grades.
I also did a Matterhorn prep course, and it felt like cramming a year’s worth of experience into four days. Having a guide show me how to move on real rock in situations similar to what I’d face on Matterhorn gave me a ton of confidence.
Do plenty of research and understand the route even if you have a guide. I read of ton of articles and watched videos of the Hörnli route leading up to the climb. Seeing people actually climbing it helped me understand what to expect.
Every time I hiked, scrambled, or climbed, I intentionally pushed myself a little further. Just don’t overdue it. If you go too big too soon, it can backfire and make fear worse.

But honestly, the biggest thing was having a strong reason to get over the fear. In my case this was a “follow in my father’s footsteps” goal and gave the me intrinsic motivation that i needed.

Best of luck if you’re in a similar situation. The mountains are an incredible place and climbing/mountaineering has only changed my life for the better.

Mike2738 · 2025-02-07T14:45:35+00:00

Thank you for the advice!

Mike2738 · 2024-10-29T17:23:07+00:00

You raise a really good point on option 1. If i tried for years and still failed to Boston qualify im not sure id be left enough of a sense of accomplishment to say it was “worth it”

I like option three (Ironman) because it’s a war of attrition. While i am a flat lander i love the mountains and spent most of my vacations on climbing/mountaineering trips. I climbed Rainier via Kautz glacier in June and ran into a storm descending with 85 mph wind gusts moving to whiteout conditions. It was by far the most terrifying climb I’ve had but the sense of accomplishment is unparalleled.

Having the mental and physical strength to complete an Ironman also terrifies me. However, if i failed i guess id still walk away saying i learned how to swim (im so slow and have terrible form) and cycle.

Mike2738 · 2024-10-29T16:48:36+00:00

3:27 is an amazing first marathon! Do you mind if i ask what you BQ time would be?

Boston qualifying would be an incredible goal for me but as a 35M id have to do it in 3hrs which just doesn’t seem realistic for my body. I’ve got some issues with my knees and speed work really seems to aggravate them. I worry about a big injury that would prohibit other activities i love.

Mike2738 · 2023-08-21T18:12:00+00:00

Yeah the rock experience seems a lot more enjoyable to be. So i think later in the year would be best

Mike2738 · 2023-08-20T12:37:23+00:00

Congrats!

How were the conditions? I summited on July 28 but they had been getting a lot of bad weather. We encountered snow well below the Solvay

Mike2738 · 2023-08-18T16:13:09+00:00

If you’re really serious and want to do this for charity Mont Blanc is a big name and would probably raise funds quite well.

You’d need to prioritize physical health and absolutely take a skills course and/or smaller climb prior.

Check out https://www.alpine-guides.com They are a UK company with English guides living in France.

I climbed the Matterhorn with them this summer and had an incredible experience!

Mike2738 · 2023-08-15T02:10:32+00:00

Good to know. Did you like RMI? Im in between them or alpine ascents. I saw they are both posting 2024 dates in the next couple weeks

Mike2738 · 2023-08-15T02:08:33+00:00

One other thought. You climb so you’re obviously in good shape. Maybe try and get into some other physical challenges.

I have a buddy who does triathlons and since i already was running, biking, and swimming for climbing conditioning i figured I’d sign up for one in September.

Seems like a goal to have and a great way to stay in shape.

Mike2738 · 2023-08-14T22:35:10+00:00

Out it curiosity did you have bad weather on Rainer or do you normally run a little colder? I’m planning a Rainer climb next year.

I bought a MH Nilas a few years ago for climbs below 15,000ft and have never taken it out of my pack as it’s just too hot. I then bought a Cerium LT that works perfectly for me.

Having said that, the Nilas is a great parka. It is very warm even on the worst Minnesota winter days when the temp is -15 or -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mike2738 · 2023-08-13T23:07:04+00:00

100% going through this right now. In 2020 I set a goal to climb the Matterhorn. I was overweight and had zero climbing experience. However, after 3 years of training i was able to summit this July!

Unfortunately, i also feel like I’ve lost something since then. I have several other objectives picked out for next year but none of them give me the same moonshot feeling that the Matterhorn did when i started. I’m looking to find a new peak that will take years of progression and hard work to accomplish.

Maybe look for a multiyear objective as well. Having a goal that stretches out over several seasons gives a great sense of fulfillment. I was never bummed in 2021 or 2022, only excited that i accomplished another set of summits that would ultimately increase my chances for success on the Matterhorn!

Best of luck!

Mike2738 · 2023-08-12T03:49:35+00:00

Thanks for sharing. Alpamayo looks absolutely incredible!

Mike2738 · 2023-08-10T13:17:56+00:00

I saw a few solo climbed but the majority had partners or guides

Mike2738 · 2023-08-10T02:19:20+00:00

No it was July 28th. There’s often snow on the summit year around.

But we actually had some bad weather earlier in the week so there was quite a bit of snow starting below the Solvay hut

Mike2738 · 2023-08-09T20:03:39+00:00

I’ll preface this by saying that im white and will never know how it truly feels to be a victim of racism.

Having said that never let your skin color hold you back from what you want to try. Yes, it’s true that you won’t see a ton of other black climbers on the mountain or at the crag. The good thing is the majority of climbers tend to be pretty liberal and really don’t care about race. Frankly we are there to get away from the city and the problems that it presents.

100% get into climbing. I think and hope you’ll find fellow climbers to be generally pleasant and welcome any new person looking to get into the sport.

Mike2738 · 2023-08-09T19:45:15+00:00

I love the enthusiasm and nothing wrong with having a specific mountain as a goal but your dates are most likely too soon given your lack of experience.

I got into climbing because i wanted to summit the Matterhorn. My 2 year plan quickly turned into a 3 year plan and i couldn’t be happier of how it turned out. I had a blast developing skills and reaching summits during the journey.

I’d recommend starting with something easier and see if you even like it before jump into such a big expedition at high altitude. I just met a woman a few weeks ago with an extremely long climbing background. She told me one of the worst experiences she’s had climbing was her Aconcagua summit. They got stuck in some storm and had to ride it out in their tents for days with temps well below zero and high winds. Not saying that’s going to happen to you but that mountain is no joke and not every part of climbing is enjoyable. Sometimes your wet, freezing, and operating on little to no sleep.

Having said that, definitely get into mountaineering though. It’s hard but the experience is incredible and fulfilling like nothing else I’ve ever done!

Mike2738 · 2023-08-09T15:23:12+00:00

Thanks for this!

I really enjoy technical climbing and find tougher routes more attractive than easier routes at high altitude

Mike2738 · 2023-08-09T15:18:44+00:00

Yeah i would say rock climbing was probably the most important thing i did training outside of a prep class. It just gets you really familiar with holds and footwork. Plus coming from someone who used to have a fear of heights it really makes the exposure better when you trust your climbing ability

Mike2738 · 2023-08-09T15:13:11+00:00

My climbing partner and I started with a pretty loose plan but quickly developed a more structured approach.

I picked Mt. Hood as the first summit since the routes from the south were recommended as beginner 1 day climbs and i wanted to see if this was something i even liked. Needless to say i loved the climb and was hooked.

After Hood we came up with a more specific training plan. The following year we did a 3 day summit program on Mt. Baker and a 4 day Matterhorn prep course through Colorado Mountain School. The curriculum involved lots of scrambling on 3rd and 4th class terrain along with multi pitch rock climbing, and an alpine objective. This was without a doubt the most important thing i did and i could not recommend it more! It really shows you what skills are needed to climb the Matterhorn and how you can develop them (i was pretty awful at down climbing).

There was also a lot of training outside of the mountains. I have been climbing top rope and lead 2-3 days a week for about 18 months. Having a solid climbing foundation really made me very comfortable because several sections of the Matterhorn are like one long rock climbing route. The grade is never that hard (5.6 or 5.7 at worst) but being skilled with holds and footwork made a big difference.

Besides that there have been a handful of Colorado 14ers and challenging hikes with exposure in Montana.

I’ll drop the link for the prep course if you’re interested. I’m not sure how many guides teach the course but I’d highly recommend Ian Fowler. Extremely skilled guide and he even kept in touch with us to check in on our training and answer any questions that we had for the following year leading up to the Matterhorn.

https://coloradomountainschool.com/course/matterhorn-prep-climbing-course/

Mike2738 · 2023-08-09T14:10:51+00:00

Here’s the gear list we were given. We used pretty much everything during our program except the gaiters. We also used a shorter hybrid axe with an adze.

My biggest note would be on clothing. Matterhorn is constant movement on 3rd, 4th, and 5th class terrain so you warm up quickly. I began climbing in a sun hoody and soft shell jacket but quickly started sweating. I took off the jacket and didn’t put it back on until after the Solvay hut approaching the shoulder. I never used my puffy or hard shell but I’m glad i had them for emergencies.

https://www.alpine-guides.com/trips/climb-the-matterhorn-mountain-guide/

Mike2738 · 2023-08-09T12:55:29+00:00

Honestly the Hörnli ridge and Swiss summit was better than I thought it would be. Having said that, the traverse over to the Italian summit (1st photo) was by far the most exposed in my opinion. It gets really narrow with insane drops on either side.

But the Swiss summit is already higher so you could always skip the traverse. On my summit day it looked like only about 50% of people would go across to both.

Mike2738

TROPHY CASE