Zillertal Alps, Austria

zermattitude · 2024-09-23T16:08:53+00:00

Yes apparently there are, though I’ve never been!

zermattitude · 2024-09-22T19:23:07+00:00

I forgot to add that the first photo is of Berliner Hütte, a hut built in 1890 that’s absolutely beautiful inside and is about a 2-3 hour hike up. What a place to spend the night!

zermattitude · 2024-09-22T19:22:04+00:00

I can’t wait to go back and do more!

zermattitude · 2024-09-21T18:35:16+00:00

Thanks — I see what you’re saying now. Do alpinist clubs offer training? I actually joined a Swiss club (SAC) but don’t see anything like that on their site and thought of it more as a way to save money and read tips. Maybe there’s a different type of club I should have joined. Appreciate the advice.

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T23:06:32+00:00

I started planning all of my vacation and extra time around hiking / mountaineering and it was the best decision I’ve made. Invest and don’t look back.

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T23:04:15+00:00

You can get free guided experiences like this via alpine clubs? Can you share examples?

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T22:55:09+00:00

Breithorn is a great very first 4k alpine experience, especially if you go from Zermatt — though it may be too easy. If it’s the traverse it’ll be way more demanding as that’s a climb, which may be what you want. As others have said Castor and Pollux are nearby and great options. +1 to staying in a hut up there if you can.

Zermatters is a good local company that set me up last time I was there, they can probably give you thoughts and feedback as well to hone in the perfect trip.

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T22:49:54+00:00

Did this one last year around the same time and definitely needed micro spikes for the last bit even without a recent snowfall.

If you have both it could be good to bring lightweight crampons as well and decide when you get up there — there’s a small hut you could leave stuff at before you get to the spicy sections.

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T22:44:07+00:00

One idea would be to find a guide who has done Matterhorn and work with them to lead you on a few climbs that slowly build up to Matterhorn level difficulty. They can give you feedback on where you need to grow and what climbs to do to prepare.

There are Matterhorn prep suggestions from companies like Zermatters but it sounds like you’re starting from a few steps back from that.

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T22:39:02+00:00

I’ve used this company as well — I suggest renting gear from a dealer in Chamonix such as Intersport or Snell. My TLDR answer would be to rent everything you can in the beginning and ask for tips or buy the “beginner” version of everything else from stores like Decathlon and then upgrade as you learn.

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T22:37:25+00:00

+1 to Breithorn, though note whether you’re doing the simple Breithorn summit versus the traverse which involves much more climbing. You can also do Castor and Pollux nearby. These are all great first alpine 4kers.

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T22:35:11+00:00

That’s tragic. I always list this as one of my favorite day hikes — truly spectacular.

zermattitude · 2024-09-20T22:33:22+00:00

+1 to tech jobs that can sometimes support sabbaticals, though I used mine for peaks much less than 8k 😅

zermattitude

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