Alex Honnold climbs Matterhorn in fog without gloves

US climbing star Alex Honnold climbed the Matterhorn in rain, wind and dense fog without gloves and wearing hiking shoes, SRF reported. The Zermatt rescue chief criticised the example set by the ascent.

Honnold wrote online that some of the ropes were iced over and that gloves would have been “nice”.

Anjan Truffer, a mountain guide from Zermatt and rescue chief at Air Zermatt, said Honnold had “different reserves than most people”. But he said that would not protect him from the forces of nature. “If lightning strikes, it strikes Honnold too,” Truffer said.

Even experienced mountaineers should not underestimate the mountains, he added.

Truffer said the lack of equipment could be “easily” justified for a top athlete such as Honnold in good weather. In bad weather, however, it was critical. Honnold had a role-model function and needed to be aware of “what he conveys with such images”, Truffer said. Otherwise, young people might conclude that the climb was easy.

Honnold, 41, is one of the world’s best-known climbers. He became internationally famous partly through his solo ascent of the approximately 900-metre El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without a rope or safety equipment. The climb was documented in the Oscar-winning film “Free Solo”.

In January, Honnold climbed the 508-metre Taipei 101 skyscraper, Taiwan’s tallest building. The ascent was broadcast live by Netflix.

Honnold himself acknowledged that he had not taken the Matterhorn “seriously enough”.