Rockslide prompts halt to Matterhorn climbs

A rockslide on the southern side of the Matterhorn has prompted mountain guides to suspend ascents with clients until further notice, SRF reported. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday morning at an altitude of 3,900 metres, according to the central rescue coordination centre of Italy’s Aosta Valley.

The area is normally visited only rarely by mountaineers. The Italian Alpine guide association in Breuil-Cervinia has suspended Matterhorn ascents with clients. Although the rockfall did not damage the Italian normal route via the Lion Ridge, the association said the current terrain and weather conditions required the utmost caution.

The Carrel Hut on the Italian southern route remains available to climbers, but no staff are currently present.

Mountain guides in Zermatt had already warned urgently against Matterhorn summit tours in July because of the acute risk of falling rocks and temporarily stopped guided ascents. Prolonged heat and thawing permafrost following a winter with little snow have left the mountain heavily exposed, causing rock formations to lose stability.

Regular summer skiing for visitors on the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt has also been temporarily suspended since the end of July because of continued heat and poor snow conditions. Some training pistes remain accessible to Swiss-Ski teams.