Rock & Ice Basic Course
Basic rock + ice course with ascent of a 4000er
Endurance
2Walking time: 4–5 hours. Up to approx. 900 vertical metres. For sporty hikers with good basic fitness.
Technique
1You enjoy nature and love being active, but have no experience in high alpine terrain yet. You want to try something new – such as first steps with crampons, on easy glaciers or a via ferrata. Surefootedness and curiosity are all you need.
Duration
2 days
Date
May - October
Participants
1-6 participants
Gallery (4)
Immerse yourself in the fascination of alpine tours: on the first day, you will learn how to use crampons, ropes and ice axes and find out how a rope team moves safely across firn fields and glaciers. The highlight awaits the very next day: the ascent of the Breithorn (4,164 m), your first four-thousand-metre peak and an unforgettable experience.
Highlights
Description
The course lasts two days and combines training with a real summit experience. On the first day, you meet up with your rope team and mountain guide in Zermatt. After a brief equipment check, you will take the cable car up to Trockener Steg and on to the Gandegghütte. In the impressive glacier world of the lower Theodul Glacier, you will learn the most important basics for alpine tours: walking with crampons, the correct use of ice axes and rope techniques, safe behavior in a rope team as well as the basics of equipment and safety on ice and firn.
In the evening, you will experience the atmosphere of a typical mountain hut with dinner and overnight stay before things get serious the next morning. After a short ascent, you take the cable car up to the Klein Matterhorn. From there, the tour starts over the glacier up to the Breithorn (4,164 m). Step by step, you will put what you have learned into practice and at the end of your course you will be standing on your first four-thousand-metre peak.
The basic course not only teaches you technique and knowledge, but also the special feeling of being part of a rope team and reaching a summit together - a perfect introduction to the fascinating world of alpinism.
Program
Day 1:
- Cable car ride to Trockener Steg (2,929 m)
- Hike up to the Gandegg Hut and on to the Theodul Glacier
- Glacier training adapted to the level of the participants
- Dinner and overnight stay at the Gandegg Hut
Day 2:
- Gondola ride to Klein Matterhorn (3,883 m)
- Ascent to the Breithorn West summit and application of what has been learned
- Descent and return to Zermatt
Hut reservation
When you book a tour that includes an overnight stay at a mountain hut, we’ll take care of the reservation for you. Please let us know if you are vegetarian or vegan. We will confirm the tour as soon as the hut reservation is secured — we cannot guarantee it. If you already have your own hut reservation, please let us know so that we can reserve the hut for the mountain guide. Accommodation is not included in the price.
Rock and Ice
- Crampon-compatible hiking boots with a treaded, stiff Vibram sole
- Climbing harness
- 1 carabiner
- Crampons with anti-slip plates
- Ice axe
- Hiking pole
- Helmet
- Backpack, approx. 30 L
- Warm, weatherproof clothing
- Gloves (possibly a spare pair)
- Hat / headband
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Headlamp
- Drinks
- Snacks (high-energy foods such as chocolate, dried fruit, energy bars)
- Toiletries
- A minimal change of clothes
- Band-Aids
- Personal first-aid kit
- Silk sleeping bag for the hut (required)
- Cash, ID card
After booking
After booking, you will receive a confirmation by email. Please check that your details are correct.
Two days before the tour, you will receive a link to the customer portal.
Please contact us before the tour to go over the details (current weather, conditions, group size, etc.). You can reach us by phone, email or visit us at the ZERMATTERS Homebase.
- Endurance
2Walking time: 4–5 hours. Up to approx. 900 vertical metres. For sporty hikers with good basic fitness. - Technique
1You enjoy nature and love being active, but have no experience in high alpine terrain yet. You want to try something new – such as first steps with crampons, on easy glaciers or a via ferrata. Surefootedness and curiosity are all you need. - Duration
2 days - Date
May - October - Participants
1-6 participants
Immerse yourself in the fascination of alpine tours: on the first day, you will learn how to use crampons, ropes and ice axes and find out how a rope team moves safely across firn fields and glaciers. The highlight awaits the very next day: the ascent of the Breithorn (4,164 m), your first four-thousand-metre peak and an unforgettable experience.
Highlights
Description
The course lasts two days and combines training with a real summit experience. On the first day, you meet up with your rope team and mountain guide in Zermatt. After a brief equipment check, you will take the cable car up to Trockener Steg and on to the Gandegghütte. In the impressive glacier world of the lower Theodul Glacier, you will learn the most important basics for alpine tours: walking with crampons, the correct use of ice axes and rope techniques, safe behavior in a rope team as well as the basics of equipment and safety on ice and firn.
In the evening, you will experience the atmosphere of a typical mountain hut with dinner and overnight stay before things get serious the next morning. After a short ascent, you take the cable car up to the Klein Matterhorn. From there, the tour starts over the glacier up to the Breithorn (4,164 m). Step by step, you will put what you have learned into practice and at the end of your course you will be standing on your first four-thousand-metre peak.
The basic course not only teaches you technique and knowledge, but also the special feeling of being part of a rope team and reaching a summit together - a perfect introduction to the fascinating world of alpinism.
Program
Day 1:
- Cable car ride to Trockener Steg (2,929 m)
- Hike up to the Gandegg Hut and on to the Theodul Glacier
- Glacier training adapted to the level of the participants
- Dinner and overnight stay at the Gandegg Hut
Day 2:
- Gondola ride to Klein Matterhorn (3,883 m)
- Ascent to the Breithorn West summit and application of what has been learned
- Descent and return to Zermatt
Hut reservation
When you book a tour that includes an overnight stay at a mountain hut, we’ll take care of the reservation for you. Please let us know if you are vegetarian or vegan. We will confirm the tour as soon as the hut reservation is secured — we cannot guarantee it. If you already have your own hut reservation, please let us know so that we can reserve the hut for the mountain guide. Accommodation is not included in the price.
Additional costs
- Zermatt - Klein Matterhorn return: from CHF 57.00
Reduction with GA, Half-Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass (more information can be found at Zermatt Bergbahnen AG) - Rental equipment: between CHF 50.00 and CHF 70.00, available in a sports store in Zermatt
Material
To be fully prepared for theBasic rock + ice course, you must bring the following equipment:
Rock and Ice
- Crampon-compatible hiking boots with a treaded, stiff Vibram sole
- Climbing harness
- 1 carabiner
- Crampons with anti-slip plates
- Ice axe
- Hiking pole
- Helmet
- Backpack, approx. 30 L
- Warm, weatherproof clothing
- Gloves (possibly a spare pair)
- Hat / headband
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Headlamp
- Drinks
- Snacks (high-energy foods such as chocolate, dried fruit, energy bars)
- Toiletries
- A minimal change of clothes
- Band-Aids
- Personal first-aid kit
- Silk sleeping bag for the hut (required)
- Cash, ID card
After booking
After booking, you will receive a confirmation by email. Please check that your details are correct.
Two days before the tour, you will receive a link to the customer portal.
Please contact us before the tour to go over the details (current weather, conditions, group size, etc.). You can reach us by phone, email or visit us at the ZERMATTERS Homebase.
