In Cervinia in the summer to climb the Breithorn, the “easy” 4000 meter peak (and other treks)

Cervinia in summer: for those who are not very familiar with the mountains, getting in tune with the mountain guide who accompanies you is the first step to overcome fear, and when the guide is the mountaineer Francois Cazzanellitrusting is even easier. Born in 1990, La Sportiva athlete, comes from a family that has been linked to the Matterhorn Alpine Guidesthe perfect mountain that François has climbed many times, too many to remember a precise number. However, he has opened three routes on the South face, the last one just last February. Taking a step back in time, in 2014 François reached the summit of Cerro Torre in Patagonia, in 2018 he climbed Everest and then Lhotse as a mountain guide, in 2019, again in Nepal, he conquered Manaslu, climbing it at speed. The summer of 2022 was the turn of two more eight-thousanders, Nanga Parbat and K2, after having also come close to the summit of Broad Peak without having reached it to rescue another climber. “The only necessary action at that moment”, François told us, who among other things is also a Rescuer for the Aosta Valley Alpine Rescue Service.

François’ heart remains very attached to the mountains of his home, those of Valtournenche, which never cease to amaze him. In fact, he still marvels even when climbing the Western Breithornwhere he takes photos as if it were the first time. Defined as an “easy” route, this 4,165-meter-high peak of Monte Rosa is usually chosen as the “baptism of the Four Thousanders”. To get there, you still need crampons, you proceed in a roped party and when you reach the summit, the view repays all the effort made. The Matterhorn triumphs in all its beauty while on the other side you can see other peaks of Monte Rosa, from the Capanna Margherita refuge, to Castore, to Polluce and Punta Dufour. To complete the entire crossing of the Monte Rosa It takes six days sleeping in mountain huts, a tour known as Spaghetti Tour.

Monte Rosa Massif, Alps, Swiss Italian BorderPeos

Up to 3800 meters with the new Matterhorn Alpine Crossing facility

The recent inauguration of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable carwhich connects Testa Grigia to the Piccolo Cervino makes the approach to the Spaghetti Tour easier, but also opens up to new scenarios to experience Cervinia in summer. It allows you to ski throughout the warm season, to enjoy what is effectively a crossing over the perennial ice between Italy and Switzerland and makes the climb to the Breithorn less demanding, giving even beginners who are approaching mountaineering the chance to try their hand at climbing a Four-thousander. In fact, if we calculate that the new facility reaches up to 3800 meters, the difference in altitude to the summit is 300 meters, without forgetting, however, that only good legs and good breath can take you to the top. Every adventure, small or large, always requires preparation and the right equipment while respecting the mountain that hosts us.

This was also the case for reaching the Breithorn which, although it does not present any particular technical difficulties, is still not to be underestimated. You take the first cable car that leaves from Cervinia to start walking from the Piccolo Cervino around 9.30 in the morning, after a stop at the Rifugio delle Guide in Plateau Rosa for a coffee offered by the guide! The climb takes about two hours with crampons on your feet (but it can also be done with ski mountaineering skis) and you proceed in a roped party. There is an alternation of chatter and silence which turns out to be the best moments to be more aware of what you are doing and to enjoy the present moment, hearing the sound of each step on the snow. Of course, the ski lifts make the mountain more attractive from a commercial point of view, but both mass tourism and mountaineers always share one important thing: respect for nature, moving in the Alpine space in a way that is consistent with their possibilities.

The importance of going to the mountains with an Alpine Guide

The number of people that guides can accompany changes depending on the difficulty of the route and in recent years, François explains, «it is no longer the same also because of climate change, the situation of the glaciers has forced us to reduce the number of hikers to proceed with more caution». On the Breithorn there are five people, but on the Castore for example, today there are two or three people maximum going from the West face, on the Matterhorn one person at a time: «I usually prefer to meet those who want to climb the Matterhorn also on a preparatory trip to better understand the level of the mountaineer and establish an initial contact».

We were talking before about trust, about harmony in the mountains and if there is one thing that Cazzanelli has transmitted to us during this excursion it is that in a roped party the mountain becomes a choral act. An approach that reflects his way of understanding the mountain: «You bond with people who you get along with and who share the same dream. This is also why I love opening new routes with other companions, because it is a moment of pure shared joy». Once at the top, a hug is standard practice, a good habit that increases trust and strengthens bonds: «Well done, you did it!».

Cervinia in summer: trekking with a view

For those who don’t feel like climbing that high, Cervinia and Valtournenche They also offer numerous Trekking halfway down the valley which are like panoramic balconies. Like the path N°65 dedicated to Jean-Antoine Carrelthe first climber to reach the summit of the Matterhorn from the Italian side on 17 July 1865, a route that was inaugurated in 2015. The itinerary starts and ends in Perrères (a few kilometres from Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche at 1,850 metres). The route then continues from the Oriondé refuge (2,808 metres), below the Matterhorn, reaches Plan Maison and from here (2,500 metres) extends to the Goillet dam and then descends again towards Cervinia-Valtournenche, up to the votive chapel of Sant’Anna Notre Dame de la Garde. Once the chapel is reached, the route dedicated to Carrel leads hikers to the Alpeggio Manda Inferiore and then ends in a thick larch forest in Perrères. Thirty kilometres of a varied trail, which also offers several ways back to the valley, so it can also be covered in sections. The entire journey requires about 10 hours of walking. The Matterhorn accompanies the entire excursion in all its majesty and it is not uncommon to stop for a drink, yes, but above all to stop and look at it.

TrekkingEnrico Romanzi/Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley