Cervin

Geography

Cervin is a pyramidal peak, with the recognizable form between all, and for this reason regularly used with advertizing objectives. Its four faces meet with approximately 400m below the top in a summit pyramid, called " Toit". Its top is a broad of approximately two meters and long edge of 250, on which actually two tops are distinguished: the Swiss top, more with the east, which culminate with 4477,8 meters of altitude, and the Italian top, slightly low (4476 m), on the western part of the edge. Both are separated by a notch with the hollow of which a cross was posed in September 1901.

The most famous faces are the faces is and northern, visible of Zermatt. The first, high of 1000m, present of great risks of stone falls, which makes its rise dangerous. The northern, high face of 1100m, is one of the most dangerous faces nords of the Alps, because in particular of the risks of falls of ground and storms. The southern face, which dominates Breuil Cervinia, in Italy, is high, it, of 1350m. It is the face which offers the most ways. Lastly, the western face, highest with its 1400m, which is that is the object at least attempt at rises. Between the western face and the northern face is also the north-north-west face, which is not stretched until the top but stops with the Nose of Zmutt, on the edge of the same name. It is the most dangerous route for the rise of Cervin. It exsite also a face south-south-east, famous being the most difficult route of the southern face, which ends in the Peak Muzio, on the Shoulder of Furggen.

Because of its pyramidal form, Cervin is equipped with four principal edges, by where pass the majority of the routes of rise. The easiest edge, that borrows the normal way, is the edge of Hörnli ( Hörnligrat in German): it is located between the faces is and northern, facing the valley of Zermatt. More in the west the edge of Zmutt ( Zmuttgrat ) is, between the faces north and west. Between the western and southern faces the edge of the Lion ( Liongrat ) is, known as also Italian edge, which pass by the peak Tyndall, top of the southern part of the western face, on the level of which the upper part of face starts. Lastly, the southern face is separated from the face is by the edge of Furggen ( Furggengrat ), most difficult.

The southern face, less smooth than the three others, offers several other edges to the mountaineers. In its left part in particular the edge of Amicis is, which leads on the edge of the Lion to the level of the Peak Tyndall. It bears the name of Italian Ugo de Amicis, who has several times failed in the rise of his upper part in 1906. She will be finally overcome in 1933, but the cord will make a deadly fall with the descent. Another edge, open in 1942, emerges a little further, between the solid mass of the top and the peak Tyndall. Lastly, in the right part of the wall is the Muzio-Carrel way, which borrows the face south-south-east.

Rises

In 1865, after having wiped a refusal of the Italian guide, Jean-Antoine Carrel, which also dream him to make a success of the first rise but by the Italian edge, the July 12th, Edward Whymper, Lord Douglas (English tourist met on the road) and Peter Taugwalder wire go to Zermatt and decide to engage the guide Peter Taugwalder father. Arrived at the hotel of the Mount-Rose, they meet the reverend Charles Hudson and his young person and very inexperienced companion Douglas Hadow who engaged the Chamoniard guide Michel Croz for them also to try this first rise. The two cords then decide to link their forces to try to climb the edge of Hörnli together (stops north-eastern). The July 14th, the cord of the 7 men reaches the top towards 13:40. Into the descent, Douglas Hadow slips by reversing Michel Croz. Charles Hudson then Lord Douglas do not manage to retain the fall and are in their turn carried. By chance the cord breaks, thus allowing Edward Whymper, the guide Peter Taugwalder father and Peter Taugwalder wire not to be carried in their turn. Edward Whymper, very marked by this drama, did not try then any more any first major.

The July 17th 1865, three days hardly after the first rise, Jean-Antoine Carrel and Jean-Baptiste Bich carry out the first rise of Cervin by the edge of the Lion (stops south-western), more difficult than stops it of Hörnli.

In 1879 the edge of Zmutt (north-western edge) is climbed for the first time by A.F. Mummery, A. Burgener, J. Petrus and A. Gentinetta.

In 1941, the last stops of Cervin, that of Furggen (south-eastern edge) is climbed for the first time in a complete way by L. Carrel, A. Perrino and G. Chiara. In 1911, this edge had already been climbed, but the mountaineers had circumvented the overhangs.

In 1966, the guides of Zermatt Rene Arnold and Sepp Graven traverse the four edges of Cervin in the same day: they go up at the top by the edge of Furggen, go down again by that of Hörnli to the refuge reached towards 9:30, cross then the glacier of Cervin (located at the foot of the northern face) to again reach the top by the edge of Zmutt, before going down again by the edge of the Lion. In August 1992, Diego Wellig and Hans Kammerlanden assemble and go down again each edge of 24 hours, that is to say four rises and four descents for 8500 meters of uneven: after being gone up at the top by the edge of Zmutt, they go down by that from Hörnli, to go up again by the edge of Furggen, new descent by the edge of the Lion, immediately climbed again, before going down and going up by the edge of Hörnli, then to descend last once to the refuge from Hörnli.

The rise of the various faces of Cervin presented also big challenges for the mountaineers. First has to be overcome was the northern face, climbed for the first time in 1931, exploit which was worth with its authors the gold medal with the Olympic Games of Los Angeles of 1932. A few months later, it is the southern face (Italian face) which is conquered. In 1932, the dangerous face east is climbed in its turn. In 1962, the western face, highest of the four with its 1400 meters, is overcome. Lastly, the north-north-west face, located between the edge of Zmutt and the western face (after the Nose of Zmutt, the rise continues with the edge), is climbed only in 1969: the two ways which traverse it are the most recent routes and most difficult to climb Cervin.

The first face climbed in winter is the northern face, overcome the February 4th 1962 by three Swiss cords and a temperature lower than -20°C. Three years later, in February 1965, Walter Bonatti is the first to make a success of the rise of the northern face of Cervin as a recluse and winter, leading to the passage new way (which bears its name today). A 4 days rise, entered the legend of the alpinism.

It was then necessary to await 1971 to see the southern face overcome in winter, December 22nd and 23rd, by Arturo and Oreste Squinobal. The face east is in its turn overcome in winter the February 27th 1975 by three Valaisan guides, Rene Arnold, Guido Bumann and Candide Pralong, after a bivouac with 4300 meters of altitude.

The first winter one of the western face is carried out in 1978, 16 years after the first winter rise of the northern face. A cord of 7 Italians (among whom three of the four winners of the southern face in winter) reached the top after three days of rise the January 11th. Their descent will be dramatic: Rolando Albertini is killed in a fall, and another mountaineer is wounded by a crumbling.

Lastly, the north-north-west face is climbed for the first time in winter by the guides Daniel Anker and Thomas Wüschner between the 26 and the December 31st 1982. A few months later, in March 1983, a cord of two Bulgarian reaches in its turn the top by this way after a rise record seventeen day old and sixteen bivouacs. The face south-south-east had it climbed the 3 and September 4th 1953 by Luigi Carrel, the abbot Louis Maquignaz and Italo Muzio, which had to use more than sixty pitons in the last 400 meters.

The guide Ulrich Inderbinen climbed Cervin 371 times and for the last time at 90 years and is deceased at 103 years.

To date, approximately 500 mountaineers lost the life on Cervin.

Access

the normal way leaves the refuge of Hörnli (3 260 m). Access of Zermatt by the cable car of Schwarzsee, then 700 m of uneven to the refuge.
Difficulty (edge of Hörnli): AD, passage of 3, cords fixed close to the top (1 200 m of uneven).

Cervin in the popular culture

Cervin is the logo of the chocolate mark Toblerone.
Cervin is also the logo of the winter sports resort Swiss of Zermatt.
Walt Disney took as a starting point this mountain, reduced with the 400e, to lodge attraction Matterhorn Bobsleds located in Fantasyland at Disneyland.

See too

Matterhorn
Small Cervin
Classification of the tops of the Alps of more than 4000 meters

External bonds

Cervin and its use in publicity
Cervin on Summitpost
WebCam: Zermatt - Cervin
Diaporama on Cervin

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