Two climbers that ignored closed signs on the Matterhorn got in to trouble on the iconic peak on Monday and had to call to be rescued. The pair were then slapped with fines for breaking the rules and the bill for the helicopter rescue.
The mountain has been closed since August 2nd, 2022, after a major rockslide, caused by the melting snowpack, led to unstable and dangerous conditions.
Nevertheless, a Czech and Slovak climber headed up the peak’s Italian normal route, the Cresta del Leone (Lion’s Ridge), along the southwest ridge on the border between Italy and Switzerland. The couple got in to trouble at Col Felicite at 14,108-feet (4,300m), the last narrow saddle before the final pitch to the summit. They called for a rescue at 6:30 pm.
After being rescued by helicopter, Italian police were waiting for them and charged the climbers with not only the cost of the rescue ($9,000) but also a fine for ignoring the closure.
This is the third such incident on the Matterhorn this summer, according to Montagna.tv. On August 13, the police fined a Polish climber rescued at 13,123-feet (4,000m), and three other Polish climbers asked for rescue but then canceled the SOS after they found shelter in the Capanna Carrel shelter.
