Climbing
[Updated August 24 with identity of hikers.]
Two hikers fell over 1,000 meters or 3,000 feet to their deaths on Switzerland’s Matterhorn on Wednesday, August 14. The two hikers had left the Hörnli hut in Zermatt, Switzerland, early in the morning, according to a press release by the Cantonal Police of Wallis/Valais. The duo was planning to summit Switzerland’s most iconic mountain via the Hörnligrat but failed to return. Third parties had alerted rescue services to their absence. A helicopter by Air Zermatt was sent out by the police, which located two lifeless bodies on the north face of the mountain. The two mountaineers had fallen for currently unexplained reasons over 1,000 meters or 3,000 feet into the depth, suffering fatal injuries. The formal identification of the victims is underway.
The Matterhorn is one of the world’s deadliest mountains to hike, with an average of six people perishing during the hiking season from June to September each year. The Hörnligrat is one of two standard routes up the Matterhorn and is considered of moderate technical difficulty. However, this often leads to the hike being underestimated by less experienced hikers. In addition, the weather on the 4,478-meter (14,691-foot) peak often changes very quickly. After rain, ice, and snowfall, the conditions are sometimes extremely difficult and very precarious. In addition, hikers will often become disoriented, even in good conditions.
The two victims were identified as two Germans aged 58 and 19 years. According to Rai Aosta, the deceased were a father and his son.
