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Matterhorn 1 day guide cost.

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Hendofan 22 Jul 2013
Hi guys I'm wanting to climb the Matterhorn next summer ( feels a million years away at this point). I could climb it with a partner but no way could I do it solo. I dont currently have any climbing friends. My question is how much would a guide cost if we met at the hornli climbed in the morning and said goodbye after the day? Just trying to weigh up my options.
 jon 22 Jul 2013
In reply to Hendofan:

That's exactly how the Zermatt guides work. They stay at the hut and do it every day, so suggesting meeting them there won't save you anything. I believe the tarif is 1100 - 1200CHF. It's also a 1:1 route.
 Pyreneenemec 22 Jul 2013
In reply to Hendofan:

Hi - before anything else, I soloed the Matterhorn in 1998.

Now, the Zermatt guides have an awful reputation. If you're looking for "an interesting experience" I'd suggest you look elsewhere ! Zermatt guides also make you do a half-days "training", usually to the Breithorn, that any one can do solo ! Complete waste of time and money.

I'd suggest using a guide from the Chamonix area. Many speak English and the few I have used were excellent company indeed. Others on here will be able to suggest English guides based in Cham.
 Pyreneenemec 22 Jul 2013
In reply to Pyreneenemec:

Here's a price-list for Chamonix guides ( for comparison)

http://www.chamonix-guides.com/Produit/106/3-activites-ete-chamonix.htm


The "normal route" on the Matterhorn is 980 Euros, probably taken over 1 1/2 - 2 days.
 Jamie B 22 Jul 2013
In reply to Pyreneenemec:

> Zermatt guides also make you do a half-days "training", usually to the Breithorn, that any one can do solo ! Complete waste of time and money.

But you can hardly blame them for wanting to find out what they will be tying onto! Not all of their clients will be as able as your good self.
 Pyreneenemec 22 Jul 2013
In reply to Jamie B:
> (In reply to Pyreneenemec)
>
> [...]
>
> But you can hardly blame them for wanting to find out what they will be tying onto! Not all of their clients will be as able as your good self.

Bollocks !

A good guide will be able to weigh-up the experience of his client. If the client has been bullshitting, the guide will be within his rights to terminate the ascension early without reimbursement !

In reply to Pyreneenemec:
> (In reply to Jamie B)
> [...]
>
> Bollocks !
>
> A good guide will be able to weigh-up the experience of his client. If the client has been bullshitting, the guide will be within his rights to terminate the ascension early without reimbursement !

"Without reimbursement"? But the guide has just wasted a day finding out that you're a numpty?
 Pyreneenemec 22 Jul 2013
In reply to victim of mathematics:

He's been paid in advance !
In reply to Pyreneenemec:
> (In reply to victim of mathematics)
>
> He's been paid in advance !

OK, so the word you want is very much not 'reimbursement'.
 colina 23 Jul 2013
In reply to Pyreneenemec: cant see any price for the hornli ridge on this list 980E ????
In reply to colina:

Le/Mont Cervin = Matterhorn in French, or Monte Cervino in Italian.
 colina 23 Jul 2013
In reply to victim of mathematics: ok ta
 colina 23 Jul 2013
In reply to colina:
so am I right in saying le cervin voie normal is 980e for a guided I on I to climb the hornli ridge with an English guide? presumably the guide would only take someone with reasonable alpine experience ?
 Pyreneenemec 23 Jul 2013
In reply to colina:


The price I quoted was for a French " Guide de Haute Montagne".

An English guide might well be cheaper. I would expect an English guide working in Chamonix to hold the equivalent U.I.A.G.M qualification.

Perhaps one can come forward and state the tariff for the Matterhorn and their criteria for accepting a previously unknown client.
 FreeloaderJoe 23 Jul 2013
In reply to Hendofan: Bloody hell that's a lot of money. Why bother being a barrister, when you can make more money being an alpine guide.
Hendofan 23 Jul 2013
In reply to Hendofan:
Thanks for link. That's the cheapest I've seen by a way but still way too much to justify to the mrs. Maybe I can pop a request out nearer the time for a partner.
 Jamie B 23 Jul 2013
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

> Why bother being a barrister, when you can make more money being an alpine guide.

Less likelihood of being killed working as a barrister..

I also wonder how many days they work per season and what they do for income during the off-season. None of the guides I've met could be described as rich.
 AG 23 Jul 2013
In reply to Hendofan: cervina guides give you a choice of ridges.....around 980 euro s.
 jon 23 Jul 2013
In reply to Pyreneenemec:
> (In reply to colina)
> Zermatt guides also make you do a half-days "training", usually to the Breithorn, that any one can do solo

No they don't. What would that do? They insist on the minimum of a half day on the Riffelhorn to teach you how to move together on rock and to assess you to see if you are up technically to it. This is not done by the same guide who will do the Matterhorn with you.

> The price I quoted was for a French " Guide de Haute Montagne".
>
> An English guide might well be cheaper. I would expect an English guide working in Chamonix to hold the equivalent U.I.A.G.M qualification.

Do you mean an English guide or a British one? A British guide DOES hold the same qualifications. Why would you expect him/her to be cheaper? The tarif you quoted is the same as the Swiss tarif. No guide, British or French would undercut the official tarif.

> Perhaps one can come forward and state the tariff for the Matterhorn and their criteria for accepting a previously unknown client.

I haven't been a British guide for some years now but no British or French guide that I know would simply turn up at the Hornli hut and take a complete unknown up the Matterhorn. That would indeed be gross stupidity. In addition, by now, practically all guides will be fully booked. Speaking for myself, I've always insisted that clients spend a week with me in the Zermatt region at the end of which we'd do the Matterhorn - if they were up to it.

 jon 23 Jul 2013
In reply to jon:

> The tarif you quoted is the same as the Swiss tarif

I've just run it through a converter and in fact the Swiss tarif is cheaper.
 Pyreneenemec 23 Jul 2013
In reply to jon:

Firstly, apologies to the O.P for hijacking somewhat his thread.

The last time I was in Zermatt ( 2000), the local guides did a half-day "training" trip which was usually the Breithorn traverse. Things change.

Decades of living outside the UK have numbed my senses so perhaps the subtle differences between being English, Scottish or British are lost on me ! You are of course perfectly correct and the title is British Mountain Guide.

As to not undercutting the local rates,there, I would have to disagree, it happens.

The Matterhorn is a very lucrative source of income for many guides and I'm not convinced that many would refuse an unknown client, if, on the face of things they appeared to be capable of the climb. After all, the guide has the last word and if things are not going well, he can decide to abandon the ascension. Whether or not the client gets a partial refund is another matter.

A whole week with a guide would be very expensive indeed and in my opinion, for most, not very realistic. A good option, for someone that has a particular summit in mind is to have a week with an organisation like "Montagnes de la Terre".
graham F 23 Jul 2013
In reply to Hendofan: You'll find the official Swiss price through the Zermatt guides' office here:
http://alpincenter-zermatt.ch/cms/output.php?id=50&cat_id=3&cat_id2...
http://alpincenter-zermatt.ch/UserFiles/files/Matterhorn_ascent.pdf

The half day training isn't compulsory but the standard practice is to work on a strict time cut-off (2 hours to Solvay) as a means of judging performance.

Lots of British guides offer Matterhorn weeks. You'll learn lots, climb several peaks and also have realistically 2 or more possible Matterhorn summit days in the week so you can work around weather. Try enquiring here:
http://www.bmg.org.uk/index.php/eng/Hire-a-Guide

Sorry Pyreneenemec (Sp?) but I'm a British guide and I'd refuse a 1 day Matterhorn with an unknown client, lucrative or not...
 Tom Briggs 23 Jul 2013
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:
> (In reply to Hendofan) Bloody hell that's a lot of money. Why bother being a barrister, when you can make more money being an alpine guide.

Guides don't get paid as much and as far as I'm aware, barristers don't risk getting killed every day they go to work.
 zvm 23 Jul 2013
In reply to Hendofan:

bump
 Doghouse 23 Jul 2013
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:
> (In reply to Hendofan) Bloody hell that's a lot of money. Why bother being a barrister, when you can make more money being an alpine guide.

Pretty ridiculous statement.
In reply to Doghouse:

Only 'pretty'?

Apart from anything else, has the OP ever tried negotiating a barrister's daily rate with their clerk?!

Off topic, but I wonder idly whether this pre-testing applies to all routes or only mountaineering-style ones? All those people on Yellow Edge, for example - have they really been tested beforehand on other routes? I'd have thought it would shrink the market quite a bit.

jcm
 colina 24 Jul 2013
In reply to graham F:
> (Sorry Pyreneenemec (Sp?) but I'm a British guide and I'd refuse a 1 day Matterhorn with an unknown client, lucrative or not...>


so wot would your minimum stipulation be then in taking someone up the mh

2days,3 days week?

dylan_the_fox 28 Jul 2013
In reply to Hendofan:

Oddly enough this subject came up while I was climbing in Saas Fee recently.

For a start, I hear that the Hornlli Hut will be closed next season as it's knackered. You might want to check direct though as the jungle telegraph can go wrong sometimes.

What's the attraction of the Matterhorn for you? Hopefully not a first Alpine summit?

 Alan Bates 08 Aug 2013
In reply to Hendofan: for what it's worth, if it were me and I was being guided I'd stick with a British guide and enjoy the experience more, BTW GrahamF who posted above is a top guy.
Good luck whatever you do.
alexwuk 16 Aug 2013
In reply to Alan Bates:
The local guiding office (Zermatt Aplin Center) tarrif is Chf 1000-. For that you'll get a guide who absolutely knows the route inside out [a big plus on a mountain which is bloody hard to routefind on], but who'll probably pretty pretty mercenary.
I'd suggest you consider a British guide.
 Gawyllie 16 Aug 2013
In reply to Hendofan: we had a look in the alpine center in Zermatt out of curiosity while checking the weather last week

it was over 1100CHF and then you also have to add your own and guides night in the hut. your trip up to schwarsee was not included if you didnt want to walk up and down that would be another considerable expense.

I'm sure it quoted about 1300-1350CHF all in and you meeting the guide at the hut the night before


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