Rise in the number of deaths on the Matterhorn is being blamed on a ‘hotel for climbers’ on the Swiss side charging too much for rooms
- Prices to stay at Hoernli Hut on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn have gone up
- Many climbers are now said to be starting their ascent from the Italian side
- But there are fears that there isn’t enough safety information or guides in Italy
- This is being blamed for a rise in the number of climbers dying on Matterhorn
A rise in the number of deaths on the Matterhorn has been blamed on a hotel on the Swiss side ‘charging too much’ for people to stay in it.
The Swiss part of the Matterhorn has a complete ban on people using tents and it now costs 450 CHF (£359) for a double room at the Hoernli Hut at the foot of the north-eastern ridge near the town of Zermatt.
In order to get around the charges, climbers are now said to be starting out from the Italian side of the mountain instead due to its lower costs. However, there are fears that on the Italian side, there isn’t enough safety information for climbers or guides to advise them.
A rise in deaths on the Matterhorn is being blamed on an increase in people scaling the mountain from the Italian side (pictured), which experts say doesn’t contain enough safety information
Nicole Maquignaz, the deputy mayor of Valtournenche in north west Italy, confirmed there had already been seven deaths on the Italian side of the Matterhorn this year as opposed to previous years when there were no reported deaths.
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And she reportedly suggested that one of the main factors in the rise in deaths was the increase in prices at the Hoernli Hut, which were introduced following its renovation in 2015.
The deputy mayor told Swiss newspaper 20min that ever since then she has noticed many tourists, especially those from Eastern Europe, have chosen to spend the night in the campsite in her town so they don’t have to pay the high prices and have started their climbs from there.
Traditionally, most people climbed the Matterhorn from the Swiss side, but prices to stay at the Hoernli Hut there before starting an ascent to the very top have increased
She explained that among other things, this means that important information about any immediate dangers that might be provided to people who stay in the hut are not passed on to those who had spent time in tents.
She said: ‘It’s even more difficult to warn alpinists against the risks because they are underway fully independently and without mountain guides who also spend the night in mountain huts.’
Head of the mountain guide association ‘Zermatters’, Nathalie Steindl, also admitted: ‘Hoernli Hut had a type of campsite before where alpinists could spend the night on a smaller budget.’
It now costs 450 CHF (£359) for a double room at the Hoernli Hut at the foot of the north-eastern ridge near the town of Zermatt, pictured
She added that this is now forbidden after the renovation and accommodation prices have been doubled.
Both Ms Steindl and Ms Maquignaz added that what isn’t helping is the fact that more and more alpinists are ill-prepared and irresponsible.
The town of Valtournenche is launching a campaign on Thursday to raise awareness with tourists and hope to collaborate with the Swiss.
Ms Maquignaz said that ‘the problem affects both communities’, which had an otherwise good relationship.
The Zermatt Tourism office told MailOnline Travel: ‘The municipalities of Zermatt and Valtournenche have good relations with each other. It has always been a problem that some climbers with insufficient equipment and without a guide climb the Matterhorn. And this problem affects us both.
‘The problem is not that there are too few guides (neither in Italy nor in Switzerland), but that some mountaineers do not want to spend money on a guide. If they stay overnight at a campsite, there is no hut keeper to alert them to the dangers. The Matterhorn is a difficult mountain whose ascent should not be underestimated.
‘With the new Hoernli Hut and the camping ban, we were able to reduce the number of mountaineers on the Swiss side and thus minimize accidents. From an average of 12 deaths per year, we fell to 0 in 2016 and two in 2017. We hope that our Italian friends will also find a solution. We very much welcome their awareness-raising campaign.’
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