Video recap:
On my weekend in Zermatt, I spent the first day acclimatizing by trail running/hiking up to Schönbielhütte (highly recommended hike with amazing views along the south side of the Matterhorn) followed by a Breithorn summit on the second day. Check out the video highlights:
0:28 - I started off the hike with a bit of trail running, but interestingly it was the same day as the Zermatt marathon. They let me on to the trail since it was probably close to the finish line and it was very early so only a few of the leaders were going by. Unfortunately I didn't get it on camera, but after a few minutes of uphill I was already starting to feel it when one of the leaders went flying by me. I would guess pushing a 5 minute mile pace probably close to the end of the race after going up hundreds of meters in elevation. These guys were insane!
0:39 - As you are leaving Zermatt and heading up the mountains, stay on the right side of the river and follow the signs for Zmutt. You'll end up on nice network of trails under some impressive ridges with a great southerly view of the Matterhorn.
0:53 - Here I was rewarded with a nice view of the Breithorn, the mountain we were going to climb the next day.
1:05 - Once you pass the last dam you can work your way up the valley floor towards the base of the Zmuttgletscher and stop to enjoy the nice view under the imposing Matterhorn.
2:05 - After backtracking a bit, you can rejoin the trail network and continue heading west towards Schonbielhutte. The trail is nothing but amazing glacier views and picturesque 360 panoramas including the Matterhorn and Dent d'Herens.
3:07 - There were a lot of climbers at Schönbielhütte taking advantage of the great forecast to attempt some of the more challenging peaks in the area. The three guys I talked to were heading out to do Dent Blanche the next day. Taking some mountaineering classes and gaining enough experience to try these types of things is definitely on my to-do list now.
3:45 - We met our guide for the Breithorn and took off on the Glacier Paradise gondola to reach the start of the hike. The guide quickly went over a bit of rope safety but the Breithorn is quite easy and the risk of falling in a crevasse is minimal since its so well traveled. But regardless, always good to know your guide was a former emergency rescue mountaineer.
5:03 - While technically extremely easy, the Breithorn still delivers big on views of many of the most prominent 4,000 m peaks in the area. You can even see Mont Blanc way off in the distance.
5:51 - We reached the top and were again rewarded with an amazing 360 panorama of the most famous Swiss mountains and some of the biggest glaciers in Europe. Pretty cool experience.