The Matterhorn Training

Mountain climbing is a very sport-specific activity and having the proper fitness is fundamental. Fit individuals like marathon runners and triathletes often still struggle on climbs, lacking the conditioning specific for mountaineering demands. The training information here will help you arrive prepared for the mountain. Most people will need to train for at least 4-6 months.

An effective training program for the Matterhorn should be primarily composed of endurance training with significant strength components as well. Your training should progress slowly and be modulated, incorporating progressively harder weeks with planned rest weeks to consolidate the training loads into fitness gains. The following tabs will help you construct an endurance and strength training program for yourself.
You may find the following resources helpful:

• Watch: “From Gym to Glacier: Train Smarter for the Mountains”
• Read:  “Is my Training Working?”

Most people will need to train specifically for their Alps climb of the Matterhorn for at least three to four months. During your training, you will need to progressively ramp up your hike time, distance, and elevation gain (at roughly 10% per week) to carefully and effectively build your trekking-specific conditioning. Trying to rush this will increase the risk of experiencing some sort of training injury and not being ready for your trip. Below are more details of how to incorporate these four priorities into your program.

At the end of this training program:

• Hike steadily for 5 to 7 hours at a time while carrying a backpack with 25 pounds.
• Recover from consecutive days of sustained physical effort and be prepared to climb again the following day.
• Remain physically and mentally strong throughout a demanding 8 to 12 hour summit day at high altitude.
• Move efficiently over steep and uneven terrain using balance, core strength, and flexibility.

Certain ascent rates are required for this climb. When hours are prolonged due to slow ascent times, climbers become fatigued, dehydrated, and have a greater chance of getting cold. This also puts the team at risk in rapidly changing weather on the mountain. It is a matter of risk management that climbers ascend at the rates stated below.

Benchmark Ascent Rates for a Matterhorn Climb:

• Matterhorn Summit Climb: The Matterhorn involves more than 4,000 feet of elevation gain and loss over sustained, technical alpine rock terrain. Climbers should be able to reach the Solvay Bivouac in approximately 2 hours and the summit in approximately 4–5 hours from the Hörnli Hut. The descent is often more strenuous and time-consuming than the ascent, with many climbers taking 30 minutes to 1.5 hours longer to descend. Climbers should be prepared for a long, physically demanding day while maintaining a consistent pace throughout. If a climber is unable to maintain the necessary pace, the guide may need to turn around before reaching the summit

Training for the Uphill Athlete by Kilian Jornet, Steve House, and Scott Johnston

For female climbers, we recommend the following two books as supplementary reading:
ROAR and NEXT LEVEL by Stacy T. Sims, PhD

Personal trainers & sport specific training plans: Working with a personal trainer that is familiar with the demands of mountaineering and climbing is highly recommended. They can create personal training plans utilizing both indoor and outdoor locations with long range objectives and criteria. Personal trainers and training programs can help build a program based on your location, recognizing your access to fitness gyms and outdoor training. Sport specific training programs provide structured training for individuals to follow at home, the gym, and outside.

For customized training plans and coaching, contact Steve House and the team at Uphill Athlete.  Alpine Ascents climbers are eligible for a discount on Uphill Athlete training and coaching services to help prepare for their next objective. Please email Alpine Ascents to receive the discount code.

This is an extremely rigorous climb and being in strong physical condition is mandatory. Please note, the guide retains the right, at any point, to determine whether a climber is sufficiently fit to continue the climb.

To reach the summit of the Matterhorn (14,692 ft. / 4,478 m), climbers need excellent physical conditioning combined with strong alpine rock climbing skills and the ability to move efficiently through steep, exposed terrain. Previous experience should include multi-pitch alpine rock climbing, climbing in mountaineering boots, scrambling on exposed terrain, cramponing on rock, snow, and ice, and moving efficiently while short-roped with a guide. Just as importantly, climbers need the endurance and concentration to maintain a consistent pace for a long and physically demanding summit day.

The Matterhorn is different from many high-altitude climbs because technical efficiency and speed are as important as cardiovascular fitness. The Hörnli Ridge involves more than 4,000 vertical feet of climbing over sustained alpine terrain, followed by a long and demanding descent of the same route. Climbers should be comfortable moving continuously over third- and fourth-class rock, climbing steeper sections in mountain boots, transitioning between rock and crampons, and descending technical terrain efficiently. There is little opportunity to make up time if a climber is moving slowly.

Training should focus on developing the ability to ascend and descend 4,000–5,000 vertical feet in a day while maintaining a strong, consistent pace, combined with regular technical rock climbing. Cardiovascular fitness alone is not enough. Climbers should arrive with the leg strength and endurance required for sustained uphill and downhill movement as well as the technical skills to climb confidently without requiring constant instruction or assistance.

Looking at past success, the overwhelming majority of climbers who have been strong and successful on the Matterhorn generally have:

• Completed a multi-day alpine climbing course and several technical alpine or multi-pitch rock climbs before attempting the Matterhorn.
• Developed strong alpine rock climbing skills, including confidently climbing exposed third- and fourth-class terrain and moderate fifth-class rock while wearing mountaineering boots.
• Experience moving efficiently with a guide on a short rope and transitioning between rock climbing, scrambling, and cramponing on snow and ice.
• The fitness and endurance to ascend more than 4,000 vertical feet in approximately 4–5 hours and maintain the concentration and strength required for an equally demanding descent.
• The ability to remain composed, efficient, and confident while moving quickly through steep and exposed alpine terrain.
• Increased an established climbing-specific training regimen for several months prior to departure.

Most climbers should train specifically for the Matterhorn for at least 3–4 months, building from an established baseline of cardiovascular fitness and technical climbing experience. Throughout your training, progressively increase hiking time, elevation gain, and technical climbing days. Whenever possible, combine long approaches with sustained rock climbing and significant descents to replicate the demands of the Matterhorn.

The goal is not simply to be fit enough to reach the summit. Climbers need enough reserve fitness and technical efficiency to climb the Hörnli Ridge at the required pace and still have the strength, concentration, and coordination for the long and often more strenuous descent.

A properly designed endurance training program is the key to being successful for long days in the mountains. For those not familiar with endurance training, it may be surprising that the vast majority of time spent is at a fairly low intensity. For better or worse, there is no shortcut to this process. To perform well over many hours climbing you need to teach your body to be efficient and comfortable burning fat and operating at a sustainable intensity. There is no way to do this except to spend the bulk of your time training at these levels. The good news is that most of the training isn’t brutally difficult at any one point, the hard news is that it can be time consuming and requires dedication and consistency to see the results. For most folks this will involve some early alarms during the week to fit in shorter training sessions then doing the more time-consuming longer sessions on the weekend.

Endurance training needs to be reasonably convenient to execute and as sport-specific as possible. Striking a balance between these two goals is the key and depends on your geographical location and time constraints.  The following are examples of endurance training modalities that can be used in a mixture during your training phases.

• Steep outdoor hills with lots of vertical gain
• Steep outdoor hills that are short, requiring repeated laps
• Stairs with many flights (stadium or tall building)
• Incline treadmill (40% max incline)
• Normal treadmill (15% max incline)
• Stepmill type trainer with actual rotating steps
• Stairstepper/Stairmaster

Other training options like cycling, rowing, and swimming have their place at times for active recovery and/or injury rehab, but these activities are not sport-specific enough to adequately train you for climbing. Use the best training modes you have available. Make an effort to train outside and in varying weather conditions when you can. If you live in an area that has hilly terrain somewhat close, try and get out on the weekend to train in this terrain.

Consistent and thoughtfully progressed general strength work can be a great benefit to mountaineers. Being strong makes your movements more efficient and ultimately less taxing. It will also make you more durable and prevent injury. Strength training does not need to be complicated, equipment intensive, or time consuming. We do recommend having access to some basic dumbbells and a few height boxes at a minimum.  Progress the workouts slowly and always pay attention to good form before trying to increase weights too quickly.

General strength and core exercises are great in the early and middle phases of training plans. As the training progresses and the goal climb approaches, you may want to use some of the training time to do more sport-specific strength training such as heavy pack carries that simulate the stress of climbing.

A good warm up is important for strength work just like any other training. One way is to do 15-20 minutes of low intensity aerobic work first to get the blood moving and the muscles warm. This can be an easy jog outside, cycling, or using a gym machine like an elliptical. Once warmed up, you can dive into core work. Pick 6-8 core exercises and work up to doing 3 sets of 10 reps. The following link has some suggestions and demonstrations of exercises that are great for climbing.

Uphill Athlete: Scott’s Killer Core Routine

Following core exercises, you can move directly into a strength workout. A basic but effective way to structure this is to include a few upper body and a few lower body exercises. The upper body exercises ideally include a pushing and a pulling movement, while the lower body exercises are primarily single legged (bonus points if they require a bit of balance). Alternating between upper and lower body is a great way to be time-efficient in you training. For example:

10 reps of step ups onto a 16” box working up to a 24” box
10 Wall Pushups, Knee Pushups, or Traditional Pushups

Rest 3-4 minutes

10 reps of step ups onto a 16” box working up to a 24” box
10 Wall Pushups, Knee Pushups, or Traditional Pushups

Start with one round of this and work up to 4 rounds over a couple months. Use additional weight in the form of a barbell or weight vest to make 10 reps challenging. Progress the weight and number of rounds slowly over the training period. You may also consider other similar movements with resistance bands or TRX straps. Full body exercises like the deadlift and Turkish get-ups are also great for this kind of general strength training.

Be sure to include at least 5-10 minutes of targeted stretching following every workout, specifically for the hamstrings, glutes, hips, calves, lower back, and quadriceps. If you have any areas of concern early season, add emphasis to making sure you have normal range of motion about all your joints. This will become even more important as you add weight and distance to your conditioning.