Swiss mountaineering schools and guides

Matterhorn, Zermatt, Switzerland

ABOVE: Matterhorn, above Zermatt.

The Alps have fascinated English-speaking tourists since 1741, when a party of Oxford scholars and tutors ascended the Montanvert near Chamonix. By 1777, Jakob Samuel Wyttensbach had published a guidebook to the glaciers and mountains of the Bernese Oberland, although Switzerland didn't become a haven for serious climbers until the British conquered the Mönchin 1857 and the Eiger in 1858.

Today, hundreds of climbers ascend one of Switzerland's best-known peaks--the Matterhorn--every year between July and September. The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) has more than 90,000 members, and dozens of mountaineering schools and guide services are scattered across Switzerland. In these two pages, I'll provide links to Swiss Web resources for beginning alpinists and experienced climbers:

General information

Adventure.ch
Click the round UIAGM/IBVB logo for information on mountain guides who are available for hire. Translate with Google.

Mountaineering schools and guide services

Alpine Action Unlimited
Climbing weeks, single-day and weekend climbs, private guide services, and winter ski touring are available from English-speaking instructors at Alpine Action, which is located in the family-oriented resort of Flims, in Canton Graubünden. In German; translate with AltaVista.

Alpin Center Zermatt
Lee Juillerat wrote this article. You can reach the Alpin Center by phone at +41 (0) 27 966 24 60, FAX +41 (0) 27 966 24 69.

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