European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 stars and stripes june 2007 Page 29 More than 500 people have died climbing the matterhorn since and Swiss tourism authorities say deaths now average about 12 Courtesy of above the matterhorn looks Radiant in the background As Moonlight illuminates Lake St Ellisee in the  area of right Carefree Zermatt nestles at the foot of the great How not to climb the matterhorn Surprise july snowstorm lets climbers know who Boss go Courtesy of on a Beautiful a Cogwheel railway climbing to the Corner Gorge with the matterhorn in the Back ground is Switzerland web site Click on the British Flag icon for Hoern Liquette and Berghaus matterhorn the base Camp is connected to Berghaus which has four double rooms and 120 dormitory Cash open july you can Only reach it after a strenuous two hour Alpine jul september 0 27967 october june 0 27967 getting there cars Are not allowed in parking is available in 3 Miles from with taxis or shuttle train to Zermatt the closest airports Are several hours away by car or train from Basel and and in Italy Huml or matterhorn web Cam Glacier express one of the worlds greatest Scenic the Glacier runs Between Moritz and through the heart of the find More at the matterhorn museum can be found at a much frequented at end of the Barnho Strasse on the premises of the former the Entrance is in the Garden of the grand hotel Zerma terhof near the Church by Sheila Norman Culp the associated press one sheer drop off to the another eight feet to the a Switchback Ridge so Steep that three Steps brings you to the next rope handholds to clutch when the Mountain Trail shrinks to less than a foot what am a Goat it was time to consider a panic it would be a summer Day my husband a glorious Saun Ter up a Flower filled Meadow to one of the worlds most famous Alpine families with Little children Are in the Gondola line with us dont forget your its so us three hours later i was shivering in a Surprise july Snow storm in route to the matterhorn base wearing Capri pants and sneakers with no at the matterhorn is not even the highest Mountain in Switzerland it surely is the most rising on four elegant faces to a craggy Peak along the Swiss italian Walt Disney even borrowed its Silhouette for debuting the matterhorn bobsled ride in at the real mountains base lies the Carefree Swiss town of there is no of season Here its nearly always packed with tourists Riding trains and gondolas up the hiking on the Alpine walking along picturesque streets lined with traditional Cha and eating at restaurants Deco rated with the huge Swiss its utterly Charm ing or tourism gone depend ing on your Point of at has France Germany Italy 0 50 i 0 50 pm stars and been on the flank of the Mountain in some version since its where the Guys and gals with ice ropes and crampons sleep and use the outhouse before launching their predawn Summit when the weather is bad and no one sits on the you also can inhale the wet socks and sweaty shirts of Manly men who disdain about people a year stay Here during its Brief summer sea son july 1 to with of them seeking glory on top of the but i was of the lesser Day trippers who gasp for breath up to the Stone throw themselves exhausted upon its sturdy wooden benches and need a Beer r or maybe two before they can face going Back we set off for Hoern Lahutte on a Crisp sunny after a Brief walk around Zermatt and a Stop to pick up water and then we were off to the Schwar see Cable which whisked us feet up to a restaurant and Pond above the tree where families with children for it was time to get at after 45 minutes across a Stony we reached a Lone building a few Hundred feet on a you can see where youre yet it takes to match my plodding my husband photographed about Alpine Flowers from every then the wind turned the Blue sky Ashen temperatures fell about 20 de we broke out the Windbreak which held off the freezing rain for five to six i longed for gloves and a it took about 10 Steps for the landscape to turn from Alpine Meadow to crumbling lunar Rock As the sleet turned into stinging the Trail disappeared the snowstorm struck when we were totally exposed on the switch Back by then i was hyperventilating about the sheer Cliffs on either i decided it was better to stare at the wet stones beneath my is it that we seek out these sweeping Mountain yet when we Are a glance in any direction sends our hearts racing in fear yet the mind is a marvelous since the storm limited visibility to six All of a sudden i could not see the plunging death might be a step or two but i was that when the fear we somehow made it to fortified by vegetable soup and hot we left the steamy Camp at about just As the next Days Summit ers were checking in for the theres nothing like a one Inch layer of sleet and a pea soup thick fog to really make a Mountain de scent interesting i thanked god again and again for my two adjust Able hiking As we Drew near to we heard a a climber with a fully loaded expedition Backpack was practically dancing Down the leaping from Rock to his ice pick we flattened against the Cliff to let him a minute then then a maybe they Are i we soon found out As we watched the Gondola operator lock up his office and ride the last one despite our own shouts from 100 Yards we had misread the closing time As in is we arrived at six min utes too believe he did not now we had feet More to or 2 hours and 35 minutes to according to a Trail a word about those Swiss hiking times posted at every would you ask a kenyan How Long it takes to run to the nearest Vil Lage i think Swiss grandmothers could beat you going up the Mountain carrying their Days Gro so Why would you believe their time estimates you try adding 25 minutes for every then add another 35 minutes because it is dark and you have to stick to the winding Road instead of hitting the Steep yet enticing trails through the Woods that you know could save you memo to self buy a hiking head after three More my thigh Muscles began to twitch a control nearly we arrived Back in the utterly about 9 the matterhorn had taught us a we paid a Price for our but thankfully not the ultimate writer Sheila Norman Culp pauses at the beginning of a hike up to the matterhorn base Camp in what we Learned our conclusions from our Lessith uncomfortable experience Zermatt and the matterhorn Are still must see Mountain expeditions in Short pants and Bald sneakers Are bound to end in if not the Swiss Are nothing if not punctual do not miss the last Tram Down the As of Early six people had died this year while climb ing the Matte Rhom Many dead mountaineers Are buried in Zerra atts downtown dont join that Sheila Norman Culp catch the Mountain on a bad such As in this summer and a pleasant Days climb becomes an ordeal especially in Bald