Wild camping on the Matterhorn
The Swiss side of the Matterhorn, 4'478 m, is all Zermatt ground, and Zermatt fines a pitched tent from the valley floor to the summit ridge. At the Hörnlihütte, where climbers sleep before the ridge, the hut itself refuses tents and bivvies. The night is a booked bunk.
What do these mean?
Illegal A specific rule bans it, usually with a fine, and it can be enforced. Sleep somewhere else.
Not allowed No real place to camp here. A gated site, a developed area, or nowhere sensible to lie down, even if no fine is attached.
It depends You can sleep here, but there's a condition first: ask the landowner, book a spot, stay inside a set zone, or use a bivvy instead of a tent. The report says which.
Tolerated No rule clearly allows or bans it, but a single night is accepted in practice and nobody enforces against it. Normal for high bivouacs above the treeline.
Legal Camping one night is fine here. Either a rule allows it, or we checked every law and found nothing against it. Still: pitch late, leave early, no trace.
Wild camping on the Matterhorn: one commune, four places
The Swiss side of the Matterhorn is one commune: Zermatt. The summit, 4'478 m, lies on the border with Italy, and every slope north of it, from the Hörnli ridge to the Zmutt side, is Zermatt ground. South of the top the mountain is Italian, with the Rifugio Carrel and Breuil-Cervinia, and Italian law applies there. 1
Four places come up when people ask where to spend a night on it. The Hörnlihütte, 3'260 m, at the foot of the Hörnli ridge, is where climbers sleep before the ridge. The Solvay, a small bivouac hut at 4'003 m on the same ridge, is the one roof higher up. Schwarzsee, 2'583 m at the hotel, is where the lift arrives and the path to the hut starts. And on the west side, the Zmutt side has the Schönbielhütte and the Lonza bivouac below the Zmutt ridge. 1789
All of them lie in the same unsurveyed lot of the official survey, "Zermatt 10", which covers 236.7 km² of alpine ground; none of them has a parcel or a land-register entry. The same two Zermatt regulations apply at each, and the answer is the same at each. 1
The rule: Zermatt bans camping, and the mountain is public ground
Zermatt's police regulation, homologated on 26 January 2022, applies to the whole commune (Art. 2 Abs. 1). Its Art. 43 decides the night: 2
"Unter Campieren versteht man das vorübergehende Verweilen in Zelten, Wohnwagen oder ähnlichen mobilen und unbeweglichen Einrichtungen. Das blosse Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen etc. fällt ebenfalls unter den Begriff des Campierens. Das Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund ist verboten."Polizeireglement der Einwohnergemeinde Zermatt, Art. 43 Abs. 1 and 2. In English: camping means temporarily staying in tents, caravans or similar mobile and immobile installations; merely putting up tents or caravans also counts as camping; camping on public ground is prohibited.
So a tent is caught before anyone sleeps in it: pitching it is already camping. Abs. 3 allows occasional camping away from campsites only with the landowner's consent, and on the Matterhorn the landowner is the commune. The Valais act implementing the civil code puts land that cannot be cultivated into public ownership: 24
"Die Gemeindestrassen, die nicht kultivierbaren Regionen, wie Felsen, Schutthalden, Schneefelder und Gletscher, Seen, alle Wasserläufe, ab demjenigen Punkt wo sie entspringen, fallen in das öffentliche Eigentum der Gemeinden."Einführungsgesetz zum Schweizerischen Zivilgesetzbuch (EGZGB), RS/VS 211.1, Art. 163 Abs. 3. In English: communal roads, non-cultivable regions such as rock, scree, snowfields and glaciers, lakes and all watercourses fall into the public property of the communes.
Rock, scree, snowfield, glacier and the Schwarzsee itself are exactly that. The consent door of Abs. 3 leads back to Zermatt, which bans camping on its public ground and publishes no permit, form or fee for a tent there. 46
The traffic regulation bans it a second time. Art. 37 of Zermatt's Verkehrsreglement, headed "Freies Campieren", says: "Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist untersagt. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze." Occasional, non-commercial camping on private ground needs the owner's written consent (Abs. 2); rock and glacier have no private owner, and at the hut the operator says no, as the next section shows. Breaches cost up to CHF 5'000 (Art. 53 Abs. 1). 3
Under the police regulation the fine runs from CHF 10 to 5'000 (Art. 49 Abs. 2), negligence included (Art. 49 Abs. 1). The commune repeated the rule in a media release of 1 May 2026, under the heading "Hinweis: Wildcampieren in Zermatt verboten", and added that it applies to the mountain lakes too. 26
The Hörnlihütte: the hut says no as well
The Hörnlihütte is where the night on the Matterhorn is actually spent. It stands at 3'260 m on the lip of a cliff band above the Matterhorn glacier, at the foot of the Hörnli ridge, about 2 hours from the Schwarzsee lift. Around it are a terrace, a square pad east of the hut and the path; everything else is scree and rock, within 30 m on average about 29 degrees steep. The nearest level ground is a glacial tarn 647 m north-north-east and debris-covered glacier with meltwater ponds 678 to 851 m east-south-east: water and ice, and public property like the rest. 17
The hut is run by the Zermatt Hospitality Group AG, founded in 1996 as the executive arm of the Burgergemeinde Zermatt. Its questions and answers for guests take up the tent question directly: 7
"Nein, wildes Zelten und Biwakieren ist am Matterhorn oberhalb von 2'880 m streng verboten und wird von der örtlichen Polizei mit einer hohen Geldstrafe geahndet."Hörnlihütte, questions and answers, no. 7. In the hut's own English: wild camping and bivouacking are "strictly forbidden around the Matterhorn" above that height and "will incur a large fine".
That is the operator's word, not a regulation, and it names no article. It does settle the one question the law leaves open at the hut: if any ground there were private, the only party that could consent refuses in public. And it counts the bivvy bag in. 7
The ban does not start at 2'880 m. In March 2015 the Walliser Bote reported that the commune had put wild camping and bivouacking above 2'880 m around the Matterhorn under threat of a CHF 5'000 fine. The decision itself is not published, and Zermatt's register of regulations lists no such act. What decides is the police regulation and the traffic regulation, and both apply to the whole commune, at Schwarzsee and in the village as much as on the ridge. 10623
A bivvy bag without a tent: do not plan it
The police regulation names tents, caravans and "ähnliche mobile Einrichtungen", similar mobile installations; the traffic regulation bans "freies Zelten und Campieren". A tent is caught by both. A bivvy bag with no poles is arguably a similar mobile installation, and no court has ruled on it. 23
On the Matterhorn that gap leads nowhere. The hut operator names bivouacking expressly, and so did the commune in 2015, as the press reported it. At the hut the only level ground is built, terrace, pad and path, and above it the ridge has none. Plan the night in a bunk, not in a bag. 7101
A genuine emergency bivouac, forced by a change in the weather or an injury, is a rescue situation, not camping. That is what the Solvay is for. 8
The summit and the Solvay: no ground, and a roof for emergencies
The summit is a crest of rock and snow on the national border. Within 30 m of the top the slopes average about 53 degrees. The nearest level patch is a snow shelf 534 m north and 1'056 m lower, at about 3'421 m. Nobody lies down up there, tent or no tent, and on Zermatt's side of the crest the same two bans apply. 1
The Solvay sits at 4'003 m on a knife-edge of the Hörnli ridge. Outside its walls the slopes within 30 m average about 58 degrees, and the nearest level patch is 418 m away and 583 m lower. A tent or a bivvy bag on the ridge beside it would stand on Zermatt's public rock, under the same bans as everywhere else. 1
The hut, dedicated in 1917, belongs to the central association of the Swiss Alpine Club, the only hut the association owns itself. The club says plainly what it is for: 8
"Die Notunterkunft am Matterhorn. Das Biwak am Hörnligrat auf 4003m darf nur in Notfall-Situationen, zum Beispiel bei Wetterumsturz im Abstieg benutzt werden."Swiss Alpine Club, route portal, Solvaybiwak SAC. In English: the emergency shelter on the Matterhorn; the bivouac on the Hörnli ridge may only be used in emergencies, for example when the weather turns on the descent.
That is the owner's rule, and no regulation attaches a fine to it. It still means the Solvay is not a stop to plan: sleep at the Hörnlihütte, and use the Solvay only if the weather or an injury forces you to. 8
Schwarzsee, the Zmutt side and the valley
Schwarzsee is a lift station, not a pitch. Around the lake at 2'552 m stand the cable-car station, the Hotel Schwarzsee with its terrace at 2'583 m, a chapel on the north-west shore, gravel roads and lift pylons; the one flat patch beside them is a dried pond basin. The lake is the commune's public property, Zermatt's zoning plan lays a nature reserve of cantonal importance over it, whose rules concern building, and the commune's notice of 1 May 2026 names the mountain lakes expressly. 146
The bed at the start of the Hörnli path is the Hotel Schwarzsee, run by the same company as the hut: about 14 rooms and 40 beds, +41 27 967 22 63, info@schwarzsee-zermatt.ch. The Burgerrat has had its renovation on the agenda from 2023 to 2026, so check that it is open before you count on it. 76
On the Zmutt side the lawful roof is the Lonza bivouac. It stands at 2'961 m on the Sattelti, the col at the foot of the Zmutt ridge, built new in 2022 by ZERMATTERS, the Zermatt mountain guides' office, which owns it and takes the bookings: 8 places, unattended, CHF 65 a night for non-members and CHF 55 for SAC members, also without a guide. It is about 5 hours from Schwarzsee over glacier and pathless ground. Lower down, the Schönbielhütte SAC, 2'694 m, has 70 places, +41 27 967 13 54. A tent on the moraine or the glacier between them is the same offence as at the Hörnli. 98
In the village and on the valley floor the same two regulations apply, and Zermatt's campsite is closed for 2026: the Gemeinderat barred its use as a precaution on 30 April 2026 because of natural hazards, and the commune considers continued operation on the present site unlikely. Its advice is plain: 6
"Bitte nutzen Sie ausschliesslich bewilligte Campingplätze oder offizielle Unterkünfte im Mattertal"Einwohnergemeinde Zermatt, media release of 1 May 2026. In English: please use only authorised campsites or official lodging in the Mattertal.
What the canton and the Confederation add
Valais has no cantonal camping ban, and its building ordinance deals with tents only beyond its permit thresholds, far beyond a single night. The bans that count on the Matterhorn are Zermatt's. 4
No federal reserve adds a rule. None of the places lies in a federal game reserve, in a wildlife rest zone, federal or cantonal, or in a park. All of them except the summit point lie in object 1707 of the federal landscape inventory, "Dent Blanche - Matterhorn - Monte Rosa", which binds the authorities, not the visitor. 1
The Hörnlihütte and the Solvay lie in the cantonal hunting reserve "Mixte Nr. 73 Furgg", where chamois are protected. It regulates hunting and has no rule on visitors or tents; it is not a federal game reserve, so the federal tent ban for those reserves and its CHF 150 fixed fine do not apply. 5
Who checks, and what it costs
Zermatt checks at night by drone, a communal ranger has been out on foot since 1 March 2025, and the Regionalpolizei Zermatt answers on +41 27 966 22 22, regionalpolizei@zermatt.ch. Anyone without a fixed residence in Switzerland can be asked for a deposit against the expected fine (Art. 50 Abs. 3), and the cost of an extraordinary police operation can be charged on top (Art. 52). 62
The Hörnli has a record. In 2014, while the hut was being rebuilt, the police patrolled there against wild campers, and before the anniversary of the first ascent in 2015 officers guarded the start of the ridge with night-vision gear. In 2019 the Rhone Zeitung reported that earlier interventions around the Hörnli and Monte Rosa huts had cost CHF 200 per tent, with the flight up billed to the campers. That is one reported figure, not a tariff: the regulations set only the frames. 10
How it is possible: a bunk at the Hörnlihütte
The way onto the Hörnli ridge is the one everybody takes: a booked bed at the Hörnlihütte, then an early start. From the hut the Swiss Alpine Club gives 4 to 5 hours and 1'200 m of ascent to the summit, grade ZS+, and the operator recommends a guide. 87
Hörnlihütte, 3'260 m, 150 overnight places, wardens Edith and Martin Lehner-Rüegsegger. Open 25 June to 20 September 2027. Rates as the hut publishes them in October 2026: a bunk in a dormitory of up to 8, CHF 150 per person with dinner, breakfast and Marschtee, tea for the tour; tourist tax extra; SAC members and mountain guides CHF 10 off. A sleeping-bag liner is obligatory, or CHF 43 at reception. Book online up to 3 days before arrival, by credit card, with a non-refundable deposit of CHF 50 per person and night; after that, call +41 27 967 22 64, info@hoernlihuette.ch. 7
Outside the season, the emergency room. When the hut is closed, as it is now until 25 June 2027, one room stays open: 20 mattresses and a toilet, no bedding, no running water, no gas and no kitchen. It cannot be reserved, and CHF 20 is paid after use, by TWINT or bank transfer. First come, first served, and its name says what it is meant for. 7
The approach. From the Schwarzsee lift the path to the hut takes about 2 hours, 700 m of ascent, grade T3, with fixed ropes and chains on the steep parts. 78
- Hörnlihütte, 3'260 m: a bunk with half board, CHF 150, from 25 June to 20 September 2027. 7
- Its emergency room: whenever the hut is closed, CHF 20, no booking. 7
- Lonza bivouac, 2'961 m: on the Zmutt side, 8 places, CHF 65, booked through ZERMATTERS. 9
- Hotel Schwarzsee, 2'583 m: at the lift, +41 27 967 22 63; check that it is open. 7
- Not on the summit, the ridge, the scree around the hut or the shore of the Schwarzsee, and not in the Solvay unless it is an emergency. 238
Zermatt's rules decide the same way on the Breithorn, the Mettelhorn and the Oberrothorn, and at the Stellisee and the Riffelsee. How the cantons compare: wild camping in Switzerland.
General rules for wild camping
There is no lawful night outside on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn. Take these rules to the places where there is one, and to the way up and down:
- No fire. An open fire has no place in the mountains. A gas stove is enough.
- Pitch late, strike early. Set up towards evening, gone again early. A bivouac is one night, not a base camp.
- Leave no rubbish. Everything you carry up you carry down, organic scraps and toilet paper included.
- At least 50 metres from any water for the big business, so you do not foul what people and livestock drink.
- Stay small and quiet. A small group, no speaker, no drone, dogs on the lead, and the alp staff's word goes.
Disclaimer
This article reflects my research and assessment as of 13 October 2026, based on the official sources linked below. It does not replace legal advice and is not a binding statement of the current legal situation.
It covers the Swiss side of the Matterhorn, all of it in Zermatt; the Italian side falls under Italian law. No court has decided whether a bivvy bag counts as camping under Zermatt's regulations, and the communal decision on 2'880 m reported in 2015 is known only from the press. Seasons, prices and route conditions come from the operators: check them before you go and follow instructions on site. A genuine emergency bivouac in distress is a separate question from a planned night. Anyone who spends the night outside bears responsibility for their own conduct and its consequences. Hikebeast, Leon Helg and Saftladen GmbH accept no liability for decisions made on the basis of this text, and call on no one to break applicable law.
Frequently asked questions
Is wild camping allowed on the Matterhorn?
Can I bivouac near the Hörnlihütte without a tent?
Can I sleep in the Solvay hut?
Does the ban only apply above 2'880 metres?
Where can I sleep legally on the Matterhorn?
Leon Helg
Swiss filmmaker and software developer. Spends his free time in the Swiss Alps and maps his favourite spots for Hikebeast. Posts as @leon.helg on Instagram and TikTok.
Sources
- Federal and cantonal geodata, read on 13 October 2026. swissNAMES3D: Matterhorn summit, LV95 2'617'049 / 1'091'673, WGS84 45.97641 / 7.65861, terrain height 4'477.2 m, map height 4'478 m; Solvaybiwak SAC, LV95 2'617'386.7 / 1'091'927.1, 4'003.5 m; Hörnlihütte, LV95 2'618'469 / 1'092'314; Schwarzsee, lake surface, LV95 2'620'776.8 / 1'093'280.6, 2'551.5 m; Lonza Biwak, LV95 2'615'194.3 / 1'092'771.6, 2'963.4 m; Schönbielhütte SAC, LV95 2'614'744.5 / 1'094'510.3, 2'696.2 m. Commune from swissBOUNDARIES3D, current year: Zermatt at every place; the summit lies on the national border, with Zermatt to the north, north-east and north-west and Italy to the south. Canton of Valais, official survey: every place lies in the unsurveyed lot "Zermatt 10", alpine ground of 236.7 km², land register Brig; there is no parcel and no EGRID at any of them, nor at the hotel, the chapel and the lift station at Schwarzsee. Federal inventories: no game reserve, wildlife rest zone, park, mire, floodplain, dry meadow, amphibian site, Ramsar or Emerald site, forest reserve or military area at any place; BLN object 1707 "Dent Blanche - Matterhorn - Monte Rosa" at every place except the summit point. Cantonal layers: no binding or recommended wildlife rest zone and no cantonal protection decision at any place. Zermatt zoning plan: "Übriges Gemeindegebiet" at the Solvay, the hut, the Lonza Biwak and the Schönbielhütte; at Schwarzsee an agricultural zone overlaid by a nature reserve of cantonal importance. Terrain from swissALTI3D (2 m): summit, median slope 52.8 degrees within 30 m, nearest 10 by 10 m window under 20 degrees 534 m north and 1'056 m lower, at 3'421 m; Solvay, median 57.7 degrees within 30 m, nearest such window 418 m away and 583 m lower; Hörnlihütte, median 29 degrees within 30 m, level ground only on the built platform, nearest flat ground a glacial tarn 647 m north-north-east at 2'781 m and debris-covered glacier with meltwater ponds 678 to 851 m east-south-east at 2'702 to 2'725 m. Aerial images © swisstopo: the Solvay a box on a knife-edge ridge; the hut with its terrace, a square pad east of it and the path, on the lip of a cliff band; at Schwarzsee the lift station, the hotel with its terrace, a chapel on the north-west shore, gravel roads, lift pylons and a dried pond basin 137 m north-east of the lake. map.geo.admin.ch, sit.vs.ch (official survey), sit.vs.ch (zoning). ↩
- Polizeireglement der Einwohnergemeinde Zermatt, adopted by the Gemeinderat on 10 December 2020 and 29 April 2021, accepted by the Urversammlung on 8 June 2021, homologated by the Staatsrat on 26 January 2022, and on the commune's register on 13 October 2026. Art. 2 Abs. 1: "Das Polizeireglement Zermatt gilt örtlich und sachlich für die Gemeinde Zermatt." Art. 43 "Campieren", Abs. 1 and 2: "Unter Campieren versteht man das vorübergehende Verweilen in Zelten, Wohnwagen oder ähnlichen mobilen und unbeweglichen Einrichtungen. Das blosse Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen etc. fällt ebenfalls unter den Begriff des Campierens. Das Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund ist verboten." Abs. 3: "Das vereinzelte gelegentliche Campieren abseits von bewilligten Campingplätzen ist nur mit Zustimmung des Grundeigentümers gestattet." Art. 49 Abs. 1: negligence is punishable; Abs. 2: "Bussen von CHF 10.- bis CHF 5'000.-". Art. 50 Abs. 3: the regional police can demand a deposit from people without a fixed residence in Switzerland. Art. 52: the cost of an extraordinary police operation can be charged to whoever caused it. Art. 53 reserves the Verkehrsreglement. The regulation contains no tariff. cms.ewg-zermatt.ch (PDF). ↩
- Verkehrsreglement der Einwohnergemeinde Zermatt, listed on the commune's register as "Verkehrsreglement (21.10.2009)" on 13 October 2026. Art. 2 Abs. 1: it applies "auf das Gebiet der Gemeinde Zermatt", in particular to the public roads and paths. Art. 37 "Freies Campieren", Abs. 1: "Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist untersagt. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze." Abs. 2: "Gelegentliches, nicht kommerzielles Campieren auf privatem Boden ist gestattet, falls die schriftliche Einwilligung des Bodeneigentümers vorliegt." Art. 53 Abs. 1: "Handlungen gegen die Vorschriften dieses Reglementes sowie gegen rechtskräftige Verfügungen des Gemeinderates werden durch den Gemeinderat mit einer Busse bis zu CHF 5'000.-- bestraft". cms.ewg-zermatt.ch (PDF). ↩
- Canton of Valais. Einführungsgesetz zum Schweizerischen Zivilgesetzbuch (EGZGB), RS/VS 211.1, Art. 163 Abs. 3: "Die Gemeindestrassen, die nicht kultivierbaren Regionen, wie Felsen, Schutthalden, Schneefelder und Gletscher, Seen, alle Wasserläufe, ab demjenigen Punkt wo sie entspringen, fallen in das öffentliche Eigentum der Gemeinden." The version in force from 1 January 2027 keeps the paragraph unchanged. Bauverordnung (BauV), RS/VS 705.100, version in force since 1 January 2026: it requires a permit for tents outside a campsite only beyond its thresholds of duration and number; Valais has no cantonal camping ban. lex.vs.ch (EGZGB), lex.vs.ch (BauV). ↩
- Canton of Valais, hunting. Beschluss über die Ausübung der Jagd im Wallis 2026-2027, RS/VS 922.110, decided on 17 June 2026, in force since 1 July 2026. Art. 37 Abs. 3: "Unter Vorbehalt gegenteiliger Bestimmungen dieses Beschlusses sowie von Anhang 4 dieses Beschlusses ist jegliche Jagd in den KBG und den gemischten KBG verboten." Anhang 4 Art. A4-2 Abs. 1 lit. a Ziff. 17 protects chamois in the mixed cantonal reserve "Mixte Nr. 73 Furgg". The decree has no rule on tents, bivouacs or overnight stays. Cantonal hunting map: "Mixte Nr. 73 Furgg", 14.77 km², covers the Hörnlihütte and the Solvay, not the summit point, Schwarzsee or the Zmutt side. It is a cantonal reserve, not a federal game reserve, so the federal rules for those reserves and their CHF 150 fixed fine do not apply. lex.vs.ch (RS/VS 922.110), sit.vs.ch (hunting map). ↩
- Einwohnergemeinde and Burgergemeinde Zermatt, own publications, read on 13 October 2026. Media release of 1 May 2026, "Hinweis: Wildcampieren in Zermatt verboten": "Das Wildcampieren ist in der Gemeinde Zermatt nicht erlaubt. Gemäss Art. 43 des Polizeireglements der Einwohnergemeinde Zermatt gilt bereits das vorübergehende Verweilen in Zelten, Wohnwagen oder ähnlichen mobilen Einrichtungen sowie das blosse Aufstellen solcher Einrichtungen als Campieren. Das Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund ist verboten, das gilt auch für die Bergseen." In the same release: the Gemeinderat barred the use of the Zermatt campsite as a precaution on 30 April 2026 because of natural hazards, continued operation on the present site is considered unlikely, and "Bitte nutzen Sie ausschliesslich bewilligte Campingplätze oder offizielle Unterkünfte im Mattertal". Register of regulations: the police regulation and the traffic regulation are listed, and no regulation on camping, bivouacs, the Matterhorn or mountaineering. Bau- und Zonenreglement Art. 26 (nature protection zone): rules on building only. A communal ranger checks on foot since 1 March 2025; night checks by drone. Regionalpolizei Zermatt, regionalpolizei@zermatt.ch, +41 27 966 22 22. Burgergemeinde Zermatt, "Aktuelles aus dem Burgerrat": at its sitting of 24 April 2023 the Burgerrat "genehmigt unter Auflagen und im Rahmen einer Ausnahmebewilligung eine Zeltanfrage im Gebiet Schwarzsee", on its own land; at its sitting of 25 August 2025 it "berät über die aktuell angewandte Handhabung bei Anfragen zum Campieren auf Burgerboden", with no published outcome. The renovation of the Hotel Restaurant Schwarzsee is on its agenda from 2023 to 2026. media release of 1 May 2026 (PDF), register of regulations, gemeinde.zermatt.ch (news), Bau- und Zonenreglement (PDF), burgergemeindezermatt.ch. ↩
- Hörnlihütte, operator pages read on 13 October 2026. Home page: "Geöffnet vom 25. Juni bis 20. September 2027", emergency room open now; 3'260 m, 150 overnight places; about 2 hours on foot from the Schwarzsee lift, on a marked path with fixed ropes and chains; wardens Edith and Martin Lehner-Rüegsegger. Sleeping: dormitory bunks CHF 150 per person with dinner, breakfast and Marschtee, up to 8 per room; sleeping-bag liner obligatory, or CHF 43 at reception; private suite CHF 500 for two. Terms: online reservation up to 3 days before arrival, credit card required, deposit of CHF 50 per person and night, not refundable, also not for no-shows; from 3 days before arrival by phone, +41 27 967 22 64; prices include service and VAT, tourist tax extra; mountain and hiking guides and SAC members CHF 10 off on showing their card. Emergency room: "Der Notraum ist offen, wenn die Hütte geschlossen ist. Er besteht aus 20 Matratzen und einer Toilette. Der Notraum kann nicht reserviert werden. Nach der Benutzung muss ein Unkostenbeitrag von CHF 20 bezahlt werden." No bedding, no running water, no gas, no kitchen; payment by TWINT or bank transfer. Questions and answers, no. 7, "Kann ich auf oder in der Nähe des Matterhorns zelten oder biwakieren?": "Nein, wildes Zelten und Biwakieren ist am Matterhorn oberhalb von 2'880 m streng verboten und wird von der örtlichen Polizei mit einer hohen Geldstrafe geahndet." Operator: Zermatt Hospitality Group AG, Bahnhofstrasse 53, 3920 Zermatt, info@hoernlihuette.ch; the group was founded in 1996 "als ausführendes Organ der Burgergemeinde Zermatt" and also runs the Hotel Restaurant Schwarzsee. Hotel Restaurant Schwarzsee, 2'583 m, Zermatt Tourism listing: about 14 rooms and 40 beds, +41 27 967 22 63, info@schwarzsee-zermatt.ch. hoernlihuette.ch, sleeping, terms, emergency room, questions and answers, zhg.swiss, zermatt.swiss (Hotel Schwarzsee). ↩
- Swiss Alpine Club, route portal, read on 13 October 2026. Solvaybiwak SAC, 4'003 m: "Die Notunterkunft am Matterhorn. Das Biwak am Hörnligrat auf 4003m darf nur in Notfall-Situationen, zum Beispiel bei Wetterumsturz im Abstieg benutzt werden." Not staffed in any month, the shelter open all year; the Hörnli ridge passes it, ZS+, 4 to 5 h and 1'200 m from the Hörnlihütte. Hörnlihütte, 3'260 m: from Schwarzsee T3, 2 to 2 h 30 and 700 m; the Zmutt ridge from the hut S, 6 h and 1'380 m. Schönbielhütte SAC, 2'694 m, owner CAS Monte Rosa, 70 places and a room with 12 places open all year, closed from October to February, +41 27 967 13 54. Zermatt Tourism, news of 19 June 2017 on 100 years of the Solvay bivouac, archived copy: the hut, dedicated on 8 August 1917, is the only one the SAC's central section in Bern calls its own, and it is there for climbers in distress. sac-cas.ch (Solvaybiwak), sac-cas.ch (Hörnlihütte), sac-cas.ch (Schönbielhütte), zermatt.ch, 2017 (archived). ↩
- ZERMATTERS, the Zermatt mountain guides' office, page "Lonza Bivouac", read on 13 October 2026: the bivouac belongs to ZERMATTERS and is looked after by them; on the Sattelti at 2'961 m, newly built in 2022 after the earlier bivouac was destroyed by an avalanche; space for at most 8 people, unattended; light, gas stove and water for cooking, not drinkable; reservations and payment directly through ZERMATTERS, also without a guide; per night CHF 35 for IFMGA guides, CHF 55 for SAC members, CHF 65 for non-members; silk liner obligatory; about 5 hours from Schwarzsee or 6 hours from Zermatt over glacier and pathless terrain; a guided two-day programme from July to September. zermatters.ch. ↩
- Press reports, cited as such. 1815.ch (Walliser Bote), "Run aufs Matterhorn geht los", 30 March 2015: "Gleichzeitig stellt die Gemeinde Zermatt wildes Campieren und Biwakieren oberhalb einer Höhe von 2880 Meter rund ums Matterhorn unter Bussandrohung von 5000 Franken unter Strafe." The text, date and publication of that decision are not public, and Zermatt's register lists no such act. Rhone Zeitung, 16 August 2019: for earlier interventions around the huts, above all the Hörnli and Monte Rosa huts, the Gemeindepräsidentin put the fines at CHF 200 per tent, and the flight up was charged to those responsible; one reported figure, not a tariff. swissinfo, 19 July 2014: a licensed tent base camp at about 2'880 m on the Hörnli while the hut was being rebuilt, and police patrols against wild campers. NZZ: police guarded the start of the Hörnli ridge with night-vision equipment on the evening before the anniversary in 2015. 1815.ch (2015), 1815.ch (Rhone Zeitung, 2019), swissinfo.ch (2014), nzz.ch. ↩