The Breithorn (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

for literally "broad horn"; 13,661 ft. or 4,164 m) is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

of the

Pennine Alps The Pennine Alps (german: Walliser Alpen, french: Alpes valaisannes, it, Alpi Pennine, la, Alpes Poeninae), also known as the Valais Alps, are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland (Valais) and Ital ...

with its highest peak of the same name (but also called ''Breithorn (Western Summit)''), located on the border between

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It lies on the main chain of the Alps, approximately halfway between the Matterhorn and

Monte Rosa : , other_name = Monte Rosa massif , translation = Mount Rose , photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Rosa Glacier as seen from Gornergrat, Wallis, Switzerland, 2012 August.jpg , photo_caption = Central Mon ...

and east of the Theodul Pass. Most of the massif is glaciated and includes several subsidiary peaks, all located east of the main summit: the

Central Breithorn The Central Breithorn (german: Breithorn (Mittelgipfel), it, Breithorn Centrale) is a peak of the Breithorn range in the Pennine Alps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy, between the canton of Valais and the region of Aosta V ...

, the western Breithorn Twin (or Eastern Breithorn), the Gendarm (or eastern Breithorn Twin) and the

Roccia Nera The Roccia Nera (Italian for ''Black Rock'', french: Roche noire,l ...

. The main summit is sometimes distinguished by the name ''Western Breithorn'' (german: Breithorn (Westgipfel), it, Breithorn Occidentale). The nearest settlements are

Zermatt Zermatt () is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is classified as a town by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) ...

(

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...

) and St-Jacques ( Aosta Valley). Breithorn01

The Breithorn is considered the most easily climbed 4,000 m Alpine peak. This is due to the

Klein Matterhorn The Klein Matterhorn (sometimes translated as ''Little Matterhorn'') is a peak of the Pennine Alps, overlooking Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais. At above sea level, it is the highest place in Europe that can be reached by aerial tramway ...

cable car which takes climbers to over 3,820 m (12,700 ft) from

for a starting point. The standard route (SSW flank) is from the Italian side of the mountain (the south side) and continues over a glacial plateau before climbing to the summit on a 35 degree snow slope. However, inexperienced mountaineers may run into severe difficulty if caution is not taken near

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

s or in bad weather. For experienced climbers wanting more of a challenge, the half traverse of the Breithorn crest is another option. The Breithorn was first climbed in 1813 by

Henry Maynard (climber) Sir Henry Maynard (1547–1610) was an English politician and secretary to Lord Burghley, and became (by steady accretion) a substantial landowner. Origins Maynard was the son of John Maynard, who had been MP for St Albans in the first Parl ...

, Joseph-Marie Couttet,

Jean Gras The Jean Gras was a small scale French automobile manufactured by a concern based in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris from 1924 until 1927. The company showed two cars at the Paris 1924 Salon, the Type A had a 1494 cc overhead camshaft engine an ...

Jean-Baptiste Erin Jean-Baptiste is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was King ...

and

Jean-Jacques Erin Jean-Jacques is a French name, equivalent to "John James" in English. Since the second half of 18th century, Jean Jacques Rousseau was widely known as Jean Jacques. Notable people bearing this name include: Given name * Jean-Jacques Annaud (born 19 ...

References

External links

Breithorn on SummitPost

- photos
Breithorn on 4000er.de

Breithorn on WinterClimb.com
- photos, practical info {{Portal bar, Mountains, Switzerland Alpine four-thousanders Four-thousanders of Switzerland International mountains of Europe Italy–Switzerland border Mountains of Italy Mountains of Switzerland Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Valais Pennine Alps

See also

References

External links