The Matterhorn rises as a four-sided glacial horn, about 4,478 m at the summit. Toggle the snow cover to see how its steep faces shed snow, and the Hoernli ridge marker for the standard climbing route.
Published figures: summit elevation 4,478 m; four ridges - Hoernli (northeast), Zmutt (northwest), Lion/Italian (southwest), Furggen (southeast); first ascent July 14, 1865 via the Hoernli ridge.
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Matterhorn 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows the Matterhorn as a classic glacial "horn": four steep triangular faces meeting at a sharp point, each face separated from its neighbors by a sharp ridge. The summit sits at 4,478 m on the border between Zermatt, Switzerland (to the northeast) and Breuil-Cervinia, Italy (to the south), in the Pennine Alps.
A horn peak like this forms when glaciers erode a mountain mass from several sides at once, cutting back toward the center until only the sharp ridges and concave faces remain. The four ridges have names still used by climbers today: the Hoernli ridge (northeast, the standard Swiss route), the Zmutt ridge (northwest), the Lion or Italian ridge (southwest), and the Furggen ridge (southeast). Toggle the Hoernli ridge marker to see the standard climbing route traced up the northeast ridge, with a small marker near the Hoernli Hut.
- Toggle the snow cover to compare a fully snow-covered winter look against the steep faces shedding snow to bare rock
- Toggle the Hoernli ridge marker to see the standard climbing route
- Read summit, ridge, and first-ascent figures in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Summit elevation | 4,478 m (14,692 ft) |
| Location | Pennine Alps, on the Swiss (Zermatt, northeast) / Italian (Breuil-Cervinia, south) border |
| Four ridges | Hoernli (northeast), Zmutt (northwest), Lion/Italian (southwest), Furggen (southeast) |
| First ascent | July 14, 1865, via the Hoernli ridge, led by Edward Whymper with guides Michel Croz and Peter Taugwalder (father and son) |
| 1865 descent tragedy | 4 of the 7 climbers (Croz, Hudson, Douglas, Hadow) fell to their deaths when the rope parted; 3 survived |
| Lion ridge first ascent | 3 days later, July 17, 1865, led by guide Jean-Antoine Carrel |
| North Face first ascent | 1931, by brothers Toni and Franz Schmid - one of the 6 great north faces of the Alps |
| Deaths since 1865 | more than 500 (widely cited estimate) - among the highest tolls of any single peak |
For another single free-standing peak, open the Mount Fuji 3D Explorer, or compare a different rock-monolith shape at the Uluru 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation - the ridge geometry, snow pattern, and marker position are schematic teaching cues, not survey terrain.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is the Matterhorn?
Its summit sits at 4,478 m (14,692 ft) above sea level, in the Pennine Alps on the border between Zermatt, Switzerland, and Breuil-Cervinia, Italy.
Why does the Matterhorn have four separate faces?
It is a classic glacial "horn" peak: glaciers eroded the original mountain mass from several sides at once, cutting back toward the center until only four steep faces and the sharp ridges between them remained.
What are the names of the four ridges?
The Hoernli ridge (northeast, the standard Swiss route), the Zmutt ridge (northwest), the Lion or Italian ridge (southwest), and the Furggen ridge (southeast).
When was the Matterhorn first climbed?
July 14, 1865, via the Hoernli ridge, led by Edward Whymper with guides Michel Croz and Peter Taugwalder (father and son). On the descent, four of the seven climbers fell to their deaths when the rope parted - a tragedy that made global headlines. The Lion ridge was first climbed three days later, on July 17, 1865, led by guide Jean-Antoine Carrel.
Why does snow not cover the whole mountain?
The Matterhorn's faces are so steep that much of the snow simply cannot stick - bare rock stays exposed on large sections of the mountain even in winter, unlike gentler peaks that stay blanketed in white.
Is the Matterhorn dangerous to climb?
Yes. More than 500 climbers are estimated to have died on the Matterhorn since 1865, a widely cited average of roughly a dozen a year - among the highest tolls of any single peak, despite the standard Hoernli-ridge route being a popular guided climb.
Is this a scientific terrain model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the ridge geometry, snow pattern, and marker position are schematic teaching cues, not survey terrain.