The Riffelhorn (2,928 m) is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
in the Swiss section 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 Italy ...
, located south of
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) ...
in the canton of
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 ...
.
The Riffelhorn forms part of the
Gorner ridge and provides excellent rock climbing facilities having several routes of a different
Climbing grade
In rock climbing, mountaineering, and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a grade to a climbing route or boulder problem, intended to describe concisely the difficulty and danger of climbing it. Different types of climbing (such as spo ...
s. It has been used a long time by the local Alpine guides to train rock climbing skills for climbers before ascending on higher mountains.
It is also very popular view point being in the middle of one of the most famous valleys in the Alps, between the
Matterhorn
The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
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 ...
. Also the altitude of nearly 3,000 m gives a needed atmosphere of Alpine conditions. Nearest access is
Rotenboden
Rotenboden (also spelled ''Rotaboda'') is a village of Liechtenstein, located in the municipality of Triesenberg. It is the highest settlement in Liechtenstein at 850m elevation.
Geography
It is a mountain village that lies above Vaduz and Tries ...
train station.
Gornergratbahn
The Gornergrat Railway (german: Gornergrat Bahn; GGB) is a mountain rack railway, located in the Swiss canton of Valais. It links the resort village of Zermatt, situated at above mean sea level, to the summit of the Gornergrat. The Gornergrat ...
continues from here up to summit of
Gornergrat
The Gornergrat ( en, Gorner Ridge; ) is a rocky ridge of the Pennine Alps, overlooking the Gorner Glacier south-east of Zermatt in Switzerland. It can be reached from Zermatt by the Gornergrat rack railway (GGB), the highest open-air railway i ...
.
On the northern side of the mountain lies the
Riffelsee.
References
External links
*{{commons category-inline
Riffelhorn on HIkrRiffelhorn on Summitpost
Mountains of the Alps
Mountains of Valais
Mountains of Switzerland