“Ouch!” When I came out of Solvayhütte, the shelter in the Matterhorn, I hit my foot on the doorstep and got frightened. Immediately I grabbed the rope railing and walked closely along the hut wall. Because it descends neatly on the other side of the balustrade. I’m only 4,003 meters above sea level. metres, on the way up the narrow road that leads around Solvaihut up to the Matterhorn.
Although I know I have a solid floor under my feet at the Museum of Transport in Lucerne, my heart beats faster and I breathe stronger than I normally do at 436 meters above sea level. M. This is due to the allure of the new “The Edge” from Red Bull, which, thanks to virtual reality glasses, perfectly reproduces an alpine ocean for me.
I feel the wind and I feel the wall
The wind blows in my face. Sam Anthematen, my virtual mountain guide, let me know that I’m getting cubs now. Yes, I feel it. Then I also see the wall that I am allowed to climb. My gloved hands reach for the climbing stands and the feet of the boots against the wall are looking for support. I can touch not only the handles, but also the wall structure.
After a few climbing motions, I reached the top. Mountain guide Anthamatten is waiting for me. I can stick to the crest cross, which I do. The view at an altitude of 4478 meters is overwhelming. As it should be for a mountain guide, Anthamatten explains to me where I can see Dent Blanche and some other great peaks in this panorama.
Then go back down the stairs
Because I feel like I’m standing on a ridge, I only take small steps when I move, because the stone slab under my feet isn’t too big. Although I would like to enjoy the panoramic views for a longer time, Anthamatten says goodbye and the magic of climbing the summit evaporates.
Without virtual reality, I am standing suddenly on a wooden floor with a stone slab and a crest cross, and I see in front of me the climbing wall. Before the euphoria of the ascent evaporates, I can take a picture of the summit. Then it’s normal with all the equipment on the stairs.
Red Bull
Matterhorn in the Transport Museum in Lucerne.
Duration: It is recommended that you plan an hour for the VR climbing experience and the Red Bull The Edge exhibit.
Minimum age: from 12 years old
Minimum size: 1,40m
dress: Sports shoes are required, sandals or open-toed shoes are not allowed, and shorts or shorts are recommended
weight limit: 120 kg
Ticket prices: From 19 to 24 francs. You can buy the ticket at the cash desk or the online ticket shop. Then you get a time when you can venture into the Matterhorn.
From 23 to 30 June 2021: On public test days from June 23-30, 2021, you only pay a reservation fee of CHF2. Regular rates are valid from 1st July.
14,000 square kilometers mapping mountain range
For the recordings to watch at Verkehrshaus Luzern, free and mountain guide Sam Anthamatten climbed the Matterhorn for the 73rd time in July 2020. Freire Jeremy Heitz was there. “With a well-trained guest, it takes three and a half to four hours to climb from Hörnlihütte, and about the same time to go back down,” says Anthamatten.
However, as for the recordings, they were on the mountain for nine hours each for two days – “and we ran each time.” So the two spent many hours in the air to produce the right images.
But these images are only the smallest part of the virtual reality experience. In addition, the Matterhorn has been “recreated” with a 3D photogrammetry and more than 14,000 square kilometers of mountain ranges have been mapped to the experiment. The idea for this hypothetical Matterhorn ascent came from Geneva film producer Garidi.
Matterhorn show for everyone
Doesn’t the Matterhorn lose its charm when everyone can climb? “No way! It’s great to show everyone the amazing panorama and thus share something of the magic of mountaineering,” says Antamatn.
Plus, every mountain experience depends on the people you “go z’Berg” with. As the experience with an elderly Japanese woman shows, he was allowed to drive her to the Matterhorn. At an altitude of 4200 meters at the fixed rope, she would have been afraid and did not want to go any further.
“Together with a friend of a mountain guide who was also there, we pulled her over the hard section and then ran the rest of the way by herself. But I hardly saw anyone so happy at the top. She hugged us with tears in her eyes,” he said, groping.
