What is "matterhorn"

Matterhorn \Matterhorn\ prop. n. A mountain in Italy and Switzerland, 14,690 feet high.

Note: According to WordNet, 14,780 feet high

Alpine mountain, from German Matte "meadow, pastureland" (see mead (n.2)) + Horn (see horn (n.)). So called for its horn-like shape.

The Matterhorn or Monte Cervino , also known in French as Mont Cervin is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a huge and near-symmetrical pyramidal peak in the Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is high, making it one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points and are split by the Hörnli, Furggen, Leone and Zmutt ridges. The mountain overlooks the Swiss town of Zermatt in the canton of Valais to the north-east and the Italian town of Breuil-Cervinia in the Aosta Valley to the south. Just east of the Matterhorn is Theodul Pass, the main passage between the two valleys on its north and south sides and a trade route since the Roman Era.

The Matterhorn was studied by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure in the late eighteenth century, who was followed by other renowned naturalists and artists such as John Ruskin in the nineteenth century. It remained unclimbed after most of the other great Alpine peaks had been attained, and became the subject of an international competition for the summit. The first ascent of the Matterhorn was finally made in 1865 from Zermatt by a party led by Edward Whymper but ended disastrously when four of its members fell to their deaths on the descent. That climb and disaster, later portrayed in several films, marked the end of the golden age of alpinism. The north face was not climbed until 1931, and is amongst the three biggest north faces of the Alps, known as the ‘The Trilogy’. The west face, which is the highest of the four, was completely climbed only in 1962. It is estimated that over 500 alpinists have died on the Matterhorn since the first climb in 1865, making it one of the deadliest peaks in the world.

The Matterhorn is mainly composed of gneisses from the Dent Blanche nappe, lying over ophiolites and sedimentary rocks of the Penninic nappes, the gneisses being originally fragments of the African Plate before the Alpine orogeny. The current shape of the mountain is the result of cirque erosion due to multiple glaciers diverging from the peak, such as the Matterhorn Glacier at the base of the north face, forming a horn.

Sometimes referred to as the Mountain of Mountains, the Matterhorn has become an iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps and of the Alps in general. Since the end of the 19th century, when railways were built in the area, it has attracted increasing numbers of visitors and climbers. Each year a large number of mountaineers try to climb the Matterhorn from the Hörnli Hut via the northeast Hörnli ridge, the most popular route to the summit. Many trekkers also undertake the 10-day-long circuit around the mountain. The Matterhorn is part of the Swiss Federal Inventory of Natural Monuments since 1983.

The Matterhorn or Flying Bobs, sometimes known by alternate names such as Musik Express or Terminator in the UK, is an amusement ride very similar to the Superbob, which consists of a number of cars attached to axles that swing in and out. The hill and valley shape of the ride causes a pronounced swinging motion: the faster the ride goes, the more dramatic the swinging motion. This ride is commonly seen at a travelling funfairs. Most carnivals and parks require riders to be at least 42 inches or taller.

The Matterhorn is a mountain of the Alps.

Matterhorn may also refer to the following:

Matterhorn is a 2013 Dutch comedy film directed by Diederik Ebbinge. It competed in the main competition section of the 35th Moscow International Film Festival.

Matterhorn is the highest mountain in the Jarbidge Mountains of northern Elko County, Nevada, United States. It is the fifteenth-most topographically prominent peak in the state. The summit is located in the Jarbidge Wilderness, which is administered by the Jarbidge Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Its name is derived from the Matterhorn in the Alps of Europe, due mainly to the cliffs located immediately adjacent to the summit on the north and northeast.

The Matterhorn is a peak, high, surmounting the north wall of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, between Lacroix Glacier and Matterhorn Glacier. It was so named by Griffith Taylor of the British Antarctic Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott, 1910–13, because of its resemblance to the Matterhorn, the famous Swiss mountain.

Matterhorn Glacier is a small alpine glacier on the edge of the north wall of Taylor Valley, just west of the Matterhorn, in Victoria Land. Named after the Matterhorn by U.S. geologist T.L. Pewe, who visited the area in December 1957.