The Matterhorn
Matterhorn (Italian: Monte Cervino), a peak of the Pennine (or Valais) Alps, on the Swiss-Italian border. It is 14,692 feet (4,478 m) high and lies 70 miles (113 km) south-southeast of Bern, Switzerland. The Matterhorn is among the world's most famous and most frequently climbed peaks. Its four ridges and four faces rise above great glaciers. Most climbers start from Zermatt, on the Swiss side, which is less steep than the Italian. The peak was first scaled in 1865, by Edward Whymper and six companions, four of whom died in the descent.