Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an. The tour goes over high passes via zinal, arolla and breuil, visiting. Mountaineering in switzerland is a onceinalifetime experience, be it rock climbing on the impressive matterhorn or going on an easy mountain tour. Why not browse through some books about the matterhorn. Buy matterhorn by karl marlantes from amazons fiction books store. We take pride in offering carefully described books and excellent customer service. The matterhorn glacier paradise is the highest summer ski region in europe and is open 365 days a year. I offer 5 and 7 days training and ascent of the matterhorn. Matterhorn is a perfect complement to the vietnam documentary.
Our guided climb up the matterhorn is perfect for mountaineers who want to climb one of the most classic routes in all of the world. From zermatt, trains and cable cars run to the surrounding peaksto reach the matterhorn, take the cable car from the matterhorn glacier paradise valley base station, a 45minute journey via furi, trockener steg, and schwarzsee. Your climbing skills will build gradually as you climb the riffelhorn, pollux, the briethorn, and finally the matterhorn. Karl mariantes has hit the nail on the head about the feel and sense of any war.
The matterhorns faces are steep, and only small patches of snow and ice cling to them. Young hermann biner climbed the matterhorn when he was only 15 years old and set a record. A novel of the vietnam war1 sarah boyce2 in matterhorn, karl marlantes, a vietnam combat veteran and rhodes scholar,3 has created what may be the finest novel yet written on the vietnam war. Matterhorn would be a sharper book if it stuck to a single persons experiences rather than switching arbitrarily from mind to mind. Author of scrambles amongst the alps, travels amongst the great andes of the equator, scrambles amongst the alps in the years 186069, chamonix and the range of mont blanc, travels amongst the great andes of the equator, scrambles amongst the alps, the ascent of the matterhorn, the valley of zermatt and the matterhorn. A guide to the superb 145km trek around the matterhorn, walking anticlockwise from zermatt, with a huge variety of scenery and culture. Thirtytwo years since up against the sun seven shapes thin atomies to lower sight labouringly leapt and gained thy gabled height. Igludorf in the town of zermatt at the base of the matterhorn is home to the worlds largest snow igloo, with. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
We offer a 6day and 5day course for private groups and individuals to climb matterhorn with uiagmqualified mountain guides. The mountain is on the border between switzerland and italy, it towers over the swiss village of zermatt and the italian village breuilcervinia in the val tournanche. But if this is the first time youve considered climbing the matterhorn, you. Dude, the deuce i dropped on thanksgiving looked so much like the matterhorn that i couldve swore i saw to swiss climbers scaling a piece of corn on their way to the summit. On this threethousand metre mountain ridge there is a viewing platform with a truly unforgettable view of the matterhorn and the surrounding mountain world. Mar 19, 2012 a guide to the superb 145km trek around the matterhorn, walking anticlockwise from zermatt, with a huge variety of scenery and culture.
Im not really an avid reader of history or war books, but was travelling in cambodia at the time, and had read lots of books about that country, when i decided a dose of vietnam war would help with context. Shop the biggest selection of posters and prints for sale online at. Over 500 people have died climbing the mountain since 1865, many on the descent. Isolated at the head of the zermatt valley, the perfectly shaped mountain needs little introduction and continues to top the must do list of thousands of climbers who aspire to climb it each year. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. New landscaping paintings mountain 54 ideas landscaping 2020. Even with all the viewpoints deployed here, a defaultposition. As the most recognized mountain on the european continent, the roughly chiseled rock pyramid of the matterhorn serves as a defining geographical landmark. The matterhorn is not the highest peak in the swiss alps, nor even in this valley. Some of the books are available from zermatt tourism, others from zermatts book shops. Bergsteiger am matterhorn timeline classicstimeline images. Ski poster for zermatt featuring swiss ski champion and zermatt native otto furrer, circa 1934. It is an unforgettable novel that transforms the tragedy of vietnam into a. It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in bravo company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood.
Crossing the glaciers and eternal snowfields of the alpine mountain world is an unforgettable experience. A novel of the vietnam war audiobook by karl marlantes. Edward theodore compton german, born england, the matterhorn. Matterhorn is one of those countless hills in vietnam that makes young mens lives so cheap. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Though from the swiss side it appears to be an isolated hornshaped peak, it is actually the butt end of a ridge. Because of its beauty, matterhorn is a popular climb and your guide will know when and how to get around the crowds in the morning and ensure the obligatory fast progress up the mountain. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Matterhorn will surely take its place on every armchairwarriors bookshelf. May 01, 2011 matterhorn should be a great book and is a great book. Vince flynn, author of pursuit of honor matterhorn is one of the most powerful and moving novels about combat, the vietnam war, and war in general that i have ever read. There is a lot to know about zermatt and numerous facts, anecdotes and stories exist about the matterhorn. But it stands alone, a piece of singular sculptural beauty fashioned with a raffish twist at the top.
Climbers on the matterhorn fotografiedruck bergsteigen. Climb matterhorn with a mountain guide guided matterhorn. Tour of the matterhorn by hilary sharp, paperback barnes. A big, powerful saga of men in combat, written over the course of thirtyfive years by a highly decorated vietnam veteran. The matterhorn is located in the swiss alps, close to the border of italy and just southwest of zermatt. No other mountain in the world is as fascinating as the matterhorn. The tour of the matterhorn has been documented only in the last few years but the paths it uses are often ancient ways over passes leading from one valley to another. The german name matterhorn is named for mattertal and zermatt historically matt alpine meadow, the prefix zeris a preposition in the schalbetter map, printed by sebastian munster in 1545, the valley is labelled mattertal, but the mountain has the latin name mons silvius and the german name augstalberg, augstal being the german name of aosta valley from augusta praetoria salassorum. The matterhorn is the most easily recognised peak in the world. Matterhorn by karl marlantes a stark, brutal vietnam war epic karl marlantes debut novel, 30 years in the making, follows waino mellas, a young ivy league student sent to. A superbly illustrated history of climbing on the matterhorn together with rebuffats own experiences on the mountain. Reading guide for matterhorn by karl marlantes discussion guide for book clubs. The tour of the matterhorn 145km trek cicerone press. With a near perfect pyramid, its absolute symmetry demarcates the exquisite nature of this beautiful mountain.
Seven surprising facts about the matterhorn travel. Michael lee was a marine, wounded during the 77day siege of khe sanh. While written as a novel, it is obvious this book is based on reallife experiences by the author. Matterhorn is a visceral and spellbinding novel about what it is like to be a young man at war. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the. A novel of the vietnam war is a novel by american author and decorated marine karl marlantes. Karl marlantess first novel, matterhorn, is about a company of marines who build, abandon and retake an outpost on a remote hilltop in vietnam. It is a large, nearsymmetric pyramidal peak in the extended monte rosa area of the pennine alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres 14,692 ft high, making it one of the highest.
Firsttime author karl marlantes tackles some tough subjectsracism among the troops, for onein his vietnam novel, matterhorn. Whats the story set in 1969, a young marine lieutenant and his comrades in bravo company are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam. It is the tenth highest mountain in switzerland, and one of 48 swiss peaks above 4000 m in height. Matterhorn, one of the bestknown mountains in the alps, straddling the frontier between switzerland and italy, 6 miles 10 km southwest of the village of zermatt, switzerland. Our if you prefer, the matterhorn can also be admired from the rothorn. Karl marlantess 35year struggle to write a true novel of the vietnam war has finally paid off, says robert mccrum matterhorn is a bestseller. Mont cervin or le cervin is ranked, by height, 12th mountain in the european alps. This switzerland landmark is at the border of the western swiss canton of valais between zermatt and the italian resort of breuilcervinia, and offers a paradise for. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Matterhorn by karl marlantes overdrive rakuten overdrive. What makes this novel so irresistible is marlantes skill at peeling away the many layers of truth in combat. As the matterhorn straddles the swiss italian frontier, the trek visits both switzerland and italy, each with its own unique traditions, way of life and scenery. Matterhorn should be a great book and is a great book.
Matterhorn, italian monte cervino, french mont cervin, one of the bestknown mountains 14,692 feet 4,478 metres in the alps, straddling the frontier between switzerland and italy, 6 miles 10 km southwest of the village of zermatt, switzerland. Honour is among fellow soldiers is surely the greatest motivator of men in dire circumstances. The four faces of the matterhorn face the four cardinal directions north, east, south, and west. The name matterhorn means roughly the peak in the meadows.
Matterhorn tells the story of the daytoday experience in a combat situation as well as any book i have read, and far better than most. Zermatts mighty mountains are the highest and most impressive peaks in the alps. At 4,478 metres, the majestic matterhorn certainly the most famous mountain in europe looms over the breathtaking alpine panorama. A great read, whether you are preparing for a trip, reminiscing about a memorable stay, looking for entertainment or gathering knowledge. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line. A big, powerful saga of men in combat, written over the course of thirtyfive years by a. A novel of the vietnam war kindle edition by marlantes, karl.
Matterhorn simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading matterhorn. Cervin is a mountain of the alps, straddling the main watershed and border between switzerland and italy. The matterhorn is one of the most recognizable mountains in all the alps. Glacier books are experienced and professional booksellers. The matterhorn this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. The hornli ridge of the northeast the central ridge in the view from zermatt is the usual climbing route. He shows due respect to the nva that were often demeaned in other books. Karl marlantes has written a riveting and harrowing portrait of young men at war. Standing in their way are not merely the north vietnamese but also monsoon rain. Marlantes presents the conflict and its effect on the psyche by reaching deep into the subjective.
Matterhorn will not only take its place on the top shelf of war fiction, its going to knock a few books off. Jul 14, 2015 the matterhorn is not the highest peak in the swiss alps, nor even in this valley. Aug 14, 2010 matterhorn would be a sharper book if it stuck to a single persons experiences rather than switching arbitrarily from mind to mind. Not only is the matterhorn seen from all sides, but there are also superb vantage points for views of many of the other high summits of the region. Buy online, view images and see past prices for edward theodore compton british, invaluable is the worlds largest marketplace for art, antiques, and collectibles. Matterhorn is that rare modern novel destined to become a classic. Standing in their way are not merely the north vietnamese but also monsoon rain and mud, leeches and tigers, disease and malnutrition.