The Valais mountain guide and alpinist Andy Steindl has set a new record at the Matterhorn. He needed 3 hours, 59 minutes and 52 seconds to get from the Zermatt church square to the top of the Matterhorn and back again.
Andy Steindl has set a new record in speed mountaineering. On the 27. August 2018 sprinted the 29-year mountain guide and alpinist in four hours from the church square Zermatt (1616 m above sea level) on the summit of the Matterhorn (4477.5 m above sea level) and back to Zermatt. The measured time for 2861 altitude and 22.8 kilometers: 3 hours 59 minutes and 52 seconds. This time is needed by normal mountaineers to reach the top of the Hörnli Hut (3260). With this, Steindl undercuts his record for the track Zermatt-Matterhorn by 2011 by almost 20 minutes on his solo tour. At the same time he improves his best time from the Hörnlihütte to the summit and back from the year 2011 by 10 minutes on 1 hour 45 minutes and 37 minutes.
“The difficulty with this project was staying focused. It's not always easy in all places, ”says Steindl about his latest Matterhorn record. “Concentration has to remain extremely high, especially when descending. The air is thin here, you have reached the summit, but now you have to keep the pace high for the descent. Unsecured down the mountain at high speed, that is probably the most difficult and at the same time the most dangerous thing about the mission, ”said Steindl. At the finish he was eight seconds short of the targeted four hours. “With this record, I have fulfilled a lifelong dream. I'm really happy - even if my whole body is hurting at the moment, ”says Steindl, beaming happily.
Video about the speed record at the Matterhorn
Before his record attempt Steindl was already 88 time on the summit of the most photographed mountain in the world. The first time with 14 years with his parents. The project Zermatt-Matterhorn-Zermatt in four hours Steindl wanted to realize since 2012. But either the conditions were not ideal, or his physical condition did not permit an attempt.
About Andreas Steindl
Andy Steindl is known beyond 5's 4000 x 2015 4000 record beyond the Alpinist scene at the latest. At that time, the Zermatt defeated five XNUMXers between Zermatt and Saas Fee in less than eight hours. In the same year Steindl also mastered the so-called "spaghetti tour" Ueli Steck 17 four-thousander in 14,5 hours.
Video about Andreas Steindl's 5 x 4000 project
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Credits: Cover picture FRAMES Lerjen & Lauber