Cool hut at an altitude of 4,003 meters.

The Solvay Hut at 4003 m(13,133 ft) is the highest hut on the Matterhorn. It is a small emergency refuge for about 10 persons situated on a ledge immediately above the Moseley Slab on the Hörnligrat. It is strictly to be used in the event of an emergency. About two thirds up the mountain, 743 m above the Hörnli Hut and 475 m below the summit, many Matterhorn climbers have rested on the small ledge outside the hut admiring the spectacular view of all the Monte Rosa summits.



The hut was built in August 1915. All the building material was brought up to the Hörnli Hut at 3260 m by help of animals. From there a small temporary cable car was used to transport the material up to the building site at 4000 meter. The hut was erected within only five days. In 1966 the hut was rebuilt and in 1976 an emergency telephone was installed.









Perched at 4,003m on a rocky ridge of the Matterhorn, Switzerland’s iconic triangular peak, the Solvay Hut managed by the Swiss Alpine Club offers emergency cover for some ten daring climbers, who expect to conquer the rocky and rugged terrain.



UPDATE: 26 JUNE 2011

France: Six mountaineers die in Alps avalanche

Six mountaineers have died in the French Alps, officials say.

A British hiker found the bodies near the Neige Cordier summit at an altitude of 2,700 m (8,850 feet).

"The victims were climbing roped together in two groups. It looks like there was a slide of snow and stones mixed together," the local mayor, Xavier Cret, told AFP news agency.

The climbers appear to have died while making an ascent in good weather on Saturday, police said.

The bodies have been flown to the village of Villar-d'Arene for identification.

Their nationalities have not yet been confirmed.

The hiker discovered the climbers' bodies as he followed the same route as they had taken a day before, mountain rescue police said.

It is thought they stayed overnight in a mountain hut before attempting an ascent to a point at about 3,600 meters (11,800 feet) in the Massif des Ecrins.

They were in a narrow chasm used by both skiers and climbers.

Police have opened an investigation into the accident.