Zermatt may be famous for the Matterhorn but to tackle that icon of the Alps you'll need to be a proficient mountaineer. A reasonably fit hill walker can climb peaks such as the Breithorn or one of the Monte Rosa summits - Signalkuppe is the easiest - with a guide from the Zermatt Alpin Center but what of the walker whose desire is to climb one of Zermatt's mountains without the need for any specialist kit or the cost of a mountain guide?

The term trekking peak is more often used when referring to Himalayan summits deemed to be within the abilities of trekking groups as opposed to climbing expeditions. Officially though, the term actually refers to the level of peak fee chargeable by the Nepalese government to make an ascent, not to the difficulty of the peak. I therefore use the term trekking peak loosely and refer to Alpine summits that have a marked trail to the top and are within the capabilities of reasonably experienced hill walkers using only standard mountain hiking gear. Under normal summer conditions you will not need a guide and the routes involve walking and maybe easy scrambling only. There are no crossings of crevassed glaciers on these routes and both will give spectacular views - weather permitting - of the Matterhorn and the other 4000 metre peaks that surround Zermatt.

We'll begin with the Oberrothorn which at 3415 metres or 11204 feet is the highest trekking peak in Switzerland. The mountain lies to the South of Zermatt and is accessed from any station on the Rothorn Cableway. A well marked trail heads from Sunegga where you can begin the ascent up to Blauherd which is another good start point as you can ride the cable car up to it. From Blauherd the trail bends to the right below the peak of the Unterrothorn - the top station of the cable car - and up into a high valley south of the peak where you will often see marmots. The wide path climbs steadily to the col between the Unterrothorn and Oberrothorn.

From the col a narrower path heads to the right and climbs the shaly slopes for another 500 vertical metres to the summit. For a shorter ascent you can take the cable car to Unterrothorn and descend to this col before walking up to the summit. This is a route known as the Weg zur Freiheit or Freedom Path and if this is followed I recommend walking down to Blauherd or Sunegga. You can of course omit to use the cable car and walk all the way from Zermatt but it would be a long day with over 6000 feet of ascent. There are however no difficulties on these routes.

Across to the northern side of Zermatt lies the pointed peak of the Mettelhorn which at 3406 metres is the second highest of our Swiss trekking peaks. It's summit is reknowned as being one of the best viewpoints in the area and

although slightly lower than the Oberrothorn, the Mettelhorn is a rather tougher walk. The route is steeper for most of its length and has no cable car option to shorten the route. From Zermatt the Mettelhorn is climbable in one (very long) day but it is best to take 2 days with a night spent at the Hotel du Trift a mountain Inn at 2337 metres.

From about half way up the main street of Zermatt, a track - initially cobbled - is signposted up to Trift. It follows an interesting route with wonderful views down the valley and leads via the Restaurant Edelweiss and the Trift Gorge to the Hotel du Trift also known as the Berggasthaus Trift.

From Trift the path to the Mettelhorn ascends grassy slopes which become more stony and steep as you approach the ridgeline. Cairns mark the way where the path is faint and once the ridge is gained there is a snowfield to cross to where another path marked with cairns ascends the steep summit pyramid of the Mettelhorn. If the conditions are less than perfect or you are running late it is recommended that you ascend the nearer and slightly lower Platthorn which rises from the ridgeline.

The ascent of the Mettelhorn is again without technical difficulty but is slightly harder than the Oberrothorn. The Trift Valley is an area of Zermatt's Mountains only accessible to the walker as no cable car or mountain railway comes up here. While this does make for a more authentic mountain experience remember that there is no quick way down in the event of bad weather, tiredness or plain laziness!