Normal route

Although a serious alpine climbing route in its own right, the Hörnli ridge (1,220 m, AD III) of the Matterhorn is the "voie normale" that most climbers use to reach the summit.

A normal route or normal way (French: voie normale; German: Normalweg) is the most frequently used climbing route for ascending and descending a given mountain peak; it is usually the easiest — although not necessarily 'easy' (see image) — and often the most straightforward route (e.g. such as the Goûter Route on Mont Blanc). Other generic names include the tourist route or trade route, and some climbing routes have specific 'normal route' names such as the "Yak Route" on Mount Everest.