Conversely, the Matterhorn rises as an unforgivingly steep pyramid with four ridges and four walls. To climb it you must actually climb—gripping miniscule ripples of rock with your fingertips, placing your feet on the thinnest of ledges, and pulling your body straight up.

Geologically speaking, the Matterhorn is a classic example of a pyramidal peak, also known as a "glacial horn." It is not a man-made pyramid, but its near-symmetric shape was formed naturally through a process called "cirque erosion." As multiple glaciers diverged from a central point over millions of years, they carved out the mountain's four steep faces, which are roughly oriented toward the four cardinal points: North, South, East, and West. The peak straddles the border between Switzerland and Italy and is mainly composed of gneisses that were once part of the African plate before the Alpine orogeny. Its iconic "pyramid" silhouette has made it the most photographed mountain in the world and the enduring symbol of the Alps. While many mountains have triangular faces, the Matterhorn's extreme symmetry and sharpness make it the global textbook example of a naturally occurring pyramidal peak.