Out of the three ascents, the Matterhorn was without doubt the most challenging. Hervé tackled it solo, astounding the mountaineering world with his audacity and the immense risk he undertook during the three-day ascent. The route first climbed by Barmasse extends over 1200 metres, 500m of which are in a frozen couloir with the rest of the route on the vertical and overhanging face of Picco Muzio. This achievement evokes the feat accomplished in 1965 by the great alpinist Walter Bonatti - the only person to have solo climbed a new route on the Matterhorn before Barmasse. On completing this achievement, Bonatti bid farewell to his career as an extreme alpinist.