Sheer beauty

Peering past the Arbenbach waterfall outside of Zermatt, Switzerland, we're getting a straight-on view of the Matterhorn. This pyramidal peak's lofty vertex has long marked the Swiss border with Italy, where the massive, multinational mountain is known as Cervino. From this angle, we're seeing its north face—one of the six great north faces of the Alps. This nearly sheer stone wall is famed as one of the world's great mountaineering challenges.