Giuseppe Vidoni completes solo winter ascent on Matterhorn

I'd been thinking for a while about challenging myself with another solo climb. The idea had been rattling around in my head for some time. This year, after a recce, the decision to go came almost at the last minute. The conditions looked good and the weather forecast promised a stable window – no wind and relatively warm temperatures for the time of year. At that point, there was nothing left to do but go for it.

I left Cervinia at 6 am and started skinning up to the south face. My girlfriend Marta came with me to the base of the route. I started climbing at 8.30 am. The first part, which looks pretty easy on paper, turned out to be slower than expected. The snow kept forcing me to change setup and my haulbag kept getting stuck, so I had to keep taking it off the tagline and carry it on my shoulder. But once I reached the steepest section, everything finally started to flow and my progress became smoother. I didn't make it to the bivy spot I'd planned and had to settle for a tiny ledge suspended in the void – just about big enough to lie down on. The night was tough. I hardly slept, partly because it was so uncomfortable, partly because of the cold. At one point my feet were freezing, so I even put my gloves on them to try and warm them up.

The next day, after melting some snow for water and grabbing something to eat, I set off again. The sky was a little hazy and the first few pitches were pretty cold. But then the weather started to clear, the clouds stayed below me, and I was able to climb at a good rhythm. I reached the Pilastro dei Fiori pillar first, then crossed a snowy section to get to the Pilastro Simona pillar, where the hardest rock climbing is. The routes were put up by Patrick Gabarrou at different times, but they link together – the second is really the natural continuation of the first. Where the rock is more compact, the pitches are absolutely brilliant to climb. Of course, there are also plenty of looser sections that remind you exactly where you are: on the Matterhorn. Around 3.30 pm, after another mixed section, I reached the Pilastro del Naso di Furggen – exactly the bivy spot I'd planned. I used the opportunity to fix the next two pitches, then I abseiled back to the ledge and settled in properly. This time the ledge was much more comfortable. I managed to lay out my mat and finally got a good night's sleep.

The next day, the first pitches were cold again, but luckily the cloud layer stayed below me once more. Apart from a few minor hiccups – at one point I even thought I might be off route – I managed to find the right line again. Once I'd got through the last difficulties and reached the Furggen Ridge, I only had the final hundred metres of mixed climbing left to tag the summit.

I reached the summit cross of the Matterhorn at 1.30 pm. It was a beautiful moment. The most special thing about this climb was the feeling that, deep down, I knew I was ready. Physically and technically, I felt up to it. The hardest part, really, was the mental side – overcoming the doubts and finding the courage to set off. Once I'd taken that step, everything felt more natural and the climb almost seemed to flow by itself.

- Giuseppe Vidoni, Val Ferret