Normal route

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).^[2][3] 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.^[4]

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.^[1]