Matterhorn

From German Matte (“meadow”) + Horn (“peak”).

Matterhorn

1. An iconic pyramidal mountain on the border of Switzerland and Italy.
2. (by extension) Something difficult to achieve or to surmount.
   • 1970, Where Do We Stand Now? by Henry J. Taylor, Prescott Evening Courier - Aug 14, 1970

     A second feature is the Matterhorn of inflation that dominates the scene. The average postwar recession showed a 1.4 per cent decline in industrial wholesale prices.

   • 2012, Hedge your Bets in the Peak Oil Debate, by Richard Heinberg:

     Meanwhile, soaring oil prices and plummeting real energy yields from liquid fuels have already left economic carnage in their wake, as a fragile global financial system perched on a Matterhorn of debt has been dealt blow after blow by the failure of the real economy to expand as expected.

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Matterhorn n

1. Matterhorn (mountain)