Edward Whymper was 25, an illustrator, and he wanted one mountain. The Matterhorn stood 4,478 metres high, one of the last great Alpine peaks that no one had climbed. Whymper had tried seven times and failed seven times. Over five years the mountain had become an obsession, and it had nearly killed him more than once. His great rival was an Italian guide, Jean-Antoine Carrel. But in 1865 Carrel was hired in secret to claim the peak for Italy, climbing from the southwestern side. On July 11 Carrel left for the Italian side, and Whymper had to scramble for a new team. He believed the Swiss ridge was a ladder of rock, not the vertical wall everyone feared. So who would climb it with him, and could he reach the top first?
The Matterhorn Tragedy
On July 14, 1865 Edward Whymper won the Matterhorn race, then a snapped rope sent four of his six companions to their deaths.
Chapter 1
One Mountain
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who made the first ascent of the Matterhorn?
Edward Whymper's party reached the summit at 1:40 p.m. on July 14, 1865. Whymper and the guide Michel Croz unroped near the top and arrived at the highest point together. The Italian team led by Jean-Antoine Carrel was about 200 metres below and turned back.
Why did the rope break during the descent from the Matterhorn?
After Douglas Hadow slipped on ice and knocked Croz off his feet, the falling men pulled hard on the rope. It snapped between Peter Taugwalder Sr. and Lord Francis Douglas. Whymper later found it was a weak reserve cord, a white window-sash cord meant only for fixing to rocks or as a backup.
What happened after the Matterhorn disaster?
A Swiss inquiry in Zermatt cleared the survivors of all charges. The Times questioned the use of such a triumph, and Queen Victoria reportedly consulted the Lord Chamberlain on whether to forbid mountaineering. The tragedy is credited with ending the Golden Age of Alpinism, while it made Zermatt and the Matterhorn world-famous.
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