The mountain that broke the spirit of seven failed attempts
In short: In the 1860s, mountaineering was a sport for the elite, fueled by scientific discovery and a hunger for glory. Yet, one peak in the Alps remained stubbornly unconquered. Edward Whymper spent years obsessing over its grandeur, eventually reaching the summit at a devastating human cost.
During the 'golden age of alpinism,' European explorers—predominantly British—raced to summit peaks across the globe. This era transformed mountaineering from mere exploration into a technical sport of prestige and scientific advancement. For Edward Whymper, a British engraver who moved to Switzerland in the 1840s, this pursuit became a personal obsession centered on the Matterhorn.
The Matterhorn was famously regarded as the most inaccessible mountain in the Alps. Whymper’s journey to its peak was defined by persistence: he failed seven times between 1861 and his eventual success. Often accompanied by local guide Jean-Antoine Carrel, Whymper faced repeated repulses that only deepened his determination to either conquer the height or prove it truly impossible.
The final ascent succeeded because of a strategic choice regarding 'approach'—the specific side of the mountain used to begin the climb. While he and Carrel eventually parted ways over different routes, Whymper chose the Zermatt glacier path with a team of six others. To their surprise, the ascent was relatively simple; they spent an hour at the summit, even flying a shirt from the peak as a makeshift flag.
Whymper's memoir describes the view from the top as a study in contrasts: 'forests black and gloomy,' 'meadows bright and lively,' and 'fertile lands and savage wastes.' While his triumph was historic, it remains inextricably linked to the tragedy that accompanied the first successful ascent.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Climbing the Matterhorn: Death Mountain - European History - Part 1 - Extra History
- Also: The Tragic Story of the First Ascent of the Matterhorn
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