Scrambles amongst the Alps

The story of the first ascent of the Matterhorn is one of the greatest and most tragic tales in alpine history. By 1865 all of the great peaks in the range had been ascended bar this the most frightening and famous of them all, an immense eroding rock pyramid straddling the border between Italy and Switzerland.

Today the Matterhorn is probably the most recognized mountain in the world. Despite seeing up to a hundred summits a day in summer during favourable conditions, the peak is still a test piece on the list of most serious mountaineers’ to do list. For the layman, it continues to draw thousands of admirers every year.

In 1865, most alpinists considered it impossible to ascend. Locals still believed spirits and dragons occupied its higher reaches. Guides declined, even begged not to set foot on its sheer and intimidating slopes.

A small group of men however, as with often a great challenge so overt and plum for the taking, were obsessed at the idea of climbing such a prize peak. One of these men was Edward Whymper.

Whymper, an etching professional from London, was sent to the Alps in 1860 to sketch the range for the editor of a newsprint. On arrival, he soon fell in love with the high mountains and their conquest, and returned each summer for five years.

The book, an autobiography of these years, is an absolute classic in the annuals of mountaineering literature. Despite the word 'scramble' these days implying easy climbing over rocky terrain, 'Scrambles amongst the Alps' is an account of some of the hardest and most ambitious ascents of the time.

Whymper, with the aid of the best guides of the day (including Carrel, Almer and Croz) recounts many an adventure from ascents of peaks including Mont Peloux, The Grand Jorasses and Pic Dente, as well as cols and passes discovered and crossed.

But more than just a book detailing events and achievements, Scrambles amongst the Alps' is a window into the alpine world of 140 years ago. Whymper's etchings are a delight to behold, and complement the story throughout.

Many of mountains, scenarios, places and characters have being painstakingly recreated as works of art, as well as historical evidence.

The author, enthused by life in the Alps in general, describes the 'natives' and their lives in Chamonix, Breuil and Zermatt, geological and glacial formations with the latest scientific deductions of the time , as well as railway systems, travel routes and equipment of the era.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the tents, ropes, axes and clothing. The opinions Whymper held on subjects such as crampons and cutting steps are quite contrary to what we know today. He writes' " I do not believe that the use of the rope, in any ordinary way, affords the least real security upon ice-slopes. Nor do I think that any benefit is derived from the employment of crampons...All such adventitious aids are useless if you have not a good step in the ice to stand upon, and if you have got that, nothing more is wanted except a few nails in the boots".

It may be helpful remember that in those days Englishmen employed the local guides to do the step-cutting!

But more than all this, is the story itself. Not only of Whymper's conquest of the Matterhorn, a feat he achieved after 5 years of trying over 7 attempts, but how he developed as a person. His awareness of this growth is admirable in the final pages, as the story ends in high drama with both triumph and tragedy.

It is one of the most captivating and epic stories of mountaineering history, so if you don't know it I will not spoil it for you here, but encourage you to read this book, the last paragraph being one of the most famous pieces in alpine literary circles-

'Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end.'

'Scrambles amongst the Alps' was originally published in 1871. In recent times it has been republished by Dover Publishers, who worked from a 1900 edition. The book includes appendices and fold-out etching maps from the time.

Images: 1996 Cover – Details of climber’s descending the Matterhorn and looking onto a foghorn (out of picture); celebrating on the northern summit of the Matterhorn (note the drinking of wine!); The Matterhorn; the 1865 Alpine Clubhouse in Zermatt (including Leslie Stephen and Mr Ball (founding Chairperson)); a climber jumps a crevasse (with his mutton leg in attached)