Edward Whymper, 1881

Edward Whymper (April 27, 1840–September 16, 1911), was a British climber and explorer best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. On the descent, four members of the party were killed. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... The Matterhorn (Italian: Monte Cervino, French: Mont Cervin or Le Cervin) is perhaps the most familiar mountain in the European Alps. ...

Early life

Whymper was born in London on April 27, 1840, the son of an artist. He was trained to be a wood-engraver at an early age. In 1860, he made extensive forays into the central and western Alps to produce a series of commissioned alpine scenery sketches. Among the objects of this tour was the illustration of an unsuccessful attempt made by Professor Bonney's party, to ascend Mont Pelvoux, at that time believed to be the highest peak of the Dauphiné Alps. Whymper successfully completed the ascent of Mont Pelvoux in 1861, the first of a series of expeditions that threw much light on the topography of an area at a time very imperfectly mapped. From the summit of Mont Pelvoux, Whymper discovered that it was overtopped by a neighboring peak, subsequently named the Barre des Écrins, which, before the annexation of Savoy added Mont Blanc to the possessions of France, was the highest point in the French Alps. Whymper climbed the Barre des Écrins in 1864. The years 1861 to 1865 are filled with a number of new expeditions in the Mont Blanc massif and the Pennine Alps, among them the first ascent of the Aiguille d'Argentière in 1864 and the Aiguille Verte in 1865, the first crossing of the Moming Pass, and the first ascent of Pointe Whymper on the Grandes Jorasses on June 24, 1865. According to his own words, his only failure was on the west ridge of the Dent d'Hérens in 1863. ^[1] April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Pelvoux is a summit of the French Alps, in the Écrins range (3,946 m). ... The Dauphiné Alps (French Alpes du Dauphiné) are a group of mountain ranges in southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. ... Barre des Écrins (4102 m) is a mountain in the French Alps, the highest point of the Massif des Écrins, and the most southerly alpine peak that is higher than 4000 metres. ... Flag of Savoy This article is about the historical region of Savoy. ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ... Mont Blanc (French for white mountain) or Monte Bianco (Italian, same meaning) also known as La Dame Blanche (French, the white lady), in the Alps, is the highest mountain in Western Europe. ... The Pennine Alps (also: Valais Alps) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. ... The Aiguille dArgentière (3,902 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif on the border between France and Switzerland. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Aiguille Verte (French: Green needle) is a 4,122 m high summit of the Mont Blanc massif. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Grandes Jorasses is a famous summit in the Mont Blanc range. ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Dent dHérens (4,171 m) is a mountain in the Pennine Alps of Italy and Switzerland. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The Matterhorn

Commemorative plaque in Zermatt

Professor John Tyndall and Whymper emulated each other in fruitless attempts to reach the summit of the Matterhorn by the south-western, or Italian, ridge. Whymper, who had failed six times already, was determined to try the eastern face, convinced that its precipitous appearance when viewed from Zermatt was an optical illusion, and that the dip of the strata, which on the Italian side formed a continuous series of overhangs, should make the opposite side a natural staircase. His attempt by what is now the normal route met with success on July 14, 1865, only days before an Italian party. However, on the descent, four members of the party slipped and were killed, and only the breaking of the rope saved Whymper and the two remaining guides from the same fate. A controversy ensued as to whether the rope had actually been cut, but a formal investigation could not find any proof. The account of his attempts on the Matterhorn occupies the greater part of his book, Scrambles among the Alps (1871), in which the illustrations are engraved by Whymper himself. The accident haunted Whymper: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the 19th century scientist. ... In June, the Matterhorn is still snow-covered, while it is spring in Zermatt below. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ...

"Every night, do you understand, I see my comrades of the Matterhorn slipping on their backs, their arms outstretched, one after the other, in perfect order at equal distances—Croz the guide, first, then Hadow, then Hudson, and lastly Douglas. Yes, I shall always see them…" Charles Hudson (1828 - 1865) was an Anglican chaplain and mountain climber from Skillington, Lincolnshire. ...

Exploration in Greenland

Whymper's 1865 campaign had been planned to test his route-finding skills in preparation for an expedition to Greenland in 1867. The exploration in Greenland resulted in an important collection of fossil plants, which were described by Professor Heer and deposited in the British Museum. Whymper's report was published in the report of the British Association of 1869. Though hampered by a lack of supplies and an epidemic among the local people, he proved that the interior could be explored by the use of suitably constructed sledges, and thus contributed an important advance to Arctic exploration. Another expedition in 1872 was devoted to a survey of the coastline. The British Museum in London is one of the worlds greatest museums of human history and culture. ...

South American exploration

Whymper next organized an expedition to Ecuador, designed primarily to collect data for the study of altitude sickness and the effect of reduced pressure on the human body. His chief guide was Jean-Antoine Carrel, who later died from exhaustion on the Matterhorn after bringing his employers into safety through a snowstorm. During 1880, Whymper made two ascents of Chimborazo (6,267m), also claiming the first ascent. He spent a night on the summit of Cotopaxi and made first ascents of half a dozen other great peaks. In 1892, he published the results of his journey in a volume entitled Travels amongst the Great Andes of the Equator. His observations on altitude sickness led him to conclude that it was caused by a reduction in atmospheric pressure, which lessens the value of inhaled air, and by expansion of the air or gas within the body, causing pressure upon the internal organs. The effects produced by gas expansion may be temporary and dissipate when equilibrium has been restored between the internal and external pressure. The publication of his work was recognized on the part of the Royal Geographical Society by the award of the Patrons medal. His experiences in South America having convinced him of certain serious errors in the readings of aneroid barometers at high altitudes, he published a work entitled How to Use the Aneroid Barometer and succeeded in introducing important improvements in their construction. He afterwards published two guide books to Zermatt and Chamonix. Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS) or altitude illness is a pathological condition that is caused by acute exposure to high altitudes. ... The inactive stratovolcano Chimborazo is Ecuadors highest summit. ... The Royal Geographical Society is a learned society, founded in 1830 with the name Geographical Society of London for the advancement of geographical science, under the patronage of King William IV. It absorbed the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa (founded by Joseph Banks in... A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. ...

Canadian Rockies

In the early 1900's, Wympher visited the Canadian Rockies several times and made arrangements with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to promote the Canadian Rockies and the railway in his talks in Europe and Asia. In exchange, the CPR agreed to pay transportation costs for himself and his four guides. In 1901, Whymper and his four guides made the first ascents of Mount Whymper and Stanley Peak in the Vermillion Pass area of the Canadian Rockies. Ringrose Peak, Lake OHara, British Columbia, Canada The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. ... An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass. ... Stanley Peak is a mountain located in the northeastern section of Kootenay National Park. ...

On September 16, 1911, Whymper died at the age of 71, shortly after another climb in the Alps. He refused medical attention to the point of very death by locking his hotel door. He is buried in Chamonix, France. // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Panorama of Chamonix valley Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie département, at the foot of Mont Blanc. ...

Quotes

"There have been joys too great to be described in words, and there have been griefs upon which I have not dared to dwell; and with these in mind I say: Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought 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." Edward Whymper, Scrambles Amongst the Alps

References

External links

• Edward Whymper on Peakfinder
• Peter H. Hansen, ‘Whymper, Edward (1840–1911)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004