Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860-69
By Edward Whymper.
Imprint
This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.
This particular ebook is based on a transcription from Wikisource and on digital scans from the Internet Archive.
The source text and artwork in this ebook are believed to be in the United States public domain; that is, they are believed to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. They may still be copyrighted in other countries, so users located outside of the United States must check their local laws before using this ebook. The creators of, and contributors to, this ebook dedicate their contributions to the worldwide public domain via the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook.
Standard Ebooks is a volunteer-driven project that produces ebook editions of public domain literature using modern typography, technology, and editorial standards, and distributes them free of cost. You can download this and other ebooks carefully produced for true book lovers at standardebooks.org.
Preface
In the year , shortly before leaving England for a long continental tour, a certain eminent London publisher requested me to make for him some sketches of the great Alpine peaks. At that time I had only a literary acquaintance with mountain-climbing, and had not even seen—much less set foot upon—a mountain. Amongst the peaks which were upon the list was Mont Pelvoux, in Dauphiné. The sketches that were required of it were to celebrate the triumph of some Englishmen who intended to make its ascent. They came—they saw—but they did not conquer. By a mere chance I fell in with a very agreeable Frenchman who accompanied this party, and was pressed by him to return to the assault. In we did so, with my friend Macdonald—and we conquered. This was the origin of my Scrambles amongst the Alps.
The ascent of Mont Pelvoux (including the disagreeables) was a very delightful scramble. The mountain air did not act as an emetic; the sky did not look black, instead of blue; nor did I feel tempted to throw myself over precipices. I hastened to enlarge my experience, and went to the Matterhorn. I was urged towards Mont Pelvoux by those mysterious impulses which cause men to peer into the unknown. This mountain was reputed to be the highest in France, and on that account was worthy of attention; and it was believed to be the culminating point of a picturesque district of great interest, which was then almost unexplored! The Matterhorn attracted me simply by its grandeur. It was considered to be the most completely inaccessible of all mountains, even by those who ought to have known better. Stimulated to make fresh exertions by one repulse after another, I returned, year after year, as I had opportunity, more and more determined to find a way up it, or to prove it to be really inaccessible.
A considerable portion of this volume is occupied by the history of these attacks on the Matterhorn, and the other excursions that are described have generally some connection, more or less remote, with that mountain or with Mont Pelvoux. All are new excursions (that is, excursions made for the first time), unless the contrary is pointed out. Some have been passed over very briefly, and entire ascents or descents have been disposed of in a single line. If they had been worked out at full length, three volumes, instead of one, would have been required. Generally speaking, the salient points alone have been dwelt upon, and the rest has been left to the imagination. This treatment spares the reader from much useless repetition.
In endeavouring to make the book of some use to those who may wish to go mountain-scrambling, whether in the Alps or elsewhere, undue prominence, perhaps, has been given to our mistakes and failures; and it will doubtless be pointed out that our practice must have been bad if the principles which are laid down are sound, or that the principles must be unsound if the practice was good. We were not immaculate. Our blunders are not held up to be admired, or to be imitated, but to be avoided.
These Scrambles amongst the Alps were holiday excursions, and as such they should be judged. They are spoken of as sport, and nothing more. The pleasure that they gave me cannot be transferred to others. The ablest pens have failed, and I think must always fail, to give a true idea of the grandeur of the Alps. The most minute descriptions of the greatest writers do nothing more than convey impressions that are entirely erroneous—the reader conjures up visions, it may be magnificent ones, but they are infinitely inferior to the reality. I have dealt sparingly in descriptions, and have employed illustrations freely, in the hope that the pencil may perhaps succeed where the pen must inevitably have failed.
About fifty of the subjects were drawn on the wood by the late Mr. James Mahoney, and I am much indebted to that artist for the care and fidelity with which he followed my slight memoranda, and for the spirit he put into his admirable designs. Most of his drawings will be identified by his monogram. Twenty of the remainder are the work of Mr. Cyrus Johnson.
It is now my pleasant duty to acknowledge assistance rendered, directly or indirectly, by friends and strangers, at home and abroad. First of all, my thanks are due to my companions for having placed their journals and sketches freely at my disposal. I am particularly obliged to Mr. J. Longridge, to Mr. T. F. Mitchell, and to Mr. W. Cutbill, for the facilities that they granted me when examining the Fell railway in . From Prof. T. G. Bonney, F.R.S., and Mr. Robert H. Scott, F.R.S., I have received many friendly hints and much valued criticism; and aid, in a variety of ways, from Mr. Budden, Prof. Gastaldi, and Sig. Giordano, in Italy; from M. Emile Templier and the Maréchal Canrobert, in France; and from Mr. Gosset of Berne. I am indebted to the Messrs. Longman for the use of a portion of their Map of the Western Alps. The other Maps are original.
Notes to the Preface of the Fifth Edition
The First Edition of Scrambles Amongst the Alps appeared in the summer of , and the Second Edition in the autumn of the same year. In , a Third (condensed) Edition was published, under the title The Ascent of the Matterhorn. The book then remained out of print for twelve years. In the Fourth Edition () the matter which was omitted in the Third one was restored; the text was revised generally; corrections which had become necessary in consequence of the lapse of years were made; and, in the Appendix, the History of the Matterhorn was brought down to date.
Amongst changes and developments which are not noted in the narrative, it may be mentioned that an Inn at Lognan has replaced the chalets, and that there is another one at Prerayen, in addition to the old buildings. A cabane has been opened at Chanrion. A new Inn (Hôtel des Jumeaux) has been put up at Breuil, and the Albergo del Monte Cervino at Giomein has been enlarged. The building on the summit of the Col Théodule, which was formerly termed “the hut,” is now called Pavillon du Col St. Théodule.
The Maps have been re-engraved, on copper. That of the Matterhorn and its Glaciers is after the Siegfried Map of Switzerland, with such additions as are needful to adapt it to the text. The Map of the Chain of Mont Blanc is based on the Survey of Capt. Mieulet, the map by Mr. Adams-Reilly, and the Carte Dufour, but numerous corrections and additions have been made from personal observation. The Map of the Valley of Valpelline, etc., has been constructed from the new Italian Official Map, the survey by Mr. Reilly, and the Carte Dufour.
Early Ascents of the Aiguilles d’Arve
In the Annuaire of the Club Alpin Français published in there is an article by Dr. Fodéré upon the Aiguilles d’Arve. Dr. Fodéré has ascended both the Southern and the Central Aiguilles, and says he found by levelling that the Southern Aiguille is the higher of the two. He also gives the name of a person (Célestin Bellet) who made an ascent of the Central Aiguille in , and the name of another person (Elie Savoye) who did the same before . In the Alpine Journal, vol. XVIII, pp. 165–8, there is a reference to an ascent of the Central Aiguille which was made in . These were probably the excursions which were referred to by Mons. Ad. Joanne, about which both I and my companions were perhaps unduly sceptical. See Chapter VIII. Dr. Fodéré’s article came under my notice after the sheets of Chapter VIII were worked off.
The Death of Christian Almer
Most of the characters mentioned in Scrambles have now departed. One of the last to go was my old Guide and Friend Christian Almer. This ideal mountain-guide celebrated the 70th anniversary of his birthday by making an ascent of the Wetterhorn along with his wife, who was then aged 72; and from this display of vigour when threescore and ten he might have been expected to have lived much longer. To my great regret, he died on , aged 72. See the illustration in Chapter XIIX, and the Alpine Journal, vol. XVIII, pp. 185–6.
Changes on the Southern Side of the Matterhorn
In , I ascended the southwest ridge as far as the base of the Great Tower, to photograph places in which I was interested. More than thirty years had elapsed since my last visit, and I found that great changes had taken place in the interval. The summit of the Col du Lion was lower than it was formerly, from diminution of the snow; and the passage across it was shorter than it used to be. For the next 150 feet or so of ascent there was little alteration, but thence upwards the ridge had tumbled to pieces, and many familiar places were unrecognizable. No spot on this ridge is more firmly fixed in my recollection than “the Chimney.” (See the illustration in Chapter V.) Only a remnant of it was left—more than half of the Chimney had disappeared; and from that point upwards everything was altered. Difficult places had become easy, and easy places had become difficult. The angle in which a thick knotted rope is now dangling, which is one of the steepest bits of the ascent, did not exist in .
The first refuge on the southern side of the Matterhorn was made on the ledge called the “cravate” (see Appendix C). Later on, a cabane was built close to the base of the Great Tower. Its life seeming precarious, a third refuge, another cabane, was erected in about 160 feet lower down, and came into use in . This latter hut occupies very nearly the position of my third tent-platform. A view of it is given in Chapter II of my Guide to Zermatt and the Matterhorn, after photographs taken in .
In Chapter V, I characterize the Great Tower as “one of the most striking features on the ridge.” In , there were no signs of decay about the base of this huge pinnacle. In it seemed to me that it would not be long before it would collapse. Woe betide those who may be beneath the Great Tower when it falls.
Carrel’s Gallery
By reference to this section in Appendix C, it will be seen that Jean-Antoine Carrel, upon his descent of the Matterhorn, on , came down at one part of the way by a somewhat easier route than that which was taken upon the ascent. The opinion of Mr. Craufurd Grove about this “somewhat easier route” will be found later in Appendix C. Mr. Grove was the first tourist to ascend the Matterhorn on the Italian side; and, so far as I am aware, no one again went that way until , when Mr. W. E. Davidson, with the guides Daniel Maquignaz and Christian Klucker, made an ascent by what was generally, though perhaps not exactly, the route taken by Mr. Grove. Mr. Davidson strongly endorses Mr. Grove’s opinion. Traces of the two previous ascents were observed by Mr. Davidson.
Exploration of the Furgg Ridge
In , Sig. Guido Rey, of Turin, undertook a very bold and enterprising exploration of the Furgg Ridge—that which leads from the Furgggrat towards the summit of the Matterhorn. The information that Sig. Rey communicated to me arrived too late to be incorporated in Appendix C.
“I started from Breuil with Antoine Maquignaz and a porter on , at one o’clock in the night, and went to the Breuiljoch, and thence directly up the Furgg Ridge, as far as the point reached by Mummery—which may be called ‘l’Épaule de Furgg’ At this point real difficulty begins.
Meanwhile Daniel Maquignaz, with two porters and a large amount of rope, had reached the summit of the Matterhorn by the usual way; and descended about 85 metres” (280 feet) “down the Furgg Ridge, until he came to a place where the rocks became overhanging. There he stopped, and fixed a rope, and let the same down to the spot where we were standing, which was about 10 metres higher than l’Épaule de Furggen. By means of this rope, I and my men ascended about 80 metres, with great difficulty, the rocks being smooth and nearly vertical. After two hours of grimpade” (scrambling) “we thus arrived at the base of some overhanging rock upon which stood Daniel and his men. We were separated 12 or 15 metres from Daniel, and tried to pull ourselves up; but this was impossible on account of the great oscillation of the rope, and from there being no means of laying hold of the rock either with hands or feet. At 5 p.m. we gave up our attempts, and returned the way we had come; and, walking down the whole night, arrived at Breuil on the morning of the . The point reached on this attempt was distant from the summit about 105 metres” (344 feet).
“I again left Breuil on the , and ascended the Matterhorn by the usual Italian route. Daniel, Antoine, and porters were with me, carrying a rope ladder about 15 metres long. I descended from the summit to the Furggen Ridge as far as the point previously attained by Daniel’s party, and found means of getting a few metres lower. There I fixed the ladder, and let it down the overhanging wall. Descending it, I reached the point where we arrived on the . Having completely explored the ridge, and touched every part of it, I returned immediately to the summit, and descended, in very bad weather, by the Hörnli route.”
Toil and pleasure, in their natures opposite, are yet linked together in a kind of necessary connection.
Livy