Exploring Zermatt - Triumph and tragedy surrounding the first ascent of the Matterhorn.

25 July 2018 

After staying a few days in Zermatt and seeing so much of the Matterhorn, it was no surprised that we became fascinated by the people who had scaled the imposing peak.

In our leisure time at Zermatt, we read about the first team of 7 climbers who reached the summit on 14 July 1865 from the east face or Swiss side of the mountain, thereby conquering the last alpine peak that remain unclimbed till then.

After spending about an hour celebrating their success on the peak, the team led by Edward Whymper made their descent. Descending is probably more difficult than ascending and tragedy occurred during the descent. One of the climbers slipped and pulled the rest of the team along. Four of the mountaineers fell to their death when the rope attaching them to the three survivors could not withstand the tension caused by the weight of the 4 falling men and gave way.

The best place to appreciate the triumph and tragedy surrounding the first ascent of the Matterhorn is at the centre of Zermatt, where the St Mauritius church and a few posh hotels are located.

Along the Bahnhofstrasse near the church, Marmot Fountain and the Hotel Monte Rosa, there are nine bronze markers installed on the cobblestone floor to remember each one of the first climbers of the Matterhorn. This is known as the Zermatt’s Walk of Climb, just like Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

The stretch of Bahnhofstrasse, near Hotel Monte Rosa (white building with red window shutters), where the bronze markers of the Walk of Climb could be found.

The first marker located near the church bears the name of Peter Taugwalder (Vater), Zermatt mountain guide of the first climbers’ rope team. Following this is a marker for his son with the same name, Peter Taugwalder (Sohn) who was also a guide. Both father and son, together with Englishman Edward Whymper, were the 3 who survived.

Mountain guide Michel Auguste Croz, the Reverend Charles Hudson, Lord Francis Douglas and Douglas Robert Hadow, who were all attached to the same piece of rope, perished during the descent.

Collage of bronze markers for the 4 persons who died during first ascent of Matterhorn at the Walk of Climb in Zermatt.

In addition to the 7 bronze markers for the first ascenders from the Swiss side, two other markers bear the names of the first ascenders who reached the summit on 17 July 1865 (3 days later) from the Italian side. They are Jean-Antoine Carrel and Jean-Babtiste Bich, both from Valtournenche, Italy. The Italians were actually just 400m from the summit on 14 July 1865, trying to overcome a major obstacle in their route, when they realised they had lost the race to the peak. They turned back. They tried again a few days later and succeeded.

It was good to see that their success as the first to scale the Cervino (Italian name for the same mountain) from the Italian side is also well remembered.

A book at a store in Zermatt with interesting picture of the Matterhorn, as viewed from the Italian side. It also shows the route of the first successful ascent team from that side on 17 July 1865.

Incidentally, the Hotel Monte Rosa is where Edward Whymper and some members of his team stayed, prior to conquering the Matterhorn.

Hotel Monte Rosa.

We also visited the Mountaineers’ cemetery located behind the St Mauritius church. Visitors could see the graves of about 50 climbers who perished in the surrounding mountains, except for the two famous climbers who died naturally rather than on the mountain: Peter and Peter Taugwalder, father and son of the Matterhorn first ascent team.

Next to the Taugwalders’ graves is the grave of Michel Auguste Croz, the mountain guide who perishe during the first ascent of the Matterhorn. Reverend Charles Hudson and Douglas Robert Hadow who also perished during that first ascent were also buried at the church. There is no grave of Lord Francis Douglas, the third English climber who fell, as the rescue party could not find his body after the accident.

Clock tower of the St Mauritius Catholic Church.

Mountaineers’ cemetery located behind the Zermatt Catholic Church. Most of the graves date from the 19th century, some from the early-20th century.

A grave with a gravestone in the shape of the Matterhorn and a plaque with words in German, English, French and Italian could be seen near the entrance to the cemetery. Climbing the Matterhorn is very risky and sometimes deadly. Often, the bodies of the fallen are missing or fragmented due to impact on the exposed rock ledges. This “Grave of the Unknown Climber” is for the missing and dead, who could not be found or completely removed after their fall.

Next to the church is the Zermatlantis Matterhorn Museum. Entrance fee is 10 CHF/person. It offers insight into the development of Zermatt. Visitors could also learn more about the triumph and tragedy surrounding the first ascent of the Matterhorn at this museum in there as well as see the broken rope from the first ascent of the Matterhorn.