Edward Whymper

Biography

Edward Whymper was a British mountaineer and illustrator, born April 27, 1840 in London and died September 16, 1911 in Chamonix where he is buried. He is best known for being part of the tragic expedition that first conquered the Matterhorn on July 14, 1865, and for the peaks and routes to which his name is attributed.

He received training as a draftsman and engraver. He discovers the Alps on the occasion of a commitment to make illustrations. Among his most remarkable first ascents were the Barre des Écrins in the Écrins massif in 1864, and in 1865 the Aiguille Verte in the Mont-Blanc massif and especially the Matterhorn in the Valais Alps, a summit which had repelled many attempts . He al...