Whymper, Edward

Whymper, Edward
born April 27, 1840, London, Eng.
died Sept. 16, 1911, Chamonix, Fr.

British mountaineer and artist.

He became a mountaineer after making sketches for a book on the Alps. In 1865 he made the first ascent of the Matterhorn; an accident on the descent caused the death of four of his companions. His Scrambles Amongst the Alps (1871) and Travels Amongst the Great Andes (1892) describe his experiences and are illustrated with his own engravings.

* * *

▪ British mountaineer and artist
born April 27, 1840, London
died Sept. 16, 1911, Chamonix, Fr.
 English mountaineer and artist who was associated with the exploration of the Alps and was the first man to climb the Matterhorn (14,691 feet [4,478 metres]).

      Privately educated, Whymper entered his father's wood engraving business and ultimately succeeded as head of it. He was sent to Switzerland in 1860 to make sketches for a book on the Alps and became a mountaineer thereafter. In the western Alps he climbed Mont Pelvoux (1861) and Les Écrins (1864). On his eighth attempt to scale the Matterhorn, on July 14, 1865, Whymper made the ascent by the Swiss ridge. On the descent, one member of his party slipped and pulled down three more—all four fell to their deaths. The rope broke, saving Whymper and two guides. One of the best known of all mountaineering accidents, this event is recorded in Whymper's Scrambles Amongst the Alps (1871; condensed as Ascent of the Matterhorn, 1879), which is illustrated with his own engravings.

      In 1867 and 1872 Whymper visited Greenland with the intention of crossing its ice cap, but he became convinced that the undertaking would prove too costly for him. In Ecuador (1880) he twice ascended Chimborazo, and he spent a night on the summit of Cotopaxi (19,347 feet [5,897 metres]), the world's highest continuously active volcano. He published Travels Amongst the Great Andes of Ecuador (1892), which contained much valuable information for geographers, geologists, and mountaineers. He also compiled two handbooks on the climbing of Chamonix (1896) and Zermatt (1897; both reprinted 1974). Whymper's last journeys were in the Canadian Rockies (1901–05).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Whymper, Edward — ► (1840 1911) Alpinista británico. Fue el primero que escaló el Pelvoux (1861), el Cervino (1865) y el Chimborazo (1880). * * * (27 abr. 1840, Londres, Inglaterra–16 sep. 1911, Chamonix, Francia). Escalador y artista británico. Se convirtió en… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Whymper — Whymper, Edward …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Edward Whymper — (April 27, 1840 ndash;September 16, 1911), was a British illustrator, climber and explorer best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. On the descent, four members of the party were killed.Early lifeWhymper was born in London on… …   Wikipedia

  • Whymper — Edward Whymper, ca. 1881 Edward Whymper (* 27. April 1840 in London; † 16. September 1911 in Chamonix, Frankreich) war ein englischer Bergsteiger. Er wurde in ärmlichen Verhältnissen geboren und erlebte dort eine Jugend ohne große… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Whymper — Edward Whymper Edward Whymper vers 1880 Edward Whymper était un alpiniste britannique, né le 27 avril 1840 à Londres, mort le 16 septembre 1911 à Chamonix où il est enterré …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Edward Whymper — vers 1880 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Edward Whymper — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Grabado de Edward Whymper (1881) Edward Whymper (27 de abril de 1840–16 de septiembre de 1911), fue un alpinista y explorador mejor conocido por ser el primero en ascender la montaña Cervino en …   Wikipedia Español

  • Whymper — Whymper, Edward, Bergsteiger, geb. 27. April 1840 in London, erstieg als erster das Matterhorn (1865) etc., bereiste Grönland und die Kordilleren in Ecuador (erstieg den Chimborasso als erster vollständig, 1880), bereiste 1901 Kanada; schrieb:… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Edward — /ed weuhrd/, n. 1. Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall ( The Black Prince ), 1330 76, English military leader (son of Edward III). 2. Lake, a lake in central Africa, between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a source of the Nile.… …   Universalium

  • Edward — (as used in expressions) Abbey, Edward Acheson, Edward Goodrich Acton (de Aldenham), John Emerich Edward Dahlberg Acton, 1 barón Albee, Edward (Franklin) Edward Teach Bax, Sir Arnold (Edward Trevor) Bellamy, Edward Bernays, Edward L. Charles… …   Enciclopedia Universal

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”