All routes to the summit are long and serious undertakings, requiring skill, fitness and plenty of alpine experience. Edward whymper was born in london, england on 27 april 1840 to josiah wood whymper and elizabeth claridge. September 16, 1911, was a british illustrator, climber and explorer best known for the first ascent of the matterhorn in 1865. Climbing in the fog on the thumbs top via micheluzzi at. He was the second of eleven children, his older brother being the artist and explorer frederick whymper. The apocalypse couloir is a steep skiing test piece that im glad to have skied.
The alpine club guide book grades this climb as ad and gaston rebuffat. Wetterhorn still awaits a true summit ski descent, but it is possible, on the. Edward whymper frank smythe 1940 1st uk ed hardcover. Southern couloir v, d, r3 possible downclimb or ropework depending on snow fill. From the summit regain the col and go into the whymper couloir. Dec 16, 2008 the film with new videoshot from skiing couloir3. Aiguille verte couloir whymper by guillaume ledoux on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. With this gallery, we give you a glimpse into whats going on in those ridges and snowy faces looming right above town. This steep and exposed couloir is hard to find in perfect condition but is a fantastic descent from high on the aiguille verte. Jun 17, 2008 skiing in whymper couloir from aiguille verte, chamonix. When the accident occurred, the two climbers were half way through the whymper couloir.
At the apron the slopes really opened up and i was able to carve some really good turns. Edward whymper april 27, 1840september 16, 1911, was a british illustrator, climber and explorer best known for the first ascent of the matterhorn in 1865. Couloir whymper on the aiguille verte and couloir gervasutti on mont blanc. Aug 07, 2017 the aiguille verte is a stunning and complex 4000m peak. In 1860, he made extensive forays into the central and western alps to produce a series of commissioned alpine. The short drive and prospect for another winter teener were the frosting on the cake. It is the easiest ski descent on the mountain but is still a big undertaking for even experienced ski mountaineers. Although this is the regular route that most people take and the one edward whymper himself had used in the first ascent, the level of difficulty. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
The two experienced expedition skiers were attempting a first descent of mt. Here surprisingly the snow did not slough when i skied. Edward whymper was born in london, england on 27 april 1840 to josiah wood whymper and elizabeth claridge being the second of eleven children including his older brother frederick whymper. Sitting at 14,692 feet 4478 meters, the matterhorn straddles the swissitalian border. Ski descent of cross couloir and cross creek 5600 vert 11.
Once past this part there is about a 200 foot descent onto the shelf where you will be at the base of the couloirs. Whymper also made important first ascents on the mont blanc massif and in. Articles european climbs aiguille verte couturier couloir. The normal route is the whymper couloir on the south side of the east ridge, from the refuge couvercle in the talefre basin. Guiding if you are interested in climbing the aiguille verte with a guide, check our 1. It is extremely heavily laden with typoes, rendering it difficult to read. Apr 09, 2020 edward whymper first ascent of the aiguille verte 1865 supertopos climbing discussion forum is the worlds most popular community discussion forum for people who actively climb outdoors. It is often skied in spring snow where an early start to. Once youre at the bottom, its about 7 miles back down to copeland lake, the trailhead in wild basin. As a climber and sometime mountaineer, the first ascent of the matterhorn, the most spectacular peak in the alps, is of great significance to me, as i have visited zermatt, seen a monument dedicated to him in the graveyard, and climbed a neighboring peak called the breithorn. Skiing the apocalypse couloir in gtnp a mountain journey. Graham bell interviews sylvain saudan, skier of the impossible. Edward whymper first ascent of the aiguille verte 1865 supertopos climbing discussion forum is the worlds most popular community discussion forum for people who actively climb outdoors. Douglas, hudson, hadow and croz were killed on the descent when hadow slipped and pulled the other three with him down the north.
Aiguille verte couturier couloir european climbs alpine. The aiguille verte is a stunning and complex 4000m peak. Im sure that edward whymper was a fine man and author and the ascent of the matterhorn is a good book, but this particular edition of it is not readable. As the king of the alps, the matterhorn is one of the worlds most striking mountains. Matterhorn wild kaiser north face of the cima grande lonely ascent of the mont blanc hair rising moment in the whymper couloir dangerous descent from the aiguille du peigne under the giant roof expedition plans accident when climbing 25 years later. Corbets couloir one of mens journals best ski runs in america has long been a gnarly descent for big time skiers, but casey brown and cam mccaul saw a. Whymper was born in london on april 27 1840 to josiah wood whymper and elizabeth claridge being the second of. Gery sent me a photo of the x couloir on mt whymper that he took from mt. A few years earlier, steve h and i skied the obvious face in the middle of the picture on mt whymper below and passed under the entrance to the xcouloir. Apr 30, 2007 northwestern route to navajo basin skied by jordan white, possible first descent of that route was by nick devore last spring, see comments below for first descent info for southern couloir. I am reading the kindle version of edward whympers the the ascent of the matterhorn and i am thoroughly enjoying it. In 1865 whymper, who had failed eight times already, attempted unsuccessfully to climb a couloir on the southeast face with michel croz. Edward whymper frank smythe 1940 1st uk ed hardcover very.
Climbers call it chamonix, or just cham, but the official name of the mountaintownlikenoother is chamonix mont blanc. I remembered that the line looked pretty mellow to begin with so. Paul bonhomme completes aiguille verte 4 faces in a day. This area is a superpopular destination for climbers from many countries, because it offers a combination of advantages. Route subarea photo photo copy approachdescent trail book.
Keplingers is a long, wide couloir that averages around 40 degrees as it gently snakes down longs. Scrambles amongst the alps in the years 186069 edward. Jcwhite, doumall holy cross has been skied in july from the summit, but not in pow. However, getting the route in condition is easier said than done and speed is of the utmost importance. The first ascent of the matterhorn was made by edward whymper, lord francis douglas, charles hudson, douglas hadow, michel croz, and two zermatt guides, peter taugwalder and his son of the same name, on 14 july 1865.
A few years earlier, steve h and i skied the obvious face in the middle of the picture on mt whymper below and passed under the entrance to the x couloir. Its a demanding, technical ski descent that i hope to return to in the future because it is so impressive. The video and report of the italian mountain guide and extreme skier about this ski descent which, in particular the. Descent either downclimb the moine ridge or abseil the whymper using fixed anchors on the left side when facing down of the couloir. At the end of march 2017 denis trento made what might well be the first integral ski descent of the sw couloir of pointe whymper. Marco siffredi snowboarded the norton couloir in 2001 and disappeared during a descent.
Four members of his climbing party were killed during the descent. Whilst we enjoyed a great day out on the ascent, it became quickly clear that the descent was going to be a bit of a nightmare. If descending the moine ridge follow the ascent route, mainly by downclimbing. This winter has been pretty poor for conditions up high so we opted to a quick climb in the form of the couturier couloir to the summit of the verte and then ski back down the south side. Route description cross the rimaye at its right and continue up the couloir for about 2003 meters, traverse to the left to cross a small rock barrier and continue climbing the couloir up to the col.
Aiguille verte 4122m couloir whymper ski touring winter. A chamonixlocal in his 30s who was skiing down the whymper couloir, lost his balance and had a fall of more than 100 metres to his death. Keplingers couloir ski ascent, grand lake, colorado. Trip report shooting star couloir, various descents.
This iconic and recognizable peak beckons mountain enthusiasts from around the world. Gery sent me a photo of the xcouloir on mt whymper that he took from mt. He wrote an article about me, then contacted his publishers and proposed a book. Whymper wrote several books on mountaineering, including scrambles. The video and report of the italian mountain guide and extreme skier about this ski descent which, in particular the final 400m, has probably never been skied before. Aiguille verte skiing whymper couloir part 2 youtube. It took about 15 minutes to ski the whole couloir, a lot faster going down than up. Edward whymper made many first alpine ascents, including.
After jordan chewed my ear a bit about getting it while it was good, i took the bait. Professor john tyndall and whymper emulated each other in determined attempts to reach the summit of the matterhorn by the southwestern, or italian, ridge. Grandes jorasses pointe whymper denis trento skis sw couloir. Early life whymper was born in london on april 27, 1840to josiah wood whymper and elizabeth claridge being the second ofeleven. Descending the whymper is only really feasible in spring or early summer the rockfall danger is too high in the height of summer. The whymper couloir is the most famous route on the mountain and one that can be climbed quickly in good conditions. Lincoln peak is difficult to see in profile, from anacortes, it looks like part of mt. Baker, from the glacier area, it looks like a bump on heliotrope ridge, a couple months ago, i was skiing north of glacier in the border peaks region i saw lincoln standing steep and prominent. Whymper couloir, aiguille verte this steep and exposed couloir is hard to find in perfect condition but is a fantastic descent from high on the aiguille verte. The first edition narrating the ascent of the matterhorn, with numerous illustrations. The thought of the whymper group reaching the summit of the matterhorn via the now well travelled hornli ridge is amazing the sheer magnitude of the puzzle of the routefinding combined with the gear they had at their disposable makes the success with all due respect to the members of his party not finishing the descent alive quite a feat. Do you know any interesting facts about matterhorn. As a climber and sometime mountaineer, the first ascent of the matterhorn, the most spectacular peak in the alps, is of great significance to me, as i have visited zermatt, seen a monument dedicated to him in the graveyard, and climbed a neighboring peak called the. Were sorry but doesnt work properly without javascript enabled.
I am reading the kindle version of edward whymper s the the ascent of the matterhorn and i am thoroughly enjoying it. He was trained to be a woodengraver at an early age. Dec 27, 2017 do you know any interesting facts about matterhorn. May 03, 2008 video from this trip video facts about whymper couloir. Opis zjazdu z knihy anslema bauda from book of ansleme baud. Edward whymper frse 27 april 1840 16 september 1911 was an english mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for the first ascent of the matterhorn in 1865. The mountaineer had come to the chamonix valley with a friend to climb the aiguille verte 4122 meters, via the south side of the whymper couloir. This winter has been pretty poor for conditions up high so we opted to a quick climb in the form of the couturier couloir to the summit of.
In this famous book whymper describes the nine years he spent climbing in the alps 1860 to 1869 including his numerous attempts to climb the matterhorn, and his successful eighth attempt, when he finally became the first man to reach the summit a climb that claimed the lives of four of his fellow. On the descent, four members of the party were killed. Records aside, this is certainly a great and beautiful adventure in the mont blanc massif. Aiguille verte 4122m, whymper couloir alpine guides. Watch first ever bike descent of corbets couloir mens. This couloir has come to be known as the boudoir couloir, a name given to the climb by gerry and jennifer roach in their excellent book colorados thirteeners,800 to,999 feet. It is essential to complete descent before the sun gets on the couloir. After a successful ascension, the two decided to use the same route for their descent. Soft snow in the secondary couloir and on the traverse back into the main couloir, where conditions are good. The ridge alone from the summit to the top of the whymper took.
Douglas, hudson, hadow and croz were killed on the descent when hadow slipped and pulled the other three with him down the north face. Buy the ascent of the matterhorn by whymper, edward isbn. Thu, 20 march 2014, early morning, an emergency call came from the whymper couloir, on the aiguille verte. Here is an account by martin volken of the history of this amazing 7000 foot ski descent line. If i had tried jumping from outside ski to outside ski down the couloir. Everests dreaded north face when tomas olsson fell while rappelling a 150foot cliff at 27,900 feet. Chamonix 2008 iva sikulova filova mountains, skiing and. Edward whymper made many first alpine ascents, including the. Edward whymper first ascent of the aiguille verte 1865. A classic descent on the south face of longs peak near grand lake, colorado.