The Ascent of the Matterhorn

'Unapproachable in Alpine literature.' THE TIMESFew thought of travelling to the Alps until John Ruskin extolled the rugged beauty of the Matterhorn in 1844. However, it was 25-year-old Edward Whymper who inadvertently re-established its haunted aura upon making its first ascent in 1865. His Alpine adventure spurred the birth of mountaineering, while his memoir is still as fresh as when he wrote i...