First ascent of the Weisshorn
- When
- 1861
- Where
- Weisshorn
- Episodes
- 1
The first ascent of the Weisshorn occurred on 19 August 1861. Irish physicist John Tyndall, accompanied by guides J.J. Bennen and Ulrich Wenger, climbed from Randa. The summit, at 4,505 meters, is the fifth highest in the Alps. The ascent began on 18 August, reaching the peak the following day.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The Weisshorn is a major peak in Switzerland, culminating at 4,505 meters. It is the fifth highest summit in the Alps and the second highest completely within Switzerland outside the main chain. The mountain has a pyramidal shape with faces separated by three steep ridges. It is one of the 4000ers surrounding Zermatt.
Participants. John Tyndall, an Irish physicist, led the first ascent. He was accompanied by guides J.J. Bennen, from Laax, and Ulrich Wenger, from Grindelwald. Tyndall visited the Alps almost every summer from 1856 onward and was part of the first team to reach the Weisshorn in 1861.
Ascent. Tyndall and his guides started the ascent from Randa at 1.00 p.m. on 18 August 1861, bivouacking on the mountain before continuing. They reached the Weisshorn summit on 19 August 1861. The bivouac used on this first ascent stood nearly two hours higher than the chalet from which Leslie Stephen later gained the highest point.
People involved
- John Tyndall · Climber
- J.J. Bennen · Guide
- Ulrich Wenger · Guide
Sources
- Weisshorn Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-16
- John Tyndall Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-21
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.