The Matterhorn was first climbed by brit climber Edward Whymper, July 1865. He climbed from the Swiss side on the ridge in the center of the often photographed side of the mountain. I have climbed that route as high as the “Shoulder” near the top where you have to cross onto the face because the shoulder goes overhanging. I was there in July also, but the snow conditions were too avalanche prone. We knew we would turn back there at the shoulder, if we could even get there because we talked to the guides service and found no one had been above there yet that year. I think it was 1991.
We would have liked to climb the Matterhorn, but just went to the Shoulder as a warm up for the Eiger which we successfully climbed later in July. We checked with the guides service and found no one had climbed the Eiger that year either so we were the first in bad snow and ice conditions.
Interesting.
I saw a movie a few years ago titled “The Edge Of The World”. It was made in the 30s and was about a remote Scottish Island.
The Island had sheer cliffs of over 400 feet. There was a grave marker near one which gave the name and simply said “gone over”. According to the movie many of the residents had died that way catching birds.
Have you ever read Norman Collie’s biography?
Mentioning Whymper made me think of it.