Biner_Leseprobe

Some authors took it upon themselves to find other sources. A thorough
analysis was published in May of 1929 by the SAC (Swiss Alpine Club)
in its monthly journal called Die Alpen. Further analyses and comments
came from members of the Alpine Club: they were critical of Whymper’s
one-sided account, which consistently cast a damning light on the Taugwalders.
Especially Sir Arnold Lunn questioned the relationship between
Whymper and Taugwalder Senior and Junior in several contributions, and
he came to the conclusion that Whymper did not treat them in a fair way.
For years, Charles Gos investigated all available sources, even from the
French-speaking region. In 1948, he published his findings in a book
called Le Cervin. In view of the 100 th anniversary of the first ascent of the
Matterhorn in 1965, Ronald W. Clark had been tirelessly collecting all British
sources still preserved. His insights were published in a book called
The Day the Rope Broke. It was also translated into German and released
under the title Als das Seil riss. In his book, he points out several discrepancies
among the individual testimonies and discusses the question if and
why the rope between Peter Taugwalder Senior and Lord Francis Douglas
broke. In the beginning of the 19th century, Swiss Martin Jaggi did some
research in Zermatt, including the questioning of contemporary witnesses
of the first ascent. He left a comprehensive collection of documents to his
son Christian Jaggi. He himself did not have the opportunity to publish
them anymore. His son passed them on to Hannes Taugwalder, who published
the results of this research on the occasion of the 125 th anniversary
of the first ascent of the Matterhorn in a book entitled Der Wahrheit näher
(‘closer to the truth’). In this piece, the story is told from the Taugwalders’
perspective, and there are several passages that diverge strongly from
the British sources.
It is known that the versions of Taugwalder and Whymper differ regarding
crucial points, especially when it comes to the descent and the time after
the accident. Whymper’s version, however, spread worldwide due to his
book and the many lectures he gave in many places. In contrast, Peter
Taugwalder Senior did not have the possibility to defend himself against the
unfair accusations and allegations made by many. Additionally, Whymper
either did not repudiate these reproaches at all, or he repudiated them too
late. However, it was no coincidence that it was Peter Taugwalder Senior
who had participated in the first ascent. He was one of the very few Zermatt
mountain guides who believed that the ascent of the Matterhorn was within
the realm of possibility.
24 The conquest of the Zermatt Mountains