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First of all, it begs the question whether such a thin hemp rope with a diameter of 8mm (which does not even measure up to today’s single static ropes) would have been able to withstand the force of four falling bodies at all. It has to be mentioned that the British Alpine Club carried out several tests regarding the resistance of ropes, and their findings were terrifying for all involved. The test consisted of holding a weight of 76kg, which is then dropped by a bare 1.5m. The Alpine Club reported that of the woven ropes normally considered to be very strong, not one resisted the strain of the fall; and of the carefully manufactured, spun ropes, not many withstood the forces inflicted on them. The ropes gave in in such an unsettling way that some of their members were deeply terrified, since they had been using such ropes regularly and fully relied on their integrity. They bestowed completely unjustified trust upon these cords. The only rope resisting all tests was the one made of Manila hemp. The Alpine Club stated that from that moment onwards, this type of rope would be carrying a seal of quality. One has to bear in mind that the rope used to tie Peter Taugwalder Senior and Lord Douglas together was not made of Manila hemp, and it was thinner that the ropes tested by the British Alpine Club. Furthermore, it had to carry the weight of four bodies roped up at an interval of about 8m. Therefore, the distance of the fall was far greater than the 1.5m in the tests. Also, the rope was hanging over an edge – something that even today leads to the breaking of ropes under relatively low strain. Another point concerns the injuries Peter Taugwalder sustained on his hand and his torso. According to Peter Taugwalder Senior’s account, the rope between him and Whymper was not taut, which allowed him to wrap it around a boulder above him as he saw his comrades fall. With his other hand, he tried to hold on to the thin connecting rope. Because of that, the pull of the falling companions was entirely absorbed by his hand and his upper body, since he had wrapped a large part of the thin rope around himself, as good mountain guides do. The subsequent injuries to his hand and torso were severe and still visible months after the accident. Peter Taugwalder showed them to his colleagues. He was probably lucky that the rope broke immediately; otherwise, his injuries would have been much worse. The part where the rupture was located was quite far away from Peter Taugwalder. Whymper said in his questioning by the investigating judge that the rope had broken midway between Peter Taugwalder and Lord Douglas. Since this report was sealed until after Whymper’s death, this statement of his was never considered. In his third version of 1895, in which Whymper described the events, he mentioned the breaking of the 38 The conquest of the Zermatt Mountains
The fall site on the Matterhorn. Falling at this point meant a vertical drop of 1,000m down onto the Matterhorn glacier. The conquest of the Zermatt Mountains 39
Page 1: The Matterhorn and its mountain gui
Page 4 and 5: © 2015, Hermann Biner, Zermatt Pub
Page 7 and 8: Preface The Matterhorn - mystical,
Page 9 and 10: Monte Rosa and Lyskamm with Gorner
Page 11 and 12: On August 13 of 1792, natural scien
Page 13 and 14: Zermatt and the Matterhorn around 1
Page 15 and 16: ·· Johann Zumtaugwald (first asce
Page 17 and 18: Weisshorn from the north. Today sti
Page 19 and 20: First ascents between 1850 and 1865
Page 21 and 22: Background on the first ascent of t
Page 23 and 24: Lyskamm - one of the most dangerous
Page 25 and 26: Between 1850 and 1865, Zermatt moun
Page 27 and 28: Lord Francis Douglas was guided up
Page 29 and 30: Aiguille Verte. Together with the M
Page 31 and 32: The Matterhorn from the Zermatt sid
Page 33 and 34: After the second ascent of the Aigu
Page 35 and 36: Peter Taugwalder described Whymper
Page 37: The fall at the Matterhorn. This is
Page 41 and 42: The Matterhorn Museum in Zermatt ha
Page 43 and 44: The faulty rope at the Matterhorn M
Page 45 and 46: Interrogating Peter Taugwalder Seni
Page 47 and 48: 30. Please, tell us more about the
Page 49 and 50: 58. Was your son recruited as a gui
Page 51 and 52: The account of Peter Taugwalder Jun
Page 53 and 54: Obergabelhorn south face. Only in 1
Page 55 and 56: The summit of the Matterhorn. Stand
Page 57: of the things we were saying? He di

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