Matthias Zurbriggen
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
Matthias Zurbriggen | |
---|---|
Born | Matthias Zurbriggen May 15, 1856 |
Died | June 21, 1917 | (aged 61)
Nationality | Swiss |
Occupation | Mountaineer |
Known for | First ascent of Aconcagua and Tupungato |
Matthias Zurbriggen (15 May 1856 in Saas-Fee – 21 June 1917 in Geneva) was a Swiss mountaineer. He climbed throughout the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas and New Zealand.
Ascents[]
He made many first ascents, the best known of which is Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas/outside of Asia, which he climbed alone on 14 January 1897, during an expedition led by Edward FitzGerald. During the same expedition Zurbriggen also made the first ascent of Tupungato with Englishman Stuart Vines.[1]
The Zurbriggen Ridge on Aoraki/Mount Cook in New Zealand is named after him. On 14 March 1895, Zurbriggen made the first ascent of the ridge, the second ascent of the mountain and its first solo ascent. He missed the honour of claiming the first ascent of Mount Cook, which was achieved a few months earlier, on Christmas Day 1894 by a party of New Zealanders who were determined to prevent the first ascent being credited to a foreigner.
Personal life[]
Later in life, his fortune declined. He lived his last decade as a vagrant in his home country, and was found hanged in Geneva in 1917, an apparent suicide.[2]
References[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matthias Zurbriggen. |
- ^ FitzGerald, Edward. The Highest Andes. Methuen & Co., 1899
- ^ Stettler, Peter (January 2004). "Matthias Zurbriggen 1856–1917" (PDF). Les Alpes: 26–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011.
- 1856 births
- 1917 suicides
- Alpine guides
- Swiss mountain climbers
- Suicides by hanging in Switzerland
- Climbing biography stubs
- Swiss sportspeople stubs