Matterhorn Lit Up Ahead of 150th Anniversary of First Ascent

In anticipation of next year’s 150th anniversary of Edward Whymper’s first ascent, guides on the Matterhorn lit up the historic route with headlamps Tuesday. Swiss apparel maker Mammut co-sponsored the effort and released a stunning nighttime photo of the illuminated mountain.

Whymper and six other men reached the summit of the 14,692-foot-tall Alps peak on July 14, 1865 via the now-classic Hörnligrat route. Four members of the party died during the descent, leading Queen Victoria to ban British climbers from the Matterhorn (a directive that went largely ignored). Last year, Spanish runner Kilian Jornet set a roundtrip speed record of 2 hours, 52 minutes after ascending from the Italian village of Breuil-Cervinia.