Melchior Anderegg facts for kids
Melchior Anderegg (born March 28, 1828 – died December 8, 1914) was a famous Swiss mountain guide. He came from a place called Zaun, near Meiringen. Melchior was one of the first people to climb many important mountains in the western Alps. He was active during a time when mountain climbing became very popular, known as the "golden" and "silver" ages of alpinism.
Most of his clients were from Britain. One of his most famous climbing partners was Leslie Stephen, who was a writer and also loved climbing. Melchior also climbed a lot with the Walker family, including Horace Walker and Lucy Walker. His cousin, Jakob Anderegg, was also a well-known mountain guide.
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A Top Mountain Guide
Melchior Anderegg was known for being a very skilled and brave mountain guide. He helped many climbers reach the tops of mountains that no one had ever climbed before.
First Climbs by Melchior Anderegg
Here are some of the mountains Melchior Anderegg was the first to climb:
- Wildstrubel, 3,243 meters high (in the Bernese Alps), on September 11, 1858
- Rimpfischhorn, 4,199 meters high (in the Pennine Alps), on September 9, 1859
- Alphubel, 4,206 meters high (Pennine Alps), on August 9, 1860
- Blüemlisalphorn, 3,664 meters high (Bernese Alps), on August 27, 1860
- Monte Disgrazia, 3,678 meters high (in the Bregaglia Range), on August 23, 1862
- Dent d'Hérens, 4,171 meters high (Pennine Alps), on August 12, 1863
- Parrotspitze, 4,432 meters high (Pennine Alps), on August 16, 1863
- Balmhorn, 3,698 meters high (Bernese Alps), on July 21, 1864
- Zinalrothorn, 4,221 meters high (Pennine Alps), on August 22, 1864
- Grandes Jorasses, 4,208 meters high (in the Mont Blanc Massif), on June 30, 1868
Other Important Climbs
Melchior Anderegg also made many other amazing climbs:
- He climbed Mont Blanc, which is 4,809 meters high, using a route called the Bosses du Dromedaire in 1859.
- He climbed Mont Blanc again in 1861, using the Dôme du Goûter route.
- In 1863, he explored the Zmuttgrat side of the Matterhorn (Pennine Alps) by himself.
- He climbed Mont Blanc using the Brenva face route in 1865.
- In 1866, he crossed the Finsteraarhorn, 4,273 meters high (Bernese Alps), in winter.
- He climbed Civetta, 3,220 meters high (in the Dolomites), in 1867.
- He made a winter climb of the Plattenhörner in 1869.
- In 1877, he was the first to climb the Galenstock, 3,586 meters high (in the Urner Alps), in winter.
A Talented Wood Carver
Besides being a mountain guide, Melchior Anderegg was also a skilled wood carver. He had his own shop in Zermatt. In his shop, he sold beautiful carvings of animals like bears, groups of chamois (a type of goat-antelope), and eagles.
He also sold other items useful for climbers, such as "Photographs of all the great peaks around Zermatt," alpenstocks (long walking sticks), and special snow spectacles (goggles) in blue, green, and neutral colors. He even sold guidebooks written by Edward Whymper, another famous mountaineer.
See also
In Spanish: Melchior Anderegg para niños
