The mountains have been a potent source of fascination since the 19th century – and Switzerland, with its many peaks, is a popular place to climb them. Alpinism is one of Switzerland’s living traditions and was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019.
Alpinism has been designated one of Switzerland’s living traditions by the Federal Office of Culture. How did this tradition come to be?
It was not always the case that people were fascinated by mountains. Until the end of the Middle Ages, they were considered creepy and dangerous. Many believed that they were home to demons and other creatures and kept their distance accordingly. It was only during the Enlightenment, towards the end of the 18th century, when researchers began to explore the mountains to learn more about the natural world. Thus, the image of the Alpine world slowly began to change.
Alpinism, also known as mountaineering, refers to the act of crossing pathless mountain terrain, with the possibility of encountering glacier crevasses, rockfalls and other obstacles. This is distinct from mountain hiking on established paths and alpine skiing on secured slopes. Alpinists need to know how to handle equipment like ropes, ice picks and crampons; they also have to be familiar with climbing and ascent techniques. In alpine terrain, it’s also important to have a good sense of orientation and a feel for the best routes.
The Matterhorn and the “Golden Age of Alpinism”
Lötschental and consults his map (1950),
(Source: SLA Graber)
© Swiss National Library, Alfred Graber
Mountaineering became popular in the middle of the 19th century, which marked the beginning of the “Golden Age of Alpinism”. The Alps were seen as the playground of Europe, with mountaineers (including several women) vying to be the first to climb the main peaks. The period between 1850 and 1865 saw people standing on 30 Swiss peaks over three and four thousand metres for the first time ever. The first successful ascent of the Matterhorn – one of Switzerland’s most famous peaks – marked the end of this era.
Various expeditions failed for years until the Englishman Edward Whymper and his crew reached the summit of the Matterhorn in 1865. During the descent, however, four members of the seven-person group fell to their deaths. Whymper and two other men were only spared because the rope binding them together broke, preventing them from being pulled into the abyss. The Matterhorn remains dangerous: Over 500 people have died trying to climb it, more than any other mountain peak in the world.
Women in Alpine history
© Swiss National Library, Alfred Graber
Women took part in mountain expeditions from the very beginning, albeit in smaller numbers. However, their participation was rarely mentioned or documented. The existence of female mountaineers represented an attack on many men’s masculine identity, since they perceived mountaineering as “men's business”. The statutes of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), founded in 1863, did not explicitly restrict membership to male mountaineers, but the founders did naturally assume that the SAC would be a men’s association. In 1907, women were explicitly barred from membership. In response, they formed their own association in 1918, the Swiss Women's Alpine Club (SFAC).
Given these historical developments, it's not surprising that only a few archives and stories of women are displayed in the Alpine Museum of Switzerland. To close this gap, the museum launched the “Women on the Mountain” exhibition and called on female alpinists to share objects and mementos on an online platform of “lost and found” memories.
The evolution of alpinism
After the golden age of alpinism peaked, mountaineers shifted their focus to conquering non-European summits and mastering more technically challenging routes. Mountaineering started being practiced worldwide as a recreational and extreme sport in the 1970s.
mountain lake in Lötschental (1950),
(Source: SLA Graber)
© Swiss National Library, Alfred Graber
Today, alpine tourism is booming. Due to the popularity of the sport, there are increasing numbers of people in the Alps with little experience and without mountain guides. However, this remains dangerous, even when armed with modern equipment, GPS and maps on smartphones.
Bibliography and sources
- Alpinism. In: Living traditions in Switzerland. Federal Office of Culture FOC website.
- Meinherz, Paul, Alpinismus. In: Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, online edition (as of 2008).
- Search results for corporate publications from the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) in the NL’s collections.
- Alpinismus wird «unsterblich». UNESCO erweitert Liste des immateriellen Kulturerbes. In: Swiss Alpine Club [online] from 11.12.2019.
- Aurel Schmidt. Die Alpen. Eine Schweizer Mentalitätsgeschichte. Frauenfeld: Huber, 2011.
- Tanja Wirz. Gipfelstürmerinnen. Eine Geschlechtergeschichte des Alpinismus in der Schweiz 1840-1940. Baden: Hier + jetzt Verlag für Kultur und Geschichte, 2007.
- Flückiger, Alfred. Alpinismus in der Schweiz = L’alpinisme en Suisse = Moutnaineering in Switzerland. Zürich: Schweizerische Zentrale für Verkehrförderung, 1951.
- Die Suche nach der Wahrheit: 150 Jahre Erstbesteigung Matterhorn vom 14. Juli 1865 = The search for the truth: 150 years since the first ascent of the Matterhorn on 14 July 1865 = La recherche de la vérité : 150 ans depuis la première ascension du Cervin, le 14 juillet 1865. Visp: Rotten-Verlags-AG, 2015.
- Flückiger-Seiler, Roland. Berghotels. Zwischen Alpweide und Gipfelkreuz. Alpiner Tourismus und Hotelbau 1830-1920. Baden: Hier + jetzt Verlag für Kultur und Geschichte, 2015.
- Entwicklung des Alpinismus in Zermatt (1792-1911). In: Walliser Bote, 8 July 1994, p. 9.
- Bergsteiger-Ansturm aufs Matterhorn In: Walliser Bote, 27 July 2018, p. 2.
- Annual Report 2023 of the Swiss Alpine Museum in Bern. Exhibition “Frauen am Berg”
Last modification 30.04.2025
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