# Lost on the Col d'Hérens—My Seventh Attempt to Ascend the Matterhorn explained — Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860–69 > Chapter companion for Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860–69 by Edward Whymper. ## What happens Whymper recounts a failed crossing of the Col d'Hérens due to a late start caused by Biener's delay and a sudden fog that disoriented the party. After hours of confused navigation, they were forced to retreat to Abricolla. The next day, they successfully crossed and examined a new route up the Matterhorn's eastern face, which Whymper favored over the southwestern ridge due to its deceptive gentleness and the dip of the strata. A reconnaissance up a gully was cut short by a stonefall, highlighting the dangers of the new approach. ## Themes in this chapter ### Danger and Mortality The stonefall in the gully underscores the constant threat of falling rocks, a mortal hazard in alpine climbing. ### Exploration and Discovery Whymper's reconnaissance of the eastern face and the gully represents a deliberate exploration of a new, untested route. ### Scientific Observation Whymper analyzes the deceptive steepness of the eastern face due to foreshortening and notes the dip of the strata, applying geological reasoning to route selection. ## Character check-ins ### Edward Whymper Narrator and leader; proposed the new eastern-face route and made the decision to retreat when lost on the Col d'Hérens. ### Franz Biener Delayed the start by attending mass; led the party onto the wrong track and was blamed for the confusion. ### Michel Croz Took over the lead from Biener but steered in a semicircle; later caught the idea of the new route and deemed it feasible. ### Christian Almer Attempted to correct the course but overshot the pass; expressed aversion to attempting the eastern face. ### Luc Meynet Hunchback tent-bearer summoned to join the seventh attempt; delighted to resume his old role. ### Mr. Adams-Reilly Mentioned as a companion Whymper had invited to join an attack on the eastern face in 1864. ## Key lines > We tied ourselves in line, of course, when we entered upon the glacier, and placed Biener to lead, as he had frequently crossed the pass; supposing that his local knowledge might save us some time upon the other side. The party roped up on the glacier, with Biener in front because his familiarity with the pass was expected to speed their descent. _Whymper explains the initial decision to let Biener lead._ > Croz rushed forward directly he saw this, and taking the poor young man by his shoulders gave him a good shaking, told him that he was an imbecile, to untie himself at once, and to go to the rear. Croz immediately confronted Biener, shaking him and calling him a fool before ordering him to the back of the line. _Croz's forceful reaction to Biener's wavering track._ > I gave it up for four reasons. 1. On account of my growing disinclination for arêtes, and preference for snow and rock-faces... 2. Because I was persuaded that meteorological disturbances... might be expected to occur again and again... 3. Because I found that the east face was a gross imposition—it looked not far from perpendicular, while its angle was, in fact, scarcely more than 40°. 4. Because I observed for myself that the strata of the mountain dipped to the west-southwest. Whymper abandoned the southwestern ridge for four reasons: his preference for faces over ridges, the likelihood of repeated bad weather, the deceptive steepness of the east face, and the westward dip of the rock strata. _Whymper's rationale for switching to the eastern-face route._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/scrambles_amongst_the_alps_in_the_years_1860_69_se/chapters/xv-lost-on-the-col-d-h-rens-my-seventh-attempt-to-ascend-the-matterhorn - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/scrambles_amongst_the_alps_in_the_years_1860_69_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/scrambles_amongst_the_alps_in_the_years_1860_69_se/chapters