In preparation for the anniversary celebrations, Swiss mountaineering specialist Mammut, together with the Zermatt mountain guides traced the route over the Hörnligrat ridge in a chain of lights, paying homage to the first ascent of the roped party with Edward Whymper.

Edward Whymper (27 April 1840 – 16 September 1911) was an English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865; four members of his party were killed during the descent.

Whymper was convinced that the Matterhorn’s precipitous appearance when viewed from Zermatt was an optical illusion, and that the dip of the strata, which on the Italian side formed a continuous series of overhangs, should make the opposite side a natural staircase.

On the descent, Hadow slipped and fell onto Croz, dislodging him and dragging Douglas and Hudson to their deaths; the rope parted, saving the other three.

Awe-inspiring how the once heroic can now be accomplished for the service of a photo shoot ad campaign.

Photographer Robert Bosch for Mammut. Secondary quote via Wikipedia.