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 also made important first ascents on the
Mont Blanc massif and in the
Pennine Alps, South America, and the
Canadian Rockies. His exploration of Greenland contributed an important advance to Arctic exploration. Whymper wrote several books on mountaineering, including .