On 14 July 1865, eight men set out to become the first to conquer The Matterhorn, one of the highest summits in Europe. Only three of them made it back alive.

The expedition was put together in haste by two British mountaineers — Edward Whymper and Charles Hudson —who were determined to thwart an Italian-led expedition that was already en route to the mountain.

Also in the party was the less experienced climber Lord Francis Douglas and a rank amateur, 19-year-old Douglas Hadow. With them were three guides with vast experience of the Alpine peaks: Frenchman Michel Croz, the Swiss climber Peter Taugwalder and his son, Peter.

The younger Peter Taugwalder was sent back to base while the others made the assault on the final stage. They celebrated their achievement with glee, building a cairn into which they placed a bottle containing their names.

Success turned to disaster on their descent. The least experienced climber Douglas Hadow slipped, yanking the rope that held them together. He and three others, Hudson, Douglas and Croz all tumbled over the precipice.

In The Icarus Ascent, Mike Lewis traces the events of that fateful undertaking, giving each member of the climbing party an opportunity to put their side of the story. Their accounts don’t necessarily agree.

It’s a risky narrative device because it requires key details to be repeated several times. On the plus side however, we get a deeper insight into the nature and personalities of the individual climbers.

Whymper for example comes across as a man obsessed, driven to undertake the expedition out of self belief in his superiority as a climber. His attitude towards his expedition co-leader Hudson, is telling. While accepting that Hudson has vast experience in climbing, Whymper claims that the man made a serious error of judgement in letting Haddow join the expedition.

Whymper has an axe to grind so his interpretation of events has to be taken with a large grain of salt. His reputation was destroyed by the tragedy so of course he is going to look for someone else to take the blame.

It was actually the guide Peter Taugwalder (the elder) who came across as a more sympathetic figure. He was charged, tried, and acquitted by the official inquiry into the deaths yet stories persisted that he had cut the rope between him and Lord Francis Douglas to save his own life.

Taugwalder maintained his innocence throughout his life but his reputation was so damaged that no-one wanted to employ him again as a guide.

Which of these men is telling the truth — it’s not as simple as that. The Icarus Ascent doesn’t set out to provide a definitive answer, essentially it is suggesting a number of possibilities — inexperience, lack of clear leadership, the wrong rope or just bad luck.

What did become apparent was how nationalistic fervour influenced the whole expedition.

Both Whymper and Hudson seemed to believe it was their right as Englishmen to conquer the Matterhorn. Much like their compatriots believed it was their right to conquer and rule large parts of the world. When they stood on the peak, Whymper was exultant  — not just because he’d succeeded where many others before him had failed but because he’d beaten the Italians.

Moments later, the two of us stood there, gazing down in wonder at all of Switzerland, France and Italy. A quick reconnoitre proved my longpstanding fears were unfounded; the summit of the great mountain was unspoilt and untouched. The mighty Matterhorn was ours, and ours alone.

The Icarus Ascent isn’t without it’s faults — the premise that these men are telling their story to an stranger felt strained to me. But the book does offer a fascinating glimpse into the mentality of these men who were always looking for the next big adventure; the next big challenge.

About the author

Mike Lewis hails from Cardigan in west Wales. For years he worked as a journalist on national newspapers including The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. In the 1990s he co-authored biographies, turning his hand to fiction in 2021 with If God Will Spare My Life, based on the true story of the only Welshman to have served under Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The Icarus Ascent is his second novel.