Lucy Walker (1836–1916) was a British

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

and the first woman to climb the

Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...

. Walker was born in 1836, in

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...

, in what would later become Canada. Her mother, Jane McNeil McMurdo, moved from Scotland to North America with her husband and infant daughter in 1836. Mrs McMurdo left her husband to live with Francis (Frank) Walker; Lucy Walker and her brother Horace were born before their parents moved to England. The McMurdos divorced in 1841, and Frank Walker and Jane McMurdo married on 24 April 1841. The family then moved to Liverpool, England, where Frank Walker became a lead merchant. Walker began her climbing rather modestly in 1858 when she was advised by her doctor to take up walking as a cure for rheumatism. Accompanied by her father Frank Walker and her brother

Horace Walker Horace Walker (1838–1908) was an English mountaineer who made many notable first ascents, including Mount Elbrus and the Grandes Jorasses. Alpinism Born in 1838, Walker was the son of Liverpool lead merchant and mountaineer Francis Walker ( ...

, both of whom were early members of the

Alpine Club The first alpine club, the Alpine Club, based in the United Kingdom, was founded in London in 1857 as a gentlemen's club. It was once described as: :"a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering, first of all in the Alps, members of which ...

, and Oberland guide

Melchior Anderegg Melchior Anderegg (28 March 1828 – 8 December 1914), from Zaun, Meiringen, was a Swiss mountain guide and the first ascensionist of many prominent mountains in the western Alps during the golden and silver ages of alpinism. His clients were mo ...

, she became the first woman to regularly climb in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. Walker's achievements were, at first, largely unnoticed except by those in her immediate company. Early successes included the first ascent of the

Balmhorn The Balmhorn (3,698 m) is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. Its summit ridge lies on the border between the cantons of Berne and the Valais. It was first climbed by Frank Walker, Horace Walker and Lucy Walker, with guides Jakob A ...

(1864), and the first female ascent of the

Eiger The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends a ...

(1864),

Wetterhorn The Wetterhorn (3,692 m) is a peak in the Swiss Alps towering above the village of Grindelwald. Formerly known as Hasle Jungfrau, it is one of three summits on a mountain named the "Wetterhörner", the highest of which is the Mittelhorn (3,704 ...

(1866), and

Piz Bernina Piz Bernina ( Romansh, it, Pizzo Bernina, ) is the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps, the highest point of the Bernina Range, and the highest peak in the Rhaetian Alps. It rises and is located south of Pontresina and near the major Alpine r ...

(1869). In 1871 her long-standing guide, Melchior Anderegg, learned that a contemporary

Meta Brevoort Marguerite "Meta" Claudia Brevoort (November 8, 1825 – December 19, 1876) was an American mountain climber. Brevoort was born on November 8, 1825, and spent her early years in a Paris convent school. She made a number of important ascents in t ...

, an American female mountaineer, was planning an expedition to climb the Matterhorn. Walker's party hastily rearranged their plans and on 21 July, she became the first woman to stand atop the Matterhorn, and with it gained world renown. As well as the Eiger she had already been the first woman to climb the

Aiguille Verte The Aiguille Verte (; ), which is French for "Green Needle", is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It was first climbed on 29 June 1865 by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer and Franz Biner, a fortnight before the fateful firs ...

(1870), Lyskam (1868), Gross Fiescherhorn (1868), Schreckhorn (1867), Weisshorn (1866), Dom (1866), Rimpfischhorn (1864), Grand Combin (1864), Zumsteinspitze (1863), Finsteraarhorn (1862) and the Strahlhorn(1860). In 1873 she added the Taschhorn to this enviable list of first ascents. In all Lucy Walker completed a total of 98 expeditions. In 1909 she became a member of the newly formed

Ladies' Alpine Club The Ladies' Alpine Club was founded in London in 1907 and was the first mountaineering club for women. It merged with the Alpine Club of Great Britain in 1975. History In December 1907 a group of ladies who were climbers in the Alps met in Lon ...

where she was acclaimed as the pioneer of women climbers. In 1913 she was elected its second President and served in that capacity until 1915. She died at her home in Liverpool on 10 September 1916.

References

Janet Adam Smith Janet Buchanan Adam Smith OBE (9 December 1905 – 11 September 1999) was a writer, editor, literary journalist and champion of Scottish literature. She was active from the 1930s through to the end of the century and noted for her elegant prose, ...

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Oxford University Press, 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Lucy (climber) 1836 births 1916 deaths English explorers Women of the Victorian era English mountain climbers Female explorers Presidents of the Ladies' Alpine Club Female climbers

See also

Further reading

References