Margaret Anne Jackson (née Sanderson, commonly referred to as Mrs E. P. Jackson; 27 September 1843 – 13 October 1906) was an English mountain climber. Climbing mostly in the Alps, she was described by Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed as "one of the greatest women climbers of her time". [1]
Margaret Jackson was born in 1843 to Jane and George Samuel Sanderson. In 1865, she married Edward Patten (E. P.) Jackson, the owner of a coal mine. [2]
Jackson began climbing in the 1870s with her husband; [3] together they made the first ascents of the Weissmies' east face in 1876 and the Dom's west ridge in 1878. [4] Jackson's husband died in 1881 but she continued to climb, with increasing frequency. [3] [4] In 1884 she, Alois Pollinger (a Swiss mountain guide) and Johann-Josef Truffer became the first climbers to descend the west ridge of the Dent Blanche. [1] With Pollinger, her most frequent climbing partner, she also climbed the Aiguille du Dru in 1886 and the Aiguille des Grands Charmoz in 1887. [3]
After 1887, Jackson became interested in pursuing alpine climbs in the winter season (she had previously climbed exclusively during summer). [3] Her most famous expedition was made in January 1888: [4] over twelve days, Jackson made the first winter ascents of the Lauteraarhorn, the Pfaffenstöckli, and the Gross Fiescherhorn, followed by the first winter traverse of the Jungfrau [5] —a feat that had previously been considered close to impossible. [3] During a forced bivouac on the Jungfrau, Jackson developed severe frostbite resulting in the loss of several of her toes. Her frostbite injuries led to her retirement from serious climbing in 1889, by which time she had completed over 140 major climbs. [4] In 1889, she wrote an account her Jungfrau expedition in the Alpine Journal , making her the first woman to be published in the journal under her own name. [6]
Jackson died of acute pneumonia in 1906, in her home in Paddington, London. Her husband had died in 1881 and they never had children. [2]
The higher region of the Alps were long left to the exclusive attention of the inhabitants of the adjoining valleys, even when Alpine travellers began to visit these valleys. It is reckoned that about 20 glacier passes were certainly known before 1600, about 25 more before 1700, and yet another 20 before 1800. Even though the attempt of P.A. Arnod, an official of the duchy of Aosta, in 1689 to "re-open" the Col du Ceant may be counted as having been made by a non-native, historical records do not show any further such activities until the last quarter of the 18th century. Nor did it fare much better with the high peaks, though the two earliest recorded ascents were due to non-natives, that of the Rocciamelone in 1358 having been undertaken in fulfilment of a vow, and that of the Mont Aiguille in 1492 by order of Charles VIII of France, in order to destroy its immense reputation for inaccessibility – in 1555 Conrad Gesner did not climb Pilatus proper, but only the grassy mound of the Gnepfstein, the lowest and the most westerly of the seven summits.
The Finsteraarhorn is a mountain lying on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais. It is the highest mountain of the Bernese Alps and the most prominent peak of Switzerland. The Finsteraarhorn is the ninth-highest mountain and third-most prominent peak in the Alps. In 2001 the whole massif and surrounding glaciers were designated as part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage Site.
The Aiguille de Bionnassay is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the Alps in France and Italy. It has been described as "one of the most attractive satellite peaks of Mont Blanc", and is located on its western side. The mountain's south and east ridges form the frontier between the two countries, and its summit is a knife-edge crest of snow and ice. Reaching it via any route provides a "splendid and serious snow and ice climb".
Walter Bonatti was an Italian mountaineer, alpinist, explorer and journalist. He was noted for many climbing achievements, including a solo climb of a new alpine climbing route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955, the first ascent of Gasherbrum IV in 1958, and, in 1965, the first solo climb in winter of the North face of the Matterhorn on the mountain's centenary year of its first ascent. Immediately after his solo climb on the Matterhorn, Bonatti announced his retirement from professional climbing at the age of 35, and after 17 years of climbing activity. He authored many mountaineering books and spent the remainder of his career travelling off the beaten track as a reporter for the Italian magazine Epoca. He died on 13 September 2011 of pancreatic cancer in Rome aged 81, and was survived by his life partner, the actress Rossana Podestà.
Lucy Walker (1836–1916) was a British mountaineer and the first woman to climb the Matterhorn.
Sarah Katharine "Katy" Richardson, also referred to as Kathleen Richardson, was a British mountain climber. She made numerous first ascents in the Alps and climbed frequently with her close friend Mary Paillon.
Mary Isabella Charlet-Straton was a British female mountain climber. She made several first ascents in the Alps with Emmeline Lewis Lloyd as well as the first winter ascent of Mont Blanc with her future husband Jean Charlet in January 1876. The peak Pointe Isabella was named in her honour after she had taken part in its first ascent.
Alexander Burgener was a Swiss mountain guide and the first ascentionist of many mountains and new routes in the western Alps during the silver age of alpinism.
William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge was an American historian, theologian and mountaineer.
Miriam O'Brien Underhill was an American mountaineer, environmentalist and feminist, best known for the concept of "manless climbing" – organizing all-women's ascents of challenging climbs, mostly in the Alps.
The Aiguille du Grépon, informally known as The Grepon, is a mountain in the Mont Blanc Massif in Haute-Savoie, France. The Grepon has a Southern and Northern peak, which are the highest points of a sharp granite ridge to the east of the Glacier des Nantillons above Chamonix and northeast of the Aiguille du Midi. A madonna statue is situated on the Southern peak.
Emily Caroline "Lily" Bristow was an English mountaineer who made numerous ascents in the Swiss Alps with Albert F. Mummery in the 1890s.
Louise "Loulou" Boulaz was a Swiss mountain climber and alpine skier who made numerous first ascents in the Alps.
Yvette Vaucher is a Swiss mountaineer and parachutist. Credited as Switzerland's first female parachutist, she was also the first woman to climb the Matterhorn's north face.
Josef Knubel was a Swiss mountaineer and mountain guide. He made many first ascents and other climbs in the Alps during his career. He is best known for his ascents as a guide for Geoffrey Winthrop Young.
Émile Rey was an alpine mountain guide from Aosta Valley in Italy. Dubbed "the Prince of Guides" in Courmayeur, he was one of the most renowned guides at the end of the 19th century, making many first ascents on some of the highest and most difficult mountains in the Mont Blanc massif of the Alps. He has been described as "one of the greatest guides of his generation."
Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz was a British mountaineer, painter, and lithography lecturer. She made the first ascent of Gasherbrum III, at the time the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz died along with her climbing partner, Vera Watson, during an attempt on Annapurna I Central.
Hans Kaufmann was a Swiss mountain guide who served clients in the Alps, the Rocky Mountains, the Dolomites, the Carpathians, and the Andes.
Mary Petherick, also Mary Mummery was a mountaineer and writer, who was the first woman to ascend the Teufelsgrat.
