Thesilver age of alpinism is the name given in the United Kingdom to the era inmountaineering that began afterEdward Whymper and party's ascent of theMatterhorn in 1865 and ended withW. W. Graham and party's ascent of theDent du Géant in 1882.[1]
Whilst thegolden age of alpinism (1854–1865) was characterised by thefirst ascents of many of the greatest Alpine peaks, the subsequent silver age may be seen as consisting of the first ascents of the many worthwhile peaks left unclimbed, although these peaks were – and remained – largely unknown to the wider public in Britain.
Once these peaks had been climbed, many ambitious alpinists turned their attention to more distant and often loftier ranges, such as theCaucasus, theAndes, theRockies and, latterly, theHimalayas.
Prominent alpinists and guides of the period includeChristian Almer,Melchior Anderegg,Hermann von Barth,Alexander Burgener,W. A. B. Coolidge,Henri Cordier,Clinton Thomas Dent,James Eccles,D. W. Freshfield,Pierre Gaspard,Paul Grohmann,Paul Güssfeldt,Michael Innerkofler,John Oakley Maund,Thomas Middlemore,A. W. Moore,Albert F. Mummery,Julius Payer andWilliam Penhall.
A number of high, major summits were reached at a still later date, including theAiguille Blanche de Peuterey (1885). Many technically challenging peaks, especially in theDolomites, defeated climbers into the 20th century, withCampanile Basso (1899),[2]de:Campanile di Val Montanaia (1902), Torre Venezia (1909), Torre Trieste (1910) andAiguille Dibona (Angelo Dibona - 1913) perhaps being the last big prizes.
