Jean-Antoine Carrel

Jean-Antoine Carrel (1829 to 1890) was an Italian mountain climber and guide from Valtournenche in the Aosta Valley, at the foot of the Matterhorn. He made climbs with Edward Whymper and was his rival in the race to climb the Matterhorn for the first time. After first attempting the Lion Ridge in 1857, he withdrew from Whymper's Swiss-side plan in 1865 to lead an Italian party for the Italian Alpine Club; Whymper made the first ascent on 14 July 1865 and Carrel's party reached the summit three days later. He was in the group that became the first Europeans to reach the summit of Chimborazo in 1880, and he died from exhaustion in August 1890 while guiding a party in bad weather on the south side of the Matterhorn.