Lucy Walker was very nearly beaten in her quest to be the first woman to conquer the Matterhorn as two years before, in 1869, her great rival, Meta Brevoort, an American who had settled in England, made an attempt. As Meta approached the summit she was forced to abandon because of severe weather conditions. Two years late, determined to tackle the climb again she set out for Zermatt, confident she could achieve her dream. Lucy got wind of this, she was already in Zermatt and she wasn’t going to let her rival get the upper hand. She quickly assembled her team and set forth in a white print dress, I kid you not, after all she was a Victorian lady and it was only fitting and proper attire. Much to Meta’s disappointment, Lucy succeeded and became famous for her courageous deed. When Lucy and her team descended and returned to Zermatt she was met by Meta, who had just arrived in town for her own attempt and instead of pelting Lucy with snowballs, Meta was gracious in defeat and was sincere in her congratulations. This would be the only occasion that the two most prominent female Alpinists of the era would meet, somewhat unusual considering that they came from a similar background, so maybe there was resentfulness, if there was, Meta hid it well although she must have understandably been a little miffed.
Lucy Walker began climbing 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, both of whom were early members of the Alpine Club and Oberland guide Melchior Anderegg, she became the first woman to regularly climb in the Alps. She racked up some pretty impressive climbs and among her palmares were four ascents of the Eiger, the fourth success coming in the same year she conquered the Matterhorn.
Lucy Walker came from a wealthy merchant family in Liverpool and Meta Brevoort from a family of Dutch immigrants who made a fortune in New York as property owners. Contrary to the strict notions of Victorian society, both women were outgoing and cheerful characters with a lively spirit.
Meta was not cowed by Lucy‘s successful ascent of the Matterhorn. She waited until conditions on the mountain were just right and, on 5th September, that same year became the first woman to traverse the mountain from Zermatt to Breuil (Cervinia) in Italy. During the following two weeks, she also became the first woman to ascend the Weisshorn (4,506 metres) and the Dent Blanche (4,357 metres).
Five years later, Meta Brevoort died in the English town of Dorking shortly after being diagnosed with heart disease, still ready for action and her head full of mountaineering plans, including dreams of Everest. Lucy Walker continued mountain-climbing until 1879 and thereafter returned to Zermatt to meet up with friends and go hiking with her mountain guide Melchior Anderegg. She died at her home in Liverpool, England, in 1916 at the age of 80.