In 1861, Edward Whymper made the first of many attempts on the Matterhorn. As he describes in Chapter IV of Scrambles Amongst The Alps, he was preparing for an attempt on the mountain and realized he would need to bivouac. So, he proceeded to gather some things, including purchasing some brandy in town. However, when he approached the inn keeper to rent some blankets, he was refused because, he had not bought the brandy at the inn ... "No brandy, no blankets."
