In 1865 Hornby was the first to ascend the northwest ridge of the Silberhorn.
The northwest ridge was first ascended in 1865 by the Rev. James John Hornby, Rev. Thomas Henry Philpot, with guides Christian and Ulrich Almer, Johann Bischof and Christian Lauener.
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In a 1968 letter, J. R. R. Tolkien identified the Silberhorn as it appeared to him when camping near Mürren in 1911 as "the Silvertine (Celebdil) of my dreams".