How to Become an Alpinist

H O W T O BECOME A N A L P I N I S T SWITZERLAND IN SUNSHINE AND SNOW

M ND D’A E RGNE By ED U UV ” Author of ola Mon t e z am ou s as tles and Palaces L , F C o fI taly D omy with 4 I llu str ation s in Colou r

and 2 H al tone P ates Cl t!: ilt. 3 f l . o g

7s . 6d . n e t .

A oo o fu nu sual inte rest en tertainmen t and b k , animatio n which wi e ase eve r trave e r r , ll pl y ll , p o s e tiv or r ctiv th ro h th cou ntr of p c e e trospe e , u g e y ’ Wi iam T e Mr d A u ver n e th oro u h u n e r ll ll . g g ly d s tan s th e thr ee fo ift o fhi stor e scr i tion an d d ld g y , d p h mo T h e wh o vo u m e i fu f the same u ur . l e l s ll o ua itie s ha i a te rn atin an d co unte r a ancin q l , pp ly l g b l g

one an oth e r . T h e o is a mira i ustrate b ok d bly ll d , ’ ’ bu Mr d A uver n s o wn i rar t i so ic t g e l te y s yle s p tur esqu e th at it scarce ly n e eds th e se ad ve n titio us aids . A nd the re are certain ly n o t many bo oks of the kin f which mu ch c u i with d o — so o ld b e sa d c on ﬁ en ce . ﬁ d D azly Telogr ap . Th It is is book is re ally a mod e l o fits kind . wr h itte n on t e r igh t plan an d in th e right s pirit. Its s tyl e has just t h e e asy rippl e and th e l e vity th at ’ is n ee Mr d A uve r b uit e arne d e d . gn e can e q e l d wh e n h e e ases T h e on thin he canno t pl . ly g hi v - ac e e is u . D ail N ew d ll ne ss y s .

AN OBERLAND CHKLET

By E D IT H E LME R W OOD

Two Colou r s . P r ice 6 5 . n e t .

H OW T O BECO ME A N A L P I N I S T

BY F R E D E R I C K BU R LIN G H A M

' 771: Ma n wh o c in em a to r a lz ed t/z e Ma tter lwf n ( g ‘o )

I L L U S T R A T E D W IT H SIXT Y -T H R EE PHOT OG RA P H S B Y T H E A U T H O R

T WE NE R LAU RIE T . R , L D .

I ’ C L F F O R D S I N N, L O N D O N

T H E LUR E OF T H E MOUNT AINS CHOOSING AN ALP IN E C E NT RE E! UI PMEN T AND T RAINING T wo ACCI D E NT S ON MONT BLANC EXCURSIONS FOR BE GINN E RS CIN E MA T OGR AP H ING TH E MATT E RHOR N WH Y ALPIN E ACCID EN T S H APPE N IN AN AVALANCHE PA T H S OME FAMOUS WOME N A LPINIST S WH ER E GUID E S AR E T RA IN ED PLA YING WIT H DE AT H R OCK CLIMBING ON T H E CLOCHE T ONS D E PLAN PR Az AMONG T H E R ED NE E D LE S T H E GR AN D S T B E RN A RD H OSP ICE CINE MATOGR APH ING MON T BLANC UND E R DIFFICULT I E S ON AN ALPIN E FU N ICU LAR R AILWAY IN AN AL PIN E BLIZZ ARD H IN TS ON AL PIN E PHOT OGR AP HY H ow T o G E T K ILLE D IN T H E ALPS

LIST OF ILLU ST R A T ION S

MR FR ED E RICK B URLINGHAM F r ontispiece T h e Man who Cine matographed th e Matterhorn T O F A CE PAGE T H E A E D U D R U FE ET T H E A E IGUILL , , IGUILL VE T E EET LE S RT E AN D LES R , F , COU S D T E EE T H E D T A CE AN D T H E ROI S , S N IN IS N ; M E FE ET PH OT OGR APH E D M T H E OIN , , i FRO COL D E LA B UCH E

T H E B E T N F E ET EE F M TH E R I HOR , , S N RO GOR N ER G R A T ABOVE ZERMAT T

T H E MER D E GLACE

T H E VILL AGE OF LE S H OUCH E S IN T H E VALL EY OF CH AMON Ix IN T H E S HAD OW OF MONT B LANC

M E LAU GE L AND T H E D E E B E T ONSI UR GUI , JUL S URN , ON TH E PET I T CH AR Moz

IN T H E G AN T E A T H E PET T CH AR MOZ A R I CR GS OF I , IrIN E T R AINING GROUN D FOR ALPINISTS

GUID E S IN DIFFICULT I ES AT T H E CR EVASS E D “ T W E D E E D . P E E A JONC ION HIL SC N ING I RR C SOLI , WH O WAS S T RUCK BY LIGHT NING ON MO N T B LANC

H IS LAST VOYAG E ACROSS T H E ET ERNAL ICE vii viii LIST OF I LLUSTRATION S T O F ACE PAG E MADAME F E DE B AM AN D T H E DE R RICK URLINGH GUI , A TE PA T A E A E AT T H E UGUS YO , CROSSING CR V SS “ ” JONCT ION ON T H E IR WAY T O T H E GRAN D S MULET S

AT T H E G A D M ET W E E ON E S EE P BE F E R N S UL S , H R L S OR CLI MBING MONT B L ANC

T H E MAT TE F EE T E E F M T H E RHORN , , S N RO PAT H ON T H E H OR N LI

FIRST CONTACT WIT H T H E MATT E RHORN PR E CI PICE S

B RIT ISH AN D COLONIA L K IN E MAT OGRAP H C A RAVAN A RRIVING AT T H E H OR N LI CABAN E ABOVE T H E CLOUD S

APPRO ACHING T H E MATT E RHORN CRAGS

T H E SUMMIT OF T H E MATT E RHORN

MR E E B FR D RICK URLI N GH AM WI T H CIN E MATO GRAPH C A ME RA ON T H E SUMMIT OF T H E MA R E H E TT E RHORN . MON TE OSA IS S E N IN T D IST ANCE

SUNRISE ON MONT BLANC CREVASSES IN T H E GLACI E R D U GEAN T MR B URLINGHAM AN D PAR TY ON T H E SUMMI T OF T H E AIGUILLE D U MOI N E MON T B LANC AND T H E CH AMON Ix NE ED L E S AR E S E E N IN T H E D IS TANCE LUNCH AT F E ET

MR S FA B W MA T H E H MA A A NNY ULLOCK ORK N , I L Y N ’ E XP E WH O H D T H E W D A T T D E LOR R , OL S ORL S L I U R E C D FOR W ME E ET OR O N , F LIST OF I LLUSTRATIONS ix T O F ACE PAG E I A E E H E E M M S S S . P C T H A CA A NNI K , ROIN OF ON U S R N IN PE RU

MAR V IN T TH E FAM M E . G F E C MB E LL , OUS R N H CLI R , IN A T ICKLISH PLACE ON T H E AIGUILLE D E T R ELAPOR TE

MR S A E LE B D T H E WE - W P E UBR Y LON , LL KNO N R SI ’ D E NT OF T H E LAD I E S A LPINE CLUB OF LON D ON

M D A K E E P AD E P A W E Ex ISS OR N, OF HIL L HI , HOS PLOR ATION S IN TH E AND E S AN D ALASK A H AVE ATT R ACTED ATTE NT ION

F A E E E E H A E C E VE F A T R UL IN L ONOR S N L R , OF R NKFUR AM-MA W T T H E FAM G DE A EXA D E IN , I H OUS UI , L N R B E E W H O L T L E T H E URG N R, OS HIS IF ON JUNG FRAU

F A V ET A MA E V E A T H E FAM R U IN Y R, OF I NN , IN OUS M E T H E Z MME R Ax A T A CHI N Y ON I R , , IN US RI

MADAME MAD E E E F A Z NAM D A T E F L IN R N UR , UGH R O

. M T B A E A M. VA T T H E O V J LLO , OF ON L NC BS R T ORY

F A K AT E B KE F ZAB ZE P E C R U H ROS , O R , R USSIS H SCHLE SI E N

F A E M ZZ W F A FAM V E E E AL R UL IN I I OL , OUS I NN S PIN IST

ON T H E GLACI E R D E S ALEIN OZ AFT E R HAVING DE SCE N D ED T H E SNOW SLOPE S EE N IN D ISTANC E

LOOKING SOUT H -EAS T FROM T H E FE NETRE D E S ALE INoz ACROSS VAST SNOW D ES E R T T OWARDS T H E POIN T D ES F E L E D A E AND LE T N I E LIN S , RR I OUR O R x LIST O F I LLUST R ATIONS

MONT B LANC AND T H E B R EV E NT

E A M T B A E A T H E AND P ATEA S R CS ON ON L NC N R GR L U . T RACE S OF A FALL E N AVALANCH E AR E S EE N B E LOW T H E M

SCALING A PE RPE N D ICULAR WALL ON T H E CLOCH E TONS D E PLAN PR Az

ASCE N D ING A CHIMN EY WHICH H AD N EVE R B E FOR E B EE N CLI MB E D

MADAME LEON T INE R ICH ARD ON T H E B ACKBONE OF T H E B E LVED ERE A MONG T H E R ED NE ED LE S

CROSSING S NOW FI E LD WHICH LE ADS D OWN T O T H E VALLEE D E B ERARD

MAD AME LE T E R A D AND T H E D E E M E ON IN ICH R GUI , IL D U CR oz T H E S MM T F T H E B E VEDE E , ON U I O L R

AT T H E S T E MA T H E B E VEDE E T H E H E T IN NN ON L R , IGH S POIN T AMONG T H E R E D NE ED LES

IN T H E VA LLEY OF T H E D EAD

C A R AVA N ARRIVING AT T H E GR AND ST B E RNA RD H OSPICE

CURIOSI T Y OF ST B E RNAR D DOGS

S TAT UE OF ST B E RNAR D ON T H E SWISS -ITALIAN FRONT I E R

W S T B E A D M K , H O AR E G EAT A P T RN R ON S R L INIS S , T A KING D AILY EXE RCISE WI T H T H E D OGS

D OE S S OMEON E W ISH T O B E R E SCUE D !

LIST OF I LLUST R ATION S T O F ACE PAG E M T B A C E ET E E F M T H E COL D E ON L N , F , S N RO LA S E IGN E IN I TALY 2 00

T D E D ON NAU PA T A IT E A A TE COUN , OF RIS, KING SY F R SOME ST RE NUOUS CLIMBING

CRE VASS E S IN T H E ME R D E GL ACE

A E T H E PIC DU T AC , G D OR AS S ES M T UL R N S J , ON MALLE T AN D TH E D E NT D U GEANT S E E N FROM T H E ME R D E GLACE

CROSSING TH E GLACI E R B L ANC ON T H E WAY T o T H E B E LVEDER E IN TH E AIGUILLE S R OUGES T he Lu re O f the Mo u n tain s

H O W T O BE C O ME A N A LPIN IST

I THE LURE OF THE MOUNTAINS

HAT s tremen T the high , white mountain are getting a dous hold on the imagination of the ordinary travelling public is evidenced by the rapidly- increasing number

s oftourists who vi it the Alps each year . During the season trains do lu xe now run regularly from most of the large urban centres direct to some o s o o special p int in the Alp . In Switzerland al ne ver o s e ss s f rty funicular line Supplem nt these expre ervices , and excellent mountain hotels are springing up like o o o o i mushrooms thr ugh ut the c untry . The rd nary traveller may take advantage ofreduced fare excursions and circular tickets to visit consecutively several ofthe ’ i s famous alp ne centres during his two week holiday, c s and often the pri e of uch tickets , which is extremely reasonable , includes hotel accommodation as well . According to recent estimates upwards of a quarter o s ni of a milli n tourists Vi it Chamo x , at the foot of Mont e e Blanc , each y ar, and other centres in the Dauphin E Alps , Bernese Oberland , the Valais , the ngadine and ‘ 4 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

n ot a o long g , during August , when people were swelter

u of ing in London and Paris , the r sh to the foot the o glaciers overtaxed the h tel accommodation . In the overﬂow tourists were forced to sleep under the same W W c roof ith CO S , others scrambled into the va ant railway carriages on a siding , the local priest threw open his Church to others who wished to doze in the of o pews , and an enterprising manager a cinemat graph o o em Sh w kept pen all night . In the morning I an E o i o countered nglishman , c vered w th dewdr ps , o who t ld me he had slept ou t all night in the forest .

was At Zermatt the crush better managed , for the — o re Viege Zermatt branch railway, on this occasi n , fused to transport anyone not having a room engaged .

o Of o h It is the psychol gy this crowd , h wever , t at i Not o s interesting . many years ag th e mountains inspired awe , if not a secret terror , in the bosoms of s e s tho e who gaped b low . Most of the summit were

v to . s irgin , being considered impossible climb Peasant

o i s of s th ught , as the Ind an Peru believe till , that the

s in a s N mighty peak were h bited by evil Spirit . OW is th e o it the reverse , for majority of t urists have scarcely a healthy respect for the glaciers and pre i i not c p ces . They are like the Georgian I met a few

r who s E yea s ago at Grindelwald , tarted for the ismeer,

s but having to pass the churchyard , topped a moment to o a him s l ok at the alpine gr ves , which gave uch a shudder that he returned to the hotel saying the

s piazza was good enough for him . There is a cramble u i to reach some s mmit ; the dangers , be ng hidden , are THE LURE OF THE MOUNTAINS 5

no t thought existent , consequently young and old

of o o climb in search gl ry , edelweiss or a snapsh t , and with a new—born enthusiasm heedlessly take chances with Fate where the Older generations would have o of stopped to consider . As Mr J . M . Bulloch , edit r Gra hic o the p , expressed it the other day, it is Dem cracy triumphant on the dizzy peaks ! And demo

cracy is usually a bit reckless .

s nk Again , in this age of disre pect one may thi lightly

of o s religi n , existing institution , the idea of the family

and civilization with a certain amount of immunity , but one may not treat the mountains as a joke Without imminent danger , for they will take their revenge . These masses of ice -covered granite are an appalling reality .

r to The trouble is , many amateu climbers going the Alps for the ﬁrst time do not realize the actuality of s these ma ses of granite , the immutable forces of Nature , and being unprepared for the conﬂict are vanquished

s o and are left buried in ome crevasse , to be f und by

’ or s s experienced guides , el e the plaything of Nature

o disintegrating f rces . o 1 2 Acc rding to the mortality statistics for 1 9 , the 1 0 last available , 4 accidents took place , the number

1 6 66 s s of Victims being 5. Of these , were Au trian , s 2 6 E 49 German , 4 Swiss , 7 Italians , French , 4 nglish , 2 ul divers , and 7 of nationality unknown . It is sing ar o 88 to n te that per cent . of these accidents , it has been i est mated , were evitable . The number of minor accidents resulting in broken members is beyond conjecture . In nearly every known case the cause 6 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

e a of climbing , disr spect for the mountain , or the f ct that trained guides had been dispensed with . With Switze rland rapidly becoming the playground al inin of the world , and p g a sport for the crowd , it is

of a in the interest everyone concerned , except prob bly the s undertakers , that the few basic rule of mountain climbing should become known generally and put into s r practice . This pa t season was pa ticularly deadly , fatal accidents o ccurring frequently throughout the

Al s irn ru dence t p , and in the mountains p was met wi h on every hand .

a u to o L te in Aug st , menti n my personal experience ,

I Climbed Mont Blanc with a cinematograph . At on l Pierre Pointue , the way to the Grands Mu ets , con s iderable blasting was being done in connection ~ with the construction of a new funicular line up the Aiguille

to ﬁnd du Midi . We were warned in time shelter by our s s guides , who were watching for the e signal , and,

n m standing i safety, watched the dyna ite send down o r cks within a few feet of our heads . It was a miracle so E s u me ngli h tourists , not nderstanding French and ot who were in an exposed position , were n injured . ’ a l Echelle Near Pierre , we ourselves were bombarded by an avalanche of stones and ice falling through d u i natural causes from high up on the Aiguille Mid . If one takes the Pierre Pointue route up Mont Blanc there is always danger in passing the avalanche cou loirs

on . even the run Imagine our surprise , therefore , to see of s a party four touri ts , two of whom were mere C hildren , climbing without guides in one of the deadly

THE LURE OF THE MOUNTAINS 7

ul g lies . Our guides shouted warning again and again i e without their tak ng he d . An avalanche near by , o h wever, awoke them to their danger and they retreated .

o s foolhardi On the other hand , however, how ften uch ness ends in a tragedy ! l At the Grands Mulets at dusk , whi e Cachat was

di l o o serving nner, someone ca led out that a l ne t urist s was s o s o . lowly coming up the steep , crevassed n w l pe We all got up to look at this extraordinary piece of irn ru de ce p n . One sees nowadays SO many strange o one things in the m untains , however , that no thought of t as going o meet him . An intermittent watch w

d s s kept , and had he i appeared in a crevasse , a earch party undoubtedly Would have left the oabine to

s As e to re the re cue . he near d the refuge he s pped peatedly and so long in the snow that my wife went ou t to o l call and cheer him al ng . Natural y he proved to be a German ! He said afterwards that this did give

o o a a him c urage to c ntinue . When asked wh t he w s doing he replied that he had left Chamonix for a walk

o on to Pierre Pointue , that once there he decided to g

‘ ’ zt l Ech eIle to Pierre at the edge of the glacier, and seeing the Grands Mulets across this vast expanse and fresh

o o . tracks in the sn w , c ntinued climbing The next day

o o o of our two s I all wed him to r pe int one caravan , and was ama z ed at his ignorance of mountain technique and how one SO little sure -footed ever got across alone the night before the jonction where the Glaciers

o so Taconnaz des B s ns and de meet . It being physi cally impossible for him to carry ou t his programme of i e c to climb ng Mont Blanc , we w re for ed leave him , until 8 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

our return , tucked in blankets at the Refuge Vallot . r d e It appears his oom in Chamonix face Mont Blan , him w I d which lured a ay . un erstand the mountain o lust , which is another form of wander lust , but cann t think how a sane person could attempt such a climb so k ! ill prepared , without technical nowledge , and alone On ou r ﬁrst attempt to reach the summit of Mont Blanc we were caught by bad weather and high wind

the du of at Bosses Dromadaire , at an altitude about

fee t . Two days later I learned that this storm to had been fatal , for a Swiss , exhausted , froze death the same day near by where we were . He was one of a party of three which had made the ascent by the

Aiguille du Gouter unaccompanied by guides . If one Climber on one mountain in the course of three or four r so of irn ru dence days encounte s many cases p , is it any wonder that thr oughout the Alps scores are killed annually ! o The lure of the mountains may be str ng , but there is a way to climb the most difﬁ cult without diminishing d i the pleasure an with the min mum of danger . Is not this knowledge worth while ! Cho o sin g an Alpin e Ce n tre

CHOOSING AN ALPINE CENTRE

LPIN INO A , naturally, may be practised wherever there o are m untains to climb .

o There is a distinct advantage , h wever , in learning the rudiments of Climbing in the well-known alpine centres Where there are trained guides and traditions . The experience of many years gained from many

o c untries has been concentrated in places like Zermatt ,

Grindelwald and Chamonix , and one may learn there in one season more than an average man alone and elsewhere could pick up in a lifetime . Climbing with ﬁrst-class gu ides in well-known alpine centres presents the minimum of danger, while climbing alone , without experience , is hazardous in the extreme . The choice of one of the well- known centres is L rather a question of taste . From ondon or Paris the traveller pays nearly the same price for his through ticket , and hotel prices vary little . At almost any alpine resort excellent accommodation may be had s u for ten franc a day, room and food incl ded , and for a prolonged stay better terms may be had . Naturally one may pay much more for his pension and sometimes considerably less by seeking rooms away from the t beaten track . I is always advisable to arrange ﬁ de nitely the terms upon arrival , and , as already 1 1 1 2 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

to o suggested , engage rooms beforehand if the h liday of a i is taken at the height the se son , which is dur ng late July and early August . At this period , however , o ens i fﬁ g od p ion rates are obtained w th di culty . Among the mos t famous alpine centres in Switzer is oo of land Zermatt at the f t the Matterhorn , Grindel r wald under the Jungfrau , and Pontresina nea the Bernina group in the Engadine ; in France the best known centre is Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blane

o s is while n the other ide of the mountain , in Italy,

o o o s C urmayeur , wh se fam us guide have played a very of important part in the exploration the Himalayas .

Courmayeur, having no railroad, is less accessible than

n for o many other alpi e centres , but just this reas n it

s s n retain a di tinctive charm , while the Mont Blanc ra ge , s o o s s een fr m the s uth ide , is a mas of precipices as ﬁ magni cent as any in the Alps . Elsewhere in the Alps are numerous less- known

s ﬁnd il ides centres where one may till excellent g , but the probability is that while they know the mountains of their locality they are not universal like the prin ci al of in p guides Zermatt , Gr delwald , Chamonix and

s Courmayeur . These latter guide keep turning up

s o ﬁnd almo t anywhere , and it is very comm n to Zermatt guides at Grindelwald , Chamonix or Courmayeur , and

vice versa. It is impossible to name all the attractive climbing centres to be found in the Alps , but among the better

’ known in France are La Grave and Bourg d Oisan in

Dau hiné o of the p Alps , St Gervais at the f ot the

A ass in iguille de Bionn ay and Mont Blanc ; Italy,

1 4 HOW To BECOME AN ALPINIST

o s s expediti ns there , and many other climbers , thi va t

for in the world , an isolated peak in the Karakoram branch of the Himalayas has been found which rears o 1 000 its head feet in the cl uds , or nearly feet

o ofE above the highest p in t verest . Now that the two poles have been discovered and

o of of s ul no t the bott m the sea out the que tion , it wo d be surprising to see public attention soon directed

s s toward the ascent of the highe t Himalayan peak ,

o fﬁ o o an undertaking probably m re di cult , m re c stly and more dangerous than the discovery of either the

North or South Pole . It is signiﬁcant to note that nearly all the great s climber and explorers , such as the Duke of the Abruzzi

o s and Mrs W rkman , got their training in the Alp , Of startin g modestly with the ascent an easy pinnacle . T H E MER D E A E GL C .

T H E VILLAG E O F LE S H OUCH E S i h n t e Valle y o f C h amo n ix in th e s h ado w o f Mo n t B lanc

Equ ipme n t an d T rain ing

EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING

OME e i S tim ago , wh le passing Les Ponts above the wi Mer de Glace , the still air suddenly vibrated th a

faint , despairing cry .

We stopped to listen . Mountain cascades leaping il from leaking glaciers broke the s ence , but , strain our i no u ears as we m ght , other so nds were audible except l a al . ﬁ the occasion roar of an av anche Our rst guide , r e Hube t Charlet , shrugg d his shoulders , and following his example we recommenced our hasty steps towards Mo t vert n an and Chamonix . Again a cry ofterror reached us ! This time there

could be no mistake , and our guides immediately freed r c ck themselves of their ti ksa s . Where did the sound come from ! It seemed to be discharged into the air E from no particular direction . Calling in nglish , o French and German c nsecutively, my companion ﬁnally got a reply in French that immediate assistan ce

was needed . h Several undred feet above us , in a steep gully, two ﬁgures indistinctly could be seen clinging to some E o i . pr jecting p nnacles Fortunately, an nglish alpinist s to al o happened be passing , and seeing the desperate

of f d predicament the two climbers , courteously o fere t i his wo guides and rope . With a warn ng to us below B 1 7 1 8 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

for o to watch out stones , the four guides , with ut losing w o o a moment , and apparently ith ut a th ught of their co l i own danger, started up the u o r .

o ot It appears that two n vices, both Swiss , g lost I’ M near the foot of the Aiguille de , and in trying to

s de cend towards the Mer de Glace slipped and fell , but s s managed omehow to lodge on jagged rock , where

s to they were mountain fa t , being able neither descend

. o nor reascend So ugly , in fact , was their p sition u n ot that the g ides could reach them , and they were extricated one at a time by means of rope thrown to

them from above . They had been hanging more than two hours on the crags with the faint hope of attracting by their

cries the attention of a chance caravan passing . Dark on ness was coming , and one may imagine their despair .

When rescued , they were exhausted , and one of them declared afterwards that he could not possibly have held on twenty minutes longer .

o o Hubert and the other guides , as s ften happens in the Alps , acted as if the part they played in the of a dramatic incident was no particular import nce, while the two rescued Swiss felt one supreme moment of pure gratitude . Their parting words were repeated

o to thanks , c upled with a vow leave hereafter the mountains alone .

The point about such an incident , many of which

so i each year do not end happ ly, is that these two novices went about climbing in the wrong way . They hi were not used to the gh mountains , were in strange w ll— territory without guides , ere i equipped and worn

20 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST on e hi i the Col de Voza , 5945fe t , w ch is a s mple walk

i In return ng , however, the young man tried to take s as a hort cut , got lost , and darkness was coming on nde , slipped and kept sliding until he la d astride of a tree leaning out over a precipice . Below him

s He shouted him elf hoarse for help , and fortunately for was heard from below by a goatherd , who went help .

This took considerable time , and it was several hours before the peasants from Les Houches with ropes o could dislodge him from his perilous position . Acc rd ing to the story told by the rescuers , the young man one n promised each a purse , but the followi g day the American disappeared and never has been heard of since . Another incident of tragic simplicity occurred on

d u of the Glacier Géant . Guides a passing caravan coming from the Rifugio Torino asked our guides if anything had been heard at Montanvert ofan Austrian

“ who had left for the French side alone . Against the advice of guides he had attempted to pass the great All ice fall in the glacier . that is known is that he never returned to the Italian refuge and never arrived M ta rt o s at on nve . The pr bability is his body lie at present somewhere in the middle of the glacier at the

o bottom of s me crevasse . Upon arrival in one of the large alpine centres such i d h o as Zermatt , Gr ndelwal or C amonix , the n vice would

o well to s o o o d purcha e at nce a suit made of l den , r EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING 21

i i and s m lar cloth, which is warm , waterproof , strong ma enough not to tear on the rocks . Such clothes y be found ready-made almost anywhere in Switzerland for 0 60 1 0 5 or francs, or made to order for francs more . hi If one wants style , prices , naturally, are gher . Clothes mi worn by the guides , however, are ad ably adapted " r for u o o s mo ntain wear , and besides c ntaining numer u V ery large pockets , in which one may carry a lunch , the coat is so cut that it buttons right up to the neck , with o u o a large c llar that may be t rned up in c ld , windy s s s s weather to protect the ear . Mo t tourist , nowaday , s e o and many guides , wear short trou rs , on the the ry that they allow freer use of the limbs . Personally I - lon s prefer the old fashioned g trou ers and spiral puttees , as I ﬁn d in both snow and rocks that the legs are better l protected . Wh en not c imbing the puttees may be off riicksacks taken and placed in the . Perhaps more important than clothes are a good of s be pair mountain boot . These may be purchased o s or s f re tarting , on the spot , for about 3 5 franc , but should be bought sufﬁ ciently large to admit two pairs of o of wo llen socks , a light and heavy pair . One the s is s s dangers in the mountain frozen feet , and be ide keeping the feet warm this double pair of socks acts as a s o to o cu hi n pr tect them . It is advisable to have the

o s s b ot nailed in the alpine centres , as the bootmaker

h o there know better than anyone else w to do this . E has ach locality certain preferences for nails, so that the expert may tell a Zermatt boot from one nailed in Chamonix , but the difference is so unimportant that is it may be ignored . It in the Dolomites that the 22 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

ff are di erence is striking , for there nails rarely used , the o climbers wearing b ots with rope soles . e im l du i Som time ago , when cl bing the Aigui le Mo ne , I above the Mer de Glace , had the occasion to note the disadvantages of climbing with cheap city clothes and pasteboa d shoes. In descending from the summit one i r ou r art i of p y , a Parisian , wear ng an ordinary suit of o of o cl thes , left the seat his tr users behind on a sharp rock . He said he felt a bit cold , but succeeded e in gettin g down safely . At the alpine refug at the Couvercle we found the guide of another part y c r n busy with a se ond Parisian , w appi g his feet in rope , his city shoes having burst in the sharp wi i moraines . O ng to a pair of city shoes the cl mb had to be abandoned ! All of which goes to prove that a man may climb Without trousers but not without boots . d i a rii k With a suit of lo en, na led boots and large c — sack small ones have a tendency when ﬁlled to take the form of a ball and consequently are un comfortable — on the back the beginn er is ready to commence train o one ing . With an alpenst ck costing franc , or, better - 1 yet , an ice axe costing about 5 francs , he may begin s with walks lasting two or three hour , gradually lengthening his walks without , however, bringing on ﬁ great fatigue . As one grows accustomed to the rare ed

- air and the muscles become supple , all day walks may ifﬁ ﬁnd be undertaken , for it is not d cult to good mule trails going up seven or eight thousand feet . It is very

s - a important in a cending th t the stride be even , the entire foot solidly placed on the ground , and the pace EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING 23

o for at the start very slow . The reas n this is that the l heart must adjust itself gradua ly to the violent strain , ﬁ s and if one goes rapidly at rst , topping frequently to catch breath , the adjustment does not take place . As a rule , if the heart begins racing, the climber may feel

o sure he is g ing too fast . It is an ordinary sight in the mountains to see trained alpinists outstripped by tourists in a great

o hurry, who smile with derision at the t rtoise pace of one hi the former ; but if could see the picture gher up , o l the alpinists , who rarely st p , would be seen gradual y il increasing their speed , wh e the tourists would be lying on the grass holding their stomachs or leaning against o a tree and breathing like a bl wn cab horse . For the novice who proposes later to do some big climbs it is just as well that he get accustomed to carry - is l ar e ing an ice axe , for it usefu even where there t s nei her now nor ice . In descending the mountain s al ide , for instance , after a long w k , short cuts may be of ice - ou ' taken , and by placing the pointed end the axe

or vice versa o the left side , , and by h lding the axe end with the right hand and leanin g on the handle with the

s n ot ﬁ nd al os ss left , the alpini t only will it m t impo ible to i e o ﬁ sl p , but where th m untain side is suf ciently o smo th and steep he may slide down , using the axe

- s as a brake . In principle the ice axe always hould be carried on the side of the mountain and never on the c ase s the side of the void ; in the former , if one lips axe may be used as a brake , as just explained , but if it a al ss happens to be on the outside it is pr ctic ly usele .

‘ Beginners generally lean on their axes and carry them 24 HOW TO “ BECOME AN ALPINIST

the only means of checking the descent In case of a

slip .

very little , and the choice from these is much a ques of l tion taste . The hand e is made of ash and the pick r s t of i on tempered very little , and thi has a resis ance l k greater than stee , which brea s occasionally when the point comes in violent contact with a rock . It is

e - pr ferable that the ice axe be a little heavy , for one soon gets used to the weight and ﬁnds the solid ice-axe

‘ - more serviceable . The length of the ice axe is again a s question of taste , but if after trying it several time one ﬁ shO nds it too long , the p selling it usually shortens it without charge . In making glissades in the snow with ice -axes it is extremely important that one knows where he is going . Some time ago while descending Mont Blanc near the Petit Plateau a party of two were Sliding in the sun and o 10 soft snow . A little further d wn the s pe was in o shadow and the surface frozen , and with ut taking

o o a this fact int considerati n , the p rty , without

o s ing , f und themselves on teep ice instead of snow, e to and being unabl stop , were precipitated at a frightful speed into a crevasse an d killed by the impact .

26 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

r next to the eye , and when not needed can be car ied on for the hat ready instant use . In an alpine sack one may carry an extra shirt and extra pair of socks , slippers for reposing the feet in o mountain huts , woollen mittens , a f lding lantern with o al a a candle for n cturnal w ks , a comp ss , a corkscrew , several handkerchiefs , matches , a cap which one may pull down over the ears , which is very handy in case of o al mi high wind or excessive c ld , a ﬂat u nium cup , a n -O - r k ife with can pener, aluminium egg holde s , and a box of the same metal for carrying some fruit or c ooked o d vegetables, tubes of c ncentrated soup , brea , sugar , tea and chocolate and preferably light things to eat ,

for one such as chicken , in the mountains eats often , l a v v . most e ery two hours , but ery little Cooking ﬁrst- C utensils are found in most of the lass refuges , but c ﬁ it is often ne essary to carry up some rewood . Some l h s c imbers chew prunes w ile climbing , which keep the throat from getting too dry . For the same reason one

s talk very little and breathes through the nose . In h s principle carry up only t ing strictly necessary , for at certain altitudes heavy loads are deadly . AS excursions commence often at two or three ’ o clock in the morning , one Should remember that no thing is warmer and more practical than a newspaper d placed un er the vest against the chest and the back . When the sun arrives and one commences to scorch in be the snow the newspaper may thrown away , having e served its purpos , which lightens the load ; it is thus a better th n a sweater, which must be carried .

s s Mo t alpinist wear light woollen underclothes . EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING 27

f o is They o fer a great protecti n against cold or , what s more important , the rapid change of temperature which one ﬁnds in the mountain s . Climbn in the sun one perspires freely , while in the shade a few steps u s f rther on it may be freezing hard . Flannel shirt ,

o such as are generally empl yed in all the Sports , are o al as excellent . H wever, I know an pinist who h his n shirts made with the collar very large , so that whe needed he can turn up the collar to protect his neck

and ears . When th e beginner has had some training and

o o begins to feel c mfortable on sn w and ice , he can take

a guide to visit one of the mountain huts , sleeping o there , and leaving before dawn in order to bec me use familiar with night walking and the of the lanterns . On nearly all big ascensions these very early starts s n n are nece sary , and nothing is more u settli g to the amateur than to climb above abysses at night with a

l is s sma l lantern . It by these trial excursion , however, that one develops the energy and sang-froid to climb s u to the difﬁcult height . After a fatig ing course one

for should take one day at least of complete rest , an excess of uncontrolled enthusiasm may undermine

the health and turn , therefore , a hygienic Sport into s E - l a po itive danger . ven if it is a one day c imb , one e should start at a very early hour , that is thr e or four ’ in o clock . One escapes climbing the hot sun , which

al s o is very trying at low titude , but nce above the snow

line the heat is tempered by cool breezes . Another reason for climbing early in the day is that before the sun rises the mountains are frozen tight and 2 8 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

is of a there little danger f lling stones . Later, when

melting begins , stones becoming free may dislodge and

cause an accident . Falling stones and avalanches are

o s am ng the greate t dangers in the Alps . One should decide with the guide the evening be

o fore n the exact hour and be ready . The guide gener

s s ’ ally come after one or makes a rendezvou . After a quick breakfast prepared the night before and heated

o ﬁ his s is on an alc hol lamp , one lls ack with prov ions

o - and bjects needed , and hanging the ice axe under the

s ﬁ is o s arm , begin the climb . The rst impression delici u ;

s one feel like running , but when the upward climb s commences the walk hould be slow and cadenced , and one should breathe deeply . s The understanding with the guide con ists generally, s It be imply , upon the starting hour . is the habit , I lieve , to question the guide as to what kind of weather

o may be expected , after which conversation is dr pped , s s as it interfere with re piration . Arriving at one of the s mountain chalets , one may have a second breakfa t ,

s nl but one remain o y a Short time , for the early hours s be rememberl d s are preciou . It should that guide are not professors of alpinism and rarely explain why

n . they do thi gs If there are two guides in the caravan ,

so hi s l and there is met ng grave to decide , e pecia ly so if is o the tourist a n vice , it is almost certain they will

s o s . decide it among them elves , talking pat i Among s s o their fraternity they have igns , uch as three or f ur

one t0 to stones placed on p the other, show the way , to s but these secrets they do not divulge touri ts . Sometimes their turning- point is when they hear EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING 29

n o a plai ly in the distance a m untain c scade . Some

s o e s s s to guide , I believe , have devel p d the e little ign a s l ﬁne a . art , uch as Spitting ways to the right s s o sh If in a cending in n w , therefore , the spla es are s vi l een to the right , the pre ous caravan is sti l ahead ; h on as s . but if found the left , the caravan de cended It

o ui - s or f llows , therefore , that to create these g de po ts ,

- s one s so rather guide hole , hould chew mething that

- as gives a dark brown expectoration , such liquorice ,

u o pr nes or tobacc . The theory of alpinism comes n ot by asking ques

s o s o tion , but by b ervation and nly after long experience . is When the thirst very great , drink a little tea or

of . o s U c fee S me guide carry p a great deal of wine ,

o e o s which is a bad habit and sometimes bec m s danger u .

Dr Hunter Workman , the celebrated Himalayan ex

lorer o me not o oss difﬁ p , t ld l ng ago that while cr ing a cult passage in the Tyrol his guide was taken with the was is be . h delirium tremens It turn , therefore , to

o o o l s c me guide , and they got d wn n y after the greate t

fﬁ l e o di cu ty . Aft r l ng experience he has found that it

is n o s better not to dri k any alc hol in making an a cent , but afterwards a little whisky taken in a cup oftea aids

Not o a o in relieving the stiffness of the muscles . l ng g s I made a climb in the Mont Blanc range , tarting with a young man who insisted on drinking a glas s of

was s to s s absinthe . He quite accu tomed thi glas down l o s in the va ley , but it made him ill and c n equently he

to o is is al s as had aband n h climb . Smoking mo t bad

or ﬁ at s as drinking . For carrying tea coffee gourd made ofaluminium specially for mountaineers are much 3 0 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

of provisions in case of being forced to take refuge in

several days . re neces Climbing in the rocks , where two hands a

- o sary , the ice axes are sometimes left bel w , where they sus may be refound in descending , but more often one pends them from the wrist by means of a strap of hemp o s made Spe cially for the purpose . On s me ascen ions ﬁnd - one may use for crampons , or climbing irons,

to u se which are adapted the feet for on ice slopes , as they save one the trouble of continually cutting steps ;

u se s o - and some climbers raquettes, or n w shoes , which

o prevent one sinking to the knees in s ft snow . One of the most delicate of all Operations is the l 1 0 e one hand ing of the p , with which becomes expert

o r only after l ng expe rience . The debutant has no g eat l . ca need of a rope His guide , if it is necessary , wi l rry one o o . But an alpinist should have a g od r pe of

one Manilla hemp , about half inch in diameter , which

ﬁnd ﬁ rst - ro e may in any class alpine shop . This p should be examined seriously inch by inch after each excursion , to see whether it has been cut by rocks .

Silken ropes are very light and very expensive , but af they are agreeable if one can ford them . The length 1 0 e 1 00 ffi of the p varies , but feet is su cient to rope o ai t gether four persons, the habitual distance m ntained fi if between each climber being about fteen feet . On d fi EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING 3 1

o w cult climbs , h wever, it is a ise precaution to have r0 e p in reserve in case of need . When four persons are roped together the guide ﬁ w an d generally goes rst , the two tourists follo ing , the porter last . In descending , the order is reversed , the guide descending last , to hold up the others in case of s an o a lip . In attaching a carav one f rms a simple loop ,

s arrested by a knot , which is passed around the wai t so r0 e that the knot and p are both on the left side . o l In principle the rope sh uld never be allowed to trai , for it may catch on a rock and cause a fall of stones , sometiIn e s fatal for those behind . Another reason is that if the rope is dragging and one of the climbers falls his weight comes on the others with a jerk and

o may carry them all down . On the ther hand , the rope s not too mu t be held tightly , as in case one of the party attempts to jump a crevasse he may be pulled violently

s backwards into the aby s . To prevent either accident happening one carries part of the rope in loops , which easily can be played out or held tight as the occasion may demand . - is of In rock climbing the rope great assistance . The ﬁrst guide climbs to a place of safety and instals

the on o himself securely , after which second the r pe

o ou t advances , while the thers play the cord attentively . This process is repeated until all are past the danger

s point . On teep snow or ice the effect of the rope is o m ral rather than practical , for if one falls all the l others are likely to fo low . ﬁ - There is no ner exercise than mountain climbing . Ascensions are made in an atmosphere absolutely pure 32 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

nl al and in su ight unknown in the v leys . On the summits one meets with unexpected panoramas of al marvellous splendour , which have a he thy inﬂuence ’ o s - on ne s idea . And besides the ever changing vistas there is the pleasure of struggling with the mountain , o e a It ft n menacing and sometimes f tal . is in struggling with the forces of Nature that the individual develops - in courage , energy, sang froid , prudence , decision and

itia i ai is . t ve . The mount n , therefore , a great educator

TWO ACCIDENTS ON MONT BLANC

IN ll of o o s a little café near the vi age B ss n , just in the s o of o e s of s had w M nt Blan , a mall group guide were drinking white wine and clinking glasses .

I happened to enter in searching for the guide ,

o W for r The Auguste Pay t , hom I wanted a Sho t climb . conversation was animated and reminiscent and I

ss joined them in a gla .

Do o o you kn w , M nsieur Burlingham interrupted

E Du croz of s - mile , a hunter amethy ts , that to day is the one hundred and fou rth time I have been up

o o ! M nt Blanc , and that it is the rec rd

s o Col du Du croz I had ju t been ver the Géant with , returning by the Col de la Seigne and the Col du Bon om was is o h e , and I interested in h expl its .

o as Pay t was in the group drinking well as M .

imond - S . , celebrated as a maker of ice axes ” Du croz ou Well , , I replied , by the time y are seventy you will have broken all records for all " time .

o is — - This p rter in the prime of manhood forty four , — I believe and one ofthe most perfect walking machines

s o r o o I ever saw . I have een him g fou teen h urs with ut

sto In pp g, arriving fresher and at a greater speed than

at the start . 3 6 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

replied . And we got to talking about Mont Blane

o of of indicating bad weather, and s me the

out alive after more than seven hours !

ou t It was I who pulled that man , said

ai o the aff r of the pi let .

du os his o or -axe Glacier Géant Slipped and l t pi let , ice ,

d fallen into a crevasse near the Gran Plateau . 1 0 e This was in August 9 2 . Th accident hap s Mau duit e pened thi way : MM . Henry and Jean Sta

o s ling , b th member of the French Alpine Club , left to o e i Blan Chamonix do M nt Blan with a gu de named e ,

s s the same village , intending to pa the night at the ’ all o o e Refuge V ot . At four clock in the afterno n , whil

an on the Gr d Plateau , a storm broke upon the party .

du Still they continued the ascent , but near the Col TWO ACCIDENTS ON MONT BLANC 3 7

Dome the violence of the wind was so great that an i attempt was made to retreat . In the wind , ﬂy ng and s os and snow cloud , they became completely l t , i decided to dig holes in the snow and Spend the n ght . By workin g to protect their tourists the guide and

an o porter m aged to keep fr m freezing , but the cold was o too much for the other tw and they died in the morning . It was found too late that they had cammd all night without knowin g it within twenty minutes distance of

u to the ref ge and safety . Blanc and Culet decided

Blan e descend as quickly as possible . In their haste o 1 0 slipped and went int a crevasse about 3 feet deep , though without seriously injuring himself . Calling to

o Culet , who was trying to see down int the deep blue him s on to chasm , the unfortunate guide told to ru h

for s s the Grands Mulets help . In his ha te Culet lipped ,

ﬁ s ss s l . and going head r t into a creva e , was killed in tant y al Out of a party of four, only the guide was left ive , and

of 1 0 he was at the bottom a crevasse 3 feet deep , where he was without any means of summoning help . Not k ow n ﬁll n i g that Culet was dead , he waited patiently, ed with hope .

Strange as it may seem , the accident , miraculously, o o had been seen in Chamonix , feet bel w, thr ugh

o u a telesc pe . The telescope g ardian , in seeing two dl men descending rapi y early in the morning , had

ivi n s c d ned somethi g wa wrong and wat hed them . is Soon afterwards he saw one was m sing , and then ﬁ u saw the lone g re precipitated into a crevasse . He v al r ga e the a m in Chamonix , and without delay a relief caravan of guides was on its way . The Grands 3 8 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

ﬁve even if guides could get there in , still they were a an os long dist ce from the supp ed scene of the accident . Guides waiting at the Grands Mulets naturally k o new n thing of the accident , but divined something was wrong when they saw the relief caravan coming up at full speed . When the relief caravan arrived at the Grand

lane al had out whether B was dead or ive . The others O come up from a sense of duty an d were without h pe . s We pu hed on , however, as rapidly as possible . Higher s up mo t of the party were in favour of turning back , all saying that it was of no use to continue , that after

o these h urs the man was dead wherever he was .

o n F rtunately for me another caravan was coming dow , headed by the guide Ravenel , and I explained the situation to him . ’ o I have no fo d , said he . I I told him had some bread , cheese and wine , and as he volunteered to assist we sent down our tourists

‘ o with th se returning . The search then began in s s earne t . Passing crevasse after creva se , we searched minutely for traces of those missing . l B an e ! . , where are you I cried repeatedly The precipitous slopes under the Dome du Be Gouter sent back echoes but all else was silence . fore tuming back I was determined to fathom the mystery .

Suddenly I heard, or thought I heard, a faint answer . TWO ACCIDENTS ON MONT BLANC 39

ou ! s Did y hear that I whi pered .

’ ’ No . It s your imagination , he said . The ’ r is man , whe ever he lies , dead . ! ’ Listen This time I am sure I heard a voice .

o Yes, there was s mething , and we crept gingerly

of so towards the edge the crevasse , not much because

o we feared falling in , alth ugh this danger existed , but rather because we did n ot wish the edge to cave in man o on the buried bel w . The traces where he had s slid in were plainly vi ible .

Blan e ou ! , are y there ’ Yes ; I am not hurt . He thought the porter Culet had returned with

’

ai . W t , and we will let down the cord

o Mine was forty metres l ng , and I let it all play

’ s It is eight or ten metres too hort , came a voice can from the abyss . I am stuck on a ledge and wait ot to o Tying together two cords , I g ready g down ou t to him , but he cried that it was not necessary, and

o i ﬁ to l wer h m the end . We let down nearly fty metres

r0 e al of p , lowed him to tie himself , and then began hauling in tenderly . When we got him to the top he said , in looking around , apparently in search of some

- n . thi g , that he had forgotten his ice axe ’ Blane I Never mind , , I will get it for you ,

w No , let me do n again , I am going to get it ’ myself . second time he had his piolet his hand had gripped it

happened on the mountain .

axe .

o t guide , took place recently on M nt Blanc , the de ails of

which were told me by those who escaped . A party of porters were engaged on the actual

summit , feet , in demolishing the famous Janssen

Fo on o . r the snow . This was a M nday morning some time the weather had been threatening and the men

a nl were practic lly trapped there . Sudde y the storm o o e broke with great vi lence , and the f ur men who wer

Outside was certain death . There was a blinding ﬂash ! Lightning had pene trated the shelter an d the party momentarily were o stunned . Three of the men , rec vering from the shock ,

h o o found t at the fourth , an Italian p rter named Cas li,

ar oo had received the bolt , ch ring him from head to f t .

o Had he been a. tourist undoubtedly he w uld have been

. all killed instantly But being a Mont Blanc porter, n i sinews and muscle , even lightni g could not k ll im h outright . Although terribly burned he could yet s for peak . The others did him all that was within

42 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST As we descended into the valley of Chamonix the ss the charred porter grew fainter, and , depre ed by i s heav er atmo phere below, succumbed a few moments after reaching his home .

Mont Blanc had garnered one more victim .

Excu rsio n s fo r Be gin n ers

EXCURSIONS FOR BEGINNE RS

WH E N the amateur alpinist h as received some training

s t o o o o and begin feel at h me in the m untains , a wh le

al of s s s s be g axy ea y climbs pre ent them elve , until it ‘ di t o t o oos comes ﬁicult know which ch e . At all events some of these intermediary climbs should be undertaken before attempting the really big

o s ﬁ s n ot too ne , r t because they are cheap , fatiguing , and

s to of i excellent place learn the technique cl mbing , but because when one h as all day to reach an easy summit and is desirous of learning h ow to u se the rOpe and

to ﬁ nd - s o os s where hand hold in the r ck , m t guide are

h s is willing to Show no vices ow thi done . Even for these simple ascents the learner may

o in al ﬁrst - ui s for os o bta re ly rate g de , the m t fam us like

ff n ow s a day o and then , e pecially if they can get a

’ comfortable night s rest and a good lunch and dinn er f o t e s o . the day the climb M reover, as it is h cu tom generally to continue with the same gu ide throughout

ui to o o the season , g des are ready g thr ugh this pre liminary work in the hope of se curing a good customer

for the big climbs later . I recall the arrival of an American in Chamonix two su mmers ago who started this way in th e Aiguilles l Rouges until he felt thoroughly at home . He tack ed 45 46 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

the difﬁculties as he grew in knowledge . Within two

s al week he was attacking some of the classic peaks , and before the season was over conquered the Dent du

Gré on ll n Géant , p and Aigui e Verte , which are amo g the most difﬁ cult .

s Take the Zermatt di trict , for instance . If one is

Riffelal a s d o staying at the p, as so many lpini ts , a day Riffel orn 61 6 o ar on the h , 9 feet , may pr ve p ticularly

ﬁn d ﬁ ul s tin interesting . One may dif c tie by crea g

- o i them and sometimes without l ok ng for them . Mr

o was . e o o . T W . K Wils n killed there h pan rama fr m on e ﬁ s ﬁ n the summit is of the ne t in the Alps , ner tha

s al o for one many summit sever th usand feet higher,

s L skamm B reit om faces the Monte Ro a , y , h , Matter Gabel orn Rot om horn , Dent Blanche , Ober h , hh and Weiss om i s al h , wh le below behind tretches the v ley of

o Misc abel Om er Zermatt , and ab ve the great h h group . of Riffelal 8 The price a guide from the p is only francs , although if one went there to practise some arrange oul ment w d have to be made .

Mettelh orn of 15 The , feet , north Zermatt ,

s o another favourite climb for beginner , and fr m the s iﬁ eiss o summit one get a magn cent View of the W h m . - o Although the last half h ur is climbed in the snow, the 0 for tariff is only 1 francs a guide . o An ther climb , more ambitious but extremely B reithom popular , is the ascent of the , feet , a

for 0 s guide which costs 5 franc . As the panorama

is one ﬁ not ﬁ from the summit of the nest , if the nest i around Zermatt , it is advisable to reach the summ t , if

48 How TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

’ o l Inde x Floriaz P uce , and Aiguille de la , 9475 feet ,

of B elvédere 1 s ascent the , 973 feet , and highe t of the

is e m o os s group , r co mended . In d ing m t of these climb

Flé ere Ch am omx it is better to sleep at the g above , where one may get a comfortable room and good ~meals

Belvedere are given at length in a later chapter entitled ” s Among the Red Needle .

of u Many the Aiguilles Ro ges , it should be remem

so t h e bered , are serious climbs , and me of them , like

’ l Aréte s o to Aiguille de Plate , are actually na ty wing Sharp ridges over which one must pass and which are o o s of c vered with l o e stones , the equilibrium which is

o i o upset ften by the sl ghtest t uch . That climbin g in the Aiguilles Rouges is not without danger is evidenced by an accident on the Perseverence

s s Eu ster o of thi summer, when Mis g , nly daughter the

o s l du i c n tructor of the railway up the Aigui le Mid , and al an excellent pinist , fell several hundred feet and was i k lled instantly . The most popular climb on the south side of the valley among the famous Chamonix Needles is the ’ s of ill I M so s of its a cent the Aigu e de , named becau e

to of al resemblance the thirteenth letter the phabet .

s s its There are ome rather dizzy place , but ascent presents n o real difﬁculty and no danger with a of h m z . C ar o good guide The ascent the Petit ,

s is o in which may be done the ame day , even m re terestin fﬁ g , and not di cult . The rock here is solid EXCURSIONS FOR BEGINNERS 49 granite , where one may feel safe with a very Slight - o foot h ld .

du o The Aiguille M ine , feet , on the east side, o v and t wering abo e the Mer de Glace , is perhaps a little

o not ffi o more ambiti us but a di cult climb , alth ugh one of ﬁ Al s s the nest in the p , owing to the cenery and giant

s o peak that surr und it . The Moine may be climbed

o Montanvert is for to fr m , but it better the beginner

o sleep at the C uvercle , a refuge built by the French Talefre Alpine Club above the Glacier de , from which o o s the summit may be reached in three or f ur h ur .

ou to s Near the refuge of the C vercle , a little the ea t and d of 8 is s at an altitu e 9 33 feet , a little pot of verdure

one s s a called the Jardin , the only to be een in thi v st f s o s . s expan e now , glaciers and granite In mid ummer is o n o o ro it nly Spri g here , and alpine ﬂ wers blo m in p s o is e os fu i n . It ncl ed like a garden , for the glacier has deposited around it stones which encircle it like a

o 1 0 s - of s o o fence . S me 9 Specie plant have been f und n t s oas s s o s no hi i urr unded by great peak and eternal s w , s ow o and one wonder h ﬂ wers ever came there . Probably the most fascin ating easy snow-climb

o s to G s s around Cham nix is a Vi it the rand Mulet , where s s one leeps the night before a cending Mont Blanc . A

is s i to guide neces ary, and it s advisable take a porter

lso o f s s a o . , for s me the crevas e may be very bad The

os o Mont a u e o m t interesting r ute is by the g de la C te , u s a by which the guide Jacques Balmat , famo s hi toric lly, ﬁrst reached the summit of the great white mountain

1 86 n o o to s in 7 . There is w a g od path the ummit of COte k i the , and although Dr Cauro was illed here , fall ng D 50 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

600 not alt over feet , the mountain is dangerous , hough

v rti i u s in places a little e g ne e .

ascendin g to the Grands Mulets we had rather an exciting an experience . No path had then been made d care

- o can had to be taken , for steep grass covered Sl pes be

treacherous . t e ui We started , my wife and I and h g de Auguste Les o s e Payot , from B s ons at in the morning , wh n s s in ﬂeec the valley wa till gloom . There were a few y n o i a clouds in the sky , denoti g a c m ng ch nge in the

o s weather , but the pr spect were that the weather

o o for two would h ld g od the day . Within hours we al s arrived at the Ch et des Pyramid and breakfasted . To see the sun rise on the ice and snow is well worth

o one s an the tr uble , and mu t go there , too , to get idea of the steepness and expanse of the Glacier

o o des Boss ns , which at this p int may be crossed t o easily with a guide show the way . On leaving

o the chalet , h wever , the path stopped abruptly . ri o o Turning suddenly to the ght , Pay t to k the lead ,

o cou loir z i - i g ing up the in g zag fash on , picking each T e s ﬁl s . h step pa sage was led with gras , which made

all o s o it the m re slippery . Alpinist j ke about grass ai ai u illes dos vaehes covered mount ns as g , peaks for

l al of r s cows to c imb , but in re ity some these g a s slopes

are dangerous .

It was soon over, however , and we stood on the back t in bone of the moun ain , which places was rather thin

o a o for walking . There were verh nging st nes which had to be passed and narrow ledges overlooking many EXCURSIONS FOR BEGINNERS 51

of of hundreds feet precipice , places which required d - ﬁd ce courage an self con en .

as s o It w indeed intere ting, as Pay t had promised , more so than I had imagined. Instead of the badly

o o o s to o made , mon t n u path Pierre P intue , we walked

- o o on the knife edged ridge , l oking d wn steep descents on both sides to the Glaciers des Bossons and de T aconnaz .

o n Appr achi g Mont Corbeau , one of the lofty pro ections o j in the main ridge of the C te , we skirted the i p nnacle to the left , after which it was easy going .

o o Imagine my surprise , h wever , to see here dr ves of

o . s mountain g ats The ram and very young , Payot

s said, are driven up here in the early ummer to pasture ,

i s hr s s sse and, be ng urrounded on t ee ide by creva d ice , racti and where we were by a narrow ledge , they were p al c ly trapped .

so to re They were glad see human beings , these latives o s of the Cham i , that they nearly mobbed us ,

to ff - and had be driven o with ice axes . As we led the

o s way upwards wh le droves followed . The serac in the Glacier des Bossons to the left , which fenced in the

o u g ats , were partic larly fantastic , and fell at intervals

o s o s with thunder u n i e . On the summit of the Montagne de la Cote we

on lunched , then roped ourselves together to go the ice . And what ice it was ! The famous Horace Benedict de

to h Saussure , w om a monument has been erected at

o o a o 1 8 h Cham nix , wrote as l ng g as 7 7 t at the glacier fi ul o s was dif c t and danger u . But guides know more about climbing on ice than 52 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

did s o they one hundred year ago , and Pay t was soon busy with his ice - axe sending a shower of splin tered ice down into the deep blue crevasses on either side . In

o the - g ing forward we tried to stay on top of ice ridges , and to get there foot -holds or steps were cut into the

-s s was i ice lope ; once on the ridge it a quest on of poise , for on either side were deep abysses . All the time we were moving on the Glacier des

o s o s B sson . Our pr gre s was rapid , and in considerably

ss one o o le time than h ur we reached the Juncti n ,

to difﬁ s on claimed be one of the cult pa sages Mont Blanc . It is so called because the Glacier des Bossons and the

Taconnaz s Glacier de meet here , and it is the cro sing from one glacier to the other that constitutes the fﬁ di culty .

o Bef re us like a great moat lay a gigantic crevasse , in which light- blue icicles dangled down into the dark- blue

- o n void . Ice pinnacles tottered ver the bri k , and ice

s an d bridges overhung grottoe caverns . And some

o o where deep d wn bel w are human bodies , climbers

s o wh o have met with cata tr phe .

ss-d Our moat , however, had to be cro , and we three went on to the brink . Fortunately a ladder had been

os s as placed acr s the crevas e a bridge , and , going down h one I s s . on all four , we traver ed the c asm by one stopped long enough to add one more photograph to my alpine collection . Without serious diﬂiculty we crossed the Jun c tion and began the ascent of the long snow slope lead

ul ing up to the refuge at the Grands M ets . Le ontine climbed rapidly, in spite of the somewhat dizzy snow MAD A ME E D E R II FR RICK B u LIN G A M an d th e G u i e A u u s te Pa o t c r o s s in a , g y , g c r e vas s e at “ d th e o n c tio n h J o n t e ir w ay to th e G r an d s Mu le ts

AT T H E GR AND S MUL ET S wh e r e o n e s e e s e fo r e c im in Mo n t B an l p b l b g l c .

54 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

l below us , coming up the same s ope , were three caravans bound for Mont Blanc . We were running away from to the threatening weather, and they seemed have t e h intention of braving it . I heard later they were forced to ﬂy for refuge to the Grands Mulets and the abandon their excursion , coming down day after

We recrossed the Junction and pushed on for u Pierre Point e , not wishing to get caught in the blizzard .

o n We were in good order , g i g as fast as circumstances hi n in allowed . Torn clouds were w rli g about the snow regions above , and there was lightning in the valley i below . Underneath our feet were crevasses , and g ant our seracs leaned across path .

I noticed , without talking about it , that two or three avalanches had buried the fresh tracks of the thr ee caravans we had just passed . Suddenly Leontine uttered a sharp cry and I felt the rope tighten instan

l . all taneou s y . Payot jumped backwards It happened s in a moment . Sharp crack of thunder and the deep reverberating roars gave this mountain scene a terriﬁc i u nsel n o majesty . She had gone nto an crevasse ver which I must have passed by taking a very long stride .

Holding fast to the rope , I turned and saw she had gone through a snow ridge . Working together, Payot and I i u eas ly pulled her out , and fortunately she was not h rt , even if somewhat su rprised . ’ al Echelle de v We pushed on for Pierre , the storm

i e i . scend ng or asc nd ng , it was hard to tell which And here we could not take too much care , for we were in the

' o r of cou l i , whe re avalanches of stones come down fthe EXCURSIONS FOR BEGINNERS 55

Aiguille du Midi at a speed that renders them at times

o invisible . Once across the avalanche path h wever , we

os o o o alm t ran d wn the m raine , reaching Pierre P intue , where we took shelter just as the storm broke in its fury .

’ Cin e mato graphing the Matte rho rn

CINEMATOGRAPHING THE MATTERHORN

‘ ARRIVING at Zermatt with me on the train fr om Vie ge ﬁ were a party of Germans , who , when for the rst time nl the Matterhorn sudde y appeared above, broke out in loud cheers .

We all felt overwhelmed, for the Matterhorn , seen ﬁ close for the rst time , is the most superb obelisk in

R o s the world . ising feet al ne in a series of heer ss i o o di precipices , it seems impo ible , g gantic , c nf un ng . r i all al This imp ess on never quite fades away, for it is re , this vast pinnacle of granite with its abysmal slopes and hanging glaciers . My room in the Mont Cervin Hotel looked ou t on the n mountain . While I was dressi g for dinner a cloud appeared clinging to the southern face several hundred sun feet below the summit , and as the set , casting a hi n gloom over the valley, t s cloud turned pi k and the ﬁ mountain purple . It is a wonder I ever nished

s n E n dre si g . ven after di ner there was still a glow as above the shoulder , but the stars came out the sum

- o mit turned death white , frigid and des late . It seemed higher than Olympus and certainly too cold for the gods . My thoughts next morning were whether I could get 59 60 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

e up to the top with a cinematograph . When I broach d the subject with some alpinists they treated the sug n i hin gestion with derision , thi k ng either I knew not g of

o m untains or else that I was stark mad . This acted

di o al be upon me , however , as an ad ti n incentive, and fore the day was ou t I had brought the project to the

- attention of M . Seiler, the well known hotel proprietor and most inﬂuential man in the valley , and he promised so i u n to consult me expert guides . Cl mbing the mo ntai was ou t of s for the moment quite the que tion , as there was too much snow and ice and wind and too little pros

o of o ﬁn e pe t c ntinued weather . Two or three days later he asked me to have a talk with Gabriel Zum Tau ald s ui who al gw , the famou g de was in the Him ayas with Mrs Bu llock Workman an d in the Andes with Tau ald Miss Annie Peck . Zum gw was favourable to trying it .

I telegraphed my company, the British and Colonial o o o in Kinemat graph of Lond n , what was on f ot , ask g 1 00 ﬁlm Tau ald them to rush 5 feet more of . Zum gw said it would be a waste oftime and money to attempt the mountain before we had thr ee comecu tive days of ﬁne weather , which would get the snow in good con

too o dition . Otherwise it would be c ld on the moun t s tain and here would be danger of avalanches ; beside , the rocks were covered with icicles and verglas and

was the snow was deep . There nothing to do , there fore , but wait .

The next few days were not ill spent . It gave me time to study the mountain fr om below with a telescope

to n Riffelal ﬁ and lu ch at the p , from where the terri c

CINEMATOGRAPHING THE MATTERHORN 61

Matterhorn precipices are seen to their greatest ad saw ﬁ l vantage . I at once the great dif cu ty in cine ato ra hin was m g p g the mountain , which the lack of meal o o , or opp rtunity of getting the pr per vantage

s point for taking the pictur es . If one point the camera too far up or down the angle would deform a precipi

o on e tous slope int apparently ﬂat , and on either side of the ascending knife - edged-like ridge there were

is l ss to abysmal precipices . It practica ly impo ible instal and work a cinema camera on ice sloping at 70

s o s degree , even if guides could be f und to ri k their lives

o f was so there . The sec nd di ficulty climbing such a peak heavily burdened with apparatus and at the same time fﬁ deducting su cient time for taking the pictures . It being

s s on o impo sible to re t the night the m untain , all the

o on e o w rk must be done in day . My pr gramme , there o was for o o da li ht 't o f re , to make the sh ulder bef re y g ,

of o ﬁ s cinematograph the top the m untain the r t day, and the second to reascend as far as the shoulder

ﬁll s on ﬁ s s and to in parts kipped the r t ascent . Thi entails a tremendous amount of exertion during two o s n ot o i c nsecutive day , c unt ng the preliminary day Hornli cabana occupied in reaching the , but I am convinced now that this is the way the work should be done . In order to see the Matterhorn from another angle I

o i for ﬁne spent an ther day, wh le waiting weather, in walking over on the Zmu tt side above the glacier of that Hornli name . From here the ridge up from the appears much less steep and more reassuring . At any rate I was decided to tackle the mountain , and even if I 62 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

realized the danger , but I never doubted that the

weather and fair luck .

we could see the gale aloft cle aning th e mountain of ﬁ snow . The cold up there must have been terri c .

s s u or Ordering ome tran port m les the night bef e , so ’ to the as as o as save guides strength much p ssible , we left Zermatt amid considerable excitement on I st

July . ﬁve— Tau wald We were Gabriel Zum g , Heinrich

s Tau walder to Julen , Franzi kus g and David Biner , whose lot fell the herculean task of carrying up the 1 All n i os . o cinema camera , weighi g 5 k l f ur men were

o admirable , and during three days of trying w rk nothing occurred to cast even a shadow across ou r friendly re lations now o , which has bec me one of my pleasantest

e i s alpine souv n r . We were busy all morning cine-atographing the picturesque route leading above the Gorn er glacier to

S ch z arz se e o o the H tel , where we had lunch bef re making H rnli o for the o . Fr m here we continued with one of

as s o the mules far as the now w uld permit , but the animal began ﬂoundering long before we reached the

dl cabana zigzag path leading up rapi y to the , and the a o c mera , tripod, food and r pe were transferred to the

of backs the guides . We arrived at the Matterhorn cabana on the Hornli CINEMATOGRAPHING THE MATTERHORN 63

ridge , at an altitude of over feet , early in the ” l l was l afternoon of a beautifu Ju y day . There sti l

s was con iderable wind , but the barometer now rising , and the guides prophesied good weather for the ascent .

two in our : There were th gs in favour the gale , which

n o s had o had bee bl wing three day , cleaned the m untain ,

os oos s sweeping away m t of the l e now, while the sun

var las or - on had melted much of the g , ice coating the rocks . s s o In spite of the re plendent unshine , h wever , the

o s n o s r s of Matterh rn , ri i g nearly a mile ab ve us in a e ie

o s s o . tremend u precipice , l oked grim and menacing A few com eilles were seen soaring wildly near the high

s overhanging crag , emphasizing the grandeur and the desolation ofthe scene .

No o o E Wh w nder that bef re dward ymper , the great E s s i o 1 86 ngli h alpini t , cl mbed the Matterh rn , in 5, the h o s s . s ow peak was c n idered impos ible The ame day ,

oo its for s ever, the mountain t k revenge , , in de cending , Lord Francis Douglas and three others ofthe successful party were knocked offtheir feet and fell from precipice to 000 s precipice , 4 feet , on to the Matterhorn glet cher

o s o h as bel w . Since then cata tr phe succeeded catas tro h e p . It is a wonderful sight this view from the Matterhorn caba H To na on the ornli. the left below us was the

Fu r en s t du o gg glet cher, wi h the Glacier M nt Cervin

o o s hanging ab ve it ; to the right the Matterh rn glet cher ,

Zmu tt and below it the gletscher , and behind was the l i va ley of Zermatt , at this moment partly h dden by whirling clouds . ’ 64 HOW TO B ECOME AN ALPINIST

be d - o - oo in the chamber all tted me , and in the dining r m the window panes were covered with a thick opaque

os fr t . A small wood ﬁre was bu rning in the dining

‘ oo s — a u r m tove the wood , by the W y , had been carried . p leaning against the stove I managed to dine in com

arative p comfort .

s s s Out ide the wind whi tled and moaned in the crag ,

was os s ﬁ It impossible to sleep . One rep e badly the rst

i al u s on e night in h gh tit de ; in fact , if climbs high enough s leep under any circumstances becomes impossible . Mrs Bullock Workman told me that when camping in the Himalayas at an altitude of feet for six days

s s ul no one lept . It is aid that Napoleon co d sleep any

’ at o s o off o s where a m ment n tice , turning his th ught , as one o l s it were , like intenti na ly turn out an electric

one of light . It is stated that on one occasion when his ministers doubted this faculty Napoleon put it to

s s s was the te t and , leeping in tantly, awakened with fﬁ s di culty . I wonder whether he would have lept this night on the Hornli!

PRECIPICE CLIMB ING AT NIGHT

M a s 2 A . w s At . everyone arou ed, and after a t hurried breakfast preparations were made o leave .

’ - We had left a call for one o clock , but the cabin keeper

l to was Tau wald had fai ed wake , and it Gabriel Zum g ,

ﬁ s d ho o . s o my r t gui e, w ar used the party Thi lost h ur was nearly fatal . B RIT ISH A ND COLONIAL KINE MAT OGR A P H C AR A V AN ar r ivin a th e H o r n li C a in a v u s g t b e bo e th e cl o d .

AP P A N T H E MAT T E N A RO CHI G RHOR CR GS .

66 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

charged our loads to breakfast , and wait for the light ,

or fﬁ f here began the real di culties . I sat down two or three times in the snow to ﬂatten m out a co fortable seat , for there was no room to move Wh about . ile eating some dried prunes to moisten the

mouth , I sat looking down one of the most precipitous

o I h u s sl pes ave yet enco ntered, and up etting the snow hi w l with my feet , watched it rush , ssing , do n unti it

was lost in the void below .

In the east dawn was breaking . Two hours below

us was the Matterhorn cabin we had just left . In the ﬁ distance to the left one saw the Rhone valley, lled with

- the cotton looking clouds , while the peaks above morn

ing mist were bathed in golden light . us Mischabelh orner Before were the great peaks , hi and further to the right Monte Rosa , the ghest point L kamm B ith s re m . in Switzerland , the y and the o Across the Theodu le Pass one looked down into smiling was be Italy . But there no time to wasted in gazing

o at the glorious pan rama . s e As the guide declared we were overload d , it was

all o decided to leave behind nearly the provisi ns ,

s so the e being the least necessary to our success , with film simply the two cameras , tripod , , and the minimum of food , we again began the ascent . i l - Imag ne c imbing a narrow, knife like ridge of find granite, with precipices on both sides , to the way ahead barred by a gendarme , or perpendicular spire , over which it is impossible to pass . The only solution of the diffi culty was to pass to the left on the face of the

o precipices . To make matters worse the m untain was CINEMATOGRAPHING THE MATTERHORN 67

of ss in very bad condition , and instead pa ing out over

- rocks we were forced to cross ice slopes , which Zum Tau gwald estimated to be only 20 degrees fr om the l perpendicu ar .

ON THE SHOULDER IN A GALE

r We had four hou s of this climbing, more or less , ” r befo e reaching the famous shoulder , which we

o found steep ice c vered with snow . On the shoulder we could be seen by telescope fr om all over the valley of

o ﬁn s Zermatt . Bel w, hotel guests were just i hing break

- fast , and our appearance on the ice slope created a great sensation . By hard work we reached the uppe r edge of the ai shoulder, where one may look str ght down thou t sands of fee to the Matterhorn gletscher . The fonn ation of the mountain is such that the north wind , dammed up elsewhere , rushes up here over l the shou der with terriﬁc force . As we passed we f u were nearly blown of the mo ntain , and it looked as was if our expedition was doomed . It very cold , and ou t our the granulated ice , blown up by the wind, hands and faces until they became raw . ar I think it sc cely prudent to go on in this wind , u d said Zum Ta gwal . ’ all If you say Turn back, I replied , with the u l co rage I could muster, all right , we wil ; but it means it all has to be done over again ! As a compromise we decided to climb above the

shoulder and see if there was not less wind there . 68 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

i ss Fortunately this proved so , and we cl mbed fast , pa 1 86 ing near where the great accident in 5 took place ,

r abounding in dangerous ice cornices . Our ar ival was r there , I told later , was seen f om Zermatt , the Riffelal Gorn er rat and p, the g Schwarzsee , where crowds o all day collected ar und the telescopes . — The scene from the summit 5feet is superb . o One may see cl se at hand the terrible Dent Blanche ,

’ o Rothh om the peerless Weissh rn , the , and Ober Gabelhorn o s . The groups around the M nte Ro a ,

to described already , are seen from the summit greater advantage . Behind these are the Bernese Oberland ,

Sirn lon . o the p and St Gothard groups To the s uth , 8000 o feet bel w us , were the pastures of Breuil , dotted

‘ hi s with chalets , from w ch blue smoke ro e lazily . 1 00 t he The Viso , miles away, Maritime Alps , 1 0 m 3 iles , the Dauphine Alps , and lastly Mont

Blanc , dominating them all , composed this great panorama .

is not cinemato ra hin But this g p g. After having fi i lmed the summit we began the descent , tak ng every as known precaution to prevent dis ter . The descent “ ” ffi two s is the more di cult of the . At the houlder ffi the camera was set up with the greatest di culty . To keep from sliding off the mountain Julen cut a place in the ice for my feet and another for himself, and sitting down under me held my kn ees and braced the tripod i while I got the pictures . Th nk of standing on steep ice in a heavy wind , on the side of a precipice dropping f e and b thousands p feet , k eping a cool head alance

CINEMATOGRAPHING THE MATTERHORN 69 while panoraming to keep the climbers In the

By moving one at a time , with the utmost precaution , l we s owly descended towards the frozen club hut , but not before darkness began to settle down .

THE PE RIL or DARK NESS

o We must get to the club hut bef re dark, said

Tau ald . o Zum gw , or we will be in peril It is imp ssible ” a to remain the night on the mountain . To m ke matters worse it began to snow hard . ”

s ai . We mu t move faster, s d Gabriel Most of e e i the d sc nt was done face outward, look ng down the a precipices . These looked impossible , and each p

eared o p to end in v id . In descending , however, the n actual edge of the precipice receded , and by passi g to the right or left a way aroun d the perpendicular brink was found .

I have a recollection of turning , lying on my o n to st mach , calli g Julen to keep the rope in safety, and descending , half dangling, over the edge . Not o u s I kn wing the mo ntain as well as the guide , found it not s s - o alway ea y to discover the proper hand h lds . On this occasion I was actually hanging on by ﬁnger

s l o to tip , fee ing with my feet for a crack up n which o to o place my bo t nails . By swinging the right I f und

on for this new hold, and passed to make room the others .

By dusk we reached the club hut . We were still

on o as s high the m untain , and the snow torm had blotted 70 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST us from View there was considerable uneasiness at

Zermatt . From here, however, it was easier going , and by descending very rapidly we succeeded in reach P M ing the Matterhorn cabins by . . , which we had left nearly nineteen hours before .

us to did We were all of too tired eat , but what it matter! We had cinematographed the Matterhorn !

WHY ALPINE ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

SCARCELY a week goes by without the newspapers

o o rep rting an alpine tragedy, with one or m re deaths .

os s M t of them , as has been shown , are fatal accident befalling inexperienced climbers making an ascent

o i s— o with ut gu de which is pure f lly . But n ow and then is reported an alpine catastrophe — of quite a different character o ne in which guides

s s os l them elve have l t their ives . There occurred not long ago an accident which will go down in history as one of the most tragic in the entire

s Berne e Oberland . It is not possible to state positively what happened on the snow-Slope below the Concordia o o : Hut , but the f ll wing inference is plausible

For so s me day the weather had been bad , and there was of h plenty fresh snow on the Jungfrau . T is fell

old s m like a blanket on the snow , which , in u mer, owing to the alternate thawing and freezing during hot days

s u . and cold nights , become a hard , polished s rface

o Until the new sn w, therefore , freezes to the icy surface underneath it is highly dan gerous where the Slope is steep , for there is constant danger of avalanches . 74 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

All guides know this . Apparently the guides in

s . this in tance took chances At any rate, once well up on the steep snow slope the whole new layer of snow began to move— as a rug Slides on a polished ﬂoor when — al stepped upon and the av anche , once started, was

carpet of snow to their doom . The question arises immediately : Why do guides take such chances !

‘ That is the tragedy of their lives . It is true many ofthe gu ides are thorough sportsmen and take untold risks in climbing by new routes simply for the sport of the thing ; but in many cases the risks are taken because the guides are in urgent need of money . They may be engaged for a long climb ; then the weather turns bad and there is a long heart -breakin g

i o wait , either w th a retaining fee or, m re likely, simply with the hope of making the climb when the weather clears . al o t Then the weather ters , and with their t urists hey to e climb one of the mountain refuges . The guide s es

di s is is b his the con tion of the now bad, but he told y

s n ow tourist climber that it must be or never, as to the morrow is the end of their holiday . If climb is u u abandoned at the lower ref ge , then the g ide is paid

n . a ridiculously low price , o ly a few shillings Probably the tourists urge the guide on against his better judg — — ﬁ ment this is most likely the case and nally, owing ” to r . economic pressu e , he takes the chance The

a o s amateurs are jubil nt ; but he g es with mi givings , for hl - s , being a hig y trained observer, he see death lurk

WHY ALPINE ACCIDENTS HAPPEN 75

ing in places which escape the observations of the o thers .

o I have known guides to stay away from M nt Blanc , n e a i l for i stance , b cause they saw veil of m st c inging to — Mont Maudit so acute is their foresight towards on

coming bad weather .

But very often the guide goes on , violating his l judgment , and sudden y they are in an avalanche .

s He, the guide , in one terrible moment is wept beyond ur s all economic laws , and pict es of the cene of the

ﬁll th e tragedy newspapers . It is only the initiated who see the real meanin g of

the drama , and who have a thought for the widow when the news is brought home to the fatherless i ch ldren . For this highly dangerous work gu ides are paid o c mparatively very little . The climbing seaso n lasts onl o of y from June into September . Pr bably a few the most famous guides make £200 a year ; but as many 1 of them accept monthly engagements at £ a day, it shows their willingness to accept a sure thing on about al h f this basis . In the Mont Blane section gu ides may wait weeks i fﬁ to do the Aigu lle Verte , one of the most di cult and

of s dangerous all the mountains in the Alp , for which

onl is o o they are paid y £4, which the price for d ing M nt F . or da Blanc climbing the Aiguille Midi , which takes two 3 2 8 . days , they get only £ , If the ordinary guides

diﬂieu l 1 doing t work make 05. a day on the average during the season they may consider themselves lucky . 76 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

Now the point I want to make is this : gu ides poorly paid and do take chances . im The moral , therefore , is to cl b always with a care ful guide , and, above all , to make him feel that he will not lose from a monetary standpoint if he advises against of going on in the face peril .

It is in this way one may avoid catastrophe .

IN AN AVALANCHE PATH

IT nﬁ was a narrow escape , and shows the i nite pre in i caution necessary mountain cl mbing . When the avalanche started there were ﬁve of us couloir roped together in a narrow, steep , and for a moment there appeared no escape . Death , however, o passed slightly to one Side and verhead , and those few seconds which seemed an eternity are now only a memory .

i l du The incident took place on the Aigu l e Moine , a scraggy needle rising precipitously feet in the chain of the Aiguille Verte on the east side of the Mer de Glace and facing Mont Blanc itself . This peak, i ﬁ i 22 1 8 1 wh ch was rst cl mbed on September , 7 , by Miss Isabella Straton and Miss Emmeline Lewis

. E Sim o s . ond Ll yd , with the guide J Charlet and Joseph , no i for r s al is w considered a cl mb amateu , and in re ity is i qu te easy . The danger on the Moine, or the Monk, E as it is called in nglish , is losing the way, which we

The weather had been bad for days, and we waited cafes at Chamonix , lolling in the , for the sky to clear .

s s as Finally the un broke through the mi ts , and the barometer indicated better weather we left for the ’ M ta t o on nver Hotel , a two h urs scramble up from 79 80 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

we arrived there was still a mist on the upper crags of

for our peak , but this lifted slightly a few moments , n k allowi g me to ta e a photograph . Our caravan comprised my friends Duval and

Sch a e elli s s Sim p r from Paris , the guide Delma and ond , o l and as far as the C uverc e , the alpine hut where we

a n to s i had pl n ed sleep , came ome friends , mak ng eight

s person in all . Now the Aiguille du Moine is an ordin ary steep is li climb on granite . It not ke the Aiguille Verte or du the Dent Géant , where one may expect to be killed .

o is s as What happened , theref re , of special intere t , it concerns hundreds of amateurs . To - day there is a wild scramble up the alpine

rec1 1ce s is o so o p p , so there all the m re rea n t tell the truth and to avert wholesale accidents by crying out a

o r s warning . S me alpine w iter I read this summer speak of breaking away from th e tyranny of guides

o n and going on their w . An Italian artist named Cumani seventeen years ago abandoned his guides and B tried to climb Mont Blane alone by the renva Glacier . of s f He has not been heard since . Hundred o accidents

o - of os hi are are never rep rted , and nine tenths th e w ch

o wh o s s happen t climbers have di pen ed with guides .

Our little caravan , therefore, even to climb the

. two ui e Moine, took every precaution We had g d s ,

o ul o n plenty of r pe caref ly examined bef re leavi g , and caused any badly-worn nails in our Shoes to be re~ newed . On leaving Mont anvert Hotel I went Slightly ahead

82 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST wards watchers saw blue water rush out from the lower

end of the Mer de Glace . Wh en well on the glacier it was comparatively easy

u i o going ntil we reached the mora nes , and were f rced

to pass from the Mer de Glace to the Glacier de Leschaux . hi re Here Delmas lost the way , and w le he went to connoitre we amused ourselves looking for crystals and of n pieces of amethysts . Guides have a habit placi g small stones one upon another in conspicuous places to c mark an easy passage , but Delmas ompletely missed

s s s s the e ignal . After losing an hour in the moraine we ﬁnally got through by cutting steps in the ice and climb seracke ing up and down the d walls . The delay, how

o ever , c st us dearly, for higher up on the glacier two

o s ﬁ ther caravan got past us , and when we nally arrived o at the C uvercle they had all the best places , had taken o o l all the c ver , and we were f rced to wait unti they had ﬁ ou r nished before preparing evening meal .

s That night we were seventeen in thi little hut , ’ 1 0 scarcely 2 by 2 feet . Duval s wife and a friend were a - s r - h ad in our p rty, but the German Swis climbe s who arrived ﬁrst refused to make way eve for the women . It was not until Delmas in a threatening manner picked

his - his o re up ice axe , by way of punctuating p inted

r . marks , that we were shown any cou tesy No one could be more polite than the real German s

o one meets in the mountains . They seem to kn w by instinct what Chamonix guides sometimes tell be

—L - - o ginners that above the snow line all men are br thers . But there is a gron class of climbers who travel W e ithout guides , who occupy the fr e mountain refuges IN AN AVALANCHE PATH 83

who for reasons of economy for days at a time, and violate all laws of decency . While the others were trying to sleep I slipped out

i s was of the refuge into the n ght air . The starlit cene

l To s Les almost of unequa led grandeur . the ea t were

s Les u s Droite and Co rtes , ri ing rapidly feet and feet respectively ; a little to the right was the s harp point of the Aiguille Ravenel , and, further, the Talefre s Pass , on which one of the brother Ravenel ,

u s his o e s g ide of Chamonix , had feet fr z n while cros ing to Italy the same week in July that we ascended the

o o M nk . To the south , bathed in moonlight , sto d the

orasses s Grandes J , ri ing two and a half miles , the last mile being so vertical that even snow does not cling t o o o wi the r cks . Directly bel w the refuge was the ld ice

Taléfre -s fall of the Glacier de , with its leaning ice eracs tumbling every now and then with reverberating crashes ; to the south was the Glacier du Géant and its frozen Niagara ; and on beyond the silent Mont

Blanc , eight miles distant , terrible in its grandeur . From the Chamonix side Mont Blanc is a great smooth dome ofpure white snow ; seen from the Couvercle it rises menacingly . The View to the west is closed by the scraggy Monk . From the Couvercle no vestige of green - s r s . is seen ave the Ja din , an oa is in the snow desert One half- hour after midnight the Germans dressed and went off towards Les Droites ; an hour later another o caravan started for the Aiguille du Midi . As day br ke

s d f we dres ed hurrie ly, drank some cold co fee , and,

our o s . gripping axes , turned t ward our peak

o s - Th ugh everything about u was frozen tight , the 84 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

r r Sk mo ning was pe fect , the y being a deep azure . Every now and then came the roar from an unseen ﬁ dr avalanche . For the rst few hun ed yards we did not u se o the rope , although Duval grew s mewhat nervous

o n of in cr ssi g a hard, frozen tongue snow, which ended

for in a precipice , he did not possess the knack of making

u se full of his boot nails . Some climbers prefer the ll snow and ice to rock . Persona y, I feel much more at home on snow slopes ; but some good rock-climbers oo o s o l o l k d wn teep ice with s mething ike terr r . Just before taking to the granite we roped ourselves o ﬁ t gether . Delmas went rst , then Duval , and Schape relli o f llowed the second guide . Being last , I was in an

s o r i i advantageous po ition for ph tog aph ng , and be ng

o o oo for accust med to the ice and granite , I c uld l k out myself, while the arrangement gave both Duval and

o my ther friend the advantage of expert assistance . Wh en once well on the granite ledge we left our ice

i ss s axes beh nd as being of no further a i tance , and con siderably in the way where both hands would be needed We had scarcely made a good start when the ﬁrst

i to the guide d scovered that we were too far right , and instead ofascending the Monk proper we were climbing one of s or of o s the gendarme , one the l wer pinnacle which stand guard over the mountain like a sentry .

i n s s It was a bad beg n ing , but we were enthu ia tic and took the matter philosophically . Losing the way, as I

s is one of ﬁ o . have aid , the dif culties in ascending the M nk There was nothing left to do but descend and bear a little to the left . Again we were in the crags , which were becoming very precipitous . The guide again lost

86 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

m m l snow slope , we scrambled up to the su mit , a very s a l v e rocky table . On e ery side was a precipic . How can straight down was the Mer de Glace with the Montan vert Hotel only a speck in the distance . To the west and the Dent du Requin ; in the distance was the Mont

du o Maudit , the Mont Blanc Tacul , and M nt Blanc itself . The View to the south and east comprised that seen from the Couvercle with the advantage of the great o altitude . Where we stood there was just r om to o S cha lli al lunch comf rtably . pere played with a sm l i an d in French ﬂag which was wav ng on top , then scribing our names on a scrap of paper stuck them in a bottle found contammg the names of the successful

e o s a asc nsi ni ts . It may be insane to climb such pe ks — I suppose we are all more or less cracked but the sensation of being there and watching the panorama with its ever-changing lights and shadows repays the

is h to toil and fatigue . It the nearest approac the i sublime in nature , and th s may account for the number made b of ascents z y priests . Alpine records and alpine of graves are full these men .

We remained on the summit more than half an hour , but as clouds were gathering we turned our faces down wards and commenced the descent rapidly . It was

had ss exciting work, and one to be careful ; but we pa ed MR B AM AND P A T Y . URLINGH R n Mo n t B an c Mo i e . o n th e s u mm it o f th e Aigu ill e d u l and th e Ch amo n ix Ne e dl e s ar e s e e n in th e dis tan ce .

A ’ l‘ E ET LUNCH F .

88 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

o . culou sly succeeded in d ing the same Down it shot ,

- o . gathering satellites , with ever increasing m mentum t Simond was directly in its pa h . It was all in a moment

o o and no one had time to think . D wn the st ne thun

o s o s re dered, upsetting ther great t nes , cra hing and o innu mer verberating , the gr n avalanche starting

o for Simond able ech es . I literally held my breath ,

s . o to was mi sing We all stood r oted the spot , listening to the booming echoes now coming back from the

orasses du Grandes J and the Pit Tacul . Almost instantaneously my mind dwelt on the

o s o of how peril u w rk guides , and they daily risk their for di ul l l lives a ri c ously smal pay . Sudden y from below a mufﬂed voice cried out : Is it all over up there ! Sim nd o . It was , safe after all It appears that at

ﬁ of i s the rst cry alarm , he , with his mounta n in tinct ,

of s crouched under a kind ledge , and the mas of debris passed over his head . That is about as close to an avalanche as I eve r

to ! s s care be aid he , le s startled than we .

o o o Reaching the sn w nce m re , we regained our ice

os axes and glissaded alm t to the Couvercle , and by fast walking reached Chamonix that day in time for dinner, for our none the worse exciting experience . So me Famo u s Wo men Alpin i st s

SOME FAMOUS WOMEN ALPINISTS

IT may surprise some persons to know that mountain S r climbing as a po t , considered by many to be the

is h to - manliest , one in w ich women day are attracting

s - the mo t attention . For not only are women to day onl o climbing where y the m st daring men have ventured , al but in the Him ayas , the Andes , the Caucasus , Alaska s and Norway , women recently have brought back fre h s s s s laurel , climbed virgin peak , and e tablished record hi is of w ch any genuine explorer would be proud . It

’ true for the moment that man still holds the world s al record for titude , the Duke of the Abruzzi having exceeded feet in the Himalayas not far from

a o where Mr W . W . Graham some years g reached the o o enorm us height of feet , but Mrs Bull ck Work a o s man , the American , not long g a cended to the tre

e mendons altitude of feet in the Nun Kun Rang , s al in Ca hmere , and as she has been ready eight times l l s in the Hima ayas, it wou d not surprise her friend to l read , a most any morning , that she was at it

I do not suggest that mountain-climbing is a sport

o for every woman . Neither is it an ccupation for all

- . o s men But for w men with courage , ang froid and

- initiative , mountain climbing is a wonderful recreation . 9 1 92 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

’ t of Af er reading Miss Annie S . Peck s graphic account t her ascent of Mount Huascaran , in Peru , when , af er a ’ s u e - terrible day s tr ggle up ste p ice Slopes , she would work preparing hot suppers while her sturdy Swiss s guides slept with fatigue , one wonders sometime whether women have not endurance or reserve strength n a o surpassi g that of men . Some time g , with Madame e R L ontine ichard of Paris and a very agile guide , I had occasion to climb on Mont B lanc at a Speed that would have embarrassed an ordinary alpinist not in excellent al training , but never once did she h t the caravan to get af sh e breath , nor terwards did complain of the least

o al n Am ng the g axy of women alpi ists , probably is the most distingu hed is H M. Queen Margherita of ’ al r n It y , honorary p esident of the Ladies Alpi e Club . — Mountain climbers still recall her vivid experience of du é w being caught in a storm on the Col G ant , bet een 1 888 France an d Italy . It was in Au gust that the a royal party left Courmayeur, accomp nied by twenty

s ri e h . On 1 th seven per ons , led by Hen S rap in s e o August the Queen slept at the Mont Fr ty H tel , a

al avilion of 1 2 sm l p at the height 7 9 feet , where the

- mule path ends . The next morning they started at ’ du é four o clock for the Col G ant , but when near the on as top bad weather came suddenly, it often does in u was o in the Alps . The Q een f rced to take refuge the cabana 1 8 6. erected in 7 The blizzard continuing , the o l r ya party could not descend , and were forced to spend the night at this shanty, nearly feet above n the sea . The next day, the weather abati g , the

SOME FAMOUS WOMEN ALPINISTS 93

s o Queen de cended to Courmayeur, n ne the worse for

her experience . The ﬁrst noteworthy alpine climb made by a woman

’ of d An e was the ascent Mont Blanc made by Mlle . g l vil e nearly a century ago . In those days it was not

ss s oo s po ible to leep in a g d bed at the Grands Mulet , of an d at a height over feet , breakfast at the

u s du Ref ge Vallot , just under the Bosse Dromadaire ,

’ o d An eville s two hours fr m the summit . Mlle . g in isted all on making the ascent , and went well until she

an -ﬁeld reached the Grand Plateau , ice between the

s o Grand Mulets and the Refuge Vall t . Owing to the ﬁ she x rare ed air sank down e hausted , and the guides

al n in consultation t ked of returni g . But this remark able woman would not even consider such a proposi tion ; by pure will - power she ordered the caravan to

o r s pr ceed, and exclaimed , P omi e me that if I die on the way you will carry me up to the top ! So as toun ded were the guides at this enthusiasm that they

o s ! . replied Simply , Oui , madem i elle Mlle Ange t0 al ville reached the p ive , however, but was even then sﬁ o not sati ed . After dancing a quadrille in the sn w at feet she said she wanted to go higher than Mont i of . Blanc , and climbed up on the shoulders the gu des

E s s s s nthu iasm uch a this will lead one almo t anywhere . The exploits of the two Misses Pidgeon are equally

. s two who o o remarkable The e women , fr m their y uth

o s had climbed m untain , became so expert that they

o s were capable fdoing the work ofguides if neces ary .

On one occasion , near Zermatt , while attempting to L s cross the y Joch , a comparatively easy, although 94 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

h o increasm lofty , glacier pass , t ey l st their way in the g r mist . The e was nothing to do but get down somehow . u a Once started , they fo nd themselves on the brink of m al most perpendicular wall . The guide went ﬁrst to cut steps in the ice , but the porter proved so clumsy that when the Opportunity offered one of the women

of s post being the la t on the cord , which means holding o the thers up in case of a slip . After working for hours s in the fog , on the heer face of the ice precipice , they ﬁ s nally reached the bottom safely , to learn the ame night , to their utter amazement , that they had de

nl o scended the dreaded Sesia Joch , which o y once bef re e had b en climbed , and the descent of which hitherto e irn ossi le had be n considered p b . Probably the most remarkable of all the women

is u climbers , or, rather, explorers , Mrs Fanny B llock o - o of W rkman , daughter of ex Governor Bull ck Massa c u setts t e U S A . h h , She is a member of Royal Asiatic

c n di the So iety of Lo don , correspon ng member of r o rt Ame ican Ge graphical Society , cha er member of the

r - Ame ican Alpine Club , vice president of the London ’ ’ i fﬁ l Instru ction u Lad es Alpine Club , O cer de Publiq e in France at the request of President Loubet , and was recently presented with the grand medal of the Club s i i Alpin Francai . Bes des travell ng extensively in a Africa , India , Ceylon , Java , Asia Minor, Sumatr and

ﬁ o c for Cochin China , she made three rst rec rd as ents 1 8 the m o i women in 99 in Karakora M unta ns , the s o highe t of which is Mount K ser Gunge , feet ; in 1 902 explored the thirty-mile - long Chogo Lungma

SOME FAMOUS WOMEN ALPINISTS 95

1 0 glacier in Baltistan ; in 9 3 made another voyage , r exploring the Hoh Lumba and Alcho i glaciers , climb 1 06 ing feet ; in 9 explored the Nun Kun Range ,

— — - climbing feet a ﬁrSt ascent which to day

’ i 1 08 gives her the world s record for women ; and n 9 , 1 1 1 an d 1 1 2 ai 9 , last season , 9 , she was ag n in the al ﬁ of s Him ayas , nding a new range mountain , which she has named after their Majesties King George and

Queen Mary . l is s Climbing in the Hima ayas no mall undertaking . Mrs s s o Usually Workman ail to B mbay , and from s e there it is three days and night to Rawal Pindi , wher 1 80 one may get a primitive vehicle for Srinagar , o miles further on , over r ugh mountain roads . Srinagar ” ll th e al has been ca ed Interlaken of the Him ayas ,

2 0 s is but to get from there to the Pamirs , 7 mile d tant ,

E is where the mpires of China , India and Russia meet ,

o of s an ardu us undertaking . On the latter part her la t j ourney In this part of the world Mrs Workman was

o o o acc mpanied , not nly by Italian guides from C ur

280 oo s n mayeur , but by more than native c lie . Duri g

’ the travarsaa of the Hispar-Biafo glacier in 1 908 Mrs ’ s ﬁ Workman party was fty days on the ice , from which

s o fact one may imagine the hard hips underg ne . In this desolate country there is constant danger of acci dents and avalanches which must be guarded against with unerring judgment , and even then no one knows

. o a o what may happen S me years g M . Mummery , one s ow to of the greate t alpinists ever kn n , went the s Himalaya , and not one member of his caravan has ever returned . 96 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

n o al Peck, has gai ed internati n fame by climbing in the

. n t Andes She received her trai ing in the Alps , af er two noteworthy attempts to gain the summit ofMont

of height feet , very near the top . Her great

o s o s climb , h wever , was the recent a cent of M nt Hua caran , in Peru , feet in height . Before reaching the top Miss Peck made three voyages from the United to n o n o States Peru , each time tryi g the m u tain fr m

f a s e a di ferent vantage point . Fin lly h decided that nothing could be done without the assistan ce ofexpert

s s so Tau walder r Zum Swis guide , Rudolf g and Gab iel

Tau wald of r o g Ze matt were engaged for the w rk . On

’ their ﬁrst attempt Miss Peck s party passed nine night s

t s r a in the snow . Ten days later hey ta ted gain , and although through an accident her aneroid barometer an d al o o s o o ss ss c h l t ve went int a deep creva e , Mi Peck descent both Miss Peck and Tau gwalder slipped Simul

’ t aneou sl l emarkable habi' lité y , and it was only by the o Tau wald i f Gabriel Zum g , my gu de on the Matter

o o o . h rn , that the wh le party did not slide int eternity

Zum Tau wald o is - o o Gabriel g dr ve h ice axe int the sn w , at the same time turning the rope two or three times aroun d the handle ; and although his ﬁngers got caught

s he u ss and were cru hed by the rope , held fast ntil Mi on e Peck and Taugwalder regained their feet . Once gets the taste for mountain-climbing it is diﬂicult to

o s i s a f st p, and la t w nter Mi s Peck pl nted a Su fragette

SOME FAMOUS WOMEN ALPINISTS 97

ﬂa t he m g on su mit of Mount Coropuna , one of the s s highe t peak in Southern Peru . Another American who has done some excellent - il alpine climbing is Miss Dora Keen of Ph adelphia .

Besides doing hard climbs at Zermatt and Chamonix , an d D h as several ascents in the olomites , Miss Keen i climbed in the Andes , the Canadian Rock es, and in ” o n - Alaska . M untai climbing , according to Miss

s Keen , is a port that seems to me so uplifting and ﬁ al al bene ci , mor ly and mentally as well as physically ,

s o that I wi h t encourage it . Foremost among the English climbers is Mrs

le Aubrey Blond , who has spent four summers climbing o h as in Arctic N rway , where she made numerous s s i record fir t ascent . The name of Miss Kate R chard o E o al son , an ther nglish climber, will go d wn in pine history as the one who h as the distinction ofbe ing the fi Mei os ffi l rst woman to ascend the je , the m t di cu t

e s is peak in the Dauphin Alp ; it feet high , and ﬁ to s for years de ed all attempts made reach its ummit . Among the daring exploits performed by women in recent years the winter as cent of the Great Schreck

o r b an h rn in the Be nese Oberland , y Mrs Juli Grande , s s m n tands out unique . Thi sum it , know to many as

o a s the Peak of Terror, is c nsidered by m ny alpini ts dif as the most ﬁcult in the Bernese Alps . Any number of r to to climbers have been killed t ying get the summit ,

e . Mrs o ev n in summer Grande , however, acc mplished

o the dangerous ascent without ac cident . Bef re her

s micoa he . B a t marriage was Miss Constance A , daughter i . . . B arn coat New of the late Hon J W , Member of the G 98 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

having made a remarkable record in the New Ze aland Al Dau iné ps and in the ph .

enska s lad a a as she ﬁ t V ik v k . j , who live at As was the rs woman to do the feat she was presented with a purse

s an al Is su s by the Rus i Geographic Society , which t ained s to by the Czar, and was a ked by the Society

s ﬁ o o make cienti c bservati ns on the summit , which she

’ did one of s , leaving there the Society s thermometer

s s among other in trument . Another climber that should be mentioned is Frau

k of an os s o s Imm Holl d , wh e climb in the D lomite

o s have made her an international reputati n . Thi

o climbin t e s intrepid woman , not c ntent with g h mo t

fﬁ ul s E o s al e di c t peak of ur pe in ummer, has so mad a

of di ul s number ﬂic t winter ascent . In the galaxy of French women alpinists Madame

‘ a l s o P il on stand in the forem st rank . At the age of — Sixty one this courageous woman ascended Mont Blanc s o -s o an d of -ﬁve li in a n w t rm , at the age seventy c mbed

B alibier difﬁ the , returning to Grenoble by the rather

du u e . . cult Br che Perrier Her da ghter , Mlle Mary

ai uillin s of P llon , of O , in the Department the Rhone , s n ot s s n st is i only a di tingui hed alpi i , but in France considered an authority on anything pertaining to li bin r mountain c m . g g Madame Vail , who sta ted climb

SOME FAMOUS WOMEN ALPINISTS 99

as also ing with her husband a mere pastime , has done s d s some of the mo t ifﬁ cult climb in the Alps . A Frenchwoman whose climbs have att racted more than

o is Marvin ll . t usual attenti n M e M . g of Nancy ; and others whose names must not be omitted are Madame M of s adeleine Namur, daughter the di tinguished

s al of o on scienti t , M . J . V lot , Founder the Observat ry o who h as t o of s M nt Blanc , twice been the summit thi s o E o ai the highe t m untain in ur pe ; Madame M ge , who was married not long ago at the Pass of the Petit St

M e ri Bernard ; and adame L ontine Richard of Pa s .

v s E o s I have ne er een Mlle . leon re Ha enclever, the

l - o o -am - we l known alpinist fr m Frankf rt Main , climb , but when she was at Chamonix last she startled every one by her daring . She must undoubtedly be classed among the ﬁrst four or ﬁve women alpinists now

climbing . Frau General von Reppert of Mainz is another

- im well known cl ber . Other names well known in

o Germany include Frau Rose Friedmann , an adv cate of al o pine sp rts for women ; Frau Vineta Mayer, Mlle .

Zalau dek Anna , and Madame Marie Weiler, all members ofthe Oesterreichischer Alpen Klub ; Fraulein Elsbeth a and Margarete Grosse of Meissen , and Frau K the

o hi Necessarily, in a chapter dealing with a Sp rt w ch h as so large a following , many distinguished persons not have been mentioned , a fact for which the writer s crave indulgence .

WHERE GUIDES ARE TRAINED

SITTING in the Chalet de Lognan one evening waiting n l for . a dinner to be served , M La gel , the French pinist

o was with wh m I had been climbing , remarked that it a pity to Spend the next day wanderin g about on the ’ Glacier d Argentiere when we could take advantage of the extraordinary ﬁne weather to do something particularly interesting . This does n ot mean that the glacier mentioned is

\ On o of unattractive . the c ntrary it is one the most

o u o w nderf l of all the glaciers in the M nt Blanc country , and is preferred by many to the famous Mer- de - Glace or - is Ice Sea itself . In fact , it very much bigger than

- - e l s o the Mer de Glac proper, being nearly seven mi e l ng , and the peaks enclosing this vast glacial river are

r ﬁ te ri c in their grandeur . We had with us a porter o was s nly , no guide , and the original intention imply to walk this six or seven miles up the ice t o the foot of o Mont D lent , returning to Chamonix early in the oo aftern n .

- But M . Langel had the mountain lust . He wanted of the excitement climbing far above the glaciers . to o I went the window and lo ked out . The clouds

o were disappearing, leaving nly the deep azure blue , is s and it was cold . It trange this difference of 1 03 I o4 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

’ l e temperature . We were on y a two hours climb abov Ar e the quaint village of genti re , basking peacefully in sun Lo nan the August , but here at g it was uncomfort

ably chilly .

Simond of al I will ask , proprietor the ch et , what ” n ai he thi ks of our doing something classique , s d Lau el g . Simond o Henry , guide and hotel propriet r, is in the full vigour of manhood and one ofthe most intelligent l n men I ever wa ked with . When M . Langel explai ed our predicament he volunteered immediately to go

with us .

’ We can cross the Glacier d Argentiere to the ” du moraine leading up to the Glacier Chardonnet , o du Sim nd . said M . Crossing by the Col Chardonnet Salein oz to Fenétr e to the Glacier de , we then climb the

Salein oz de , a pass between the latter glacier and the Glacier du Trient ; from the latter we may pass to the Glacier du Tour by the Col du Tour and descend on the ” e of village of Argenti re by the village Tour . Five glaciers and three mountain passes above feet in one day ! What interested me about this excursion was that - o for i it is the reputed training gr und Chamon x guides . t — In passing one encounters a lit le of everything rock , s o glacier, moraine , teep ice , steeper sn w , crevasses and

r bergschrunds . Years ago it was through he e porters were taken by guides— the latter acting as tourists and if the porters succeeded in taking these oﬂicial a i di ﬁ i judges s tisfactor ly through the f cult es, then they e receiv d their brevets .

” 1 06 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

ri b lliance .

’ l ul ou At two o c ock we sho dered our sacks , took r

on Sim d and the light of his alpine lantern . The cold

o t outer cl thing , which act as a warm pro ection in the early morning and which can be thrown away when s o the un beats down upon the sn w .

o an d l We climbed Sl wly steadi y , reaching the ice one al - o For S o in about h f h ur . a h rt distance we went parallel with the giant moraine on our right and then oo o o s t k to the m raine itself , the guide c n idering it wiser . The moraine was steep and dark and everything

i all s was ver . las was frozen t ght On the rock g , a thin o Of c ating ice which made them very slippery . It was no to o u place fall , h wever, and we went very cautio sly , crossing n ow and then snow gullies also covered with s s hi ve las hi s tl . rg , w ch neces itated cutting p If t s ice coating had been on a city pavement there would have

s o th e been per ons tumbling and br ken arms , with con ti f s no n u al o . cry danger In the mountain , however, one as a rule is killed in really dangerous passages , for every precaution is taken to gu ard against accidents ;

o one to a alki more ver, gets hardened d nger, and w ng on

- s on e s s o ice coated ledge , where fal e tep w uld mean a ”

1 0 s n o . tumble of 5 feet , incite fear Interesting is the adjective the French apply to such places . WHERE GUIDES ARE TRAINED 1 07

Once above the seracs we went down again on to the m glacier . It was j ust one ile wide at this point and the entire surface was covered with minute ice crystals . In the moonlight the crystals ﬂashed all colours of the s n o m s - o s pectrum , and comi g fr m illion of ice diam nd

s . the spectacle was unu ual I have never seen , in fact , so much colour before or since that night . It was A about 3 M . ﬁ The view was magni cent . On the left were the ‘ ll o e Aigui es Chard nnet and Argenti re , rising feet s t i s and feet re pec ively , the white summ t bathed

s s in moonbeams , presenting a strange contra t again t

r of sk the ve y deep azure the starlit y . Further on was o s ai the T ur Noire , feet , and tr ght up the glacier, l three mi es or more , towered Mont Dolent , feet above the sea.

s o and A great many amethyst are f und about here , o s s do n ot t uri t , even those who climb , often pick up ﬁn e spe cirn ens that have tumbled down on to the ﬂat

f al s s . o an glacier To the right , at the head the v ley , t d he o s t Aiguille de Tri let , feet , from the ummit of which one may look straight down on Italy ; and com

letin s Les s p g the arc to the right are Les Courte , Droite , th e i so and lastly great Aigu lle Verte , feet , steep on s t o this ide that wet snow will scarcely cling the rock .

It is one of the maddest precipices in the Alps . When I was in Chamonix I was told that a climber had asked e for a guide t o make this climb from the Argenti re side . He agreed to pay the guide one thousand dollars pro vided ol in they succeeded , two hundred d lars case

il to am they fa ed , and one thousand dollars his f ily if 1 08 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

they went . the steep moraine on the right of the Glacier du Char frozen condition ofthe moraIne kept loose rocks from l r tumb ing and upsetting those in the rear . Just befo e

o a g ing on to the ice we breakf sted . du n s The climb to the Col Chardo net , or pas , o e feet , which is the l west depr ssion between the peaks

’ d Ar entiere du t g and Chardonne , we reached without al o o i v las was even being roped , th ugh w ng to erg it f necessary to cut a large number o steps in the glacier . on Simond i Once the col we halted , and with I cl mbed out over steep rocks and succeeded in getting an inter

o s s esting phot graph , which has ince been in con iderable f demand by my alpine friends . On the other side o the

was - o pass, however, the steepest snow sl pe I had at

o that time ever enc untered , and we either had to take to this snow , descend precipitous rocks, or else turn s back on our step . There was no other way . The

- 10 o is 0 snow s pe , I have been t ld , about 7 degrees , and is o is attempted only when the sn w in good condition . We had two ropes and attached them both together

o s in order to have the greatest protecti n po sible . The ﬁ s porter went r t , with his face turned inward and his o s - m e - b dy leaning against the now p , the ice axe being

s . ﬂat again t the snow, the pick end being buried When all the rope between us was payed out I followed in the

os same p ition , the upper part of the rope almost scratch l to ing my nose , whi e the end leading the porter was

WHERE GUIDES ARE TRAINED 1 09

taut between my legs . It was necessary to put my

s feet exactly in the hole made by the porter, and to see what I was doing I was forced to look down between

s ul of to his my leg . All I co d see the porter was the p of Lau el his hat almost directly below me . g then took 10 s o s place , and once on the s pe he ent down c n tant little s s o o treams of his ing snow . As l ng as it was p ssible the guide Simon d remained ﬁrmly anchored above to hold

of l his us all in case mishap . Fina ly he took place and l no s ipping was allowed . Had one tumbled all four

o o o is w uld have g ne d wn , for in snow so steep there

of an an not much chance holding other up , and had acci

s n dent occurred we hould all have gone dow , probably into the bergschrund which exists always at the bottom

- s his of such snow l pe . Langel began by putting hands also into the holes made for the feet and soon was i crying out that h s hands were freezing . Once or twice

o the snow steps br ke away from under the feet , but we succeeded in getting down on the Glacier de Salein oz

- without increasing very much our heart throbs . In crossing the Col du Chardonnet we had crossed from France to Switzerland . I had some French cigars fﬁ in my pocket , but there were no Custom o cers to o l b ther us . I think I Should a most be willing to live in this everlasting snow if I could wipe out of my mind the t pover y , the greed and corruption which mankind

o s o has sowed br adcast into the plain bel w , and such valets of the propertied classes as gendarmes and s Custom officer . 000 Above 3 metres , it is said in France , all men are v brothers and man deals frankly with man . The ermin 1 1 0 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST of the human race rarely climb into these high al titudes . After walking about a mile an d a half in the snow we reached the steep snow-s10pe leading up to the

enétre S aleinoz so e F de , feet , called becaus the pass leading through rocks on the summit resembles o o o s mewhat a wind w . Projecting thr ugh the steep s Simond ﬁ t now was a ridge of rock . , who went rs , stuck to the snow and we crossed the bergschrund and began the ascent , I bringing up the rear . Suddenly I s s o l heard a his ing ound above , and l oking up saw a smal ” is al . ou t ! av anche start Watch I cried , there some snow c oming ! We braced ourselves and waited It was fas cinating to watch the snow forming in balls

o s and rolling down at tremend u velocity . Fortunately al it picked up no rocks . One b l seemed aimed at ar be his in Langel . As it rived planted toes the middle

of a . it , Splitting it so that it p ssed on either side The avalanche had nothing dangerous about it and similar o s o i -s ne are c nstantly occurr ng on such snow lopes .

o s Sometimes , h wever, when the condition of the now i is very bad , stones and even men are p cked up , buried s - i and cru sh ed in the wift roll ng masses .

Fenétre We lunched at the . What a View we had on the Swiss side ! Combin o Near by was the Grand , c vered with

al o s c etern sn w , and in the di tan e one could see the Dent Blan che and most of the great peaks between the s Weisshorn and Monte Ro a , including the great pre

ci itou s r . o p peak the Matterhorn , at Ze matt Bel w us ee Val e in the gr n haze was the F rrat , through which

Playin g with D e ath

1 1 6 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

’ I have plenty of rope and the climb won t cost you i ” anyth ng . Under ordinary circumstances climbing Mont Blanc o 1 is rather expensive . The guides c st 00 francs and the o 0 s s p rter 5 ; besides , leeping and eating at the Grand o Mulets , feet ab ve the sea , is expensive . im n The idea of cl bi g for nothing, therefore , was attractive .

to o If you decide g , continued M . Beauj ard , meet me at the statue of De Saussure to-night at ’ ” 1 1 o clock . di As I was staying at Les Bossons , some stance

I had to di and away, j ust time catch the train , eat nner change my clothes to get back to Chamonix in good time . As I sat on the café terrace waiting for the hour

r of rendezvous , Mont Blanc , f igid and desolate , was

n n o crowned with twi kli g stars , while d wn below , across e s h the Glaci r des Bo sons , the lights of the C alet des

Pyramids gleamed ever so faintly through the blackness .

ﬁ ofB eau Suddenly the huge , powerful gure jard appeared , ni in lea ng aga st the De Saussure monument , and the hour to start had arrived . Shouldering our knapsacks and gripping our ice~ axes we struck out into the night for Pierre Pointue . r While all Chamonix was tu ning to bed we two , without

our . any rest , started on crazy expedition Besides s s w carrying provi ions for two day , and a camera each ith

. 1 0 tripods , M Beaujard had 5 feet of rope , which we al o carried ternately . The maximum l ad for a porter on Mont Blanc must not exceed 20 lbs . and we started with more s PLAYING WITH DEATH 1 1 7

. e ar set t o M B auj d asked me to the pace . Owing the magnitude of the task ahead of us every particle of was s for i o energy con erved , and th s reas n we climbed

for in silently in the darkness, talk g interferes with di . i o breathing Stea ly we climbed w thout nce halting , and as the air grew colder Chamonix below seemed to o fade int the night mists . Above the sky was irn maculatel so o y clear , limpid, in fact , that one c uld see on s beyond the star .

s We were already above the dark , dank pine , and , o th e s e t to f rgetting valley lumbering b low, we ried pierce the gloomy shadows ahead to see the cabin at

r o . o Pie re P intue It blended with the crags , h wever, and it was not un til we were nearly there that we o i t c uld dist nguish its ou line .

o t But we had no time to st p . We planned o go ﬁ s of t on the glacier at the r t Sign day, and we were s ill ’ so s c o l Ech ell me di tan e fr m Pierre e . Leaving to their slumbers whatever inhabitants there were at Pierre

o s s Pointue , we pushed nward teadily at considerable

s . peed We were still on a fairly good path , which while o no ﬁ u fr zen presented dif c lties . There were places ,

s m o it is true , where if one tu bled and fell he w uld

is o l go a long way , but then one not supp sed to fa l . — As one eats little but often in the mountains about — every two hours we decided to breakfast in a place where there was water and where we were sheltered

o o off fr m avalanches , which are c ntinually tumbling

ui du to the Aig lle Midi . One has pay considerable attention to these avalanche paths , especially late in the day when the snow is melting . 1 1 8 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

ou t went on the ice . It was one of the most wonderful mornings imagi

the Aiguilles Rouges across th e valley of Chamonix

red and deep violet . If an artist had painted these

o s u caHed a One real c lours critic wo ld have him a li r .

al air was perfectly limpid . It is nearly ways this way in o . o bef re bad weather Behind us , l oking the direction of - er Mont Buet , one could see the snow clad B nese

Oberland ever so distinctly . The sn ow being hard at this early hour we made rapid progress an d soon reached the Jonction of the

os n Taconnaz s Glaciers des B so s and de , the mo t a r crevassed part of the route up Mont Bl nc . The e h as be en more than one accident here , but as the season advances Mont Blanc guides place ladders across the ’ di ﬁ l o on n s most f cu t crevasses , and by crawling ver o e s l ifﬁ hands and knees the e passages present litt e d culties . ll ul for thl re Sti , one always must be caref , are numerous - o snow bridges over hidden crevasses . Climbing nly

we o s two together , as were , forced us to d uble thi pre o for is s m ss one cauti n , it ometimes practically i po ible for

o to u of s es eci person al ne p ll another out a creva se , p ally ifhe be inj ured by the fall and partly disabled w We passed the Jonction safely , ho ever, and were soon climbing the snow- Slopes leading up to the di Grands Mulets . Fin ng some wooden box lids in the

o is ﬁr e sn w, we added th ewood to our already pond rous

1 20 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

u not t rn back , as they e a o bec me slower and sl wer . We were alre

feet . Wh at is the use of hur ryin g !

even if we went no higher . Far away below us spread a n s the r o e out Lake Geneva , and gai t ho iz n were mor

ull snow mountains rising Skyward with uns ied grandeur . Down in t he valley one is constantly confronted

r . with the blunde s and imperfections of man Here , among the gigantic ice- seracs and eternal snow where

n t dl man has o med ed , one has the sense of the sublimity of Nature . As it was not possible to sit on our ice -axes for ever

re - w be comIn we shouldered our heavy sacks , hich were g heavier every moment owing to the rareﬁed air and the o diﬂicult deep soft sn w which made climbing so , and turnin g to the right began the ascent of the snow- slope leading up towards the rocks where the Refuge Vallot i h s . n is chained . T i slope seemed nterminable O ce o offto l . during a short halt M . Beauj ard dr pped s eep ’ ” ou t him Here , don t do that , I cried , shaking

s roughly . It was with ome trouble I roused him . Wh en he got on his feet he realized what had happened

1 22

Outside the wind came moaning and shriekin g in furiOus a had bl sts . Had we not known that the refu ge wintered whole seasons of hurricanes we might have

s felt insecure in this hanty . From the frosted window it was impossible to say whether it was snowing or whether the air was ﬁlled with dense clouds of snow

o e drift . It was evident , h wever, that the clouds w re thickening and the gloom increasing . Half dozing; I ‘ MCorkin began to ruminate on the fate ofthe Rev . G .

Mr wh o w u dale , Mr Randall and Bean , , ith three g ides ﬁve s on and porters , lo t their way Mont Blanc and perished . im Suddenly I heard someone call . It seemed not possible out in the blinding snow , and I waited ,

shin s . wi g to leave the blanket and get chilled The cry , o s h wever, was repeated di tinctly , and I jumped to the

hi on o . wind w Scratc ng away the frost , I saw the steep snow-slope below the ridge of the Bosses a small caravan ﬁghting against the wind and snow and

i o ﬁ s try n g to reach the refuge . The f ur gure loomed s s i o out through the now mi t l ke an appariti n . In E o . m the party was a w man xhausted , they ade for the refuge .

I have never seen such a sight in the mountains . Every one ofthe party offour were ill with mountain s i to mal-da—mar r sicknes , wh ch may be likened , and unde s s the circum tance , naturally thinking only of them

o l selves , they so n made staying in the litt e cabin with

o ss its wind ws closed practically impo ible . M . Beaujard o s and I went ut ide in spite of the wind for fresh air . to ca The sick party got no better, and p the climax PLAYING WITH DEATH 1 23

w t announced that they ere too fatigued to con inue , and

o s u pr posed pending the night at the ref ge .

Here was a nice pickle . The question was what to do l , as it was a ready getting late , and just under the s o ummit of M nt Blanc is no place to sleep outdoors . We had decided earlier in the day to spen d the night at

u o o o the ref ge , and the day f ll wing to move ab ut freely

o o on M nt Blanc and the D me de Gouter, as M . Beau j ard wanted specially some photos of the Aiguille de Bionassa y . i ” s t . There no hing to do but retreat , said M ” Beaujard, chagrined, and that quickly . our o Gathering up bel ngings , therefore , we turned l downwards towards the Grand P ateau, the Grands

Mulets and Chamonix . We roped up , M . Beaujard l al : leading . We had on y two ternatives either to make for l of the Grands Mu ets and remain there , which neither u s s do to o o wanted to do , or el e our utmost pass the J ncti n with its crevasses and ice bridges and get off the ice

o . bef re dark . We decided to attempt the latter

‘ Wh ere I had before met amateurs descending Mont to oo Blanc , taking care plant their feet in the f tprints d d n . e n made by the lea i g guide , M B aujard a I passed

s s o making gli sade . This was d ne by leaning slightly on our ice-axes and digging our heels into the snow

- s o s l s . l pes , letting our elves S ide in a half erect po ture r Being on the rope , however, we we e continually jerking

o im ssible each ther up , as it was m for us both to slide at the same time and at the same speed . AS it was getting dafk and we still had a very long

to . a su s e way go , M Be uj ard gge t d that we unrope . 1 24 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIS T

This was a ﬂagrant violation ofalpine custom but then

one w u . no o ld be to blame As M . Beauj ard had the

o o heavier ph t graphic apparatus , I wound the heavy o r pe around my shoulder and waist , and, separated, we began Sliding down the steep slopes much faster than

o u s bef re . Undoubtedly it was foolhardy, but both of o th forg t our fatigue in e exhilarating excitement . Now and then we saw quickly below us a yawning crevasse . The ﬁ rst to see it called out , and by braking with the ice- axe we pulled up in our mad descent j ust above the n bri k . With some little reconnoitring we found the way around and quickly began again the slide down s ward . Places that took us hour s to ascend we passed in a few minutes It was a vibrating sensation to play with death and with strength and skill each time to s natch the victory . After passing the Grand Plateau our rapid desce nt began to attract attention . Looking below to the Grands Mu lets we could see a small group o f e s sp ctators rapidly getting larger . Some guide who were at the lower refuge told me afterwards that they

to I thought we were repo t fatal accident , !descending r and that everyone expected, owing to the mad speed

n to see u s s o . we were maki g , di appear int a crevasse Before we got opposite the Grands Mulets even the cook was had j oined the sur prised group . I felt I making ﬁn e cas a-con a reputation as a s , but reputation was thrown to the wind with rare prodigality . The game was to get off the ice before dark and if possible to make Chamonix in time to eat and drink before every place was closed . We almost tobogganed past the

R o ck Climbin g o n t he Clo che to n s

de Plan Praz

1 3 0 for such irn pru dence is that we were after

o s as o o phot graph , the Cl chet ns never before

oo s a camera , and we t k chance with the weather rather

i t s lm o t m . o than ad t failure I g the picture , and then , a s too e o s late , we b gan the careful and danger u retreat

ON THE BACK B ONE OF T HE RE D NEE DLE S

- of o s ee north west Cham nix . The e particular thr pin nacles e , which have be n named by guides the Cloche

or - s Sk tons de Plan Praz, bell turret , lie against the y

B révent Charlonoz line between the and the Aiguille de , and tourists to the Plan Praz Hotel may distinguish them by going directly behind the mountain anbarga

1 00 o and looking up 2 feet . Fr m a distance they look

o of l o something like the pr ngs a pick e f rk .

e for To b gin with , the weather weeks had been bad . Old peasants in the valley of Chamonix said the season was o s bi . the w r t in the memory of man . Many of the g s o not climb ar und Mont Blanc had been done at all ,

s fﬁ and guide , who count on makin. su cient money s o so to In during the h rt sea n live all winter, were a o state fdespair . Some of them actually had abandoned their calling and could be seen digging potatoes in the

or m o s on a rain inding c w the mountain side . At Zer

s an ension matt , where guides tay p during the climbing s season , the bad weather had proved so di astrous that

is not ﬁ o many of them , it said , did make suf cient m ney to pay their hotel bills and had to be assisted ﬁnancially

o to get back home . One afternoon , h wever, after CLOCHETONS DE PLAN PRAZ 1 3 1

h os t ree weeks waiting , the weather pr pects brightened ,

dl of s and hurrie y M . Haro , Pari , and myself , with the

s ul E Du croz n guide , J es Burnet and mile , of Chamo ix ,

’ for - left Plan Praz , a two hours climb above , determined

of o oss to make the best it . We decided , if it pr ved p ible , to do the Clochetons because they had been climbed

l o s on y once bef re , were attracting con iderable attention

s o o r from crag men , and never had been ph t g aphed .

E e ul ﬁnd nglish crag climb rs , I believe , wo d here their

paradise . We arrived at Plan Praz in time for dinner, os in and while our amiable h t , his kitchen , executed for us a ham omelette which was a veritable chaf ’ d aanvra o u ‘ I di , M nsie r Haro and stu ed the Clochetons

s o o o with a tele c pe . The m re one looked at cl se range

o s the m re intere ting they became . As the Whole chain of the Aiguilles Rouges has been ignored by map

is s l o makers , it mal w nder that these thr ee granite

dl s o nee e have escaped particular attenti n . Once seen ,

n ot s however, they are ea ily forgotten , and one might believe they were thrown up by Nature on purpose to lure alpinists . As I have stated before publicly these

il l o Aigu le Rouges , yet so litt e kn wn , Offer particular n inducements to climbers . Bei g imperfectly explored s there are still virgin pinnacle among them , and even those which have been climbed once may be done again of in a variety new ways . In the second place, one h does not ave to sleep out in dirty, uncomfortable s o cabin , for near the f ot of the aiguilles is the Plan Praz o r o an bar a of H tel , and fu ther north the m untain g the Flé ere ma ﬁn d g , where one y excellent , simple food at

s and a ea bed s reasonable price , cl n in which to leep . 1 3 2 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST comforting to think of leaving the hotel at four or ﬁve

a climb oflittle more than one hour to the foot ofthe

o s Clochet n .

THE START FOR THE NEE DLE S

Wi s We had an excellent dinner, good ne and cigar , and turned in early to bed in order to be fresh for the

so o o next morning . In fact we were c mf rtable and ’ lazy that we did n ot get started until seven O clock the o i next m rning , and it was this unnecessary delay wh ch

to for later we had pay .

00 of of Carrying 4 feet rope , nearly all which was

ol o ﬁ needed , we struck out for our crags , f l wing for fteen minutes the ordinary route which leads up to the Col

u révent o d B . Where the path d ubles back again towards the summit of the Brévent Pass we left the foot

' to cou loir ri path , taking the on the ght , which is ﬁlled with split boulders and tufts of grass . On some of the large rocks the Club Alpin Francais have had painted red arrows which point the way, probably, to the

o Vioz P inte des , or some other uninteresting place , and mistaking these arrows for the right direction we climbed to the top of the ridge to ﬁn d ourselves deceived o in as to the r ute . Swearing patois at the French o Club , which is getting fam us for such tricks , the guides o turned ntheir steps , causing us to descend more than

l s central obe isk , but as thi necessitated my remain

m o to for er ing there im bile , exposed an icy wind , p

two o haps h urs , I decided to de 1 We descended Pinnacle No . , outside on the Chamonix side around to a

o . between the central belisk and No 3 , fﬁ su ciently large and is sheltered . This passage around the foot of the northern pinnacle prese nts n o

i ﬁ al u is d f culty, though the se of the rope a wise pre

. s caution Once having reached thi platform , where one is overshadowed on three sides by perpendicular "

s r ﬁf wall of g anite ty to sixty feet high , we began pre arations hi p for reac ng the summits . Without the use of No I n 2 . s the cord climbi g either No . or 3 utterly impossible .

A NARROW E SCAPE

to The work , consequently , was get ropes over some i of o protruding knobs . After several m nutes r pe throwing the guides apparently were successful in landing a rope on the third obelisk and getting hold

f o s o o o . b th end It seemed s lid en ugh , and Haro said

was . he willing to risk it As a precaution , however ,

on both guides put their weight it .

Without warning it began to give . There was a cry : Gare a la pierre ! Scarcely had we got ou t from under when a giant slab which had pulled loose came crashing down to the very spot where we stood a moment before .

HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

one is s s o ing ledge , where afe enough a tride pr vided he

o n ot o o d es m ve . With the aid of a r pe thrown across a narrow ledge some twenty feet higher it is possible

is o for ui e climber, however , al ne and unseen , the g d s are on the opposite side of the pinnacle holding the end

of the rope . Once on the ledge one may halt to get his

I breath . To reach the summit the same process S l f set of s repeated , on y this time with a di ferent rope

o thr wn into place before the climb started . It was

o s o s No I thr wing the e r pe in place , from the summit of . ,

s as has been explained before , that cau ed so much

o o i trouble . It g es with ut say n g that only the best al s o s one o s w t o pine rope h uld be u ed, and if d e not ish take chances with his life it is a wise precaution to u se

s reserve ropes serving the same purpose as the ﬁr t . o e o o oul hr o The r p s , m re ver , sh d be t own well ver the

r s to i ledges , othe wi e they will have a tendency sw ng the climber out over the precipice . o o No is Cl chet n . 3 is purely acrobatic . It con sidered irnpossible from every side except with the

s o help ofthe rope . Thi must be thrown in c ils across

N 1 o s s on o . s the ummit by guide pinnacle , that the end

o s s o will fall clear . Once this is d ne the guide de cend fr m ll 1 so of . No . and go to the uth side No 3 , pu ing on the a rope while the climbe r mounts the precipitous w ll . Here again the guides and climber are hidden from

n s fﬁ each other . With an i u cient number in the party an accident here would be very awkward . Haro had been already to the summit of Clocheton

No . 3 and we were waiting for a fog bank to pass in CLOCHETONS DE PLAN PRAz 1 37

order to get some photographs showing the scaling of n o the perpendicular wall . It had been spitti g sn w intermittently for two hours an d it was only by seizing the proper moment that there was an y chance of getting

ss an impre ion on the photographic plate .

" WINDING SHE ETS OF MIST

s sts s l Thi time the mi were very tenaciou , and whi e

s oo o s al Haro t d r ped awaiting the ign , and I , with my

on camera ready, remained perched a knob of rock o l ab ve a precipice , the snow, ike hard white rice , came

s ou r pelting down , tinging hands and face . On one side of the ridge where we were the mountain descended in a

of s s th e al Diosaz series precipice toward v ley of the , now

s s was hidden by the cloud , while to the outh below the valley of Chamonix like a gian t cauldron full of ﬂying

u u s vapours . About a h ndred feet below , at the foot of Du croz rO e the crags , Burnet and , still holding the p , i had crawled in under a rock to escape the icy w nd . What a re you doing up there ! shouted Burnet through the vapour . ” Waiting for a rift in the clouds ! replied Haro

l Wel , you had better watch out , grumbled

o s s to Burnet , who was gr wing unea y . Thi is no place ” be caught by bad weather . On the protruding rock where I was perched I could see Haro to the right trying to warm his hands by blow

on his h ot n saw ing them breath , and looki g below I mysterious movement s under the rock and divined that the cognac bottle . Suddenly the shrouds of impenetrable grey mist on

the al of an d o s in p l gloom , the sn w, in tead of taking the ‘ f i f be an all n s o s . shape of rice , g g in myriad feathered ﬂake

o ni o o d il The m a ng of the wind am ng the crags f rebode ev ,

s s ou r ou c and by carele sne s little party f nd itself aught ,

al s o one and a h f miles high with teep sl pes on every side , s unwilling witnes es to this ﬁerce battle of the elements .

Du croz s ou t of Burnet and , like marmot , crawled their all cave , and , instinctively , of us prepared quickly to descend .

’ C est la tourmente ! shouted Burnet . There is no time to lose ! This is a very great imprudence !

Haro laughed .

You ai can smile , Monsieur Haro , s d the guide , but perhaps you do n ot realize what it is to get caught by the tempest in a place like this . It is a long way

The rest ofthe sentence was blurred in the whistling s n al wind, the word bei g carried off by the g e in another —s e direction . What I caught was Danger now in ste p ” — o grass cou loirs more slippery than ice . All we c uld see o s o thr ugh the ﬂying mi t was urselves , rock walls

“ our and precipices . In two minutes we had fastened riicksacks o o , attached urselves with the r pe , and with

- s e s of o r the ice axe b gan the de cent . Part our r pe al eady

o er corda da was fr zen, but using the dry res ve rope as a

— - rappel that is to say doubling it and re using it re

1 49 HOW To BECOME AN ALPINIST

l 18 In guides had said , a good place to get kil ed , and it

s s e j u t such places that fatal accident happen each y ar . s In the thick mi t I had mistaken the gully , and ,

taking every precaution against slipping, I fought my

of way back up again . Trying again nearer the foot the an was Clocher de Pl Praz , I soon found the gully I

o s s one to pay c ntinuous clo e attention , it pre ented little

al i o or no re danger . I eas ly got d wn to the path leading ’ d Antern e towards the Col , and , taking the Opposite s ol direction , arrived in due time on the ummit of the C du B révent and descended leisur ely in a raging snow

s t orm to Plan Praz . Undoubtedly this route is longer than a direct descent on the Chamonix side of the o s s Cl cheton , but in ca e of very bad weather this other is exit well to know .

to u Returning our party, however, the g ides pre

e s on s was in ferr d de cending the Chamonix ide . It

s n - ten ely cold for August , the lichen bei g ice coated and

oa s the rocks covered with granulated h r fro t . The

ﬁ o in s alls i . wind was terri c , the sn w arriv ng qu The

o oo n pr j ecting , l ming pi nacles , as we left the ridge , o seemed to lean over in the mist . L oking below, we for s nl all was could see our way a few teps o y , and then

o confused and lost in the cl uds . We had unroped on leaving the backbone of the

o mountain , and as much of the rope was fr zen , it was

to s in n decided lo e no time readjusti g it , but to leave each one to be guided entirely by his own instincts ofself

o of o s preservati n . The gully was full l ose hale and s h o - gras , whic , when sn w covered , to some minds, is more CLOCHETONS DE PLAN PRAZ 1 41 l Ice - o s s s S ippery than ice , for on Sl pe an alpini t at lea t s may cut step . ’ s Don t take any chances , aid Burnet . See ” - o o whether your ice axe will h ld bef re moving . We did this b y driving the point ﬁrmly in the ground and test s ing it before taking each tep . Holding the handle the ’ - s ice axe served as an anchor . In case one s feet lipped out from under him he could save himself by clinging to

- his ice axe . Du croz oo ni What made l k back is u maginable , but he did so just in time to see several stones bouncing down

o Du croz upon us with tremend us velocity . and Haro

s s so o s sheltered them elve behind me pr truding rock . Being exposed I simply watched fascinated the oncom

to i or s ing stones , ready to dodge the r ght left as be t I

ul . s o r o co d They hot past with ut ha m , f rtunately , one

’ r passin g singing a few inches over Bu net s head . ” not This is very amusing , said the guide , yet the thought of the mountain having so little respect for our

r . sensibilities made us laugh , neve theless We were exposed probably an hour or more in

' this steep couloir where one false step might have been al fatal . Yet no one fell , though more than once foot

’ s his - holds gave way and one life depended on ice axe . Late in the evening Plan Praz became visible and we stopped in relief to catch a breath . ’ i om ! . N d un chien said Burnet , swearing m ldly This is the last time I expect to get caught out in a ’ snowstorm . What do you think a man s wife thinks when she knows he is ou t in a tempest like this! When we reached the Plan Praz Hotel the proprietor 1 42 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST came out to meet us saying that he had been uneasy and

i - was th nking of organizing a search party . -ﬁre in Before a bright , warm log and someth g hot to o oo drink , however, life so n ret k its roseate hue , and besides having our ﬁngers frost-nipped we none the worse for the adventure .

AMONG T HE RED NEEDLES

A NEW ALPINE CENT RE

TRANGE ma S as it y seem , there is in the heart of the Haute Savoie in France a whole range ofmountains as

os yet practically uncharted . Towering to alm t s al s feet , with glacier and perpetu now , this haunt of

o s h as o cham i yet to be pr perly introduced to the world . The range lies on the north side of the valley of Cha monix of , between Mont Blanc and the Lake Geneva , and while the peaks may not quite lend themselves to the alpinist who wishes to cling to the gran ite by his

ﬁn er- s s s - 10 o g tip , or cut tep into ice s pes leading d wn o al s to perditi n , yet it is an ide alpine excur ion centre

s o s which leaves one ﬁlled with deliciou mem rie . So many alpine stories deal with the hardships and alluring dangers of the great peaks like the Aiguille Gré on or du Verte , the p , the Dent Géant , that the — charming Aiguilles Rouges so called by reason of the — reddish tinge of the soil have been passed by almost n s i s ad ver u noticed . Guide look ng for big fee have tised the dangerous summits , treating the others with disdain . Yet there are climbers , and many of them , whom nothing would please more than to spend a gor geon s day among these crags where one still may ﬁnd K I 4S 1 46 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

of s s o h plenty teep n w , excitement and ex ilaration in

o o of ss the r ck , and a pan rama unsurpa ed splendour . s an There are two place , for inst ce , to see Mont Blanc and its aiguilles to the greatest advantage : one Is o is o to on M nt Buet , which uncomf rtable reach and

o s to s o e e monoton u a cend ; the sec nd is the Belv d re , 2 66 hi 9 metres , the ghest summit in the Aiguilles Rouges ,

of o s s oul and a climb c n iderable interest . It h d not be

inferred that the Red Needles are playthings . Had they been situated anywhere else but in close proximity to Mont Blanc they would have attracted considerable

o o o s s attenti n fr m m untaineering enthu iast . Some of

s s the aiguille are very steep and craggy , and mountains j ust under feet with perpetual snow and glaciers o s h sh uld always be treated with re pect . They ave

t oo o os attracted , , s me of the m t eminent climbers , such

s E o o of a . . Obser M mile Fontaine , M Vall t , Direct r the

’ vator on o o O Gorman and y M nt Blanc , and C unt M . o e e for s Langel . In cr ssing the Belv d re , in tance , there are one or two rather ticklish passages in the rock after

Blane as leaving the Glacier , the guides call it , and on the Mont Buet side one or two ledges to which one must

For s s s . j ump , with ome teep ice to cros active men or

o s s e e w men with teady head the Belv d re , however,

o n o s o s ﬁ is al ballade ffers eri u dif culty, and an ide , as

sa the French y . Climbing in the Aiguilles Rouges offers several

s advantage . One may leave Chamonix comfortably in o m s o to Flé ere the aftern on , cli b l wly the g , where one may have a better room and a better- cooked dinner than in almost any ofthe high alpine hotels . Instead

1 48 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

r in cor ections , of the Aiguilles Rouges , read g from south to north

’ L Aiguilette (les H ou ch es) B réven t

Pointe de s V ioz Le Cloch e r de Plan Praz Le s Clo ch e ton s de Plan Praz Aigu ill e de Ch arlonoz Aigu ill e Pou rr ie Le Pou ce ’ L ln dex Aigu ille d e la Gliere La Chape l A igu ill e d e la Floriaz Aigu ille Cr ochu e s Le B e lvedere ’ Aiguille d e l Aréte Plate Aig u ill e des Ch amois Persevere nce Aigu ill e Martin Aigu ill e d e s T rois T orrents ' Aigu ille R ouge Oriental e ’ L Aigu illette (Argen tiere)

of A correct map this ran ge would be interesting .

requires no chart to go there , however, as several of the Chamonix guides are well acquainted with the Red s ff to Needle , and as they o er particular inducements o o ou r al ph t graphers , sm l climbing party decided to

cross the ran ge at its highest point . e In our caravan were M . Langel , Mme . L ontine R u l ichard (now my wife) , myself, the g ide Ju es Burnet , l r z E Du c o . and mi e , porter The rendezvous was made ’ Flé ere 2 al n for the g , 59 5 feet , two hours w ki g above

n . Chamonix , where there is a very good mou tain hotel Lalu el in n s M . g went up the mor ing in order to e cape

1 50 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

not too of being north , the weather was any certain . r But no one felt like borrowing trouble , and we all tu ned

’ n in about ni e o clock as contented as mortals could be . ’ Abou t three o clock the hotel - keeper knocked at Ou r

in - o doors , and we , carry g our heavily nailed bo ts in our hands so as to make as little noise as possible on the

- - oo stairs , descended by candle light to the dining r m . f i The co fee was bo ling hot , for which we were grateful ,

honey never tasted better . Burnet came to say that the weather prospect was not as good as it might be for

o not ph tography , but that he did expect bad weather,

s s at least during the morning . A I was anxiou to get a

o o clear phot graph , with detail of M nt Blanc , we decided

os the to l e no time , but as light came the sky got

oo o l streaky, and for a time it l ked as if we w u d fail altogether with the photographs .

s The tars were still shining when we left the hotel .

Du croz r Both Burnet and ca ried mountain lanterns, an d we struck out rapidly in the direction of the Lac — Blane a beautiful little sheet of greyish blue water — about two hours from the hotel where ordinary s o is tourists may go ea ily with ut guides . It fed by

s as s melting now and ice , and , its bank are littered

is n . with big ﬂat rocks , it an ideal Spot for pic icking is The View from there superb .

Dawn was breaking when we reached here , and after foldin g up the lanterns and placing them in the sacks

s to we truck out in zigzags to the left , climbing up

s Blan e where we could comfortably cros the Glacier . Just before going on the snow and ice we stopped for AMONG THE RED NEEDLES 1 51

o s was to u s to our sec nd breakfa t , which carry the

mi of e e oo ou r sum t the Belv d re . Here we t k time , for it was yet early in the morning , there being scarcely

o o o en ugh light to ph t graph the glacier . It was very

o st little crevassed , and alth ugh the surface was ill frozen tight and there was some verglas, it was easy walking . We decided to do the Belvedere by the aréta or ridge leading up from the glacier . Here one , by fol

o o aréta ﬁn d ﬁ l wing cl sely the , may climbing suf ciently

’ s al os o a intere ting to suit m t any ne s t ste . There on o s are some amusing precipices b th Side , and a few ” s or s s o gendarme , tone sentinel , which bl ck the way .

n o o After leavi g the glacier, theref re , and bef re taking to o s to o the r ck, we con idered it safer use the r pe , and Lau el o u divided into two sections , M . g g ing with B rnet

R Du croz i and Mme . ichard and with me . The del ght

of was n ot was o ful part it we did feel hurried . There n

of al n o os o s o n to danger av anches , lo e st ne dr ppi g due

i s s the sun melt ng their ice upport , no crevasses to pass o ss of in the darkness , but nly an endle change lights

o o s o and shadows and a gl ri u pan rama . From across the Chamonix Valley occasionally came the roar of an avalanche ; but this was a long way offand emphasized Now the serenity ofthe scene about us . and then some

s s ou r ﬁ air corneille , di turbed by approach , lled the with

o Du croz our o cawing , and nce called attenti n to some

s for s i chamoi making Le Pouce . The e an mals can make it very uncomfortable by sending down showers of o s h st ne from above , but we saw none at all t is day on the Belvedere . How To BECOME AN ALPINIST

Alpinists may ask what is the use of wasting t ime

too o was fo stand , , this p int of View . But I thinking r in s n the moment of Rusk , who u ed to sit for hours dow in the Chamonix Valley on . a stone which now bears his

a s ou t l name , and this gre t arti t got something of the A ps

to see which many alpinists fail for ever . The scene

too before us from this ridge was big to describe . It could not be condensed into the narrow conﬁn es of

ai ﬁ o ﬁ . thought , but rem ned inde nite , emoti nal , in nite It to r i would require a great poet translate a small po t on ,

o of it int language , and yet the humblest mortal may s feel here what it is impossible for him to expres . This

o is why the Red Needles are w rth climbing . To the extreme right one could see Mont Blanc with — i th e its terrible buttresses the Aigu lle de Bionnassay, du r D Ome du Aiguille Goute , the Gouter, the Mont ul i u r n Blanc de Tac , and Mont Maud t . T ni g to the left

t s ll du du one dis ingui hed the Aigui e Midi , the Aiguille

Blaitiere ré n h z G o arm . Plan , the , the p , and the C o Directly across the valley was the Mer—de- Glace leading up to the Pie du Tacul and the Gr-des J orasses ; on the left of the Mer- de -Glace was the Grand and Petit

Drus and the Aiguille Verte . ’ l to d Ar entiere Sti l further the left was the Glacier g , ill le with the famous aigu e of that name , and the Aigu il du t o Chardonnet , and the left of the broad Glacier i o Red du Tour the Aigu lle de T ur . Ahead were the

Needles , and behind Mont Buet . If earthquakes pro duce such grandeur as this, then they are benefactors to the human race ; and even if Nature appears brutal

AMONG THE RED NEEDLES 1 53 to i i l of ind v dua s who get in her way , the result her s handiwork to mankind i admirable . We had not been climbing long on the ridge before the gendarmes made further progress in this direction s s impos ible . One cannot cale smooth , perpendicular granite , so we veered a little to the left and took to the face of the mountain . Considerable caution , too , was required in getting away from the ridge , for we were forced to pass over a narrow ledge which was guarded

o o by verhanging rock . Directly bel w us was a precipice a l Diosaz overh nging the beautifu valley of , which abyss looked all the uglier for being in deep shadow . We ai moved one at a time , as a precaution ag nst accident , and passed on to the face of the mountain without ai further incident . Here climbing was f rly steep , and to avoid sending down stones on each other— there are e r —M Lau el a great many on the Belv de e . g and Burnet climbed considerably t o the left of us and our caravan ﬁ went up obliquely, so that if the rst or second on the ’ s da rin olada all rope tarted a g g the stones would f clear . o as al It was a wise precauti n , sever times stones were set in motion and fell bounding and singing into the abyss ’ t al - n below . Af er about a h f hour s fast climbi g the face of the mountain became less steepand we scrambled up e e to the summit of the Belv d re , a comfortable plateau , an d and , unroping , got ready for lunch a short siesta . As we had decided in doing the traversée of the B elvédere we again adjusted the rope , and , crossing the o the long level ridge leading in the directi n of Buet , a had beg n the descent . We not gone far down when the ridge apparently stopped abruptly . Directly below 1 54 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST where we stood was a narrow ledge on the edge of a s econd precipice . The danger of jumping for the ledge was that if one missed his footing and slipped one might

o s have gone over int the abys . Our caravan was descending ﬁrst and I was ﬁ rst on the rope in order to allow Du croz to hold up Mme .

i she s a s R chard in case lipped . The pass ge was intere t

fﬁ oo ar ing rather than di cult , and had we l ked ound we might have found an easier way ; but we decided to

Du croz o for continue , and, as payed out the c rd me , I

' descended to the ledge an d passed a little to the left to o el . . Lau all w Mme Richard to descend M . g and Burnet

z let down Du cro and then a curious manoeuvre happened .

’ Lau el s n - Du croz While M . g feet were da gling in mid air, , s o till standing on the narr w ledge , caught hold of them , an d ﬁ his s o s s placing them rmly on h ulder , de cended

or s o s himself, like a human lift , tele c pe hutting up , so

Du cr z that when o ﬂattened himself out at the ledge M . Langel stepped offhis shoulders as he would step out of i . o l s oo rid cu a cab It w rked so wel , in pite of l king so o s t o l us , that Burnet , the la t descend , was invited to o s runn o c me down the same way . In tead of ing the r pe behind some rock even as a precaution and le tting

s s him elf down , Burnet , therefore , de cended as far as

s his pos ible , then hung with hands and dropped on

’ Du croz s r is one s shoulder . Bu net of the biggest guides

s Du croz in the Alp , but held him and telescoped him to earth . When I think of that narrow ledge and precipice wi o beneath , and see Burnet , thout the precauti n of using a rope , descending as he did , I wonder once more at the

1 56 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST know whether I was tryin g to tear down the mountain . o was a I t ld him that it preferable , as no carav n was

oo below us , that I should send down the l se stones and clear the way than leave them for him to send down he from above on our heads . We were soon on t snow

B e e . covered glacier, however, and the elv d re was crossed

o s Unr ping , we began making glis ades over the snow , leaning on our ice - axes while ou r heels ploughed over the s i frozen surface . In a few moment the descend ng ridge hi see was left far be nd , and below us to the left we could a e ill the Pierre B rard , on the route to Mont Buet , and st further below a beautiful stream of water and green s ﬁ l i pa tures l ed with milch cows . With n another twenty in v minutes we were down the valley , lea ing the ice o t o al sl ped Red Needles behind the right , w king beside a plunging mountain stream and cascades to Vallorcine , where we took the electric railway back to Chamonix , a ch rmed with our excursion , and with only one or two small holes in our trousers . T he G ran d St Be rn ard H o spice

THE GRAND ST BERNARD HOSPICE

ME NACE D WITH COMME RCIALISM

IN one s os of the wilde t and m t desolate Spots in the Alps , 8 1 0 sea s s o 1 feet above the , exi t a b nanza where one

so s i may still get mething for nothing . Thi unique n i f stitu tion s the Hospice o the Grand St Bernard . The passing traveller is received here with hospitality as generous as it is disinterested ; no charge whatever

for oo or o onl is made either f d l dging , and the y request is oo on that the key be left in the chamber d r parting . Only recently the newspapers announced still o E s so an ther rescue , when an ngli hman named David n

s his s an d was o s mi sed way , lipped , discovered h ur later

o s was in a frightful state by the d g . The traveller cared for at the hospice and later sent by the monks to the ﬁ Martigny In rmary .

o th e s ﬁs o s Like all virtue , h wever, un el h and gener u

s s ill - hospit ality of the Augu tinian friar is rewarded . Throughout ten centuries this Early Christian spirit o o has been kept pure , and in their devoti n to a n ble aim these strange monks have remained free from the pollu

o ﬁ n ti n of lthy lucre . Times have cha ged , however, even

o if the m nks have not , and rumours are abroad that the Grand St Bernard Hospice is on the brink of com 1 59 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST mer i s c ali m . al Tourists , looking for free me s , may force the monks to buy a cash register . For several years past over tourists annually v s have isited the hospice . Many of the e sleep there r al and eat two or th ee me s . Instead of leaving behind in the chapel offering -box at least enough to pay for ﬁ al their food , without pro t , the tot contributions of this modern horde of sightseers is scarcely enough to feed of w off one thousand the t enty . They slink , conscience

to u pricked maybe for an instant , soon forget their deli u encies - q in a whirl of sight seeing elsewhere . What a sad commentary on human nature ! I asked a priest recently whether or not it might be ! necessary to modify this hospitality . Not yet he

replied simply . Food does not grow in the snow but has to be carried up at considerable expense from the Italian valleys

o bel w, and when a tourist does not pay someone else must You know I think I will go up and spend a week ” a at the hospice ; it does not cost nything , said a woman t ul o to me at Lake Champex , a deligh f resort ab ve e Orsi res . She was taken aback when I told her the place was only a halt on the Alpine Pass from Italy to Switzerland

and was Open for one night only to benighted strangers . How unfortunate ! While at the hospice on a late occas ion some tourists

arrived in the afternoon . i for o R ng s me tea , n Whe , told that the Grand St Bernard Hospice was

HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

s the snow bridge higher up , I telephoned to the hospice

cinema , and only two volunteer Italian porters . Desolation of desolations describes the vale leading

one o snow and ice greeted on every side . Occasi nally there was the shrill cry of a marmot runnin g over the

o an d n ow an d com eille s sn w, then a oared above ; but all s else was as till as death . The exquisite highly-coloured wild ﬂowers found in profusion below were here hidden under a deep mantle of white . All traces of the road disappeared . We ignored its spirals and climbed directly up the valley , the alpine torrent not infrequently being hidden directly under our feet .

s Now and then , where snow bridge had caved in , the ﬁerce torrent was seen at the bottom ofthe chasm . Turning away from this impressive sight and looking up the Valley of the Dead one w star tled to see against the sky l ine a bold Sign of the Cross . It was so unexpected . One ofmy Italian porters who knew the way Said we were scarcely half an hour distant from our destina

. s was tion To the right , buried in the now, the morgue , where skeletons of those lost and found stiff in the

Valley of the Dead wer e hung up with ropes . The dead of the St Bernar d are not buried . It is cold enough toleave them hanging gruesome in the air . T O F S T . B E A D D S CURIOSI Y RN R OG .

T AT E O F B E N \R I) O N T H E S VV I S S - T A AN T E S U R I LI FRON I R .

o politely concerning our upward v yage , brought us o s o s me warm felt slipper , told us supper w uld be served

di r hi o o at six , and then sappea ed be nd s me chained ir n ’ gratings which separate the monks habitations fr om those prepared for the public . That night , outside , the wind moaned and screeched .

is s s o k It a trange life thi of those Augustinian m n s . Sixteen years of their lives are spent in this desolate o sp t , that is if their health does not break under the

s strain , sixteen year of continuous study and in the one s service of mankind . Here see Christianity in all as r its Simplicity it was ten centu ies ago . What a con trast to the gilded specimen which passes for Chr istianity nowadays !

o Being great alpinists, the m nks render signal service to hundreds ofpoor folks who cross the Alpine oo d Pass on f t , ped ling , looking for work , or retreating homeward without money or friends . Throughout the o winter, scouts , with dogs , are c ntinually on the look

' ou t an , d no one knows , consequently, how many lives For have been saved . ten centuries this disinterested n and alert service to ma kind has continued , in return for which the only request is that in leaving the way farer leave the key in the door . On departing one sees nobody un less the service of a scout is asked for to point out the way One may say the monks would do better to mingle T E S . B A D M K RN R ON S , wh o ar e re at A in is aki ts t n ai e xe rc is e with th e o s . g l p , g d ly d g

” D O E S SO ME W ISH T O B E R E SCU ED !

Cin e mato graphin g Mo n t Blan e u n de r Difﬁ c u l tie s

1 70 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIS T lations did d t not worry me , but what require hinking out was how to place the camera on stee p ice-slopes and take movin g pictur es without joinin g the other caravans which have gone on to that country from l which no travel er returns .

o 1 of I hit on a plan , h wever, and on the 7th August , at the head of the British and Colonial Kinematograph o six orters for caravan , left Cham nix with p the Grands

Taconnaz Mulets , a refuge in the rocks above the and

os the be des B sons Glaciers , where one spends night o s fo f re da hing r the summit .

As usual we were very heavily loaded , carrying, in o additi n to the British and Colonial cinema camera , r 2000 ﬁlm h - t ipod, feet of , alf plate camera , second ’ o o s wi trip d , extra cl thing, rope , two day food for my fe , six e cram ons porters and myself, eight s ts of heavy iron p , or - n os du climbing irons , for passi g the B ses Droma daire the next day . The weather was perfect . We had a good send- off from the curious crowd gathered at the rendezvous at the Statue of De Saus

to o sure , and all went well until we got Pierre P intue ,

8 o h 3 27 feet above Cham nix . Near ere we were ex posed to dynamite -blasting operations by workmen constructing the funicular railway up the Aiguille du

o s . Midi , and, c nsequently, could not top to take pictures ’ r al Ech elle Higher up , just beyond Pie re , we met with an accident that might have proved fatal . In passing

cou loirs s the , or gullie reaching down from the Aiguille

du di r o . Mi , the e is always danger fr m avalanches Huge stones from n atur al causes are continually coming down and guides pass here on the run . We had no CINEMATOGRAPHING MONT BLANC 1 71 more than got out a little way on the Glacier des Bossons than from high above us on the aigu ille came

o ni the sound of an explosi n , the avalanche war ng, and instinctively we all turned to see which way the debris ! was coming . Workmen had not caused this one

Horriﬁed n o , we saw giant stones weighi g tons ab ve our u o heads bo nding and ricochetting t wards us . We

o o so were n ice with crevasse s all ar und , I stood i was perfectly st ll and watched . The bombardment the terrible . As the stones began ripping up glacier ﬁnd the porters attempted to shelter, and their excite to s ment caused my wife to attempt run , cau ing her to slip and Slide to the edge of a deep crevasse . Most o s s of the big st nes fell short , cra hing into the crevasse , tO upsetting the ice on p of them , while a few passed o h l no ver our eads . Miracu ously, one was touched, and when my wife could be put again on her feet she a of s con compl ined one of her ribs , but in isted on n n tin ing the climb . On the return to Chamo ix after s o o ward , h wever, the doct r found the rib was cracked . ﬁ It may be said here , for the bene t of amateurs , that many cautious guides are abandoning the Pierre

o s P intue route on account of avalanche , and are revert o the ing to the route up the Montagne de la C te, route o up Mont Blanc taken by the fam us guide , Jacques al 1 86 ﬁ hi B mat , in 7 , when he made the rst ascent , w ch route is comparatively safe and extremely picturesque . We lost no time in getting out from under the Ai ui du g lle Midi . Owing to the crevassed condition of the glacier it was decided to rope up the party into two caravans , leaving me with two porters and the cinema HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

des s Glacier Bosson , the seracs , or ice pinnacles , are o superb . S me of the ice towers are higher than houses and lean over in the most disconcerting fashion until carried forward by the moving glacier they fall with a o of the nn s o tremend us crash . Some pi acle are j ined

to r o s at the p , c eating gl omy cavern with clear blue

s s walls , which sugge t a ruined city of ice , and passage o among them may be f und by the daring . is The danger beneath the feet even greater . While the great towers may fall the frail snow bridges over

- i to wa ghastly look ng crevasses are more likely give y , i letting one down many yards . It is for th s reason one

is al to one ways roped at least two others , so in case of the party breaks through the other two h old him sus o il r o pended on the r pe unt rescued . The path th ugh

o s to this f rest change from day to day , even from hour

a one ﬁ happens , as it did to us , th t in returning nds the old route abandoned and the new one reached by a

wide detour . Guides have a remarkable capacity for estimating the strength of snow bridges or just when to ttering

towers have reached the danger point , so that both as a in rule are obviated before an accident occurs . Break g o h thr ugh snow bridges, owever , is not a rare occurrence , and I recall on one occasion that in passin g the Jonction

of in on Mont Blanc one or another our party, myself o s cluded, broke through f ur times in the cour e of one hour .

CINEMATOGRAPHING MONT BLANC 1 73

We lunched hurriedly again at the Jonction of

os o Taconnaz the B s ns and Glaciers , the most cre vasse d part of Mont Blanc , and then began the ascent of the crevassed snow- slopes leading up to the Grands s ul Mulet . One thing struck me as partic arly worth

. o o o noting B th glaciers here lo ked larger than bef re , and when ~ I asked the guides to account for it they stated that without doubt the glaciers were rapidly i increas ng . The general impression is that all the

Al o n glaciers in the ps are sl wly shri king up . The time was o s , in fact , when the Glacier des B s ons and the Mer de Glace came right down in the valley almost into

ﬁ o the green elds . For decades , however , b th have

been receding . With the return of cold summers , wet s s r winters , and worse pring , the glaciers , like ivers , are rising at their sources and gradually are Swelling all s s i o al s along their bed . With thi add ti n tremendou

s o o of o is pres ure ab ve , the f ot the Glacier des B ssons

to s now beginning lengthen mea urably . To what extent

iﬁ s this is so would be worth scient c inve tigation . d We arrived at the Gran s Mulets , feet , about ’ four o clock without incident and climbed ou t on the

i l fu rocks in the sunsh ne to bask ike lizards . The re ge

o o s o is built on s me sharp r ck pinnacle , or pr jecting portions of a hidden ridge leading up to the Grand Wh i V is . Plateau , and the iew from here superb le doing nothing in particular except to gaze at the slopes

du ul s of the Mont Blanc Tac , uddenly there was the

of al sound a tremendous av anche starting , and just where I happened to be looking I saw some huge seracs break offfrom the suspended glacier and commence a u 2000 terrible t mble , of probably feet , down on to the

others came running out fr om the refuge to see what

sc o i i ending , until the whole sl pe looked l ke a g ant

a . down like water, to le p again into the air The echoes o all s came back fr m around, the ca cade lasting two

s was minutes at lea t . Some of the guides said it o ﬁ pr bably the nest avalanche they had ever seen . Just before dinner some volunteers offered to ascend

l l for the Grands Mu ets need es the cinematograph , which aiguilles are very precipitous and rather stiff

o Cachat , the h st at the refuge , then came to call me

to s for dinner . I felt riveted the rock , however , drink

in of ing the grandeur the scene . The sun was setting

of in an aureole colour, such as one sees in the high

ﬂeec o mountains , while the y cl uds reﬂected scarlet ,

o of pink and purple . Bel w the valley Chamonix was al a ready in gloom, and the lights of Chamonix , mere

to th s . speck below, began twinkle in growing darkne s Then came the twilight and a pallor spread over the

one ﬁ . glaciers , until wondered at the in nity of Nature In all the world I know of nothing comparable to al s such an alpine scene , and when the mort worm , who grope in the darkness and polluted civilization below , get a gleam of this realm above , nothing on earth , not even the fear of death , will hold them back . They, too , mu st drink in this glory . e l al and I This ,is the nnob ing aspect of pinism why

1 76 stan able crevasses are black . It

is great . If one gets ill with mountain -sickness the attack

COte du DOme usually comes on near the , above the

o o for avalanche , theref re , we st pped a moment rest

fo hi u g bothered us considerably . Being wit n two ho rs of the Refuge Vallot , which is at an altitude of over ai feet , we decided to push on and w t , as it was

o no was frightful , near the danger p int , and we lost O n time in making for the refuge . wi g a clouds , sc rcely nothing could be seen within a few feet of the refuge it was too indis cinematograph .

Most of us remained huddled in the refuge ,

for ather for a change the better in the n e . of the caravans which were at the Grands night before attempted to pass the Bosses daire . This caravan had disappeared for weather bordering on the dangerous that remaining in the Refuge Vallot decided in c not to descend before the missing ones fearing an accident . ’ After two hours waiting , the advance party , returnedto the refuge coated with Ice . After an T H E R E FUG E AT T H E GR AND S MULE T S

Mi i in th e ac k r o u n . an d th e Aigu ille d u d b g d

B AND A A A A T T H . C . C V V A E E E V A T R N RRI ING R FUG LLO , v w e . s e r va r e e o o e r f e t T h e Vallo t O b to y is s e n b l .

1 78 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

“ and I am n ot quite sure but that anyone with an ﬂinchable can will still the elements .

o This time we avoided the Pierre P intue route ,

o wishing to crack any m re ribs , and used the

s de la Cote . I changed my gu ide

al d s i of a mule as far as the Ch et e Pyram ds . Here one

s wh o of the porter , had just

was e dis and very tir d , was covered drin to o so pr ceed , the father arranged that Olivier

his bo take place , although the y had never been on Mont Blanc . Olivier undoubtedly is mountaineer and showed great endur ance thro the climb , and I take pleasure in recording here ascent . The caravan now consisted of Emile and

Du croz Tou mier , Jean Cachat , René Claret ,

Simon d o Cou ttet wh o and Le n , gave complete fi faction throughout a dif cult task . AS I had filmed the passage of the Jonction the ascent to the Grands Mulets on the we stopped very little and made rapid p o s o at the refuge early in the afterno n . Thi l ng before dinner undoubtedly facilitated matters on morrow . i At d nner that night were several alpinists, l s dis ing a New Yorker, Mr Wi liam , a tin fi s alpinist , who was the rst , I believe , to traver e

du o o Aiguilles Dru . He had c me up with the intenti n CINEMATOGRAPHING MONT BLANC 1 79 of crossing Mont Blanc to the Rifugio Torino by way of d o du ul the Mont Mau it and M nt Blanc Tac , but was advised to abandon the project later on account of wind . We got away from the Grands Mulets in the morn

- o a s ing about half past one , divided int two c ravan , my wife going with Ducroz and- I retaining two por

i . ters , who carried the c nematograph apparatus Mr s o a of Williams and a ec nd c ravan were ahead us , not having to bother with luggage , and for nearly three hours we saw ahead of u s on the snow slopes the faint gleam of their alpine lanterns . We , too , used

s a f s lantern s ar as the COte ofthe Grand Plateau . Ju t before reaching here the sky suddenly became over

o s s to cast , bl tting out the tar , and it began snow as

o it had never done bef re . In a few moments we were covered with a white mantle and my hat began to sag with the weight . i s s s ss s to Du croz . Thi a nasty bu ine , I aid

not s as w It is going to la t , he said , and da n broke

o s of the cl uds faded away . Sunri e in the Alps is one

o s of s the gl rie Nature , and seeing the aurora in the ea t and the Chamonix needles silhouetted against the pink s u s kyline set all wondering .

nd q Mrs Burlingham climbed wo er y well . In a fact , we made such f st time that we overtook one of the light caravans on the Grand Plateau and mounted COte o ll the de D me sti feeling fresh . Without unloading the cinematograph we con tinu ed s traight on for the Refuge Vallot , arriving here ’ o o ab ut seven clock , and breakfasted outside alongside the rocks . Clouds again appeared, and in sweeping HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

appeared as swiftly as they came . While others were strapping on their climbing-iron s du o for passing the Bosses Dr madaire I went to the s ide .

u s ﬁ ne which appeared below on the left , and got a

Om alpinists pass from the needle to the D e du Gouter . cinemato ra hin our Turning east , I continued g p g party

o o o leaving the Refuge Vall t b und for the Grand B sse . From the Refuge Vallot to the summit of Mont Blanc one passes over two large domes called the m s al Dromedary Hu p , which are nearly ways ice

ul o to coated . It wo d take h urs , if not days , o o s s - ver these two projecti n , so harp pointed irons are used to prevent anyone here from On accou nt of the steepness of the Grand Bosse

ﬁ do m rst one , guides not go to its su mit ridge , when about two - thirds up veer to the left and pass o ver onto the iced side , 1 000 feet down to the Grand Plateau . is probably the most disconcerting on and was the scene of an accident only a

o f re . One of my old guides, Jules Burnet ,

W his s dr ing the Bosse hen touri t Slipped, agging o him and the p rter off their feet . All three descending towards a certain death with rapidly

CINEMATOGRAPHING MONT BLANC 1 81

creasing momentum , when by an extremely skilful manoeuvre Burnet got his ice-axe into the slope and

o managed to check the fall . Burnet t ld me this was his

r o s nar owest escape . I th ught of this story while pas ing

n o hi out on the slopi g ice , but said n t ng about it until r w we got back to the efuge , for which silence my ife

thanked me .

Once around the Grand Bosse walkin g is easier . Only in high wind should anyone feel concerned on the

e o is Petit Bosse . The Mauvaise Ar te , h wever, verti

inou s for o s s on s g , the iced Sl pe are teep both ides , the summit ridge being scarcely more than one foot or

On e o s eighteen inches wide . needs a go d ense of to ass here balance p , for a Slip might precipitate one into France far down onto the Grand Plateau on one

s d al . ide , or many thousan s of feet into It y on the other I got a magniﬁcent picture of our party passing this f backbone o ice .

s o Tou m ette Higher up , pas ing fr m La by the long

a ata s u s a s r to the ummit , is one of the most tedio pass ge

s to on the mountain . The ummit seems recede as one f s . s o s o o s a cends The steepnes the l pes on b th side ,

o s s h wever , prevents thi pa sage ever from becoming

un interesting . For several yards one walks straddling this great ice

o o s ridge , b th feet being l wer than the ummit , one

o being in France and the other in Italy . The wh le

world seems far below . Gradually the gradient lessened and this Sharp edge widened into a small plateau and we knew we had

on arrived . Here we stood the highest mountain in HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

all e o ar . oth rs , with j y in our he ts Almost the ﬁrst thing which struck my eye was the

hi oo the summit of w ch I st d only a few weeks before . A S far as the eye could see was a perfect galaxy of peaks . In the same direction one could distinguish the Weiss horn and Monte Rosa .

i of Aiguilles and the A guille Verte , a veritable peak

o To was terr r . the north Lake Geneva , nearly sixty miles away , half hidden by great banks of cumulus s o s w cloud , which l oked extremely trange as we ere

To s u above them . the we t a large part of France n o to f lded itself , while to the south one could see the

Near-by one looked down on the Mont Blanc de o l Trélatéte ids C urmayeur , the Aigui le de , the Pyram al ~ C caires and the Col de la Seigne , where I went some years ago to get a picture of Mont Blan c . We all of us unroped to better move about

o o seated on our sacks in the sn w . The wind , h wever, os was biting , so I , personally, l t no time in getting what cinematograph effects I wanted . s s The wind increased . Mi t began to interfere with

o o Du croz the ph t graphy, and as they grew denser

o is advised getting bel w past the Bosse , as wind there

s for and began the descent ; wi ely , too , the wind on the

7 s ice belovt made inﬁnite caution neces ary .

On an Alpin e Fu n ic u lar R ailway

HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

e plying the necessary funds for its construction . H

declared it feasible .

BOLD SCHEME AMAZE S

aerial line I was more amazed than ever at the boldness f o s . the cheme Being an alpinist , and knowing that

is n ot for s a on a j ob amateur , but r ther e that requires

a - o d s ng froid and rare judgment , it was bey n my com prehension how constructors expected to ﬁn d workmen b du o . o to do the j The Aiguille Midi , m reover, as the

n s o couloirs avalanches and falli g t nes , and in some

on . Brae er the subject by M gg , a Swiss

of has charge the work .

B a or on s s . r e er the glacier , aid M gg , smiling ; m e

f o roll harmlessly below us . We intend to swing r m peak to peak and from pylon to pylon situated on these

not o summits , and as avalanches do c me from the clouds , we will not bother about them . There may be two or of o some hard work in erecting three these pyl ns , but o nce they are in place the material and workmen ”

h aiIled . will be up by cable , as passengers will be later

1 90 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

On the left one may look down on the plateau Glacier des Bossons and across to the Grands Mulets

get a much better idea of the immensity of the ice-ﬁelds and seracs through which one must pass to reach the top . At this station one changes cars and the system of i s o s so . s as for tran p rtation change al It just well , too , t h the ascent has been so rapid , and the change in e

s den ity of the air so great , as to be uncomfortable to

s . r people with weak heart At station th ee , therefore ,

his s one may rest and get breath , for the mo t sensa i tion al s yet to come . From now on one swings through the air . s a The cars u ed on this last section are sm ller , accommodating only sixteen persons . They are more

h is im like a basket . W en the signal given the car mediately runs out on a single span of unsupported 21 0 s 00 cable , 3 feet long , waying 5 feet above the Glacier

s to Rond . The engineering feat , in this ca e , has been

bl for anchor the two ends of the long ca e , on the lower end the engineers have been hampered with loose moraines and have had to descend considerably to get ﬁ a rm grip .

Two MILE S AB OVE SEA

o al 2860 SItu ated The fourth stati n , titude metres , is on a pinnacle of granite almost opposite the Grands s Mulet , and passengers stopping here will get an idea

al inin of what real p g is , for climbers still do the Aiguille

1 92 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST s o o o i s tati n , can be run ver the rev lv ng drums , thu acting as the traction cable .

GUAR D AGAI NST ACCIDENTS

’ On the second part ofthe j ourney lighter cars run o ﬁr ver a single span of cable which , being mly anchored

in and examined minutely each day to see it is not wear g,

s o pre ents no danger . Tourists , theref re , may have an al attack of pine vertigo , and even if there are no friends to keep them from jumping overboard they would ﬁn d it difﬁcult to get out ofthe windows before the arrival i of the gu ard .

o Travelling as I did the ther day, however, is dif fer al s of m ent . There were sever ea y ways com itting s as hi car r o uicide . I w watc ng the a rive fr m the p ower s on tation when someone touched me the arm . ” ou s h ow n s If y are interested in eeing the li e work , B s . rae er aid M gg , you had better get on the car and

is s ri o go up . It t ctly f rbidden , but In a moment I was seated on a ﬂat car about the size

- o was o to of a dining r om table , and told to pay attenti n

o was the pyl ns in passing , as there danger of getting

s o a cracked skull . I braced my elf , sardined with s me

o ou t o workmen , and the f reman called that he was g ing

al hi o to sign to start . Touc ng an electric butt n , he gave

to th e o o to the signal power stati n ab ve , and we began glide upward .

ENTIRE LY NEW SENSATION

The riding was as smooth as that of a boat on a

. s s placid lake There was a light ide swinging motion , ON AN ALPINE FUNICULAR RAILWAY 1 93 and the sensation of climbing by electricity to Pierre

o on o o lan o fo P intue , the r ute up M nt B c , with ut any ef rt ,

As we rolled to wards the ﬁrst pylon the car moved slower an d the traction cable tightened un til the pylon was reached ; then there was a click ! click ! the pylon operation was repeated and again the traction cable

i - oo ts . ow s t k up slack Up and d n , twenty seven time , power station as gently as a gondola touching its wharf .

so t for ! Here , then , is me hing new the jaded traveller hi There is not ng like it anywhere else in the world . You r experiences have been incomplete unless you have ” s oo s oo tasted the j oys of w ping the w p .

XVII

IN AN ALPINE BLIZZARD

BEING nearly frozen to death in midsummer in Italy is not an ordinary experience . When the tonrmente struck u s we were crossing the

o an o to and M nt Bl c chain fr m France Italy , were within f f ss was ﬁ a few feet o the highest part o the pa . It the rst time I had ever noticed clouds dropping perpendicularly

s of alo o o al f in tead sweeping ng h riz nt ly , and the e fect

s o s o of thi alpine phen menon made a lasting impre si n . To make matters worse we were enveloped in a pal! of

s s o mi t as den e as a L ndon fog in December, and but for the path- ﬁ nding instinct of our guides we might have

s o been up there yet somewhere buried in the n w . When the storm broke I had been on my feet thirty-two hours

s s with no leep and practically no re t , but fortunately I

ﬁne was in very training . The day before this adventure I left Cham onix at Six in the morning with my camera for the B révent in order to get some photos of Mont Blanc from the dis

. i tance I went up by Bel Achat , return ng by the

i o chimney and Plan Praz , arriving at Chamon x ab ut S ix sa un o i the me evening . While l ad ng my sack a note was s i two s handed me ay ng that M . Langel and guide had gone to Montanvert to do the Aiguille du Midi the

Was to next day , and that he anxious for me join them . I 97 1 98 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

al Montan vert The last train had ready left for ,

’ 28 8 o s 5 feet above , but in Spite of my twelve h ur walk I decided to leave on foot as soon as I could get some dinner and repack my sack for a big climb . Leaving Chamonix about nine that evening I struck out for the o Mer de Glace in the darkness . Kn wing that it was necessary to conserve my strength for the next day I

s an went up lei urely , enj oying the fragr ce of the pine , the glow of phosphorescent worms which rivalled in

o interest the myriad lights ofChamonix now far bel w . ’ Montanvert o At eleven o clock I arrived at the H tel , where everyone was asleep . Pound on the door as I i s of m ght , no one answered . After twenty minute vain fo so to e f rt I re rted throwing pebbles against the windows , i o wh ch in due time brought down the night p rter, who , fﬁ rubbing his eyes , succeeded in getting su ciently awake to n show me a room and tell me that M . La gel had left

’ o ni o n a call for one o cl ck . It was mid ght before I lay d w - s s — o to half dres ed on the bed , not to leep for wing the violent exercise and no rest blood was racing through

— s my veins and brain but I did get a few minute repose , which was valuable .

’ At one o clock I was called and told breakfast was

i - o o o . waiting in the din ng r om Hurrying d wn , I f und l . Lau e s s M g discu sing with the guide the weather, which din too s o was forebo g . It was warm , and lanting cl uds

o s l struck acr ss the sky , and wor e yet , c inging to the

- i o o n i . A guille Dru , was a c bwebbed l oki g veil of m st We decided to risk it ! f ls Finishing rapidly our breakfast of hot co fee , rol , butter and honey, we shouldered our sacks while the

200 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

o i u o or r cks of the A g ille N ire , by the ice and steep snow

o s TO- i sl pe on that ide . day gu des consider it less danger

ou s to oss - a s of cr the glacier, about three qu rter a mile

s o ﬁnd o wide at thi p int , and a passage thr ugh the se racs

o z near the Petit R gnon . The ha ard about the latter

is s route that the ice pinnacle , or seracs , are constantly

s tumbling , as the glacier it elf is in movement , and the

o is o s i r ute c n tantly chang ng . Our two guides were Ju les Burnet and Emile

Du croz Du croz . ﬁ , both from Chamonix went rst n and began cutti g steps in the ice . After ascending a portion of the ice wall we found it impossible to as wi to s p s thout wings , and were forced de cend

o and try a little further t the left . Imagine the sensation of standing on a step cut into the high ice s all ridge , with dark blue crevasse around and tottering

o o o t wers of ice ab ve , waiting for ther steps to be cut in

o order to pr ceed .

off - o at Ice literally ﬂew the ice axes at w rk, and the

of t wo o i o end h urs, a remarkably short tin e , we st od

o s o r ss o o ab ve thi fr zen Niagara , a wilde ne of des lati n , the only life visible being the millions of maggots which live up there in the rotten ice .

e f s This glacier is on o the mo t famous in the Alps .

of - o al Speaking the ice fall , Dr J hn Tynd l says f s s s It is one o the grandest ice ca cade in the Alp . At the summit it is broken into transverse chasms of enormous width and depth ; the ridges between these break across again and form those castellated mas ses

f s to which the name o serac has been applied . In descending the cascade the ice is crushed and riven ; AMONG T H E S ERACS OF T H E ICE NI AGR A

I n th e Glac ie r d u G éan t .

M T B A C EET ON L N , F , s e e n fr o m h e Co l a S e i i I a t d e l gne n t ly .

202 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

o s of of three . They were like gh st , and Burnet , one the n most experienced guides in Chamonix , was thu der s s o truck that we had not een the caravan bef re . They , too was , seemed to be ﬂoating in the air, for the snow o as the same c lour the grey mist . Surely it was a

for l caravan , they were fo lowing in order, and exactly in our s o o traces . We all h uted t gether but got no reply . l l Lau e he . I turned to g , but could not solve the ridd e

Suddenly Burnet broke ou t in a laugh . s ! Sapri ti he ej aculated . They are not men at

! a What are they , then said I , my im gination paralysed . They are the three bottles we left standing upright

o - in the sn w after lunch as guide posts , to mark the way in case we got lost in the mists ! Burnet was right ; but I should have sworn the

o s moment bef re they were alpini ts . The deception arose from the fact that there was nothing visible with which o as s s o to c mpare the bottles , and the mi t had de tr yed

s s of s v the en e per pective , the bottles might ha e been

or e . men , even rock pinnacles ten tim s further away

As snow began falling , threatening to blot out the

s o i faint trace in the n w which served to gu de us , we o s s ak o pushed n at utmo t peed . To m e matters w rse s in the wind lifted the already fallen now, blowing it

o to s hi sheets int our faces . It clung our goggle , w ch are used to prevent one from going blind in the snow, AS o o making it difﬁ cult to see . the sn w sl pe became less steep Burnet said we must be somewhere near La

Vierge , which is near the summit of the pass , feet IN AN ALPINE BLIZZARD 29 3

se a not o s above the . We were very far fr m the pot Bru n od o where Gratien , a guide fr m Courmayeur, left two members ofthe Italian Alpine Club resting while s o he went a ide to get s me water, and , slipping , fell

1 000 co loi o feet down a u r into the Glacier de T ule , and

for s was killed . It was certam not a place u to lose

as do s the way , a thing e y enough to in the mi t and

t o of blinding snow . A little the left was the theatre another tragic accident which caused the death of three

s on Six Engli hmen and a Cham ix guide . There were col in the party , and having arrived at the , were de scendin g a snow s10pe on the Italian Side by the side of s o o the rocks which are u ually f ll wed . All that is kn own to th e public is that the two men wh o led and followed

o the s i the party let g rope and e caped , wh le the three s i raz Tairraz Engli hmen and Ta r went to destruction . s E s o creamed , but , like ngli hmen , the thers met their

o doom without a word of exclamati n . in Suddenly the wind came furious blasts . The

o er endicu cold was intense , and the clouds sh t p p larl s s o o l e s y pa t us , weeping d wn the precipit us p h on facing Italy, w ile a little further the mists were rushing upwar ds like a draught from a mighty blast

s - furnace . Nature itself seemed to be top y turvy . For a moment I thought we would be blown offthe

ai o . mount n , which accident has happened bef re We

o an d - could Scarcely move f rward , I held my ice axe u a ready , in case of a h rric ne to drop down with it on

o the snow, using it as an anchor . Suddenly , l oming

o through the mist , we saw r cks ahead , and made for

an them . It was not the refuge , but once in the gr ite 204 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST we could look down on the Torino almost directly

o beneath us . Below the refuge , h wever , every other s s l d o o wa o . utline lo t in the grey vei , the v id and per iti n The merest false step might have precipitated one into

s the abys . Notwithstanding the high wind there was nothing t o

o s o s fortu do but scramble d wn the teep r ck which , n m o s . oo o ately , we acc mpli hed safely Turning to l k ce

ou r o t again , however, at precipit us path , which migh

o have ended in death , I saw an appariti n which made

s s o o o me shudder . Five prie t r ped t gether were f llowing

oo s n ot o s s in our f tstep . They were b ttle thi time ,

for o s re and a m ment the ight gave me a j ar, but I covered when one oi the men gave me his hand . It was

’ l Abba e o vi of Les o h Monsieur y , fr m the llage H uc es,

t oo an expert mountaineer, with some friends . They , , had a narrow escape . o was Owing to the st rm the refuge crowded . We

o decided , theref re , in Spite of the fact that I had been o -two o s n ot to s o so g ing thirty h ur , leep at the Rifugi , ,

oo s to o after a g d lunch , we de cended C urmayeur, and ’ ’ after a night s rest returned t o Chamonix by two days o of Col de Col f rced marching by way the la Seigne , the

o s Col du o o o n ot all des F ur , and the B nh mme , a r ute at

fﬁ l wonderq di cu t and y picturesque .

XVIII

HINTS ON ALPINE PHOTOGRAPHY

THERE are several reasons why amateur photographers

to s th e fail get good result in Alps .

Most amateurs , I believe , are in the habit of allowing professional photographers to develop and print their

s ﬁnd photos, as they wish to see re ults immediately . I this propensity quite natural . Unfortunately I ﬁnd from long experience that the large maj ority of professionals think more of raking in

’ the tourists money than in conscientiously turning out W o . i al good rk Moreover, I believe th s commerci Spirit , unchecked , is growing .

o is The alpine seas n short . When the crowd comes the professional workshops are overcrowded with work , extra hands are put on , printing often continues late at o night , and the results are medi cre in the extreme . If this mechanical grin d were conﬁned to printing so s o it would not be bad , but in thi haste and confusi n thousands of good plates and ﬁlms are irreparably spoilt in their development .

The amateur is told the fault is his, and if he , dis u s s g sted , turn el ewhere , he generally jumps from the

- r it s frying pan into the ﬁ e . During height I have kn own ss s extremely capable profe ional photographer , in order n not to get behi d with their work , to deliberately over 207 208 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST expose in printing in order to get through quickly

o with bromide prints in the devel ping bath . More

o to his t over, the t urist is not allowed choose favouri e

oul o paper, as this w d require a separate bath , but is t ld

o or o E it is a stan dard br mide n thing . verything passes through the same bath , mechanically, until it is worn out . Now the point I wish to make is this : I see no reason why the large an d powerful photographic societies cannot put a check on conscienceless exploitation of tourists by singling ou t certain meritorious photographers for recommendation as automobile and touring clubs re

o s s c mmend hotel , and thu reward merit , while at the

ss s o o o who same time a i t t uring amateur ph t graphers , ,

o ss s do o with ut the nece arie to their own w rk , are at a

o o o is o loss where t turn . Until s mething of the s rt d ne it is advisable for tourists to send their plates for develop;

putation . In going to the Alps for the ﬁ rst time it is advisable for amateur photographers to take with them ﬁlms and

s s as os plate , e pecially if their camer are other than the m t i popular standard S ze . The stock of plates and ﬁlms in alpine centres is

for i o o s do not limited , d rectors of phot graphic st re like

odd s is s carrying izes, for there ri k of them remaining

of s s s n unsold at the end the ea on and thu depreciati g . One of the ﬁrst principles in alpine photography

s is to u se r as in most land cape work , the t ipod and

s l o s o con yellow creen . The ye l w screen cut d wn the one et i trast , allowing to g deta l in snow and at the

HINTS ON ALPINE PHOTOGRAPHY 29 9

a s of s s me time retain the feature per ons photographed . Without the screen persons come out little more than

o s ai s h s one o o s black Silh uette ag n t the w ite now. If f ll w this principle of taking time exposures one may ﬁ nd it advantageous to diaphragm down to the smallest or

al s o s s s next to sm lest t p . Some of the be t re ult I have yet obtained have been with a Goertz Dagor

1 :6:8 al o two s s , sm lest st p , econds expo ure , with a

s ofs s s E s yellow creen even den itie , and with an a tman

ﬁlm o is s a so pack . As the trip d u u lly cumber me , it is possible with one of the very light screens now made to

ak s - o o o s too t e nap sh ts , pr vided one d e not stop down much . In the Alps one is continually face to face with such

o o hi o a problem as ph t grap ng M nt Blanc , which ranges

o r - o s o fr m b illiantly lit sn w to blue glacier , shadowy sl pes ,

s s to s rocky buttre se down dark green pine in the valley .

r an Ordina ily , if one succeeds in getting y detail in

of is too s to the pines, the upper part the mountain den e

Vice verso one s the s print . , if give ummit the right iﬁ o s s s . exp ure , everything el e is acr ced Professional photographers obviate this by shading i o i an d the summ t with a m v ng piece of cardboard , after some experience become very expert in striking the o correct gradati n . The advantage here of using the

s s small stop and dense screen is obviou , for it give time

ul so l o for manip ation . Per na ly I prefer to use a yell w

o t o o hi screen graduated fr m one f ur , w ch , while ex

ﬁnd s o . o r pensive , I very sati fact ry Under rdina y cir cumstances to - o or o I prefer use anti hal , backed , aut

o . chr matic plates When climbing , however, I rarely o 2 1 0 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST u se s as es eciall the plate , they are extremely heavy , p y

1 x 1 8 o o s 3 centimetre nes , and easily broken in the r ck .

s Film pack , while nearly twice as expensive , are - al s au toch romatic light , unbreakable , anti h o , omewhat ,

to n e to and my mi d b st suited high alpine work . More o ﬁlm o i di ver, packs may be shipped h me for mme ate s development , whereas the chances are plate would get

os broken in the p t . Both on the Matterhorn and on Mont Blanc I used

- ﬁlm s d 1 1 x 1 8 . two 2 exposure 3 cm pack , and had I carrie plates and holders another porter would have been a

ss nece ity . o o in al Winter ph t graphy the Alps , especi ly if one is

ul s f r s - o after beautif now e fects , equires creen w rk .

one is s s s e If intere ted in winter port , however, scre n

At St Moritz last winter I found ofa second t oo

s - and slow to regi ter ski j umpers without blurring them , had to increas e the speed to of a second or even In the marvellous sunlight of a Swiss winter on e may work at of a second and still have light t o diaphragm . Winter spo rt photography is a spe cial study and one

f r and e which well repays the e fo t cost expend d .

HOW TO GET KILLED IN THE ALPS

GETT ING killed in the Alps is becoming rapidly an inter

o l nati na mania . This is evidenced by the statistics of the Swiss Alpine

o 1 6 o Club , already qu ted, showing that last year 5t urists u and g ides somehow managed to break their necks ,

o an nl while the number of wounded , th se who m aged o y r — — e to b eak something arms , legs or ribs is quite b yond

compute . The periodic massacre is due largely to the fact that s - for i alpine dangers are un een . On the sea shore , h

' o s stance , sane pers ns who cannot wim would not think

o of of bathing in a r ugh sea , for the sight and roar the terriﬁes is waves them . In the Alps it just the con

trar for y , Nature , it would seem , takes pains to cover the deadly crevasses with thin snow- bridges and avalanches come down without warning where the novice would l . u al least expect them The most beautif pine ﬂowers ,

too , contrive to bloom overhanging the most perilous s abys es .

’ ‘ a o alz fe l Some years g it was the which climbed , whi e

-in - - the man the street stayed in the street , or looked at

ai o o the mount ns from his h tel wind w . Now it is a mad scramble of a hundred thousand

reach some - os souls to z snow capped summit . As m t 21 3 21 4 of these know nothing of the technique of

il r l of k led , the following u es may be service , easily memorized : A fascinating way is to go an d e pick delweiss . To pluck it one must approach from l above . Descend slowly , therefore , c inging to some l small shrub . If a passing guide chances to cal warning , n a ou are reply that you k ow wh t y about , and that

s as s to touri ts , as well guide , have a right pick alpine o ﬂ wers . Lean slightly over the precipice , and as one

r oo o hand g asps the alluring bl m , with the ther hand o s o ! pull on the shrub , which will c me loo e , ro ts and all

o n o s There will be a grating s u d of l o e , moving rock , the

an ll v overh ging ledge wi ca e in , and one may soar ,

s a o o edelwei s in h nd , int the v id below . There will be an d three lines in the newspapers about it , a caravan i of expert gu des will ﬁnd the body . Climbing without guides is why so many Germans — — and Austrians succeed wide statistics while English and Americans somehow, unfortunately, cannot get o n s e over the habit of ch osi g always the be t on s .

o o im Eighty per cent . of the fatalities ccur to t urists cl b

ui o s ing without g des . Sign r Cumani , an Italian arti t , started to climb Mont Blanc alone Iwenty years ago h s and he as never been heard of ince . f o 1 8 8 al M . H . N . Riegel , r m Philadelphia , in 9 , so

o o s attempted M nt Blanc al ne , and guide found his

o on Mia e hi b dy later the Glacier de g , to w ch he had fallen from several thousand feet above . Sitting down in avalanche paths is sometimes effec

of s s n wi s e tive . A friend mine , di pen i g th guide , climb d up above Pierre Pointue on the route up Mont Blanc

21 6 HOW To BECOME AN ALPINIST

. i cows To get killed , therefore , the alpinist with vert go

o - r tagne de la C te , a goat f equented buttress of Mont 1 02 Blanc ; while a French actress , in 9 , trying to be on polite , was instantly killed the Mauvais Pas , by the

side of the Mer de Glace , while attempting to pass out side when she met a party coming in the contrary

direction . In case of passing beneath a forest ﬁre on a moun

o tain side , stop and have a look at the thick yell w spirals

o of ascending sm ke . In an amazingly short time the

Of s ed roots the trees burn , releasing the tones lodg

o s between them , and these , falling , bombard the fo tpath ﬁre o below . By watching the from an exp sed vantage point the spectator will be hit squarely in the face by a

- his o wi d twenty pounder , and b dy ll be recognize later - hi by visiting cards , w ch, by the way, every novice should hi carry in s pocket .

Do not bother about heavy underwear, double pairs of socks , mittens and dark goggles when going above

s - the now line . If the sun shines one may go blind , and ,

o s o theref re , more ea ily fall ver a precipice . In case of bad weather coming on suddenly, as it often does , one

. can freeze in a very short time . It is said to be a de i u lic o s drowsy death . E A party of three nglish and American tourists, z o with eight guides , during bad weather fro e on M nt T H E P IC D U T AC A D E JO R A S S E S UL , GR N S , Mo n t Ma e t and th e D e n t d u G éan t s e e n fro m th e Me r a ll d e Gl c e .

CROSSI NG T H E GLACI E R B LANC o n t h e w a to th e B e lve er e in th e Ai u i e s u s y d g ll R o ge .

21 8 HOW TO BECOME AN ALPINIST

o t i In the early m rning, when every h ng is frozen tight , ’ ’ “ the o . falling st nes are rare It is in the afternoon , when

themselves in such places should do so in the afternoon when the su n is hot !

s l ll One may ea i y get ki ed by ignoring verglas , cre

- h vasses s s . t e , berg chrunds and now bridges Particularly

o latter are recommended to n vices . Guides see them di s e in advance by a peculiar p in the surface now, or lse search for them by poking continuously in advance with

- ma ﬁn d the end of their ice axes . Amateurs y them ,

o . h wever, without this trouble They step on one , the

- s o ! snow bridge give way, a piercing cry , and all is ver oo ui r o s Finally, in ch sing a g de for excu si n always m dr nk . o take an inveterate i er Dr Hunter W rk an , the

o o a o fam us Himalayan explorer, told me not l ng g that when in the Alps he un wittingly was fortunate enough to get caught in a diﬂicu lt passage with one who was

m o taken with delirium tre ens . Dr Workman , alth ugh he turned guide , failed to get killed, and has not yet

o his s f rgotten sen ation .

For o wh o n o o th se k w n thing of the mountains, and

o s ﬂesh - o who c ntinue lu ting for the p ts, there is left always the climbing receipt ofMark Twain Hotel veranda ! Bottle of whisky ! Telescope !

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T . W E RN E R L A U R I E , L IMIT E D THE WiLD WlDOW

By G ERT IE DE 8 . WE NT WO RT H -J AMES

i s . n e t There are many gen uine su rprises in this nove and a to e th er it is an in enious and fasc ina iece of l, — l g g ting p wor . Mom m e k g Lead r . Th e sto r is ac e fu l oflife and mirth and humour A y p k d l . brigh t and breez y n ove l thorough! y u 9 to-date B sta y nder . “ Shows po wers and ua ities far beyon q—l ' d or inar out ut ofﬁction . D u blzn s d y p E a . Proves the au tho r to be ca ble —inventing and unfolding com icate ot with considerab e s i . a z l T le r a pl d pl k ll D y e g ph. RED LOVE By G E RT IE D E WENT WO RT H -J AMES

i s . n e t

v A nove that 15, abo e all ive . Clever satirical. l , l ly ly h writin is smart . and h i o There is a T e g t e d al gue amusing.

C ear erce tion s an mar ve if Mrs l p p d ked creati g ts. Wen tworth -J ames writes bitterly concerning th e jeal ousy and malice of the mal e r evie wer in respe ct of women writers he r we are not actuated by fee lings ofse x-antagonism t sh e has within her the s of r tn A writer who tha seed g ea ess. so cl ear ly possesses the gift o f se e1ng that which is in front of THE N I GHT S I D E OF LONDON By RO B E RT MAOH RAY

r l. R B With 9 5 Pictu e s by T o m B now u s , R. , . . A.

i s . n e t iﬂ’ P . u to A . m In th e S treets Ratcl Piccadilly Circus (xx . r ) ; ( “ ” “ ” H 1ghway) ; In Society ; Not In S oc ie ty ; An East End ’ Music H all ; Ear l s Court C u Life ; A Satur ay N l b ” d Eccentrics (3 “ r Ni h the Ne w Ly ic , A g A Schoo for Neophytes ; l ’ ’ ‘ St Paul S Th e H oppe rs S atu rday Night .

LOYE lNTRlGUES OF ROYAL COURTS By T H O R N T O N H ALI l O o t h , i n. n ot

Mr H all describe s many ofthe secre t dramas and reve a s some of th l eir most remarkabl e scenes. Catherine th e Gre at a her r61 th e ret madca Fran ces pl ys e ; p p, enn in s co uette s with h r ov d istina ueen of J g , q e l ers ; an t , ! S we en r ro al ifts. , az z les the wor by the sp en ours of he y g Th d d ld l d e author a so escri es amon othe rs K in Lu wig, the l d b , g , g d ’ Che va ier D Eon a in his ua r61e now man no w woman ; l pl y g d l , , ’ S ophie D oroth ea l osing a crown for K onigsmarck s love Countess Casti ione the m ste rious La of e rsai es A exan er and gl , y dy V ll ; l d ’ Dra s in the ast tra ic cene ofthe ir v - rama Maz arin a niece g l g s lo e d , who e ns ave K in and Louis Phili e the Ro a Chan elin . l d gs ; pp , y l g g THE GAME OF BRlDGE

B CUT Cavarm rsn With the New Ru es of Bri e and y . l dg Auction Bri e and a Cha ter on Bri e Parties . dg , p dg

i s. n e t

b the we - nown e x e rt is a uide to the e inn er y ll k p g b g , nd yet it contains many valuable suggestions which are helpfu l to a e r Th e atest ru es are inc u ed and a ver pl y . l l l d , y Bri Parties a d how to con uct th em b on dge n d , y

MOD ERN WOMAN AND HOW TO MANAG E HER I By WA LT E R M. GALL OHAN

This most entertaining and right y-written boo essential y ' b l k l ” - - in —D az Td e m h far see g. ly g p - A th oughtfu and tho u ght provokin l ttle oo . ”l ’ b k n l ou ts o -S u nda Clzr omd c lge i in rtic e b H UBR R i g y p ken . y d g A l y T Bu mp ) . ’ —M i Leader o om n . A brutally frank b ok . g THE N I G HT S I D E OF PAR IS ’ By E . B . D AU V E RG N E W - ith 24 Fu l a e Drawin s . i s n ot l p g g . “ A compan ion vol u me to the eve r-popu lar Night ” t — Side ofLondon . T he au h or knows the Paris ofto day in its ever as ec and wi h him we ramb e in all y p t, t l direc ons over the Ga it n ow min in wi h th e ti y C y, gl g t fashionab e crowd on the Grande B ou levarde now ee l , p p ’ in in o Maxim s and the hau nts ofthe !mu te ow then g t n , u n in in o the darkes and mos dan erou s s u ms the pl g g t t t g l , la r fthe A aclze an th e ou All th w the au hor o d o . e a i p v y y, t entertains u s with his keen and h u morou s appreciations ofParisian ife and charac e r and incisive com arison s l t , p betw en the two reat Euro an ca a e g pe pit l s.

Th e S tor of a SCARLET K ISS . y De g e n e rate W o m an - By GE RT IE D E 8 . W E N TWO R T H J AMES “ ” T a u W LD Winow A nt/cor of I This novel hits ofi all kinds offe minine artiﬁces and in ri u es in a ver r ht amu s n me ci ess and u o t g y b ig , i g, r l p t

BI OG RA PHY FOR BEG I N N ERS E By J . O LE R IH W

i n . K Cu z sr m r o n With 40 Ill u str at o s by G . An e ntire ly new kin d ofNonsen se B ook is not a thin g “ of er da or even ever ear bu t Bio ra h for ev y, ; g p y ” y y y n f Beginners may fairly claim to sta d on its own e e t. ’ Mr Cle rihew s fou r-line stanz as (one devoted to each of the forty great men treated in the volu me ) are u n like anything of the kind hitherto e vol ve d by profe ssors of ’ th art of Nonse nse and Mr he s erton s drawin s e ; C t g , mas er iec es of extrava ance as the are more than d o t p g y , ju stice to their subjects. FALLEN AMON G TH I EVES

By S T AN LE Y PO RT AL H YATT

i s . n e t

A detective story conce rning a gang of German Je ws “ c nne c e h L o t d with t e White S lave trafﬁc in o ndon .

2838 MAYFA I R

By FRA N K R IC HAR DS O N

i s . n e t

A a e ofLondon and all hat herein is it sta s wi h t l , t t ; rt t a murde and is not il on afer the co se come s r, it t l l g t rp r to life that the myste y ofthe mu rder is sol ved .

MISS FERRIBY’ S CLI EN TS

By FLO R EN C E WA RD EN

i s . n e t

’ One ofMiss Warden s b s m ste tale s be on in t e t y ry , l g g o ” h sam ca e or as Th e H ou s on th Marsh t e e t g y e e .

LI FE’S S H OP WI N DOW

By V ICT O R IA G RO S S

i s . n e t . The book is a vivid and brilliant pre sentment ofthe ’ va n hases of a woman s ife and dis a s all tha ryi g p l , pl y t kee n ana s s ofmo ive and character hat acu e u nder ly i t , t t standin of the e motions hat o in ife and vi o rou s g , t j y l g vita it which make Victoria ross so remarkab e a l y C l ” writer and s cured for her ast book Six Women , e l , , a no e worth succe ss in all a ts ofth or su ch t y p r e w ld .

SIX WOMEN

' By vno ro mA G RO S S

What is so mar ed in these storie s is the eau t ofthe writin k b y g . i h T he Eastern storie s ar e f H er atmosph ere is de l g tfu l . ull ofthe No one n co lour an d the atmosph ere of th e Eas t. ca do anything ’ but envy the autho r s touch in the description ofEastern buildings Tﬁe u een . and gardens . !

THE UN COUNTED COST By MARY GAU NT

i s . n e t ,

In this amaz in nove the doctr ne hat a wo man can g l , i t l ve her own ife is set for h o eth er w th all the i l t , t g i f pe n alties an d cons equ ences o this th eory . A story of intense inte es . Gri s our a tent on at the ver s ar r t p y t i y t t, an d eads ou fascina ed an d s e ou nd to the ﬁna l y , t p llb , l LETT ERS TO A DA UGHTER By H U B E RT B LA N D

i s . n e t .

f T he Th ese l e tters are ro m a father to his d au ghter. ’ fathe r s character is sho wn in an in trod u cto ry sketc h . It is an od d compou nd o f phil osoph e r and man o f the wor d an d his inte e ctu a interchan e s with his dau h er l , ll l g g t are more intimate and mo re frank than is u su al in that W r re lationship. h e n the l ett e rs were written the dau ghte was w h t a ay o n a rou nd of visits. She se e ms to ave pu to h er father man brave candid u e stions to which he y ly q , has replied with an e qually candid cou rage . ’ The gir l s qu estion s re fe r to those probl e ms whic h resen t themse ves ine vitab to o n e who is in te i e n t p l ly ll g , ninetee n an d a gir l An d th e letters deal with su c h : proble ms . H e re are the title s ofsome o fth e m — — A Le tt e r on be ing De ligh tfu l Ou Going to Chu rch Ou S ca ndal - ’ — — Ou Earning On e s Living Ou the Limits of ﬂ ir ta t ion Ou ’ — — Diﬁeren t S orts of Me n Ou th e Glamo u r of th e Foo tlights Ou M ia ar r ge .

THE HA PPY MORALIST By H U B E R T B LA N D

i s . n e t .

A de ightfu fres h an d charmin g vo u me l lly ” l au f th or o Le tte rs to a Dau ghte r.

THE EMPR ESS OF THE A ND ES B y F LO R E N C E W AR D E N

i s n e t . Th is excitin g tale o fmyste ry d eals large ly with life in Paris and Londo n THE METHODS OF YICTOR~AMES

“ e ” By ( h A u ra.» of T a : Anvs n r u u s o r 103 11 Jam s .

i s . n ot .

Imbue d with so me o f the rin ci e s o f Machiave i p pl ll , osse sse d ofe normou s wea th distrustfu of all assions p l , l p t hat imit the u rsuit of ower co urted b man wome n l p p , y y for his afflu e n ce and beau t bu t cou r n rare a e is y, ti g ly, l g lator an d co ntro ll er o fopin ion thro u gh his organs in th e Pre ss in e n io u s force fu e soteric h u morous an d shre wd , g , l , , , d ese rvin the ve na it o fhis con t e m o raries d e ve o in g l y p , l p g a mora it o u t ofhis distas te for curre n t cond u ct he fu l y , lp l to tho se who m his ma rm a d efeats ; Amos is a figu re whi h is r a i o c p o b bly un q u e in ficu n.

THE K I N G AND I SABEL " B the A ut hor o T 11 11 Anv s n r u u s o r oa n n a y f J Jo s.

i s . n ot .

THE WEARI N G

By J AMES B LYT H

i s . n o t .

A n excitin motor stor in which Mr B th re se n ts g y , ly p a care fu stu d o fthe birth de ve o ment an d te rmin a l y , l p , tio n o fone o ftho se attacks o f a fLove o r S e n nme n tal C l , Fe ve r to whic h e ve r ar e -hearte d bo o fe d u cation is , y l g y

U NIVER S IT Y OF CALIFOR NIA LIB R AR Y Los Angeles

t tam w T h is book is D U E on th e las d ate s ped belo .

MAR 1 2 1958

— F orm L 9 50m (59 9 0 4 44