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TRUE TALES OF MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE
TRUE TALES OF MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE
Melchior Anderegg 1894. Frontispiece. TRUE TALES OF MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE FOR NON-CLIMBERS YOUNG AND OLD BY MRS AUBREY LE BLOND (MRS MAIN) NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 1903 ( All rights reserved. ) TO MR EDWARD WHYMPER WHOSE SPIRITED WRITINGS AND GRAPHIC PENCIL FIRST AWAKENED AN INTEREST IN MOUNTAINEERING AMONGST THOSE WHO HAD NEVER CLIMBED, I DEDICATE THESE TRUE TALES FROM THE HILLS, THE MATERIAL FOR SOME OF THE MOST STRIKING OF WHICH I OWE TO HIS GENEROSITY....
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PREFACE
PREFACE
There is no manlier sport in the world than mountaineering. It is true that all the sports Englishmen take part in are manly, but mountaineering is different from others, because it is sport purely for the sake of sport. There is no question of beating any one else, as in a race or a game, or of killing an animal or a bird as in hunting or shooting. A mountaineer sets his skill and his strength against the difficulty of getting to the top of a steep peak. Either he conquers the mountain, or it c
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ERRATA
ERRATA
The plate labelled to face page 225, to face page 11. The plate labelled to face page 5, to face page 83. TRUE TALES OF MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE...
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CHAPTER I WHAT IS MOUNTAINEERING?
CHAPTER I WHAT IS MOUNTAINEERING?
Mountaineering is not merely walking up hill. It is the art of getting safely up and down a peak where there is no path, and where steps may have to be cut in the ice; it is the art of selecting the best line of ascent under conditions which vary from day to day. Mountaineering as a science took long to perfect. It is more than a century since the first ascent of a big Alpine peak was accomplished, and the early climbers had but little idea of the dangers which they were likely to meet with. The
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CHAPTER II A FEW WORDS ABOUT GLACIERS
CHAPTER II A FEW WORDS ABOUT GLACIERS
Of all the beautiful and interesting things mountain districts have to show, none surpass the glaciers. Now a glacier is simply a river of ice, which never melts away even during the hottest summer. Glaciers form high up on mountains, where there is a great deal of snow in winter, and where it is never very hot even in summer. They are also found in northern lands, such as Greenland, and there, owing to the long cold winter and short summer, they come down to the very level of the sea. A glacier
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CHAPTER III AVALANCHES
CHAPTER III AVALANCHES
Many of the most terrible accidents in the Alps have been due to avalanches, and perhaps, as avalanches take place from different causes and have various characteristics, according to whether they are of ice, snow, or débris , some account of them may not be out of place. We may briefly classify them as follows:— An ice avalanche is easily understood when it is borne in mind that a glacier is always moving. When this river of ice comes to the edge of a precipice, or tries to crawl down a very st
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CHAPTER IV THE GUIDES OF THE ALPS: WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO
CHAPTER IV THE GUIDES OF THE ALPS: WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO
There is no profession drawing its members from the peasant class which requires a combination of so many high and rare qualities as that of a mountain guide. Happily, the dwellers in hill countries seem usually more noble in mind and robust of frame than the inhabitants of plains, and all who know them well must admit that among Alpine guides are to be found men whose intelligence and character would rank high in any class of life. I have usually noticed that the abilities and duties of a guide
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CHAPTER V THE GUIDES OF THE ALPS—(continued).
CHAPTER V THE GUIDES OF THE ALPS—(continued).
The fathers of modern mountaineering were undoubtedly the two great Oberland guides, Melchior Anderegg and Christian Almer, who commenced their careers more than half a century ago. The former is still with us, the latter passed away some two years ago, accomplishing with ease expeditions of first-rate importance till within a season or two of his death. Melchior began his climbing experiences when filling the humble duties of boots at the Grimsel Inn. He was sent to conduct parties to the glaci
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CHAPTER VI AN AVALANCHE ON THE HAUT-DE-CRY
CHAPTER VI AN AVALANCHE ON THE HAUT-DE-CRY
The Haut-de-Cry is not one of the giants of the Alps. It is a peak of modest height but fine appearance, rising abruptly from the valley of the Rhone. In 1864 it had never been climbed in winter, and one of our countrymen, Mr Philip Gosset, set out in February of that year to attempt its ascent. He had with him a friend, Monsieur Boissonnet, the famous guide Bennen, and three men from a village, named Ardon, close by, who were to act as local guides or porters. The party had gained a considerabl
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CHAPTER VII CAUGHT IN AN AVALANCHE ON THE MATTERHORN
CHAPTER VII CAUGHT IN AN AVALANCHE ON THE MATTERHORN
The following exciting account is taken from an article by Herr Lorria, which appeared in The St Moritz Post for 28th January 1888. The injuries received were so terrible that, I believe, Herr Lorria never entirely ceased to feel their effects. The party consisted of two Austrian gentlemen, Herren Lammer and Lorria, without guides, who, in 1887, had made Zermatt their headquarters for some climbs. They had difficulty in deciding which ascent to begin with, especially as the weather had recently
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CHAPTER VIII LOST IN THE ICE FOR FORTY YEARS
CHAPTER VIII LOST IN THE ICE FOR FORTY YEARS
It was in 1786 that the summit of Mont Blanc was reached for the first time. It had been attained on only eleven occasions, and no accidents had happened on it when, in 1820, the catastrophe since known as the Hamel accident, took place. Dr Joseph Hamel was a Russian savant, and Counsellor of State to the Czar. He much desired to ascend Mont Blanc in order that he might make scientific experiments on the top, and in August 1820, he came to Chamonix for the purpose. It is of no use, and of little
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CHAPTER IX THE MOST TERRIBLE OF ALL ALPINE TRAGEDIES
CHAPTER IX THE MOST TERRIBLE OF ALL ALPINE TRAGEDIES
There is no great mountain in the Alps so easy to ascend as Mont Blanc. There is not one on which there has been such a deplorable loss of life. The very facility with which Mont Blanc can be climbed has tempted hundreds of persons totally unused to and unfitted for mountaineering to go up it, while the tariff for the guides—£4 each—has called into existence a crowd of incapable and inexperienced men who are naturally unable, when the need for it arrives, to face conditions that masters of craft
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CHAPTER X A WONDERFUL SLIDE DOWN A WALL OF ICE
CHAPTER X A WONDERFUL SLIDE DOWN A WALL OF ICE
Twice at least in the Alps climbers have lost their footing at the top of a steep slope, and rolled down it for so long a distance that it seemed impossible they could survive. The two plucky mountaineers who have competed in an involuntary race to the bottom of a frozen hillside are Mr Birkbeck, in his famous slide near Mont Blanc, and Mr Whymper, when he made his startling glissade on the Matterhorn. It was in July 1861 that a party of friends, whose names are well known to all climbers, set o
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CHAPTER XI AN ADVENTURE ON THE TRIFT PASS
CHAPTER XI AN ADVENTURE ON THE TRIFT PASS
Few passes leading out of the Valley of Zermatt are oftener crossed than the Trift. It is not considered a difficult pass, but the rocks on the Zinal side are loose and broken and the risk of falling stones is great at certain hours in the day. The Zinal side of the Trift is in shadow in the early morning, and therefore most climbers will either make so early a start from the Zermatt side that they can be sure of descending the dangerous part before the sun has thawed the icy fetters which hold
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CHAPTER XII AN EXCITING PASSAGE OF THE COL DE PILATTE
CHAPTER XII AN EXCITING PASSAGE OF THE COL DE PILATTE
Even now the valleys and mountains of Dauphiné are neglected in comparison with the ranges of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, and other famous mountain chains of the Alps. In 1864, when Mr Whymper with his friends Messrs Moore and Walker undertook a summer campaign there, it was practically unexplored from the climbers' point of view. The party was a skilful and experienced one, the guides, Almer and Croz, of the highest class, and the esprit de corps in the little army of invasion most admirable. Thus
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CHAPTER XIII AN ADVENTURE ON THE ALETSCH GLACIER
CHAPTER XIII AN ADVENTURE ON THE ALETSCH GLACIER
Mr William Longman, a former Vice-President of the Alpine Club, has given us an interesting account in The Alpine Journal of an exciting adventure which happened to his son in August 1862. The party, consisting of Mr Longman, his son, aged fifteen, two friends, two guides, and a porter, set out one lovely morning from the Eggischhorn Hotel for an excursion on the Great Aletsch Glacier. The names of the guides were Fedier and Andreas Weissenflüh. Mr Longman writes:—"We started in high spirits; th
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CHAPTER XIV A WONDERFUL FEAT BY TWO LADIES
CHAPTER XIV A WONDERFUL FEAT BY TWO LADIES
One of the highest and hardest passes in the Alps is the Sesia-Joch, 13,858 feet high, near Monte Rosa. The well-known mountaineer, Mr Ball, writing in 1863, referred to its first passage by Messrs George and Moore, as "amongst the most daring of Alpine exploits," and expressed a doubt whether it would ever be repeated. The party went up the steep Italian side (on the other, or Swiss side, it is quite easy). We can, therefore, judge of the astonishment of the members of the Alpine Club when they
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CHAPTER XV A FINE PERFORMANCE WITHOUT GUIDES
CHAPTER XV A FINE PERFORMANCE WITHOUT GUIDES
The precipitous peak of the Meije, in Dauphiné, had long, like the Matterhorn, been believed inaccessible, and it was only after repeated attempts that at last the summit was reached. The direct route from La Bérarde will always be an extremely difficult climb to anyone who desires to do his fair share of the work; the descent of the great wall of rock is one of the few places I have been down, which took longer on the descent than on the ascent. When the members of the Alpine Club heard that a
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CHAPTER XVI THE PIZ SCERSCEN TWICE IN FOUR DAYS—THE FIRST ASCENT OF MONT BLANC BY A WOMAN.
CHAPTER XVI THE PIZ SCERSCEN TWICE IN FOUR DAYS—THE FIRST ASCENT OF MONT BLANC BY A WOMAN.
It was a mad thing to do. I realised that when thinking of it afterwards; but this is how it happened. I had arranged with a friend, Mr Edmund Garwood, to try a hitherto unattempted route on a mountain not far from Maloja. He was to bring his guide, young Roman Imboden; I was to furnish a second man, Wieland, of St Moritz. Wieland on the highest point of Piz Scerscen ( page 200 ). A Party on a Mountain Top. The other Party Descending Piz Bernina ( page 202 ). A Party commencing the Descent of a
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CHAPTER XVII THE ASCENT OF A WALL OF ICE
CHAPTER XVII THE ASCENT OF A WALL OF ICE
Of all the writers on Alpine matters none has a more charming style, or has described his adventures in a more modest manner, than Sir Leslie Stephen. Perhaps the most delightful passages in his Playground of Europe are those in which he tells how, in company with the Messrs Mathews, he managed to get up the great wall of ice between the Mönch and the Eiger, known as the Eigerjoch. The Messrs Mathews had with them two Chamonix guides, while Mr Leslie Stephen had engaged the gigantic Oberlander U
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CHAPTER XVIII THE AIGUILLE DU DRU
CHAPTER XVIII THE AIGUILLE DU DRU
Few mountains have been the object of such repeated attempts by experienced climbers to reach their summits, as was the rocky pinnacle of the Aiguille du Dru, at Chamonix. While the name of Whymper will always be associated with the Matterhorn, so will that of Clinton Dent be with the Aiguille du Dru, and the accounts given by him in his delightful little work, Above the Snow Line , of his sixteen unavailing scrambles on the peak, followed by the stirring description of how at last he got up it,
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CHAPTER XIX THE MOST FAMOUS MOUNTAIN IN THE ALPS—THE CONQUEST OF THE MATTERHORN
CHAPTER XIX THE MOST FAMOUS MOUNTAIN IN THE ALPS—THE CONQUEST OF THE MATTERHORN
The story of the Matterhorn must always be one of unique attraction. Like a good play, it resumes and concentrates in itself the incidents of a prolonged struggle—the conquest of the Alps. The strange mountain stood forth as a Goliath in front of the Alpine host, and when it found its conqueror there was a general feeling that the subjugation of the High Alps by human effort was decided, a feeling which has been amply justified by events. The contest itself was an eventful one. It was marked by
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CHAPTER XX SOME TRAGEDIES ON THE MATTERHORN
CHAPTER XX SOME TRAGEDIES ON THE MATTERHORN
By the summer of 1886 it had become common for totally inexperienced persons with incompetent guides (for no first-rate guide would undertake such a task) to make the ascent of the Matterhorn. In fine settled weather they contrived to get safely up and down the mountain. But like all high peaks the Matterhorn is subject to sudden atmospheric changes, and a high wind or falling snow will in an hour or less change the whole character of the work and make the descent one of extreme difficulty even
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CHAPTER XXI THE WHOLE DUTY OF THE CLIMBER—ALPINE DISTRESS SIGNALS
CHAPTER XXI THE WHOLE DUTY OF THE CLIMBER—ALPINE DISTRESS SIGNALS
I cannot bring this book to a more fitting end than by quoting the closing words of a famous article in The Alpine Journal by Mr C. E. Mathews entitled "The Alpine Obituary." It was written twenty years ago, but every season it becomes if possible more true. May all who go amongst the mountains lay it to heart! "Mountaineering is extremely dangerous in the case of incapable, of imprudent, of thoughtless men. But I venture to state that of all the accidents in our sad obituary, there is hardly on
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GLOSSARY.
GLOSSARY.
A Albula Pass, 20 Aletsch glacier, 12 , 142 Almer, Christian, 29 , 50 , 51 , 71 , 126 , 134 Almer, Ulrich, 42 Altels, Ice-avalanche of the, 78 Anderegg, Jacob, 162 Anderegg, Melchior, 24 , 50 , 113 , 162 d'Angeville, Mademoiselle, 204 Ardon, 59 Arkwright, Henry, 98 Aufdemblatten, Peter, 269 Avalanches, different kinds of, 15 B Balmat, 52 Barnes, Mr G. S., 32 Bean, Mr, 108 Bennen, 59 , 113 , 252 Bich, J. B., 262 Bionnassay, Aiguille de, 169 Birkbeck, Mr, 113 Blanc, Mont, 3 , 92 , 107 , 162 , 203
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