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diff --git a/old/54163-0.txt b/old/54163-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4c170b4..0000000 --- a/old/54163-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8750 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Ski-runs in the High Alps, by F. F. -(François Frédéric) Roget, Illustrated by L. M. Crisp - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Ski-runs in the High Alps - - -Author: F. F. (François Frédéric) Roget - - - -Release Date: February 13, 2017 [eBook #54163] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKI-RUNS IN THE HIGH ALPS*** - - -E-text prepared by Ann Jury and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 54163-h.htm or 54163-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/54163/54163-h/54163-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/54163/54163-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/skirunsinhighalp00roge - - - - - -SKI-RUNS IN THE HIGH ALPS - - - * * * * * * - - SKI-ING FOR BEGINNERS AND MOUNTAINEERS - - By W. RICKMER RICKMERS - - With 72 Full-page Plates and many Diagrams in the Text - - _Crown 8vo, cloth, 4s. 6d. net. (Post free, 4s. 9d.)_ - - Opinions of the Press - - “A fascinating book on the most delightful of Continental - winter sports. Not only is Mr. Rickmers a strenuous and - accomplished ski-runner himself, but he has had years of - experience as a teacher of the art, and his handy volume - embodies everything that it is essential for the novice to know - in order to become an efficient ski-runner in as short a time - as possible”--_T. P.’s Weekly._ - - “He is a teacher of vast experience, who has studied every - defect in style that a beginner can possibly fall into, and has - learned how to cure them all. If the novice with the aid of - this book studies his every posture and action, practising the - right and with pains correcting what he learns is wrong, he is - on the high road to becoming a first-class runner.”--_Scottish - Ski Club Magazine._ - - “Mr Rickmers has written a lucid book which, as regards - ski-ing, is cyclopædically exhaustive.”--_Illustrated Sporting - and Dramatic News._ - - “This book will be a great boon to those wishing to learn - the art of ski-ing. The illustrations are excellent and most - carefully chosen--in fact, the whole book from beginning to - end is full of useful knowledge, and is most interestingly - written. It will be enjoyed not only by the initiate, but by - the experienced ski-runner.”--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN - - * * * * * * - - -[Illustration: SUNSET, FROM MONT DURAND GLACIER. - -Frontispiece.] - - -SKI-RUNS IN THE HIGH ALPS - -by - -F. F. ROGET, S.A.C. - -Honorary Member of the Alpine Ski Club -Honorary Member of the Association of -British Members of the Swiss Alpine Club - -With 25 Illustrations by L. M. Crisp -And 6 Maps - - - - - - -T. Fisher Unwin -London: Adelphi Terrace -Leipsic: Inselstrasse 20 -1913 - -(All rights reserved.) - - - - - [Illustration] - - TO - MY DAUGHTER - ISMAY - HOPING SHE MAY NOT GO FORTH - AND DO LIKEWISE - - - - -PREFACE - - -In 1905, when nearer fifty than forty, had I not been the happy father -of a girl of seven I should have had no occasion to write this book. -I bought, for her to play with, a pair of small ski in deal, which I -remember cost nine francs. For myself I bought a rough pair, on which to -fetch and bring her back to shore if the small ship foundered. - -No sooner had I equipped myself, standing, as a Newfoundland dog, on the -brink of the waves, ready to rescue a child from snow peril, than I was -born again into a ski-runner. - -Since, I have devoted some of my spare time to revisiting--in winter--the -passes and peaks of Switzerland. - -The bringing of the ski to Switzerland ushered in the “New -Mountaineering,” of which a few specimens seek in these pages the favour -of the general public. - -The reader may notice that I never spell “ski” with an _s_ in the plural, -because it is quite unnecessary. One may stand on one ski, and one may -stand on both ski. The _s_ adds nothing to intelligibility. - -Nor do I ever pronounce ski otherwise than I write it. There is in ski -the _k_ that appears in skipper and in skiff. Though cultured Germans say -_Schiff_ and _Schiffer_, the _k_ sound of ski is quite good Norse. It has -been preserved in the French _esquif_, of same origin. - -The _i_ should be pronounced long as in “tree.” - -So let us always say _s-k-ee_ and write ski for both numbers. - -SAAS-FEE. _August 14, 1912._ - -[Illustration] - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - CHAPTER I - - SKI-RUNNING IN THE HIGH ALPS 17 - - The different ski-ing zones--Their characteristics and - dangers--The glaciers as ski-ing grounds--The ski-running - season--Inverted temperature--The conformation of winter - snow--Precautionary measures--Glacier weather--Rock - conditions--Weather reports--Guides and porters. - - CHAPTER II - - WITH SKI TO THE DIABLERETS 34 - - _First Ascent_--The Bear inn at Gsteig--The young - Martis--Superstitions--The rights of guides. - - _Second Ascent_--The composition of the caravan--Odd - symptoms--Winter amusements on the glacier--A broken ankle--The - salvage operations--On accidents--My juvenile experience--A - broken limb on the Jaman. - - _Third Ascent_--The Marti family--The Synagogue once more--An - old porter--We are off. - - CHAPTER III - - FROM THE COL DU PILLON TO THE GEMMI PASS (DIABLERETS, WILDHORN, - WILDSTRUBEL, AND KANDERSTEG) 59 - - The range--Ski-runners’ logic--Itinerary--The Plan des - Roses--Untoward experiences on the Rawyl pass--Death - through exposure--The _Daily Mail_ and Mr. Arnold Lunn’s - feat--House-breaking--On the Gemmi--Perspective and - levels--Relief models of the Alps--My smoking den--Old Egger. - - CHAPTER IV - - THE SKI-RUNNER OF VERMALA 83 - - Vermala--The mysterious runner--The Plain of the - Dead--Popular beliefs--The purification of the grazings--A - haunted piece of rock--An awful noose is thrown over the - country-side--Supernatural lights and events--The Babel of - tongues--The Saillon and Brigue testimonies--The curé of Lens - and his sundial--The people’s cure--The Strubel--_Chauffage - central_--Did I meet the Ski-runner of Vermala?--My third - ascent of the Wildstrubel--A night encampment on the - glacier--Meditations on mountains, mountaineers, and the - Swiss--How to make _café noir_--Where to sleep and when not - to--Alpine refuges--The old huts and the new--The English - Alpinists and the Swiss huts--The Britannia hut. - - CHAPTER V - - THE BERNESE OBERLAND FROM END TO END 113 - - The Oberland circuit--My appointment with Arnold - Lunn--An Anglo-Swiss piece of work--An unbelieving - public--Switzerland and Britain--Geographical--Practical--We - start from Beatenberg--The Jungfrau ice-slabs--New - Year’s Day at Kandersteg--In the Gasterenthal--On the - Tschingelfirn--Foehn-effects on the Petersgrat--The Telli - glacier--The Kippel bottle-race--A church door--Theodore - Kalbermatten--The Loetschen pass--Burnt socks--Roped - ski-ing--The Concordia breakfast-table--Why we did not ascend - the Jungfrau--The Concordia huts--The Grünhornlücke--On snow - “lips” and cornices--An afternoon snooze--The Finsteraarhorn - hut--A guideless party--Ascent of the Finsteraarhorn--Our - next pass--A stranded runner--The Grimsel--Home life at - Guttannen--Our sleigh ran to Meiringen--A comparison of winter - and summer work--Memories and visions--Table of levels--How - to form a caravan--The pay of the men--Side-slip and - back-slip--Future railway facilities. - - CHAPTER VI - - THE AIGUILLE DU CHARDONNET AND THE AIGUILLE DU TOUR 181 - - The aspect of the Grand Combin--Topography--Weather conditions - for a successful raid--A classification of peaks--The Orny - nivometer--The small snowfall of the High Alps--The shrinkage - of snow--Its insufficiency to feed the glaciers--The Aiguille - du Tour--Ascent of Aiguille du Chardonnet--The St. Bernard - hospice--Helplessness of the dogs--The narrow winter path--The - monks’ hospitality--Their ski--The accident on the Col de - Fenêtre--_Ce n’est pas le ski_. - - CHAPTER VII - - THE GRAND COMBIN 197 - - The Panossière hut--Tropical winter heat--Schoolboys and - the Matterhorn--Shall it be rock or snow?--The Combin - de Valsorey--My third ascent of the Grand Combin--The - track home--Col des Avolions--Natural highways of a new - character--Twenty-three thousand feet ascended on ski. - - CHAPTER VIII - - ACROSS THE PENNINE ALPS ON SKI BY THE “HIGH-LEVEL” ROUTE 206 - - The “high-level” route--Previous attempts--My itinerary--Marcel - Kurz--The wise old men of Bourg St. Pierre--Maurice - Crettex--Guides with bamboos and laupars!--The snow-clad - cliffs of Sonadon--The Chanrion hut--Sealed-up crevasses--The - nameless pass--Louis Theytaz--The Pigne d’Arolla--The Bertol - hut--Why the Dent Blanche could be ascended--The lady’s - maid’s easy job--The dreadful summer slabs--We push past - two “constables”!--My cane--We bash in her ladyship’s white - bonnet--The Ice-Maid presses gently my finger-tips--The - cornice crashes down--A second night in the Bertol hut--The - Col d’Hérens--An impending tragedy--A milk-pail _versus_ - ski--Dr. Koenig and Captain Meade--The real tragedy of - Theytaz’s death--Ropes and crevasses--Mr. Moore’s account--My - comments--The Mischabel range and Monte Rosa. - - CHAPTER IX - - THE PIZ BERNINA SKI CIRCUIT IN ONE DAY 245 - - Old snow well padded with new--Christmas Eve in the - Bernina hospice--The alarum rings--Misgivings before - battle--_Crampons_ and sealskins--A causeway of snow--An - outraged glacier--The Disgrazia--A chess-player and a - ski-man--Unroped!--In the twilight--The Tschierva hut--Back to - Pontresina--Hotel limpets--Waiting for imitators. - - CHAPTER X - - FROM AROSA TO BELLINZONA OVER THE BERNARDINO PASS 256 - - The Arosa Information Bureau--The hospitality of sanatorium - guests--The allurements of loneliness--Whither the spirit - leads--Avalanche weather--The Spring god and King Frost--The - source of the Rhine--The post sleigh in a winter storm--The - Bernardino pass--Brissago. - - CHAPTER XI - - GLACIERS--AVALANCHES--MILITARY SKI-ING 264 - - A legacy from the past--The formation of glaciers and - atmospheric conditions--Forests and glaciers--Our deficient - knowledge--The upper ice and snow reservoirs--What is - the annual snowfall and what becomes of it--How glaciers - may be classed--Mechanical forces at work--Moraines and - _séracs_--Avalanches--Periodic avalanches--Accidental - avalanches--The general causes--The statics of snow--What - happens to winter snow--_Strata_--How steep slopes may be - classed--Excusable ignorance of strangers to the Alps--Those - who write glibly in home magazines--Unsafe slopes--Avalanches - when running across slopes--The probing-stick--Avalanche - runs--Military ski-ing--The St. Gothard and St. Maurice - districts--Military raids in the High Alps--The glaciers as - military highways--Riflemen on foot as against marksmen on ski. - - CHAPTER XII - - THE MECHANICS OF SKI-BINDINGS 282 - - The shoe--The original bindings--The modern bindings--The - foot--The hinge in the foot--Different functions of the - toe-strap and heel-band--The parts of the binding--Faulty - fasteners--Sketches of faulty and correct leverage--A schematic - binding--_Critique_ of bindings in use--Suggestions--Cheeks and - plates--A whole blade--Cause of strained feet--Steel wire in - bindings. - - CHAPTER XIII - - RUDIMENTS OF WINTER MOUNTAINEERING FOR SKI-RUNNERS 294 - - The new “Alpinism”--A re-statement of elementary - principles--Ski-runners _versus_ summer pedestrians--The - experiences of an eminent physician--How to walk in snow--Put - not your trust in sticks--Keep your rope dry--Stand up on your - feet--Ski-sticks as supports--Winter clothing. - - CHAPTER XIV - - WINTER STATIONS--WINTER SPORTS--HOW TO USE SKI 300 - - The awakening of the English--Switzerland the ice and - snow rink of Europe--The high winter stations and the - low--Principal sporting centres--Insular delusions--The - Continental network of winter sport associations--Winter - sports on ice--Tobogganing--The winter climate varies with - the altitude--A classification of sporting centres according - to altitude--The ski-runner is monarch of the Alps--How to - keep one’s ski in good order--How to learn the gentle art of - running on ski--Precepts and practice--The turns, breaks, and - swings--_Point final_. - -[Illustration] - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - SUNSET, FROM MONT DURAND GLACIER _Frontispiece_ - - FACE PAGE - - THE WILDSTRUBEL HUT 21 - - OBERGABELHORN, FROM THE DENT BLANCHE 29 - - SPORT ON THE ZAN FLEURON GLACIER 42 - - FROM THE DENT BLANCHE, LOOKING WEST 50 - - MOVING FROM THE TOP OF THE FINSTERAARHORN 60 - - DESCENT INTO THE TELLITHAL, LOETSCHENTHAL 70 - - ON THE TOP OF THE FINSTERAARHORN 80 - - ABOVE RIED, LOETSCHENTHAL 90 - - WILDSTRUBEL AND PLAINE MORTE GLACIER 100 - - KANDER GLACIER 123 - - GASTERNTHAL 130 - - CONCORDIA PLATZ 149 - - BREAKFAST ON THE FINSTERAARHORN 163 - - ADOLF ON THE FINSTERAARHORN ARÊTE 178 - - THE VALSOREY GLEN 190 - - THE SONADON CLIFFS 214 - - ON THE DENT BLANCHE, WITH MATTERHORN 230 - - TOP OF DENT BLANCHE 234 - - ON THE STOCKJÉ, LOOKING EAST 238 - - FOOT OF STOCKJÉ, LOOKING EAST 243 - - UPPER SCERSCEN AND ROSEG GLACIERS 253 - - THE SONADON GLACIER 266 - - AT THE FOOT OF THE COL D’HÉRENS 279 - - THE BRITANNIA HUT 302 - - MAPS. - - DIABLERETS--WILDHORN--WILDSTRUBEL--GEMMI PASS 64 - - KANDERSTEG--FINSTERAARHORN--GRIMSEL 114 - - FERRET--ENTREMONT--BAGNES 182 - - THE PENNINE RANGE FROM GRAND ST. BERNARD TO ZERMATT 208 - - MISCHABEL RANGE AND MONTE ROSA 240 - - PIZ BERNINA CIRCUIT 248 - -[Illustration] - - - - -Ski-Runs in the High Alps - - - - -CHAPTER I - -SKI-RUNNING IN THE HIGH ALPS - - The different ski-ing zones--Their characteristics and - dangers--The glaciers as ski-ing grounds--The ski-running - season--Inverted temperature--The conformation of winter - snow--Precautionary measures--Glacier weather--Rock - conditions--Weather reports--Guides and porters. - - -In a chapter like this, a writer on the High Alps may well abstain from -poetical or literary developments. His subject is best handled as a -technical sport, and personal experience should alone be drawn upon for -its illustration. - -Little more than ten years have elapsed since men with a knowledge of -summer mountaineering began to explore the Alps in winter. Not only -are the successes, which have almost invariably attended the winter -exploration of the Swiss ice-fields, full of instruction for the novice, -but also the accidents and misfortunes which, sad to say, ended in loss -of life or limb, have conveyed useful lessons. - -In this chapter the writer has nothing in view but to be practical and -pointed. His remarks must be taken to apply exclusively to the Alps. He -has no knowledge of any other ski-ing field, and is conversant with no -other experience but that gained in the Alps by himself and members of -the Swiss ski-ing clubs, which count in their membership thousands of -devotees. - -It is necessary to distinguish the zones of meadow land and cultivated -fields, forest land, cattle grazings, and rocks. - -In the forest zone the snow presents no danger except, perhaps, in -sharply inclined clearings where its solidity is not sufficiently assured -either by the nature of the underlying ground or by the presence of trees -growing closely together at the foot of the incline. - -Above the forest belt the zone of pastures is a favourite ski-ing ground. -This zone is wind-swept, sunburnt during the day, and under severe frost -at night. As a general rule, it may be laid down that snow accumulated in -winter on the grazings frequented by cows in summer affords a safe and -reliable ski-ing ground, at any rate in all parts where the cows are in -the habit of standing. When in doubt, the ski-runner should ask himself: -Are cows, as I know them, likely to feel comfortable when standing -on this slope in summer? If an affirmative answer can be given in a -_bona-fide_ manner, the slope is not dangerous. - -Alpine grazing lands being selected for the convenience of cows, they -are almost throughout well adapted to ski-runners. It is, of course, -understood that gorges, ravines, and steep declivities will be avoided -by Swiss cows just as much as by those of any other nationality. The -ski-runner should leave those parts of the grazing alone on which a herd -would not be allowed to roam by its shepherds. - -The deepest and heaviest Alpine snows lie on the grazings, and the -avalanches that occur there in spring are of the heaviest type and cover -the most extensive areas. These are spring avalanches. They are regular -phenomena, and it is totally unnecessary to expect them in midwinter. - -Above the grazings begin the rocks. They are either towering rocks and -walls, or else they lie broken up on slopes in varying sizes. In the -latter case the snow that may cover them is quite safe, provided the -points of those rocks be properly buried. As a rule, wherever there is a -belt or wall of solid rock above a grazing (which is practically the case -in every instance when it is not a wood), the loose stones at the foot -of the rocks give complete solidity to the snow surface resting on them. -The danger arises from the rocks towering aloft. If these are plastered -over with loose snow, the snow may come down at any moment on the lower -ground. One should not venture under such rocks till the snow that may -have gathered in the couloirs has come down or is melted away. - -Avalanches are a matter belonging more particularly to snow conditions -in the grazing areas, but they need not to any degree be looked upon as -characteristic of this area. Their cause has to be sought in the weather, -that is in the rise and fall of the temperature, and in the wind. There -is quite a number of slopes at varying angles, where it is impossible -that the snow surface should be well balanced under all weather -conditions, and these are the slopes where mishaps do occur. The easiest -method to avoid accidents is to keep on obviously safe ground, and it is -also on such ground that the best and most steady running can be got. - -The glaciers of Switzerland are a magnificent and absolutely unrivalled -ski-ing ground. - -The months appointed by natural circumstances for ski-running in the -High Alps are the months of January and February. This period may quite -well be taken to include the whole month of March and the last days in -December. - -There are reasons for excluding the first three weeks in December, and -the last three in April. - -In night temperature, but in night temperature only, the passing from -summer to winter, upwards of 9,000 feet may indeed be said to have fully -taken place long before the end of the year. This passage is marked -by the regular freezing at night of all moisture, and by the regular -freezing over of all surfaces on which moisture is deposited by day. -Still, the first fall of a general layer of snow, which will _last -throughout the winter_ on the high levels, may be much delayed. Till that -first layer has covered the high ground, the ski-runner’s winter has not -begun. - -[Illustration: THE WILDSTRUBEL HUT. - -To face p. 21.] - -The first general snowfall, if it mark the beginning of the ski-runner’s -winter, does not yet mark the setting in of the ski-running season. For -a time, which may extend from November to near the end of December, -moisture proceeding from the atmosphere, that is rain and _vapours_ -(warm, damp winds), is not without effect at the altitudes which we are -considering. Such a damp condition of the air and any risk of rain are -quite inconsistent with ski-running. But everybody should know that if -such risks must be taken throughout the winter by a ski-runner residing, -for instance, at the altitude of Grindelwald, they may practically be -neglected by a sportsman whose field of exercise is that to which the -Swiss Alpine Club huts afford access. - -There, from Christmas to early Easter, the only atmospheric obstacle -consists of snowstorms, in which the wind alone is an enemy, while -the snow entails an improvement in the conditions of sport each time -it falls. The November and December snowfalls prepare the ground for -running, and running at those heights is neither safe nor perfect as -long as the process goes on. In January and February any snowfall simply -improves the floor or keeps up its good condition. It may be taken that -during these months the atmosphere is absolutely dry from Tyrol to Mont -Blanc above 8,000 feet, and that a so-called wet wind will convey only -dry snow. Any moisture or water one may detect will be caused by the heat -of the sun melting the ice or the snow. It is a drying, not a wetting, -process; it leaves the rocks facing south, south-east, and south-west -beautifully dry, and completely clears them, by rapid evaporation, of the -early winter snows or of any casual midwinter fall accompanying a storm -of wind. - -Such are the atmospheric reasons which help to determine the proper -ski-running months in the High Alps. - -There are others which are still of a meteorological description, but -which are connected mainly with the temperature. We shall begin by -giving our thought a paradoxical expression as follows: it is a mistake -to talk of winter at all in connection with the High Alps. According -to the time of year, the weather in the Alps is subjected to general -rain conditions or to general snow conditions. Under snow conditions -the thermometer falls under zero Centigrade, and the temperature of the -air may range from zero to a very low reading; but the sun is extremely -powerful, its force is intensified by the reflection from the snow -surface. The temperature of the air in the shade is therefore no clue to -the temperature of material surfaces exposed to the rays of the sun. The -human frame, under suitable conditions of clothing and exercise, feels, -and actually is, quite warm in the sun, a violent wind being required -to approximate the subjective sensations of the body to those usually -associated with a cold, damp, and biting winter’s day. - -This is a general characteristic of the Alpine winter, to which must be -added an occasional, though perfectly regular, feature, namely, that -the Alps may offer, and do offer every winter, instances of _inverted_ -temperature. This name is given to periods which may extend over several -days at a stretch, and which are repeated several times during the -winter months. These are periods during which the constant temperature -of the air--that is, the average temperature by night and by day in the -shade--is higher upon the heights than in the plains and valleys. - -As a general principle, the winter sportsman may be sure that in the -proportion in which he rises he also leaves behind him the winter -conditions, as defined, in keeping with their own notions and experience -by the dwellers on plains, on the seaside, or in valleys. When travelling -upwards he reaches a dry air, a hot and bright light, and maybe a higher -temperature than prevails in the lower regions of the earth which lie at -his feet. - -We said a little while ago that in January and February any snowfall -improves the floor. In the preceding months the high regions pass -gradually from the condition in which they are practicable on foot -to those under which they are properly accessible to the ski-runner -only. Time must be allowed for the process, and till it is completed -ski-running is premature and consequently distinctly dangerous. The -Alpine huts should not be used as ski-ing centres before they can be -reached on ski, and one should not endeavour to reach them in that manner -as long as stones are visible among the snow. - -The distinctive feature of the ski-runner’s floor is that it is free -from stones and from holes. The stones should be well buried under -several feet of snow, and the holes filled up with compressed or frozen -snow before the ski-runner makes bold to sally forth, but when they are -he may practically go anywhere and dare anything so far as the ground -is concerned, provided he is an expert runner and a connoisseur in -the matter of avalanches. Of course, our “anywhere” applies to ski-ing -grounds only, and our “anything” means mountaineering as restricted to -the uses to which ski may fairly be put. - -The floor of the ski-runner is a dimpled surface consisting of an endless -variety of planes and curves. It is a geometrical surface upon which -the ski move like instruments of mensuration that are from two to three -yards long. Snowfalls and the winds determine the geometrical character -of the field upon which the long rulers are to glide. This, the only -true notion of the ski-ing field, means that the _detail_ of the ground -has disappeared. It presents a continuity of differently inclined, bent, -edged, or curved surfaces, all uniformly geometric in the construction -of each. Any attempt at ski-running upon this playground before its -engineers and levellers (which are snow and wind) have achieved their -work in point of depth, solidity, and extent, is unsporting and perilous. - -The continuous figure or design presented by the upper snow-fields of the -Alps in January, from end to end of the chain, is broken by prismatic -masses, such as cones, pyramids, and peaks, on the sides of which the -laws of gravity forbid the establishment by the concourse of natural -forces of snow-surfaces accessible with ski. The runner who has been -borne by his ski to the foot of those rock masses--such, for instance, -as the top of Monte Rosa as it rises from the Sattel--will continue his -ascent as a rock-climber. He will probably find the state of the rocks -quite as propitious as in summer, and often considerably better. - -To sum up, the characteristics of the ski-running season are: stability -of weather, constant dryness of the air, a uniform and continuous -running surface, windlessness, a constant body temperature from sunrise -to sunset, at times a relatively high air temperature, solar light and -solar heat, which must not be confused with air temperature and present -an intensity, a duration most surprising to the dweller in plains and on -the seaboard; last, but not least, accessibility of the rocky peaks with -climbing slopes turned to the sun. - -A real trouble is the crevasses. The ice-fields form such wide avenues -between the peaks bordering them that a ski-runner must be quite a fool -if an avalanche finds him within striking distance. But the crevasses -are quite another matter. In summer the protection against falling into -crevasses is the rope and careful steering between them. In winter -mountaineering the ski, properly speaking, take the place of the rope. -The longest traverses in the Alps have been performed by unroped -ski-runners. At the same time, the usefulness of the rope, in case of -an accident actually occurring, cannot be gainsaid, though it cannot be -maintained that the rope, which has been known to cause certain accidents -in summer, may be called absolutely free from any such liability in -winter. Of the use of the rope we therefore say, “Adhuc sub judice lis -est.” - -There are two golden rules for avoiding a drop into a crevasse: firstly, -keep off glaciers or of those parts of any glacier where crevasses -are known to be numerous, deep, long, and wide; secondly, if called -upon to run over a glacier that is crevassed, use the rope, but use it -properly--that is, bring its full length into use, take off your ski, -and proceed exactly as you would do in summer by sounding the snow and -crossing bridged crevasses one after another. It is absurd to mix summer -and winter craft; they are distinct. When the rope is used under winter -conditions, let it be exactly according to the best winter practice. - -If going uphill you find yourself landed on ice, take off your ski and -gain a footing on the ice by means of the heavy nails on your boots. -Never attempt glacier work with unnailed boots or short, light bamboo -sticks. If any accident happens suddenly to your ski you are helpless -and hopeless without nails; you probably will not have time to take your -climbing irons off your rucksack and bind them on to your feet. - -Accidents to ski generally happen when one is on the move on difficult -and dangerous ground. It is absurd to expect that the difficulty or -danger will abate while you take off your rucksack, sit down, and strap -on your climbing irons. Remember that you are on the move and that your -impetus will carry you on, if not immediately checked by nails gripping -the ice. That, too, is the reason why a short, light bamboo will not do; -it is a fine-weather weapon and quite the thing on easy snows. On rough -ground you want something with a substantial iron point, a weapon of some -weight and strength which can support your body and help in seeing you -home should your ski be injured. A good runner would never put his stick -to unfair uses, such as riding and leaning back. - -If on going downhill you find yourself landed on ice, the essential thing -is to be able to keep on your feet first, to your course next. A stout -stick with a sharp point will then be sorely needed, and if you have been -careful to fasten on to your ski-blades an appliance against skidding or -side-slip, you will find it much easier to steer and keep to your course. -On the whole, it is wiser on iced surfaces which are steep--and these are -generally not extensive--to carry one’s ski. - -There ought to be an ice-axe in the party, but this ice-axe should be -carried by a professional and used by him. Nobody can cut steps or carry -safely an ice-axe without some apprenticeship, and this it is impossible -to go through in severe winter weather. - -The principal glacier routes of Switzerland have been proved over -and over again to be free from any particular risk or danger arising -from winter conditions. The _ratio_ of risk is the same as in summer. -Consequently, select the best known routes, which are also the most -beautiful and ski-able. Take with you, as porters and servants rather -than guides, men who have frequently gone over those routes in winter -with some Swiss runner of experience. This is important, because many -guides, particularly the most approved summer guides, are creatures of -routine, and will take you quite obdurately along the summer routes, step -for step and inch after inch. Now, this is wrong and may lead to danger. -The ski-runner must dominate the snow slopes. His place is on the brow, -or rather on the coping, not at the foot of the slopes along which the -summer parties generally crawl. - -When going uphill for several hours consecutively, as it is necessary -to do in order to reach the Alpine huts, an artificial aid against -slipping back is indispensable. When going uphill the ski support the -weight of the runner and keep his feet on, or above, the snow. But they -do not distinguish between regressive and progressive locomotion. The -whole of the work of progression falls upon the human machinery. Under -those conditions the strain put on the muscles by continuous or repeated -backsliding is objectionable. The use of a mechanical contrivance is made -imperative by the steepness of the slopes and their great length. - -Another point is that when running downhill, say, from the Monte-Rosa -Sattel to the Bétemps hut, it is never advisable to pick out the shortest -and quickest route, which means the steepest run possible. High Alp -ski-running demands the choice of the longest course consistent with -steady progress and with an unbroken career along a safe line of advance. -The watchword of the good runner will always be--at those heights and -distances where so much that is ahead must remain problematical--move -onward on curves, so as to approach any obstacle by means of a bend, -admitting of an inspection of the obstacle, if it is above the surface, -before you are upon it, and which, if it is the running surface which -presents a break, even a concealed one, will prevent your hurling -yourself headlong into the trap. - -[Illustration: OBERGABELHORN, FROM DENT BLANCHE. - -To face p. 29.] - -The influence of wintry weather upon exposed and lofty rock pinnacles is -practically the same as that of summer weather, but still more so, if -such a paradoxical way of expressing oneself can be made clear. At the -height of 10,000 feet above the sea-level and upwards the winter weather -is glacier weather. This is not the weather that prevails in the depth -of the Swiss valleys or on the Swiss tableland. The snowfall upon the -glaciers is not so great as one might expect. The snow that does fall -there is dry, light, powdery, and wind-driven. Those characteristics -are such that only some slight proportion of the snow driven across -the glacier actually remains there. Most of it is carried along and -accumulates wherever it can settle down--that is, elsewhere than on -wind-swept surfaces. - -The winter sun is so powerful that it very soon clears the high ridges -from a kind of snow that is in itself little suited to adhere to -their steep, rocky sides. Therefore the position is as follows: the -ski-runner can gain access to the peaks with great ease. The so-called -_Bergschrunde_, in French _rimaie_, are closed up, and the rocks towering -above are practically just as climbable as in summer, with the help of -the same implements too--rope, ice-axe, and if one likes, climbing-irons. - -The start is made much later in the morning, but, on the other hand, one -need not be over-anxious as to getting to one’s night quarters by sunset. -Running on ski at night over a course that has been travelled over in the -morning, and therefore perfectly recognisable and familiar, is, in clear -weather, as pleasant as it is easy. That is why the ascent of a rocky -peak is, to my mind, an object which a ski-runner who does not take a -one-sided view of sport will gladly keep in view. - -The risk of frost-bite may be greater than in summer, in so far as the -temperature of the air is much lower. But the air being, as a rule, -extremely dry and the heat of the sun intense, the full benefit of this -extraordinary dryness and of this heat really puts frost-bite out of the -question in fine weather, provided rocks are attacked from the southern -or south-west aspect, or even south-east. It is quite easy to wear thick -gloves and to put one’s feet away in thick and warm woollen material. But -no attempt whatever should be made at rock climbing under dull skies, let -alone when the weather is actually bad. It must also be added that bad -health, exhaustion, indigestion, nervousness, and such like are, of all -things, the most conducive to frost-bite. - -The thermometer may mark in January, above the tree-line, and still more -among rocks, as much as 40 degrees Centigrade at midday in the sun. This -is not the air temperature, as in the shade the same thermometer will -soon drop to zero Centigrade or less. But anybody who has experienced the -wonderful glow of those winter suns on the highest peaks of Switzerland -will be careful that he does not bring them into disrepute by visiting -them when he himself is not fit or when they are out of humour. In any -case, people who go about on ski with feet and hands insufficiently clad -may well be expected to take the consequences. - -The foregoing lines bring us quite naturally to consideration of the -weather. The first principle to be borne in mind is that weather in -the High Alps is quite distinct from weather anywhere else. The only -authentic information at any time about the impending weather in the -Alpine area is that given day by day by the Swiss Central Meteorological -Office in Zürich. This report, and accompanying forecast, is published -in all the important daily papers, such as the _Journal de Genève_, the -_Gazette de Lausanne_, the _Bund_, &c. The figures are of less importance -than the notes on wind, air-pressure, and the description in ordinary -language which comments upon the more scientific data. Those reports -should be consulted, and should be posted up by every hotel keeper. - -Weather is not uniform throughout Switzerland. The driest area runs -along the backbone of the Alps from the lake of Geneva to the lake of -Constance, along the Canton du Valais and the Canton des Grisons. Chances -of steady, fine weather are consequently greater in those valleys than -elsewhere. The driest spot in Switzerland is Sierre. The High Alps, which -are of most interest to the ski-runner, are also the part of Switzerland -which presents the largest proportion of fine sunny days in the winter -months. - -The tableland, extending from the lake of Geneva to Bâle and Constance -along the Rhine, and bounded on the south-east by the lakes of Thoune and -Brienz, Lucerne, and the Wallensee, may remain for weeks together under -a sea of fog, resting at the height of about a thousand feet above the -surface of the ground. As long as those fog areas, which are generally -damp and cold, are curtained from the rays of the sun, the canopy of fog -acts as a huge reflector for the sun rays which impinge upon it from -above. Provided there is no wind (and the Alps may be windless for days -and weeks at a time) the rays, reflected back into space from the fog -surface, heat very considerably the layers of air above, while the air -imprisoned below remains cold. The winter snows themselves, by a similar -process of reflection, generate a great deal of heat of the kind which a -human body perceives, and in which the mountaineer is fond of basking. - -The long Jura range, extending from the lake of Geneva to Bâle along the -French border, shares in the Alpine climate, though in a somewhat rougher -form. - -The conclusion is that in Switzerland the weather conditions, to mention -these alone, are extremely favourable to the ski-runner. In the matter of -space at his disposal there are in Switzerland, on the slopes of either -the Alps or the Jura, generally above the forest belt, three thousand -grazings for cattle, every one of which is a ski-ing area. Only a very -small number have hitherto been frequented by the ski-runner. Yet last -winter three thousand pairs of ski were sold by one firm alone, and it -is reckoned that the number fitted and sold last winter (1911-12) in -Switzerland exceeds forty thousand. - -Swiss guides hitherto have been trained and engaged only for summer work. -Consequently their efficiency on ski is in every instance a personal -acquirement, and their knowledge of their duties under winter conditions -is simply consequent upon their summer training or derived from their -own native knowledge of winter conditions, without the addition of any -instruction. If one wishes to engage guides for winter work the best -guarantee is that the guide belong to a local ski club, and should have -attended, if possible, one or several ski courses before he is considered -fit to accompany _amateur_ ski-ing parties. - -Another point is that guides in winter must be prepared to act as -porters. It is in the nature of running on ski that the runner will -hardly ever find himself in a position to call for individual assistance, -and the routes he will frequent are of necessity routes which, from the -mountaineering point of view, are easy and not suited to give great -prominence to the qualities of a guide in the strict and recognised -meaning of the term. What the amateur ski-runner particularly wants is a -hardy and willing companion who will carry the victuals for him and is -wise enough to employ his influence in turning the ski-runner away from -any dangerous ground, and to pick out the best and safest lines across -country. Guides holding a diploma should not be paid more for winter work -than they are allowed to claim in summer under the established rates of -payment. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -WITH SKI TO THE DIABLERETS - - _First Ascent._--The Bear inn at Gsteig--The young - Martis--Superstitions--The rights of guides. - - _Second Ascent._--The composition of the caravan--Odd - symptoms--Winter amusements on the glacier--A broken ankle--The - salvage operations--On accidents--My juvenile experience--A - broken limb on the Jaman. - - _Third Ascent._--The Marti family--The Synagogue once more--An - old porter--We are off. - - -It has been three times my lot to lay the flat of my ski across the brow -of the Diablerets. This in itself would be of but little interest had not -a trifling incident occurred each time which may be related with more -animation than the ascents can be described. - -1. In the month of January, 19--, at a time when the ascent of the -Diablerets had not yet been attempted on ski, I marched early in the day -out of the slumbering Bahnhof hotel at Gstaad, with a full rucksack on my -back and rattled through the village on my ski along the ice-bound main -street. - -The sun had not yet risen when I knocked at the door of the Bear hotel at -Gsteig and presented to the frowsy servant who appeared on the doorstep a -face and head so hung about with icicles and hoar-frost that she started -back as though Father Christmas had come unbidden. - -When she had sufficiently recovered herself, I inquired of her whether -she knew of any man in the village who would accompany me to the top of -the Diablerets. She looked so puzzled that I hastened to explain that by -man I did not mean a guide, but any one who might be foolish enough to -enter upon such an expedition with a complete stranger advanced in years. -A mere boy would do, provided he could cook soup and could produce a pair -of ski with which to follow his employer. - -Two lads offered themselves; the brothers Victor and Ernest Marti, sons -of an old guide. At first they understood no more of the business than -that a gentleman had arrived with whom there was some chance of casual -employment. When I had made my intention plain to them, they jumped at my -purpose with the eagerness of their age. They had ski which they had made -themselves, but was the ascent possible? Anyhow, if I wanted one of them -only, he certainly would not go without the other, and when I tackled -the other to see whether he would not come alone, they might have been -Siamese twins for aught I could do to separate them alive. They went to -their mamma, who raised her hands to heaven and would have put them into -the fire to rescue her darlings from my dangerous clutches. - -In the end the boys, dare-devils much against their wish, sallied forth -loaded with ropes, ice-axes, and other cumbersome paraphernalia, among -which it would be unfair to reckon their mother’s blessings and their -father’s warnings. Indeed, in their sight I was an evil one, bent upon -sundry devilries in an ice-bound world. But for the halo thrown for them -about my undertaking by the prospect of the beautiful gold pieces to be -gained, they would rather have committed me alone to the mercy of the ice -fiends. - -Lusty of limb, though with quaking hearts, they had no sooner slipped on -their ski than their fears were dispelled. They flew to and fro on the -snow like gambolling puppies. Who would have thought they bore on their -backs a pack that would have curbed the ardour of any ordinary person? -They were already prepared in their minds to become Swiss soldiers a few -months later, when they would carry, in equipment and arms, more than -weighed their present guides’ attire. - -Guides, by the way, they were not, but hoped to be some day, when they -were soldiers. I discovered that, meanwhile, besides working at the -saw-mill, they played the part of local bandsmen. From Christmas Eve to -New Year’s Day they had shared as fiddlers in the mummeries, revels, and -dances of the season. They had conceived thereby much thirst, as was soon -made clear by the flagging of their spirits, and by the loving way in -which they bent down to the snow, pressed it between their hands like a -dear, long, unbeheld face and kissed it. When they were refreshed their -tongues were once more loosened. - -We were drawing nearer to the Diablerets. The overhanging rocks seemed -to arch themselves threateningly over our heads, and if the young men -now spoke glibly, it was with a tremble in their voices and about their -renewed fears. It is not without reason that Diablerets and devilry are -cognate sounds in languages so distant from each other as the Romance -_patois_ of the Vaudois Alps and the gentle speech of the Thames Valley. - -Like the remainder of Christian Europe, those valleys shared once upon -a time in the Catholic faith, and this had wonderfully commingled the -early and earthly beliefs of our kind with the teachings of Divinity. -Free-thinkers in the Protestant sense of the word, those boys, creeping -under the shadow of the cliffs up to the snowy vastness above, saw -welling up from the depths of their minds, as in a mirror, the images of -the strange beings with which the rude fancy of the peasantry peoples -those upper reaches of the Alps which they call the Evil Country. But on -that day nothing came of those forebodings. - -On the next morning, after a night spent in complete freedom from -haunting ghosts, my boys hesitated a moment before rounding the shoulder -of the Oldenhorn. The Zan Fleuron glacier opened up just beyond. This was -the known Synagogue, or meeting place of the spirits. They dreaded to see -what they might see there if they turned the corner before the arrows of -light-bearing Apollo had scattered the night mists of Hecate. - -Suddenly the sun broke and poured forth in floods upon a world springing -up innocently from the folds of sleep. My lads felt saved by glad day. - -But, if they went through this first expedition without suffering injury -from the spirits, they were less fortunate in their dealings with -myself. They had allowed themselves to be drawn into a temptation for -which they were yet to undergo punishment; namely, they had, for gold, -disregarded the rules of the Bernese corporation of guides. It is a -salutary regulation of that honourable guild that none who is not an -officially certificated guide shall accompany alone a gentleman in the -district. Now, a terrible thing had happened. Two young men, neither -of whom was a certificated guide, had accompanied a gentleman in the -district. Indeed, the mother of the boys must in the end be proved to -be right in her mistrust. That gentleman had induced her boys to make -light of the fundamental rule of local etiquette as to keeping off the -Zan Fleuron beat entirely reserved for the spirits from All Souls’ Day to -Easter Sunday, and, in addition, he was getting them into trouble with -the police. - -One or two months later I was busily and peacefully engaged in my study -when a member of the Geneva detective force was ushered in. I started up. -What could be the matter? - -The gentleman then explained politely that I was wanted somewhere in the -Canton de Berne. What for? It could be no light matter. - -Now I knew--by repute, rather than by personal experience--that justice -in Berne is extremely rough and even handed. I said I would rather -appear before a Geneva judge. On repairing to the courts, I was informed -that the brothers Marti were summoned at Saanen for palming themselves -off as guides upon an unwary gentleman of uncertain age and feeble -complexion. They had preyed upon his weak mind and enthusiasm to drag him -in midwinter up to the top of the Diablerets, exposing his body to grave -risks, and his soul to the resentment of the fairies, and thus indirectly -infringing a privilege which certificated guides alone enjoyed, to the -exclusion of the remainder of man and womankind. - -Reassured on my own behalf, I at once became “cocky” and proceeded to -prick that legal bubble and take the guiding corporation down a few pegs. -I solemnly swore before the judge--in presence of the clerk who took -my words down with forced gravity--that I had engaged Victor Marti as -lantern-bearer to the elderly Diogenes I actually was, and his brother -Ernest to act for me as crossing-sweeper over the Zan Fleuron glacier, -because I expected there might be some snow, and it is bad for old men to -have cold feet. - -I have since heard that the two boys got off that time without a stain on -their character. - -I say that time, because this trouble is not the last I got them into. -But this is another tale, and will appear hereafter. - -2. My second ascent of the Diablerets was somewhat tragic--this, too, in -January, and in pursuit of the magnificent ski-run which one gets down -the Zan Fleuron glacier to the Sanetsch pass, and back to Gsteig. - -The brothers Marti were again with me. The eldest was now a certificated -guide, and had thus acquired the legal right to take his brother with -him when escorting strangers in the mountains. - -On that occasion there were some strangers, mostly English, in the party. -One of them was a young and able runner on ski, another was an elderly -member of “the” Alpine Club, in whose breast a love for ski was born -late in life, probably in the same years when I myself fell a victim to -that infatuation. The third stranger of British blood need not for the -nonce be otherwise presented to the reader than in a spiritual garb as a -vision. He--or rather she--will appear in the flesh when a ministering -angel is called for in the disastrous scene yet to be enacted, when the -kind apparition will flutter down as unexpectedly as the goblins pop up -through the soft white carpet, under which they have their homes in the -comfortable cracks designed for them by the glacier architect. - -This caravan went up the usual way, in the usual manner, above the Pillon -pass. Near the end of the day, and at sunset, one of us was suddenly seen -to curl up and roll in the snow. The next moment he was back at his place -again, with his rucksack on his shoulder, ice-axe in hand, and with his -ski under his feet, as if nothing had happened. Yet we had all seen him -curl up and roll down. And here he was again, spick and span, like one of -those tourists carved in wood which are offered for sale at Interlaken or -Lucerne. The Marti brothers looked at me queerly. - -They were, indeed, thankful I had got them unscathed out of the police -court. In spite of parental advice, they had come again with me on that -account. But this was beyond a joke. However, they went on, exchanging -among themselves their own remarks, wondering whose sticks, ski, and -rucksack would next be seen flying in opposite directions. - -But nothing happened during the night. The next morning the brothers -Marti, heading our column, wended their way carefully, as before, to the -corner of the Oldenhorn, and peered cautiously round. It was still dark. -From this place it is usual before dawn to catch a glimpse of the gnomes. -They are impervious to cold. Being of an origin infernal in some degree, -they naturally delight in the coolness of winter nights, and their eyes -being habitually scorched by the flames that blaze in the bowels of the -glacier, they much enjoy the soothing caress of the moonbeams. - -On that morning--since there is a morning even to an evil day--the -gnomes were still engaged in their after midnight game of skittles. They -plant their mark on the edge of the glacier, above the cliffs which drop -down clear on to the Derborence grazings. Their bowls are like enormous -curling-stones hewn out of the ice. When the gnomes miss their aim--which -in their love of mischief they like to do--the ice blocks fly over the -edge of the rock parapet, and crash down upon the grazings. In summer the -shepherds endeavour to meet this calamity by prayer. In winter it is of -no consequence. - -But what was of consequence is that we had no business on the glacier -while the night sprites were still holding Synagogue. This the brothers -Marti knew, and that woe was in store for us on that account. But all -went well with us, to all appearances. - -We left our baggage at the foot of the Diablerets peak, and, on our ski, -pushed merrily along to the summit. We lunched, and enjoyed the view, -like any ordinary mortals, ignorant of having challenged Fate. - -Then down we went, curving and circling over the glacier, crossing -unawares the place of the Synagogue. A gnome, crouching somewhere on the -edge of a crevasse, lay in wait for us, hiding behind a heap of carefully -hoarded curling-stones. The deadly weapons began gliding about. The -brothers Marti were proof against them, being involuntary offenders. -The head of the party could not be struck, being of the sceptical kind. -The young Englishman jumped about, being ever safe in the air when -the gliding missile came his way. But the member of “the” Alpine Club -suffered the fate all were courting. His fibula was snapped. - -Then nothing was seen but a man lying down in pain upon a beautifully -white snow-field. The evil spot was clad in the garb of innocence. The -sky spread above in a blue vaulted canopy, such as Madonnas are pictured -against. One of the poor offending mortals lay low, expiating the fault -of all. Would the sacrifice be accepted? - -Yes. Amid the scene of temple-like beauty, charity--it might have been -the Madonna or a simple Ice Maid--appeared in human shape amid the -effulgence of midday, in the opportune costume of a hospital nurse. - -[Illustration: SPORT ON THE ZAN FLEURON GLACIER. - -To face p. 42.] - -With such help, the moment to be absolutely practical came. It was two -o’clock in the afternoon. We were still on the glacier as high as we -could be. Whether we retraced our footsteps or glided on, the distance -was the same to Gsteig, where the Pillon and Sanetsch passes join -together. Luckily the weather was fine, the air quite warm and still. I -despatched Victor Marti, the better runner of the two, down the Sanetsch -to Gsteig. His orders were to summon by telegraph a medical man from -Gstaad to Gsteig, with instructions there to await our arrival, and to -come provided with splints for the crippled man. - -This young winged Mercury received another message to convey. It was to -send forthwith a team of four men to the top of the Sanetsch pass. He -himself was to bring back to the pass eatables, drinkables, and blankets. -It was, indeed, impossible to tell whether we should not be kept out in -the wilderness the whole night. In such places at that time of the year, -the wind, in rising, might be attended by the worst consequences to human -life. - -We had before us many, many miles to be travelled over, across hill and -dale, in deep snow, conveying on foot a helpless man, whom immobility -would expose to serious risks while out in the open during the night -hours. - -Our messenger carried out his instructions with the utmost rapidity and -punctuality. His ski carried him swiftly over many miles of snow to the -wooded confines of the Sanetsch pass. He hailed two wood-cutters, and -sent them straight up to the top of the pass, as a forward relief party. -They got there some time after sunset, while Victor Marti continued on -his way down into the valley to complete his task. - -As for those left behind, they had in prospect a six-mile trudge before -they could reach the pass. No question of continuing on ski. Our sister -of mercy wanted them all to accommodate the wounded man. On the glacier -the snow was not so deep that the hard, icy, under-surface could not -support our footsteps, but as we proceeded lower our plight got worse. -A ski-runner who, on deep snow, has to give up the use of his ski, is -very much like a sailor upon a small craft in mid-ocean. Suppose the boat -capsizes, the sailor may swim. But for how long? Similarly, a ski-runner -bereft of his ski amid boundless, pathless snow-fields, may walk. But for -how long? Snow is a good servant, but a bad master. - -Most people who have not found it out for themselves do not know that -snow gets deeper and deeper as you descend from the glaciers into the -valleys. After we had reached the pass we would still have to climb by -night down the Sanetsch gorge. This manifold task was about to fall to -the lot of a party in which everybody, except one, was new to winter -work. They were, besides, totally unacquainted with night conditions. The -ministering angel dropped from heaven, too, was one who, strange to say, -had never yet been sent to Switzerland on an errand of mercy. Besides, -her task grew so upon her that the discharge of it made her more and more -human, and in the end she experienced in herself all the inconveniences -of being the possessor of a material body. - -With the help of puttees we tied the inert limb to one ski. The other ski -of the same pair supported the intact leg. We cut our ski-sticks into -lengths, split them down the middle, and making cross-bars of them we -fixed the ski to one another. Thus was the stretcher or shutter made. We -had nails, fortunately, and plenty of cord. - -A stretcher, however, cannot be carried in deep snow up hill and down -dale. We now required a sleigh. To build one we laid down on the snow, -carefully and side by side, three pairs of ski, binding them together -with straps, and thereupon we laid the shutter on which was tied the -wounded man. - -Would this improvised sleigh run on the snow? By means of his rope Ernest -Marti yoked himself to the front of it. Head down, shoulders bent, he -gave a pull. His feet broke through the crust of snow and he sank in up -to the waist. To this there was no remedy. He would plunge at each step, -and, recovering himself, breathless and quivering, he would start afresh. - -Each time he got off the victim of our accident received a jerk that -threw him back, for we had not the wherewithal to make a support for -his shoulders. To obviate this very serious trouble, we fitted an empty -rucksack to his back, and pulled tightly the straps over his shoulders -and across his chest. The young Englishman and myself walked then on each -side of him. Holding him by means of the shoulder straps, we checked the -back thrusts to which he was exposed, and kept him upright from the waist. - -Thus our caravan proceeded on its way, our pockets stuffed with the -remaining bits of our ski, with which we might be glad to light a fire -that night in some deserted shepherds’ hut. - -The charity dame walked alongside of us, cheering with her smile the sad -hero of this melancholy adventure. What a picture it would have made if -only one of us had had the heart to photograph it! - -Night was creeping on. The snows turned dark and gloomy, still we were -drawing near to the pass and had no sooner reached it than two burly -figures rose up before us. They smiled, and laid hold of the guiding-rope -which Ernest Marti, exhausted, threw to them. They had appeared in the -nick of time to save us from spending the night up there. From that -moment, turning to the north, we were able to continue to the top of the -Sanetsch gorge without a stop. - -The stars had long been glittering overhead when we were able to look -down into the gorge across to Gsteig. The village was all agog. Lanterns -were creeping about like glow-worms. Some appeared at time amid the -woods, flitting from place to place like fire-flies. The other two men, -ordered up by Victor Marti, now showed their lights quite near us. And -then began the last stage in our salvage operations. - -The Sanetsch gorge was as a vast, curved sheet of ice. Its northern -exposure and the night air had done their work. It would not be possible -to convey a man reclining on a stretcher down the steep windings of the -mule path. The rescuing party soon hit upon the only practicable scheme. -The patient was removed from his splints, poles, straps, and bindings, -and set across the back of a powerful highland man. Ernest Marti took -my Lucifer lamp and placed himself in front to light up the way. Two -men stood immediately behind the human pack-mule. The group thus formed -launched itself down into the gorge, each man depending for security upon -the rough _crampons_ driven into his shoe leather. All’s well that ends -well. The doctor was found waiting at Gsteig. - -It is now his turn to take up the cue, but we do not vouch that he will -satisfy the reader’s curiosity, should we by any chance have left him -with any curiosity to satisfy. I hope we may, because our third ascent of -the Diablerets still awaits him. - -This was not the first mountaineering misadventure I found myself mixed -up with. Moreover, it was an accident, the memory of which I do not -particularly relish. I am afraid I smarted visibly under it, and showed -my personal disappointment. This may have conveyed to some the impression -of some unfairness on my part. - -Has the reader ever noticed how different is the attitude of the public -mind towards accidents on land and on sea? Why should mountaineering -accidents be less sympathetically received than those befalling sailors? -It is, however, not unnatural that the sea should be more congenial, and -command forgiveness by its grandeur. It teaches charity by the immensity -in which it drops the cruel dramas enacted upon its surface. - -When casualties occur in mountaineering, even those concerned appear to -make efforts to single out somebody on whom to fasten the blame. Some -people’s vanity is bent upon discerning the wisdom, or unwisdom, of one -or another of their companions. If a boat goes down a respectful silence -is allowed to dwell alike around the survivors and those lost. But shall -we ever, for instance, hear the end of the merits or demerits of each -concerned in the accident that befell the Whymper party, in 1865, on the -Matterhorn? - -When a climbing party comes to grief, it is as an additional course -for the menu of the _table d’hôtes_: a dainty morsel for busybodies, -quidnuncs, and experts alike. The critical spirit grows ungenerous in -that atmosphere. The victims of the Alp were tempting Fate; one knows -exactly what mistake they made; so-and-so was altogether foolish in ----, -and so forth. With such more or less competent remarks, the fullest -mead of admiration is blended. This, too, be it added with the utmost -appreciation of a kind disposition, does not go without some admixture of -silliness. - -I should prefer, even now, to leave all accidents in an atmosphere of -romance. It is best to meet with them when one is young. The tender -spots in one’s nature are then nearer the surface, and the vein of -chivalry more easily struck. The flutter and excitement of a rescue are -then delightful. One would almost wish for accidents elsewhere than in -day-dreams for the sake of dramatic emotion. - -The accidents, however, arranged in the flights of my imagination -were weak in one respect. They were egotistic. The brilliant part of -a quixotic rescuer fell regularly to me. Let me give the reader an -instance from real life before I take him for the third time up the -Diablerets. - -The thing occurred in a Byronic spot. In this place in my book it will -detach itself as a spring-flower against the snow and ice background -which all these chapters have in common. - -Was I in my “teens,” like “her,” or not quite so green, or much greener? -The question arouses some vague twinges of wounded vanity. But I consult -in vain the tablets of my memory. They are now as illegible in many -places as old churchyard stones. If I then believed I had grounds for -jealousy, I could not now trust myself to say with truth that they were -genuine. - -My resentment fastened upon a rival. I withdrew proudly to the recesses -of the hills, as it is recorded by romantic lore that even males of -the dumb creation are in the habit of doing when baffled in desire and -injured in self-esteem. - -But as, a few days later, I lay lazily stretched out at full length -on the tender pasture grass of the Plan de Jaman, viewing at my feet -the scene of my sentimental _déconvenue_, I do not wish the reader to -paint for himself the picture of an angry bull pawing the ground and -snorting for revenge, though the number of cows grazing about and the -multitudinous tinkling of the bells might well suggest such a classical -impersonation. - -The view over the lake was pure, crystal-like through a moist, shiny air. -Rain had fallen during the night over Glion and the bay of Montreux. The -long grass on the steep pastures of Caux was tipped with fresh snow. It -lay here and there in melting patches, and every blade of grass had its -trickle of water. - -Seated on my knapsack for dryness, I was comfortably munching some bread -and chocolate when discordant and husky cries burst upon me from behind. -The sound was more grotesque than pathetic. - -On looking round there hove in sight a suit of fashionable clothes, which -seemed to betray the presence of a man. They were mud-bespattered and -stained green with grass. A scared and besmirched face stood forth from -above them, marked with what looked like dried-up daubs of blood. From -that dreadfully burlesque and woebegone countenance issued the affrighted -Red Indian cries which had startled my ears. Dear me, how un-Byronic all -this! - -My feelings grew more sympathetic to that vision--and that, in a sense -particularly exhilarating to myself--when in the soiled, distracted -fashion-plate I recognised my successful rival. His language became -immediately an intelligible speech for me, and when he blurted out a -familiar name he won a friend, if not to himself at least to his plight, -which was coming to me as a splendid opportunity. Too dazed to be aware -of the true identity of his audience, he confessed to having lost his way -with “her” that very morning on the Jaman grazings. Their house-shoes -had literally melted away in the wet, slippery grass and been torn to -shreds on the rocks. Famished, thirsty, exposed to the beating rays of -the midday sun, his presence of mind had deserted him. They had fallen -together over a wall of rock. “Where, oh where?” shouted I. - -[Illustration: FROM THE DENT BLANCHE, LOOKING WEST. - -To face p. 50.] - -The wretch could not tell. His mind was a blank. He had run thus far, -but knew not whence, and looked round vacantly for a clue. Exhausted, he -tumbled down upon the turf. To him it had fallen to do the mischief. I -was to repair it.... - -But was the repairing still within human power? My eyes travelled -anxiously up and down the hangs of the Dent de Jaman. By what end should -I begin my search? Had the accident occurred in the wooded parts screened -over by a growth through which I could not see? - -I began a systematic search at one end of the battlefield, as would have -done a party of stretcher-bearers, Red Cross men, clearing the ground of -the wounded and dead. I called out at regular intervals the name of the -object of my search. No reply. Her companion looked on disconsolately -from afar. An hour passed, two hours. Then at last, at one end of the -wooded slope, hidden away in a gorge of minute dimensions, I came upon an -apparently lifeless figure partly reclining on a moss bank with a foot -hanging out from a torn muslin dress over a running stream of snow water. -The faint had lasted long. But for the tears in her dress she looked as -though she had quietly fallen asleep. When I took her up in my arms, my -touch seemed to re-animate her, evidently because it caused her some -pain. Then she came back to life more fully, and gradually realised how -the situation accounted for my presence. She was suffering from a broken -leg. I carried her down to Les Avants. - -The reader would expect to hear that this adventure bound together again -the broken threads of love. Not so. The story did not end as in the case -of a friend of mine who happened to be at the right moment in command of -a column of artillery moving along the Freiburg high road. - -A carriage and pair with several ladies in it was being driven up -from behind. The horses took fright and bolted down a side lane. My -friend galloped up, cut the traces of the horses with his sword, while -the affrighted driver just managed to put on the brakes. On further -approaches being made from both sides, it turned out that the carriage -contained the material appointed by Fate to make a wife for him. - -I believe that in my case so much emotional force got vent in bringing -the work of rescue to a successful issue, that none was left over to -nurse the flower of love to fruition. My personal feeling became as a -part of my obligations to humanity. Dissolved into chivalry and quixotry, -its subtle essence was lost in so broad a river and swept away to the sea. - -3. It is not a far cry from the Dent de Jaman back to the Diablerets. At -the end of March, 1910, I set out with Monsieur Kurz, of Neuchâtel, to be -avenged on the ill-luck which had marred the January trip. - -The name of Mr. Marcel Kurz will appear repeatedly under my pen in this -volume. I made his acquaintance years ago on the occasion of a political -speech. I was only too glad, after a night spent in public talk and -conviviality, to throw off the fumes of oratory and post-prandial -cordiality. In this a lot of keen young ski-runners agreed with me. Among -them was Marcel Kurz, son of Louis Kurz, the eminent maker of the map of -the Mont Blanc range. He has since accompanied me on several expeditions, -the first of which was planned on that day, while practising side by -side Christiania and Telemark swings in friendly emulation. Some of the -photograph reproductions which adorn these pages were made from snapshots -taken by him. Not having yet become acquainted with the Diablerets range -in winter, he accompanied me there in 1910 with our old friends, the -brothers Marti. These were _dienstbereit_, which, being put in English, -would read: Ready for service, which guides and soldiers ever are. - -But were they as free from their ancient fears as they were willing -to undergo fresh trials? I might well have my doubts when, this time, -their father expressed a desire to see me before his boys acquiesced. -The accident which attended our last expedition had left its mark in -the minds of the people. The man with the broken leg had unfortunately -hobbled about so long, on crutches, all over the country side, that -this sight had rudely shaken the confidence which they were beginning -to repose in me, as bringing into the country fresh means of earning a -little money during the winter months. - -The old Marti lady, particularly, whose heart had no eye--if this is -not an Irish bull--for economic advantages that ran counter to the -conservative character of her domestic affections, watched me wickedly -from her doorstep, while her husband interviewed me in the village -street. Here we stood, with the villagers round us, looking a picture -truly symbolic. - -An old father, clothed in authority by his age and experience, the -preserver of the traditions of the past in his house, as in the village -community, and bearing within himself the true doctrine of the guiding -corporation; his sons, with their minds in that half-open condition -which is that of so many young peasants of the present day, when they -may be compared, without thereby losing anybody’s esteem, to oysters -opening to the sunlight the shells out of which they cannot grow; the -mother, anxious for those nurtured at her breast, the coming founders, -as she hoped, of a domestic hearth like unto the old; a man from the -outside, dropped maybe from a higher sphere, but disturbing the even -tenour of their lives, and presenting in a new light to their awakening -consciousness their sense of inferiority and perhaps of misdirected -adherence to the past; lastly, the onlookers and passers-by, a homely -throng, bearing witness, after the style of the Greek chorus in the -village comedy. - -I proposed to the old man that his sons should come again with me -unhindered. We were a small party, and made up of such elements that -there was but little chance of the last accident being repeated. But it -had got to his ears that I had privately consulted with his sons as to -pushing on from the Diablerets to the east over the Sanetsch and Rawyl -passes. I had to confess that such was the intention of myself and of -Marcel Kurz. Whereupon the old man held up his hands and his wife -hurried to his side. - -In the end it was decided that Ernest Marti should accompany me and my -friend with provisions for one day only, and that on the next day the -other brother and a porter would meet us on the Sanetsch pass. Unwilling -to inquire at once what this porter arrangement might portend, lest the -whole affair might be stranded on that inquiry, as a ship might do on -leaving the stocks, we agreed to the suggestion. The conference broke up, -each party being satisfied that it had gained one of its points. - -Our ash planks carried us up without a hitch to the confines of the -glacier. At the Oldenhorn hut, however, another of those sights awaited -us which had made the brothers Marti feel queer. They of the Synagogue -spent the witching hours of the next night in a drunken snowballing orgy. -They pushed an enormous bolt of snow against the door of the hut during -our peaceful slumbers therein. Never mind. We opened the window, got out -through it into the snow, bored our way to the outside, and slipped down -on to the ice. There was some spectral light in the air when we came out. -The Oldenhorn battlements crackled and crepitated a little. When the sun -lit them up from behind, it looked for a moment as if they were manned -with a fringe of tittering monkeys. As I have said, there was a strange -play of light in the air. But the snowballing might have been the work -of avalanches. There is as a rule a natural explanation to be given of -phenomena of this kind. - -While the Oldenhorn pyramid glowed in the morning light, a veil of mist -hung over the Zan Fleuron glacier. The mist in no ways interfered with -our run. We flew like birds over the scene of the January accident. On -the pass we sat down and waited. Victor Marti was to come up. But who was -to accompany him up the pass, in the guise of a porter, with a further -supply of provisions? We required no such thing as a porter--nor even -guides, for the matter of that; but if I acted upon that view, the game -was up. Local men would be slow in taking up the cry, the new cry: Winter -mountaineering! So we looked for the expected two. - -The mist still hung on the pass between us and the sun. Now and then the -sun shone vaguely, as through cotton wool. When the wind broke the mist -up in rifts a patch of blue would look down upon us benignly. At last, -low down in the north, a black speck showed itself to our straining eyes. -Then the speck divided up. There were two men, and something moving along -close to the ground. This turned out to be a dog, dragging along a pair -of ski. The dog got on very well on the hard frozen snow. But when about -to leave the wind-beaten tract, he floundered and got no further. On -inspection with my binoculars, the porter turned out to be none other -than Father Marti, come to fetch his bairns. But we never quite knew why -the dog was made to bring up an extra pair of ski. - -The position was peculiar; the would-be porter could not cover the -distance which separated him from us. We might have snapped our fingers -at him and parodied the biblical phrase: “Thus far shalt thou come and no -farther.” - -We preferred to push into shore on our skiffs and to parley. The old man -declared he had come up to say the weather was bad. We looked round. Did -appearances give him the lie? Kurz was sure they did. More cautious, -because nearer the age of the old salt, I thought they might; but both -boys promptly agreed with their father and the dog wagged its tail -approvingly. - -Kurz and myself began by making sure of the provisions. Then, by a few -judiciously applied biscuits, we won the favour of the dog. Then we said -that, rather than come down at such an early hour, we should spend the -day in runs on the glacier, whereupon Victor Marti felt it would be his -duty to do likewise. Ernest, in his turn, did not see why he should not -spend, in our agreeable company, a day that was so young. The father -winced, but consented. - -Then I thought the juncture had come when I might propose to both young -men to take full advantage of our new supplies of victuals and drink by -spending another night on the heights. The family met again to “sit” upon -the suggestion. Meanwhile I liberally paid old Marti for his trouble and -took him apart to tell him that if the weather was really bad on the -morrow, I should send his boys down. This arrow hit the mark. He was a -perfectly honourable old man, true to the core. Turning to his sons, -he told them that on no account were they to come back home without -their “gentlemen.” I hope, for his comfort, that he realised that the -“gentlemen” would not either consent to be seen again in the valley -without his boys. - -Anyhow, we spent a delightful day in ski-ing in the precincts of the -Synagogue, repaired at night to our hut, slipped through the window, and -spent a night free from molestation. I deemed that it would be wise to -let the sun rise before _we_ did. When it did, it shone with wonderful -grace and power. The mists were scattered out of the sky and the cobwebs -cleared away from our brains. We entered upon the trip which is described -in the next chapter, and during which my excellent young friends pushed -on steadily to Kandersteg, our goal, longing all the time for the sight -of the telegraph poles on which hung the wires which would convey to -their mother the message of their safety. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER III - -FROM THE COL DU PILLON TO THE GEMMI PASS (DIABLERETS, WILDHORN, -WILDSTRUBEL, AND KANDERSTEG). - - The range--Ski-runners’ logic--Itinerary--The Plan des - Roses--Untoward experiences on the Rawyl pass--Death - through exposure--The _Daily Mail_ and Mr. Arnold Lunn’s - feat--House-breaking--On the Gemmi--Perspective and - levels--Relief models of the Alps--My smoking den--Old Egger. - - -No visitor to Switzerland requires telling that a section of the Bernese -Alps runs up to the Gemmi pass from the south-west. In this secondary -range, the leading groups are the Diablerets, the Wildhorn, and the -Wildstrubel. So far as the Wildstrubel and Wildhorn are concerned, the -range separates the Canton du Valais from the Canton de Berne, but the -Diablerets throw out a shoulder into the Canton de Vaud. From their -summit the lake of Geneva can be seen. - -Each of these large mountain clusters is linked up to its neighbour by a -pass, running perpendicularly to the range. The Sanetsch pass is a dip -between the Wildhorn and the Wildstrubel. Just as--in January, 1909--I -had the pleasure of traversing the higher Bernese Alps between the Gemmi -and Grimsel passes, it was, in March, 1910, my good luck to carry out -in one continuous expedition the traverse of the nether Bernese Alps, -beginning at the Col du Pillon and ending at the Gemmi and Kandersteg. - -The summits of the Diablerets, Wildhorn, and Wildstrubel group do not -exceed 10,705 feet in height. Singly, they have frequently been ascended -on ski. But, to my knowledge, the ascent of all three had not yet been -achieved as a connected and consecutive piece of winter work. My traverse -having brought me much opportunity to fully realise the extraordinary -quality and beauty of this high ski-ing ground, I do not hesitate to give -here my best information on the route. - -The route now opened out presents this capital feature, that the -mountains along the top of which it lies are uniform in height and in -conformation. Their general lineal development is straight; they arise -steeply from their south-west extremities; they carry ski-runners down, -on well-defined inclines, to their north-east extremities, which rest on -the flat surface of high-lying passes. - -No wise runner will attempt to run from the Gemmi end. By so doing he -would be making light of the best rules of ski-ing, as well as throwing -away the indications which nature herself gives him. From all three -summits the larger and lengthier glaciers stretch uniformly from -south-west downwards to north-east, while on the opposite slope the -mountains are precipitous and the glaciers short. - -[Illustration: MOVING FROM THE TOP OF THE FINSTERAARHORN. - -To face p. 60.] - -Not only will no wise runner attempt the trip from the Gemmi end, but he -will also follow the rules of ski-runners’ logic. The reader will notice -that while summer tourists cross the Bernese Alps from north to south, -that is from Canton Berne to Canton Valais, or _vice versâ_, from Canton -Valais to Canton Berne, tourists on ski follow the range in its length, -and will have nothing to do with its passes, as leading from one valley -to another. - -Indeed, a ski-runner must look a very paradoxical creature. For him, -passes are just convenient, saddle-like depressions connecting the -summits he has left with the summit he next wishes to attain. He will -have no dealings with the valleys. He does not follow the path, say from -Kandersteg to Louèche. That is all very well for mules. But he crosses, -say, the Sanetsch and Rawyl passes, in the same way as a foot-passenger -goes across a street from one pavement to the other. By so doing he knows -no more of the actual pass-track than its width, say a matter of one to a -few yards, as the case may be. This totally new conception of how to get -about on the Alps from point to point is of great importance with a view -to the military occupation of the High Alp passes and their defence in -winter. I call it the ski-runners’ paradox. - -Gsteig is best reached from Montreux, on the lake of Geneva, or from -Spiez, on the lake of Thoune, by availing oneself of the electric -railway and getting out at the station of Gstaad; hence on foot or by -horse-sleigh to Gsteig. - -The hut, on the Tête aux Chamois, at the foot of the Oldenhorn, where the -first night had better be spent, lies to the south-west from Gsteig, and -is approached from the Pillon route. The approach _viâ_ the Sanetsch pass -necessitates the ascent of the Zan Fleuron glacier round the Oldenhorn. -It is therefore much longer. - -The map to be used, and to which all references in this book are made, -is the Swiss Military Survey Map (Siegfried Atlas), sold to the public -in sheets. A reprint covering the whole region may be bought at Gstaad, -price 4 francs. - -Cross the Reuschbach by a bridge, a little beyond point 1,340 (sheet -472). The chalets of Reusch will then be reached at Reuschalp, at the -altitude marked 1,326 on the map (sheet 472 or 471). At Bödeli one should -carefully avoid taking the path leading south, up to the Oldenhornalp. -The situation of the Cabane des Diablerets is given on the Siegfried -Atlas at point 2,487 (sheet 478). The line of access is plain from -Bödeli. But strangers should not attempt to reach the hut in winter -snow without being accompanied on the Martisberg slopes by some person -possessing full local knowledge. The traversing of steep slopes, such as -those which here run down from the Oldenhorn, is always dangerous. - -Runners start from Gsteig and will do well to take with them one or both -of the brothers Ernest and Victor Marti, young men and fair runners. -Readers of the preceding chapter know that I have trained them in what -little they understand about winter mountaineering. This little is quite -sufficient to enable them to guide safely any party of able-bodied and -fair ski-runners along the new route. - -From Gsteig to the hut an average walker on ski may count five hours. The -hut is comfortable enough for practical purposes, and can accommodate a -large party. - -On the next morning, do not leave the hut till daylight, and then, in -three hours, one may reach the top of the Diablerets on ski, though -these may have to be removed to traverse a part of the steep snow-fields -resting on ice which run down the precipitous cliffs to the south. -Runners with whom it is a point to run, rather than conquer hill-tops, -may leave the summit alone. Wending their way round the Oldenhorn, they -will at once face north-east and run down the Zan Fleuron glacier to the -top of the Sanetsch pass. Use a compass, and run strictly east. Full -north, full south, or south-east are equally pernicious. The snow may -be crusted and wind-swept. But if it is dry, powdery, and smooth, the -runner’s joy will be inexpressible. - -Our day--and so might yours--gave us a prospect of a very long run. We -knew that we should not be able to make use of the Alpine Club hut on -the Wildhorn, for a notice had appeared in the _Alpina_ (organ of the -Swiss Alpine Club) that this hut was badly overwhelmed with snow. Under -ordinary conditions, provided one did not mind sweeping low down out of -one’s way to the north, there would be no reason why this hut should -not be taken advantage of to spread over two days the work which on -that occasion we did in one day, to get from the Diablerets hut along to -the Wildstrubel huts. Without any waste of time, we pushed across the -Sanetsch pass, from the point marked 2,234 (sheet 481), on to the _arête_ -which runs due east across the point marked 2,354. - -If it is your intention to go as far as the Wildstrubel hut in one day, -you ought to cross the Sanetsch by eleven o’clock--an easy thing if -you left the Diablerets hut by eight o’clock. The line to be followed -leads down to, but keeps above, the small lakes which are marked with -the name Les Grandes Gouilles, altitude 2,456. These lakes must be left -on one’s right hand, and then make straight for the Glacier du Brozet, -above the words Luis de Marche. Under ordinary winter circumstances, -particularly late in the season, this glacier, which is broken up to any -extent in summer, will be found to present a steep and hard surface most -convenient to ascend. When once the point 3,166 has been reached, it will -be unnecessary to complete the ascent of the Wildhorn, though nothing -could be easier. Leaving the summit to your left at the point 3,172, the -descent on the Glacier de Tenehet comes next to be considered. At that -altitude you should ski onward sharply to the north-east for a while, -then great care should be taken to proceed downward gradually by taking a -curved route, below point 3,124 (sheet 472), full north-east, then east, -along the circular tiers of the ice. - -[Illustration: DIABLERETS--WILDHORN--WILDSTRUBEL--GEMMI PASS. - -(Reproduction made with authorisation of the Swiss Topographic Service, -26.8.12) - -To face p. 64.] - -Let me here remind the reader that the Wildhorn hut is away far down -on the northern slope of the Wildhorn, at the top of the Iffigenthal. -Runners who wish to break their journey and spend a night there will -beware of running down the glacier of Tenehet. They will cross the -watershed to the north at the point 2,795, or thereabouts, and descend to -the point 2,204, in the vicinity of which they will find the hut. - -The course on to the Rawyl pass presents no difficulty to a competent -runner. When under point 2,767, turn to the south, where the slope -dips, and then again, when well under point 2,797, and the lake, turn -to the north-east, so as to reach and keep on dotted curve 2,400. South -or south-east would be irrecoverably wrong. In fair weather it will -be unbroken pleasure, on condition that the runner is well led or is -thoroughly conversant with map or level readings in a very difficult -country. I reached the Rawyl pass by six o’clock. - -The fairly level stretch along which undulates the Rawyl mule track is -called the Plan des Roses, which sounds very poetical to cultivated -minds, such as my readers always are. The Alps, and many other ranges -in Europe, are studded with those appellations, whose delightful ring -calls forth the fragrance and beauty of the rose at an altitude at which -gardens are not usually met. Never did a summer rose grow or blossom -naturally in most of the places bearing that pretty name--not even the -Alpen Rose or the Alpine Anemone. - -The imagination of some has seen in the name an allusion to the pink -colour of the sky at dawn and at sunset. Alas, this too is a fallacy -borne in upon us by the literary faculty. Monte-Rosa does not mean pink -mountain. - -Rosa (as in Rosa Blanche, above the Val Cleuson), roses, roxes, rousse, -rossa, rasses, rosen (as in Rosenlaui), ross, rosso (as in Cima di -Rosso), rossère, all mean rocks or rock. The Tête Rousse (above St. -Gervais) would not be in English the Ruddy Brow, but the much more -commonplace Rocky Tor, Ben, or Fell. All forms of the word go back to -a common Celtic origin, whether they appear in Swiss nomenclature, in -a French, German, Italian, or Romance form. This phenomenon is a good -illustration of the manner in which the association of ideas by sound -enriches and varies in time the very rudimentary stock of primitive -impressions gathered in by the ancient Alp dwellers. - -If the reader will think of Rhine, Rhône, Reuse, Reuss, Reusch, in the -light of the foregoing explanations, he will hear through all those words -the rush of water that is characteristic of Alpine streams. - -I have lively recollections of the Rawyl pass dating back to the days -of my boyhood. This pass is dear to me also as having served as an -introduction to my young friend, Arnold Lunn. When he battled with the -pass, on ski, he was probably little older than myself when I first -fought my way through it on foot. - -I was following the range in its length in the early, old-fashioned -style, purposing to make my way from Sion, on the Rhône, to Grindelwald, -by dipping in and out of the valleys; namely, first to Lenk across the -Rawyl, then to Adelboden, thence to Kandersteg, then to Trachsellauenen, -in the Lauterbrunnen valley, hence to Grindelwald, over the little -Scheidegg--a regular switchback railway. - -My walk over the Rawyl was marked by an episode. It was late in the -season--late in the sense of the word in those days, when there was no -winter season to upset people’s ideas. I reached at night the Châlet -d’Armillon, by hook or by crook, along the precipitous Kaendle, and -crossing mountain torrents as casually as a squirrel would swing from -tree to tree, for those were the days of my _Sturm und Drang Periode_ as -a mountaineer. - -Nevertheless, when the Armillon shepherds pointed out to me the heights -of the pass shining pink in the sunset with a fresh snow edging, my -resolution wavered for an instant. On I went, little dreaming that thirty -years later I should despise being seen here at all, except in winter and -on ski. - -The job proved a serious one. Heavy snow lay over the marshes and -rivulets of the Plan des Roses. The mule track was buried under -wind-blown wreaths. The moon rose and illuminated a desolate landscape. -A little rain, then snow, began to fall, obliterating the moonbeams and -my own footprints behind me. Floundering about, I broke through the thin -ice that lay over the patches of water imprisoned under the snow. Still I -ploughed my way forward. - -Then, probably in the nick of time for my own safety (else I might have -spent the night up there, being still young enough to show myself, in -the circumstances, obstinate unto folly), a guardian angel, whose -assistance I certainly did not deserve, slily detached my brandy flask -from around my shoulders and dropped it well out of my reach. When I -discovered the trick, I took the hint and retraced my footsteps to the -shepherds’ huts at Armillon. - -I believe they were more pleased than surprised. They sat down round -the hearth, an open fireplace, with embers lying about on the ground. -They handed to me a bowl of milk, a lump of cheese, a piece of rye bread -as hard as a brick, and gave me a bit of goat’s liver that was stewing -in the pan in its own broth. They said their prayers aloud, standing -reverently in the firelight; then the goats’ skins were laid out flat on -the ground. We lay on them all in a heap together, with our feet turned -towards the fire. The last man threw the last chips upon it, pulled warm -sheeps’ skins over us, and laid himself down beside us. - -The moon, high up in the sky by this time, shone placidly upon the -pastoral scene. The air got sharper and more chilly. When we rose at dawn -every blade of grass sparkled with frost. - -I set out again up the pass in brilliant sunshine. My footprints were -still here and there faintly visible. When they came to an end I made for -the cross, marking the site of a rough stone refuge, then under snow. -From here some faint footprints again became visible, turning down the -gorge to the north. I made up my mind to follow them, for those who had -made them were certainly moving in the right direction. After a while -I saw a stick standing out of the snow. The footprints did not seem -to continue beyond. On approaching, I found myself in the presence of -the dead body of a mountaineer. Rumour will have it--for the scene of -this mishap was visited shortly after, to lift the body--that I leaped -aside at the sight, leaving marks on the snow which, graphologically -interpreted, were seen to signify my dismay. - -It was the first time that I had before my eyes an instance of death -through exposure in the mountains. - -On reaching the Iffigen Alp I reported the matter to the local -authorities. From later information it came to my knowledge that there -were two victims, the body of the second being covered up by the snow. - -My other connection with the Rawyl pass is less gloomy, since I owe to -the eccentricities of that pass one of my best young friends in England. - -I was, a few years ago, standing on the platform of the railway station -at Gstaad, when an English vicar, whom I took pleasure in instructing -in ski, brought me a copy of the _Daily Mail_, in which a whole column -was literally flaming with the exploits of two English runners who -had crossed the Rawyl a few days before. That sort of description we -generally call “Journalese,” and let it pass without correction. It would -be an ungracious act on the part of climbers, who seek out deliberately -so many hardships, to wince at the touch of the voluntary kindness that -almost kills. - -The true account of what then took place appeared in the columns of the -_Isis_, the Oxford undergraduates’ organ, on January 23, 1909. There -Arnold Lunn expresses himself as follows:-- - -“I spent five winters in climbing from various centres, before--in the -winter of 1907-8--I first tried cross-country work. With three ladies -and my brother, I visited the Great St. Bernard and spent New Year’s Eve -in the Hospice. Next day I was thoroughly walked out by two plucky Irish -ladies, and had just enough energy left to reach Montana on the following -afternoon. I had previously arranged with a friend to cross the mountains -to Villars, a four-day trip, but on arriving found that he was unable to -go. - -“I was introduced to Mr. W., who had only been on ski three afternoons, -but volunteered to come. We left next morning at 4 a.m., climbed for -eight hours up to the glacier of the Plaine Morte, and then separated. -Mr. W. went on to the hut and I climbed the Wildstrubel alone, from the -summit of which I saw a beautiful sunset. The solitary trudge back over -the glacier at night thoroughly exhausted me, and I narrowly escaped -frost-bite in one of my feet. At Lenk that night, 6,000 feet lower -down, they had 40 degrees of frost, and the cold in the hut was almost -unbearable. We did manage to get a fire alight, which proved a doubtful -blessing, as it thawed the snow in the top bunk, forming a lake which -trickled down on our faces during the night in intermittent showers. The -next morning our blankets were frozen as stiff as boards. Even the iron -stove was sticky with frost. - -[Illustration: DESCENT INTO THE TELLITHAL, LOETSCHENTHAL. - -To face p. 70.] - -“Our natural course led over the Wildhorn, a delightful ski-run, but -though Mr. W. throughout displayed wonderful pluck and perseverance, his -limited experience prevented our tackling the long but safe Wildhorn. So -we took a short and dangerous cut down to Lenk, following a track which -crossed several avalanche runs. We raced the darkness through a long -hour of unpleasant suspense, and won our race by a head, getting off the -cliff as the last rays of light disappeared. A night on the Rawyl would -probably have ended disastrously. - -“The remaining two days of the expedition were comparatively uneventful, -but we were dogged by an avenging Providence. A telegram miscarried, -and a search party was organised to hunt for our remains. The guests at -Montana spent a very pleasant day with ordnance maps in attempting to -locate the position of our corpses, and were not a little disappointed -when they learnt that the search party had found nothing but our tracks. -The net result of the expedition was a bill for £20 for search parties, -plus hospital expenses, as one of the guides had been frost-bitten.” - -Arnold Lunn’s performance in bringing down safely to Lenk a companion -encumbered with ski in places fit for the use of climbing-irons only, -at that time of year, was conclusive as a proof of his sportsmanlike -qualities, as it was a bold and unexpected line to take. For that -reason I found it necessary to reflect upon his daring in the _Gazette -de Lausanne_, which had quoted the English press, lest it should -unwittingly lead my young countrymen into dangerous undertakings. Arnold -Lunn and myself made friends over the correspondence which ensued between -us. A better companion and a fairer knight to joust with in Alpine -tourney it would be, I believe, difficult to meet. - -Now, it might be well to return to the Plan des Roses, whence, still -north-east, and then upwards on the Rohrbachstein glacier to the -Rohrbachhaus, whose roof was plainly visible at sunset, we strolled -peacefully and unconcernedly along. - -In connection with the Rohrbachhaus, the brothers Marti, for the second -time, had an encounter with the Bernese police courts on my account. It -was my evil influence that brought them to that comfortable but closed -house. I need not say that I carefully kept out of the mischief that was -brewing by lingering behind to admire the view by moonlight. - -With an ice-axe they dealt a well-directed blow upon the lock. Before -this “Open Sesame” the door gave way. We gained admittance to a kitchen, -well stocked with fire-wood; a dining-room, with preserves, tinned -victuals, and bottles of wine in the cupboards; a vast bedroom, furnished -with couches, mattresses, sheets, blankets, eiderdown quilts! Quite an -Eldorado, but, for my young friends, another step on the downward path to -the prisoners’ dock! - -The police of Berne had a watchful eye on the Rohrbachhaus. Though I did -promptly send the culprits to make their report in the proper quarter, -to ask for the bill and pay for the damage done (which precluded any -civil action being brought against me), the Court at Blankenburg tried -them for house-breaking on the Procurator’s charge. But this business -was happily purely formal, as the _bona-fides_ of the house-breakers was -not questioned. The offenders were spoken free, on condition that they -paid the costs of the official prosecution. This part of the bargain -was passed on to me to keep, which I did cheerfully. Indeed, the whole -transaction appealed to my sense of right in the administration of -law. There was no doubt in my mind that we had broken into a private -establishment without leave, and even without actual necessity. The -establishment was, of course, there for the use of such as ourselves, -even without consent, on an emergency. But the weather was good, the -night still and clear, our health excellent, and there was an open refuge -within short ski-ing distance. It is true that on foot we might have been -totally unable to reach it. - -Those who do not wish to run the risk attending the forcible bursting of -locks in order to get shelter at the first hut had better move on, in the -quiet of night and with an easy conscience, to the open hut, which stands -a little further on, and reach it by lantern light. They may, however, -make previously an appointment with the caretaker at Lenk. He will then -come up, weather permitting, and open the Rohrbachhaus. - -I need not dwell on the pleasant night we spent in the beds of the -Rohrbachhaus. Stolen joys are sweet, and even may, as in our case, -be well deserved, or at least well earned--a way of putting it which -leaves morals uninjured. Our first day had been heavy, but had afforded -two magnificent runs on glaciers and on slopes abutting to passes, each -covering about four miles exclusive of curves, which, of course, being -purely voluntary as to their number and scope, cannot be calculated. - -Ski-running parties spending a night in one or the other of the two -Wildstrubel huts will find themselves on the next day surrounded by as -fine and as varied a country as they may wish for. Whatever line they -choose, there is but one that should absolutely be avoided. This, they -know already, is the Rawyl pass, whether winter tourists wish to go -north to Lenk or south to Sion. The outlet of the pass to the north is -best described as a most precipitous and ice-bound region. The southward -descent is dangerous quite as much, owing to its great complication -amid rock, ravine, forest, and watercourse. Runners should divert their -ambitions well away from those gorges. The best way to Montana and -Vermala lies over the Glacier de la Plaine Morte, and thence to the south. - -Runners proceeding from the huts and wishing to follow in our footsteps, -in order to reach the Lämmern glacier and the Wildstrubel, will run -down the slopes leading to the Glacier de la Plaine Morte (map, sheet -473). They will glance at the Raezli glacier tumbling down to the -north-west, between the Gletschhorn and the Wildstrubel (west-end -summit). Hence they will steer a straight course to the east, along -the centre line of the Glacier de la Plaine Morte, and then turn to -the north-east towards the Lämmernjoch, a pass to the east of the -Weststrubel, on a ridge, which is steepish to reach, though usually well -covered with snow. From that point to the top of the Weststrubel there -is an additional rise of about 120 metres, say 400 feet. The view from -this Strubel is worth the additional labour, and it also gives one the -satisfaction of having reached the last of the highest points on the -Diablerets-Wildhorn-Wildstrubel route. The height of the Diablerets is -3,222, of the Wildhorn 3,264, and of the Wildstrubel west 3,251 metres. -But this satisfaction, like that which may have been got from ascending -the Diablerets and the Wildhorn, may, in point of time, be too dearly -bought. - -It is quite sufficient to direct one’s course straight from the -Lämmernjoch on to the higher reaches of the Lämmerngletscher, which open -up beyond the Lämmernjoch to the north. - -Runners should not plunge full east straight down the glacier. Such a -course would be attended with much danger, as a line of crevasses runs -across the glacier roughly from south to north. A careful runner will map -out for himself a “circumferential” route, which will bring him round -that dangerous part, by descending the slopes of the glacier which are -beyond that spot to the north. Then, by turning to the east, one enters -the lower reaches of the ice, when one faces the extensive building of -the Wildstrubel Hotel on the Gemmi pass, about 3 miles ahead. The best -way off the glacier on to the Lämmernalp is on the north side of the -gorge, in which the glacier tails off, though I found it quite convenient -to reach the Lämmernboden (see map) by means of the slopes which run down -to it on the southern side of the stream. - -Our route leaves completely out of account the Gross-strubel (3,253 -metres), which rises above Adelboden and the Engstligenalp. This summit -does not belong to the traverse I am now describing. There are quite -distinct expeditions to be made to either or both Strubels from Adelboden -or Kandersteg. If from Kandersteg, one should go and spend the night at -the Schwarenbach Hotel, on the Gemmi road, go up the way we have just -described for the descent, and return _viâ_ Ueschinenthal. The Kandersteg -guides know all about this run, which is much to be recommended to the -expert. - -There are three long, flat strips on the run from the Wildstrubel huts to -the Schwarenbach Hotel _viâ_ Gemmi. The first is the Glacier de la Plaine -Morte (about 3 miles), the second the Lämmernboden (about a mile), the -third the Daubensee (about a mile). - -The run from the Daubensee to Kandersteg requires no particular notice. -It begins at the spot where the Lämmernboden turns to the north, within -800 yards or so of the Wildstrubel Hotel on the Gemmi pass. The run on -the Daubensee, then to the Schwarenbach Hotel (one should not pass to the -right, east of the summer road) affords excellent ski-ing. Then, on the -rush down to the Spitalmatten, with the Balmhorn and the Altels towering -to one’s right, will be met some of the best ground of the whole trip, -the slopes being throughout beautifully exposed to the north. The gorges -to the east should on no account be entered. The course runs straight -north on the west side of the valley, till the upper bends of the summer -road are met on the shoulder which drops down to Inner Kandersteg, at the -entrance of the Gasternthal. The slopes to the west of the woods on the -shoulder are periodically swept by avalanches. Look carefully whether the -fragments lie on the ground, and whether the rocks above, whence they -start, are bare of snow. If so, you may proceed among the fragments. If -otherwise, take to the road and walk. - -The whole distance travelled over during this expedition, starting from -Gsteig, is, measured on the map, about 40 miles to Kandersteg. We had -with us ropes and axes, but never used them. In point of fact, I should -consider that expeditions upon which a use is foreseen for the axe and -the rope are not, strictly speaking, ski-ing expeditions. Ski-ing, by -definition, excludes the use of rope and axe, though one should be -provided with them when having reason to fear unforeseen contingencies. - -The levels are as follow:-- - - At Gsteig: 1,192 metres (3,937 feet). - - On the Zan Fleuron glacier: 2,866 metres, being a rise of 1,674 - metres. - - On the Sanetsch pass: 2,221 metres, being a fall of 645 metres. - - On the Wildhorn glacier: 3,172 metres, being a rise of 951 - metres. - - On the Rawyl pass: 2,400 metres, being a drop of 772 metres. - - On the Lämmernjoch: 3,132 metres, being a rise of 732 metres. - - On the Gemmi pass: 2,214 metres, being a drop of 918 metres. - - At Kandersteg: 1,169 metres, being a drop of 1,045 metres. - -From this table of levels, the general public, if there is any in -mountaineering topics, may draw a conclusion and a moral. - -Have you ever looked at a model relief map of the Alps? As one of the -general public, you may not be aware that the relief is artificially -forced. It is intended to amaze by the steepness of the declivities and -the terribly sharp angles at which the ridges of the peaks meet in the -air and terminate into a threatening point. - -The designers of those otherwise beautiful and attractive models wish to -heighten the impression which you are accustomed to receive when you look -up to the Alpine peaks from some point below. The laws of perspective -bring then those peaks nearer the perpendicular. By an optical delusion, -which is full of scenic effect, they tower aloft. The designers of Alpine -models run after poetical and picturesque effects. They very naturally do -not wish to show you in plaster Alps far less formidable than those which -agreeably overawe you in nature. They add from 10 to 20 per cent. to the -angles of declivity, deepen the valleys and pull out the mountain tops -like putty. They thus show you the Alps in your own natural perspective, -as a painter does on his canvas. But the whole thing is fallacious. - -I should feel called upon to condemn the process as a downright black -lie if there was not enough snow on those models to paint the lie white. -Look at the Matterhorn from Zermatt and then look at one of those -paper-weight models in stone which are sold for a few francs in the local -bazaars and which are cut according to scale. You will be surprised to -see how really flat the Matterhorn is. I advise every one who intends to -climb it to first make a careful study of a paper-weight model. It is -most reassuring. - -Now this is exactly what an Alpine ski-runner does or should do. - -There is in the vestibule of the University buildings at Geneva, on the -first floor, a magnificent plaster model of Switzerland, true to scale. -Each time I cast my eyes upon this model I more fully realise how exactly -the author’s execution of the relief, based on science, corresponds with -the runner’s conception, based on experience. In its own unvarnished -language, the model says: “By me know the Alps, and by them know thyself -and be modest, thou hast not done so much after all.” - -So the general public may now understand why the runner sees the Alpine -world in his own perspective. The real reliefs are printed on his mind. -A summer tourist, who instead of fitting foot-rules to his feet, pegs or -stumps along, can with difficulty enter into the runner’s notion. - -Orographic conformation and questions of exposure are ski-running -matters. The runner studies the _relievo_ in the light of two or three -truisms resting on experience, which are as conditions determining the -rational use of ski and assuring the pleasure of the runner. - -1. The runner aims at rising rapidly, because he cannot draw from his ski -a full measure of pleasure except from the moment when the ski cease to -be the means of carrying his weight uphill, and become merely a means of -velocity. - -2. While rising as abruptly as he possibly can, the runner seeks out--for -this tiresome operation is seldom avoidable--the declivities whose -exposure marks them out as unsuitable for a good run down. No wonder. -It is not to his interest to throw away, as it were, good slopes by -employing them for work uphill. Now, steepnesses turned to the south, -south-west, and west, afford poor running, viewed, of course, in their -generality. - -Here meteorology--or, in plain English, weather--is more important than -geography, because warm winds, whether they blow soft or wild, beat upon -those faces. When not actually dangerous, such defective slopes are -convenient for rising to the high levels. The runner who knows how to -take advantage both of meteorology and orography shows himself possessed -of an advanced knowledge of his craft. - -3. The best running hills are those whose gentler slopes are exposed -north and east. The winds from those quarters are not warm winds, though -they too have their own way of spoiling the snow. At any rate, the -sun--which has even in winter powers for mischief--is too low on the -southern horizon to interfere with the powdery condition of snow facing -north. But there is not much gained in mapping out one’s tour in the -manner indicated if one is landed for the descent on abrupt, though -northern or eastern, slopes. - -[Illustration: ON THE TOP OF THE FINSTERAARHORN. - -To face p. 80.] - -So now draw your moral and conclusion. Will it not be that you should -walk round and round a large relief model of the Alps when planning -your winter excursions? This you could easily do if some kind patron -of Alpinism would provide you in London with a copy, cast in metal for -durability, of the Geneva plaster relief. - -Would the reader like to know, after this long lecture, how I take -the refreshment, and smoke the pipe--in my case it has always been a -cigar--which I should like to offer him now? He is welcome to my den. - -I scoop out the snow, in the manner of dogs, to the depth of 2 feet, or -thereabouts. I lay my ski across the cavity thus formed. Pressed close -together, they roof in about one-third of the opening. I put my feet in -the hole, wrap them up in my empty rucksack, bend my knees and sit on the -ski. Before me, on the snow shovelled up with my hands in the shape of a -tray, I display the contents of my larder. Then I plant my sticks behind -me, one supporting each shoulder. Thus, my armchair, dining-room, and -table are all ready. I wait upon myself, as is usual at lunch, and when -the time has come for the blissful smoke, I lazily stretch my legs across -the empty table and lean back, looking into immensity through the puffs. -When the time comes when I should like a nap, I find that the sticks at -my back invite me to recline by gradually giving way. I lay them flat on -the snow, spread my cloak over them and, thus comfortably padded, I pull -my cap over my eyes, and try hard to convince myself that it is a cold -midwinter day. The smoke ceases to rise, the cigar end drops and---- This -is all vanity no doubt, but is mine not better than that of many a wiser -man? - -Old Egger at Kandersteg, who received me with a cheery handshake on -completion of the trip described in this chapter, had seen me start -about a year before on my traverse of the Bernese Oberland. He expressed -satisfaction at seeing me again, though with another companion, and said -he thought we had been rather long. But when I told him that another trip -had been thrown in, as well as my companion changed, he insinuated with -a smile of great intelligence that we had had time to grow very thirsty. -It was, he said, a grand thing for Kandersteg that it had been at the -beginning of the first trip and at the end of the second. So he would -drink our healths. And we honoured him likewise. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE SKI-RUNNER OF VERMALA - - Vermala--The mysterious runner--The Plain of the - Dead--Popular beliefs--The purification of the grazings--A - haunted piece of rock--An awful noose is thrown over the - country-side--Supernatural lights and events--The Babel of - tongues--The Saillon and Brigue testimonies--The curé of Lens - and his sundial--The people’s cure--The Strubel--_Chauffage - central_--Did I meet the Ski-runner of Vermala?--My third - ascent of the Wildstrubel--A night encampment on the - glacier--Meditations on mountains, mountaineers, and the - Swiss--How to make _café noir_--Where to sleep and when not - to--Alpine refuges--The old huts and the new--The English - Alpinists and the Swiss huts--The Britannia hut. - - -The sheet 482 of the topographical atlas of Switzerland assigns the name -of Vermala to the _mayens_ in Canton Valais, situated above Sierre, at an -altitude of 4,500 feet or thereabouts. Swiss _mayens_ are places where -grass is grown that can be mown and on which cattle is grazed in autumn. - -About 600 feet higher there is in the forest a clearing, with a -south-west exposure, in which the Mont Blanc range, framed in fir-trees, -presents itself in the distance to the appreciative eye as a beautiful -background to a picture of loveliness. If the bareness of the map -is to be trusted, this spot was not yet inhabited in 1884 when the -topographical survey was made. - -The map is right, and yet it is not quite right. There were at that time -no ordinary dwelling-houses in the clearing, but people of ordinary mind -held that the Ski-runner of Vermala, whose presence on the country-side -was at that time exactly known, had his home somewhere in those parts. - -From afar curious people would point out a rocky platform planted with -beautiful, well-spaced firs amongst which it would be pleasant to bask -in the sun in winter. But others were rather taken up with the peculiar -apparitions which at night were seen there skimming the rocks in a -sinister play of light. The map marks the place with a broken line, -between Vermala and Marolire, right above Praz-Devant. - -It was said that in earlier times the mowers piled up their hay at the -top of the clearing in one or two _mazots_, or rough barns, set on short -posts, four in number, planted in the ground and crowned with flat stone -disks. But that hay had an unwelcome way of catching fire, consuming the -_mazots_ as well. Nothing was left but the stones. So the peasantry gave -up this unlucky storage ground. - -At present no other mystery hovers about this spot than that which these -recollections call back to mind. The Forest Hotel occupies the site. -The sun holds divided sway in summer with the coolness of the woods, in -winter with King Frost. Here conventional tourists embrace at a glance -the most marvellous piece of Alpine scenery--from Monte Leone and beyond, -to Mont Blanc--that human eye can long for, such, that had Byron known -of it, he would have sent his world-sick Manfred to contemplate it from -Vermala. - -The sweetness of this name would have rung as true to the poet’s ear as, -in the Italo-Celtic tongue, it rings to the ear of the rough mountaineer. -Would you not, for a while, when reading on the map names of such -romantic harmony, forget that they are mere geographical terms? Let us -personify those place names. Do not Vermala and Marolire spell out as -tunefully as the classically tender and melodious Daphnis and Chloe? - -But then there might be a risk of forgetting that there is not a -halfpenny worth of love in this story. It is a homespun yarn, woven by -rustics in ignorance and fear, and would fall very flat on the ears -of civilised mankind, but for the curiosity roused by that consummate -sportsman whose humours shine through the woof of the story. - -Whence did he come? Who was he? Nobody ever knew. - -He had already disappeared from the country when a more enlightened -generation ceased to look upon him as a true ghost. There arose a class -of minds which ran to the opposite extreme and held him to be a superman -of the morrow. In the end he was described as the Ski-runner of Vermala, -when some acquaintance with the new implements called back popular -imagination within the bounds of reason. Then the glamour that had -gathered around his memory at last faded away. - -The terraced plain of Crans on which there is now a golf course was not -then much frequented. The whole district was held to be inhospitable. -The Wildstrubel mountain group, which fills up all the space between -the Rawyl and Gemmi passes, bore a redoubtable reputation. It was still -more feared for the Plaine-Morte and the glacier of the same name, which -spread as a counterpane over his feet. Both the plaine and the glacier -were reputed abodes of the souls of the dead. Poor souls perishing with -cold in the cracks! Dante’s idea of an ice circle in hell harks back -to the rustic belief that souls serve their term of purgatory on the -Plaine-Morte and come down on certain sacramental nights to visit the -living and receive additional punishment from the contemplation of the -evil deeds they have left behind them to work themselves out. - -In summer, the Valaisan peasant would not venture upon the Plain of the -Dead, had he not first sought the protection of the Holy Virgin and -saints. In winter he doubts not that the Plain of the Dead is reserved -for the evil ones by the holy Powers that be. As soon as the first winter -snow turns to white the brown, sunburnt slopes of the upper grazings, -these are laid under the ban by the piety of the villagers, if not by the -Church. - -Who knows, say the vintners of Sierre, what is going on there? Assuredly, -nothing of worth, while the sun draws its daily course slowly on the -horizon from the Equinox of autumn to that of spring. Thus an alarming -scientific fact has become a nursery ground for fond popular beliefs. - -We should easily sympathise with the credulity of those big children -if we would but imagine our own state of mind, did we believe we had -positive reason to fear lest the sun which had ripened the last harvest -might not return in spring to ripen the next, after we had exhausted -the garnered crops of the former year. And in what mood would we see -the shades of night enfolding us this evening, if we did not rest more -confidently in the hope of dawn than in the arms of sleep? - -It is under the influence of motives of that kind that the inhabitants -of the populous villages thrown as a belt round the plateau of Crans -Mollens, Randogne, Montana, Chermignon, Lens, and Icogne--were quite -prepared to go into the forest to pick up their allotment of fire-wood, -and even to pilfer that of their neighbour. But, so long as their herds -and flocks--when the sun rises again full east and sets again full west, -which is the signal for the raising of the ban--have not been solemnly -escorted to the grazings by the priest with holy water and sprinkler, -they will not be seen ascending to the beats whence they retreated in the -autumn. And if any do visit those desecrated spots before they have again -been hallowed, even the boldest miscreants undertake the venture with a -sense of insecurity, knowing full well that, for the pure-minded, they -are committing sheer blasphemy. - -The God of winter is still a God for heathens in the eyes of those -people. Nor should this call forth any astonishment. “How beautiful upon -the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings.” If so, how -much more awful than elsewhere must appear there those of the arch-fiend! -He alone is of a nature sufficiently proof to fire to make his home in -ice with impunity. His followers alone are sufficiently witched to share -in his privilege. - -Therefore, when the rumour was spread that a supernatural form haunted -the Vermala woods, it needed but little comment before it gained -credence. Everybody was pretty clear in his own mind as to what kind of -person he must be, and none needed to question others to know that they -thought exactly the same thing. - -As might be expected, poachers, chamois hunters, and wood-cutters, people -with uneasy consciences--because they steal wood or game, and because -their occupation makes them particularly liable to mistrust each other -and to meditate on the Evil One--were among the first to believe a story -so much in keeping with the trend of their own thoughts. They could even -bear witness to its truth. - -They had uplifted their eyes, at night, upon a shade so pellucid that the -moonbeams shone through it. The shade stole away among the trees like the -wind, with a slight rustling of the snow. Then, in a hollow lane leading -from the Mayens de Lens towards Chermignon, they had come across strange -marks which were not those of game, such as hares, foxes, or badgers. -They were not either the marks of any hoofed animal, whether it be a -four-footed beast or even the dreaded biped. Those marks soon seemed to -join together into tracks that flung themselves like huge ribbons all -over the country-side. But, of all those who would, none was able to -follow them out. Never had impressions like these been seen on the snow, -of which it was impossible to say whether the being who made them walked -backwards or forwards. Some said he was a creature mounted on a wheel or -riding on two. Others said he was a serpent crawling on his belly, so -unbroken was the track and so much did it keep winding about. - -However much it seemed to roll away in every direction and to stop -nowhere, a few bold spirits determined to follow its course. They -forthwith found themselves plunging and diving in such deep snow that, -breathless and shivering, they gave up the chase, feeling numb at heart. - -From that moment the public mind was made up. No creature in mortal -shape, no flesh could ever have marked the face of the snow with this -labyrinthine coil. To wind up this clue of thread one must either fly -like a bird, or blow like the wind, or be favoured with the malediction -of God. This last explanation being of all the most clear, and the most -creditable to the piety of the largest commune in the Canton du Valais, -it was accepted by the municipal council and the clergy. - -In the spring--the next to the great disturbance--the melting snow -blotted out the dreadful spoor, the alarm it had caused and, of course, -the Runner, for want of his element. - -As soon as they dared, people hurried up to the Vermala rock. There -they found the remains of a new and unexpected kind of habitation. -The drooping branches of a mighty fir appeared to have been pinned to -the ground by frost, consequent upon the piling of snow upon their -extremities. Then snow had been piled up higher and higher around the -tree, embedding other branches as it rose, which were cut away from -the trunk, except at the top, where they stretched out in the form of -a snow-covered dome. There had thus arisen a pyramid-shaped dwelling -enclosed in walls of ice, for the snow had clearly been brought to -transparency by the application of heat from within. And thus was -explained that wonderful effluvium of light, the shimmer of which looked -so sinister from afar. It is even said that some children picked among -the tufts of green grass which here and there began to grow about the -floor of the abandoned hut, pieces of a yellow amber-like substance which -shot forth sparks bathed in a soft purple radiance, when seen by them in -the darkness of their own homes. - -No wonder that people spoke of Vermala in fearsome strains! What a pity -the most beautiful spot in the country was haunted! - -In the ensuing winters, things went from bad to worse. People ceased -visiting the plateau de Crans for pleasure. Do you fancy, they said, that -strangers henceforth will ever set foot upon this ground, unless it be -for their sins? - -[Illustration: ABOVE RIED, LOETSCHENTHAL. - -To face p. 90.] - -So much tribulation turned the feebler heads. Folk no longer understood -each other aright. They got confused over names. Those who called La -Zaat by its name were rebuked by those who called it La Chaux Sei, and -those parties both fell out with the supporters of the name Bellalui. No -one was quite clear about the identity of Petit Mont Tubang and Grand -Mont Tubang. They were in a mist as to Petit Mont Bonvin and Grand -Mont Bonvin. Everybody confused one and all of these with the Tonio de -Merdasson. In short, the mind of the country-side was muddled, now that -all eyes saw double when they looked in the direction of Vermala. - -Old men, however, stiffened their backs and spoke in firm voices above -the new Babel of tongues. They said it had always been known before their -time and would ever hereafter be manifest, that the crest that is visible -from Lens is the brow of Bellalui, and they clinched the matter with the -reminder that when Bagnoud the mayor built his new house, he called it -Bellalui after the mountain. - -As it happens, it was at Lens that the meteoric personage once more -called attention to himself. - -Truth to say, though there was no one who did not expect his return, -there was nevertheless a general shudder when Jean Perrex who had gone to -Saillon, brought back the news that “he” was known to have brought out -of the stable the horse which had lately been bought with a new cart, -to show visitors over the country. “He” had put the horse to the cart -without collar, traces, or bridle. Without whip or ribbons, he had driven -to St. Pierre de Clages. He had tied the horse to the church door. Then -he had sat down on the grass at the foot of the Norman tower, between -the beehives of the curé and the wasps’ nest that is there sunk in the -soil. Nobody could say how and when they had seen him. It would have -been useless to ask what he was like. But it could not but be he, since -the abandoned horse and cart had been impounded, and the church was now -sinking more rapidly than heretofore. - -The most convincing testimony, however, was that of Claudine Rey. Her -brother was in the habit of walking out with a girl who had a situation -in a hotel in Brigue. One night he had clambered up the wall to the -terrace, when the moon suddenly grinned through the clouds. Then, instead -of the girl he was to meet, whom should he see there to his right in the -arbour but “him” in the shape of a dwarfish, wizened wiseacre, clutching -in his right hand a death’s head, and with the fingers of his left -running rapidly along the lines of a book of charms! - -When, on St. Martin’s eve, this account was given to the worthy curé of -Lens, who had gathered about his hearth some of his parishioners to crack -in goodly company the arolla nuts roasting in the ashes, the dear old man -shook his head; his mind was running on the words “Get thee behind me, -Satan.” - -Then a gentle scratching was heard on the panes of the closed window. The -gathering looked that way and most turned pale. The first snow of the -coming winter was swirling and whirling against the glass, borne on the -soughing wind. And the bluish purple light poured forth from the wells of -memory into the sockets of their eyes. - -The curé came out with his guests on his way to trim the church lamp. A -thin layer of snow covered the village lanes. He cast about him furtive -and mistrustful glances. The pure white carpet was as yet unsullied by -footprints. Would “he” come? - -Now this curé was a bit of an astronomer and a clerical moralist. He took -every care of the sundial of his church tower and had adorned it with an -inscription, in two expressive lines:-- - - “Le temps passé n’est plus, l’éternité commence. - Pensez-y donc, mortels, et pensez-y d’avance.” - -That night he stared at it. The piece of advice was as good as ever. -But the involutions of the meridian mean curve, drawn with such careful -exactness on the stone and painted with such a light hand in the gayest -colours, struck him now as being the exact counterfeit of the ribbons on -the snow. Was he not breaking away from his ordinary piety in accusing -his church dial of taking after an un-Christian pattern? Surely, he -was wronging his dial. And the good curé kept poring over the unholy -coincidence, in so far at least as his mind could find time to spare for -meditation upon matters of paramount importance. - -On the morning of St. Martin’s Day, the village showed itself to be all -in a tangle of loops. The diabolical spoor went in and out round every -house. The figure eight of the sundial had thrown off innumerable copies -upon the ground. The bells were tolled in vain. To no purpose did the -chimes peal. In vain did the most Christianlike of all suns that ever -poured its kindly light upon Lens, kindle the most reassuring smile upon -the wrinkled stones of the old tower. Not a single parishioner was bold -enough to spurn with his foot the cabalistic loops that embraced the -bosom of Mother Earth in their oppressive grasp. Not a child dare step -across them, not even to go and dip his fingers in the holy water at the -church door. - -The most thunder-struck was the curé. A truculent pentagram in red chalk -was displayed all over his distich, surrounded by a double circle that -looked like a green fairies’ ring designed in moss upon the church tower. - -As for the good men of the largest _commune_ in Canton Valais, they -bethought themselves of a day of fasting, the natural remedy for their -orthodox faith to point out. But there was a sign against that too. The -pewter pots and mugs of the village tavern appeared that morning all set -up in a row upon the railings of the churchyard gate, upside down. They -would have to be fetched and brought back to their proper place. The -hardiest commoners were summoned. They took heart from their thirst. The -general anxiety was soothed by such an obvious way of drowning care. - -The frequenters of the forests, whether they were honest day-labourers -or night-birds, knew alone, beyond all doubt, the identity of the -mischief-maker. For them the prime mover in the big upset was none other -than the _Strubel_, about whom the village elders would still relate, in -the dim light of the evening fires, dreadful stories of an ancient stamp, -such as suggest themselves in the woods after dark, when the old tree -stumps are phosphorescent and glow-worms come out of their retreats to -set up their tiny lamps on the edges of the rocks. - -Of all creatures born of local lore the Strubel was to them the nearest -in kin. When the north wind blows the Strubel races from crest to crest, -from the Gemmi to the Rawyl, and from the Rawyl to the Gemmi. Up there -his long white shock of hair streaming in the wind, and upturned by -the gale, spreads as a plume across the sky. The tumbling folds of his -beard fill the precipitous ravines. A hail of icicles rattles out of his -roaring breast. The rush of his huge body, soaring amid snowflakes and -in glacier dust, awakens the slumbering elements. At night the Aurora -Borealis gathers in streamers around his brow. At dawn and at sunset a -diadem of snow-crystals sets a many-coloured band about his hoary head. -He flies, and his feet do but tip the top of the peaks, and his stature -rises aloft in an immense upward sweep. In a blue-and-white transparency, -such as one sees in glacier crevasses and in pure ice water, the spring -of his sinuous limbs uplifts him to the confines of atmosphere and -firmament. - -Such is the poetic picture of the dread being which the shepherds still -worship secretly, far down in the recesses of their primitive hearts. And -it is he whose image the antics of an enigmatic ski-runner revived for -several winters, as our story shows, under the low and gloomy roofs of -the white-hooded chalets. - -There is an evening hour, when, after cooking and partaking of the day’s -last meal, the family gathers round the domestic hearth. Then the last -embers are fanned into a congenial flame. The dying light of the hearth -kindles anew the memories of a bygone age. Is the time near when these -will die out for want of fuel, as the flame of that hearth when the -family goes to bed? But why should we link any melancholy after-thought -with their well-earned rest? The thought of the reward granted to their -toil pleases one’s moral sense. Yet he who, like me in this chapter, uses -figments of the past as a page decoration, cannot but regret that such -picturesque elements should be gradually, but surely, vanishing for ever -from the face of our modern world. - -The accepted idea is that things have progressed. So they have. A nice -hotel crowns the Vermala rock. At night real electric light of industrial -origin has taken the place of the fantastic rays of old. There is a -_chauffage central_, fed with colliers’ coal, and stoked by porters -who never could produce heat without matter and on terms that were not -commercial. Now people dance at Vermala, they have music at night, they -lounge about in smoking-jackets, and, when all is said and done, I am one -of those who most enjoy the new situation. - -Did I ever meet the Ski-runner of Vermala? I should have a vague fear -of being caught prevaricating should I answer either Yes or No. Truth -sometimes dwells in half-way houses. - -I was staying at Vermala last winter. The glacier de la Plaine-Morte, and -the ascent of the Wildstrubel, were objects which a young man of my party -kept steadily in view. It was his second winter holiday in Switzerland. A -much-travelled man, he had camped out in Persia, and endured thirst and -hunger in some of the most God-forsaken spots of the globe. How would -he fare in the Wildstrubel country? A man may have done very well in -sandy deserts and yet find himself out of his depth in snow. He had ski, -but would they do as much for him on these charmed snows as a camel’s -spreading feet had done in the desert? - -So we set forth late one morning, after paying the usual penalty to the -photographic fiend. So great an honour conferred by a number of fair -women inspired us with proper pride. It was a most strengthening draught -to harden us against the trials that might be in store, but it also -worked so insidiously as to cause us to overlook the wise saw of the most -bourgeois of French fabulists: “Rien ne sert de courir, il faut partir -à temps,” which, topically rendered, might mean: “A man who has started -late need never hope to make up for lost time when going uphill on ski.” - -The glacier de la Plaine-Morte lies at the altitude of 9,500 feet -approximately, measured at the brim, or lip, which we had to overcome -before we could dip down to the surface of that shroud of the dead. We -were setting out for it from the altitude of 5,500 feet, and allowing -for unavoidable “downs” that would break the upline, we had quite 5,000 -feet of vertical displacement before us. - -At whatever hour of the day we might have started we had that much to -ascend by sunset, if we wished to reach the Hildebrand hut in comfortable -circumstances, and so the true bourgeois spirit would have us do. Had -we been in military mood we should have borne with the dictates of -punctuality. Unfortunately we had received attentions that had raised -us beyond ourselves. We chose to trust our elation to bring us on over -the ground. But the 5,000 feet we had to ascend would not grow less. The -sun would not delay its progress. The ups and downs would not smooth -themselves out, however much gentle pressure our planks might bring to -bear upon them. The refreshing compliments we had stored up would not -check the flight of time. - -All too early Night put in a punctual appearance upon the scene. She -found us, indeed, sailing gently along the shroud of the dead, but far -from the place prepared to shelter weary Alpinists. - -We seemed to be in for the same adventure as a friend of mine who spent -the night wandering on the glacier during a wind and snowstorm. The -dead then might almost have been moving under their shrouds in every -direction. He did not lose his way, but was impressed by solitude and by -the weirdness of the shifting snows, let alone the fatigue that loosened -his limbs. He confided to me quite lately how odd he still thought it -that he did not go off his “chump.” - -Anyhow, Mr. B., my present companion, decided that he saw something happy -in the situation, the beckoning finger of a friendly fate, that would -guard us while we spent that January night on the open glacier. The -air was still and clear. The cold might be keen, but not sharp, though -somebody since would absolutely have it that the thermometer marked that -night at Vermala 2.2 Fahrenheit. - -As Mr. B. was anxious to view this escapade as a fit counterpart to -his nights in the Persian desert, the situation could be accepted with -equanimity. He was possessed of the true romantic spirit. Poor man! He -was afflicted with much thirst. I had, unfortunately, nothing better to -offer him than the carefully worded expression of my regret that he had -not been able to get himself fitted up, before he left Persia, with some -of the valuable water compartments of his Bactrian camels. So by ten -o’clock we laid ourselves demurely down on the angular glacier moraine, -pretty confident that long before the hour struck for the sun to rise, we -should be anxious to roll the shutters away from the Palace of Dawn. - -On the contrary, when the sun stepped out of his car upon the glacier -and, at the most reasonable hour of eight on the clock, knocked us up, we -were still reclining in our _alcôve_. Shall I say that we found at our -bedside shaving water and a cup of tea? No, for this would be a really -undue elongation of truth. But we saw the “boots” busy lighting odd -scraps of paper and slipping them into our shoes to soften the frozen -leather. We thanked him and were about to tip him when he took fright -and flew away upon a sunbeam, leaving behind a pot of blacking and an -electric brush. - -If I ever did set eyes upon the Ski-runner of Vermala, it was during that -night, nor could it have been in a better setting than on the Plain of -the shrouded Dead. In fact, in the supposition that he is a person that -never existed, the glacier de la Plaine-Morte would cry out for him. - -Glaciers are legion, but there is only one glacier de la Plaine-Morte. - -Measured with tape, its size, as our readers have learnt in a preceding -chapter, would come out at a few miles. - -Sir Martin Conway, in his “Alps from End to End,” comes nearer to -conveying a correct impression, because he measures it by the standard of -his own mind. - -Those who have in any weather entrusted themselves in winter to that ice -cup scooped out of the top of lofty Alpine battlements, may alone imagine -in its true character the Alpine world as it was in those dim and distant -days, when half Europe would have been too small to hold the glories of -the Plaine-Morte in its prehistoric stage of being. - -Since last year (1911), a cable railway runs passengers up from Sierre -to Montana-Vermala. Some day, perhaps, the railway may be taken 5,000 -feet higher. It would then pass the place where we spent the hours of -our mystic night, alternately watchful and asleep, taking in the immense -charm that flowed in upon us, and seeking in short terms of slumber rest -from our meditation. - -[Illustration: WILDSTRUBEL AND PLAINE MORTE GLACIER. - -To face p. 100.] - -The _amateurs_ of mountain scenery whom the rail may bring up here -will not be so single-minded about it as we were. They will look for -something else to lie upon than a gritty stone bed. They will allow a -wooden barrier to intercept the pulsation of nature on its way to their -souls. They will not catch in full the gracious calls which pass in -the stillness between heaven and earth, and roll in harmoniously upon -the mind, as a sonorous shore echoes the beat of the waves. My young -companion, more restless because the situation was so overmasteringly -novel, looked around for distractions which I needed not. I have often -stood, or lain, like that, looking from the outside upon the play of life -in which I otherwise bear my faint part. I like to withdraw from the -stage of the company directed by Messrs. Time and Space in which we are, -with as much humbleness as the master dramatists could be with pride, -composers, actors, and managers of some small theatrical contribution. I -am then doubtful whether I feel some approach in me to the lotus eater’s -frame of mind, or whether I rejoice in the overflowing energy of the -superman. - -There is a deep meaning in the Gospel passage that shows us the Son of -man being led upon a hill, and upon a temple pinnacle, that He may be -tempted by the sight of those aspects of the world which it was His -mission to forswear, combat and finally to overcome by the spirit and -succumb to in the flesh. It is on pinnacles such as these that we may -behold ourselves. - -Let us see. Is he who learns his philosophy by conversation with the -mountains not at once a lotus eater and a superman? He acquires from them -a firm conviction that-- - - “Il mondo va da sè. - Le monde se fait lui-même;” - -which apophthegm breathes the spirit of abdication and is a source of -weakness for him. - -On the other hand, the conscious personal power by which he overcomes the -savage forces and the blind puttings-forth of might by Nature, does mark -him out as instancing in himself human courage, a well-created _physique_ -and some superiority. - -When his energy is excited, he caresses the illusion that he could -crush his fellow beings, if he thought it worth doing. But his dignity -forbids. His fellows need have no fear, for there is some taming effect -in his haughtiness. The loftiness of his spirit lames his hand for battle -against those in whom he hardly recognises his like. - -He cannot take the affairs of men so seriously that he would whip up in -himself the ambition to take after Napoleon or Cæsar. - -When he is in lotus-eating mood, the Rubicon is really too big a thing to -be crossed lightly. - -When he is in his superman’s temper, the undertaking is indeed so small -that it is not worth while that such as he should be bothered with it. - -The Swiss, as a people, have shown in a high degree that such is the -mental composition of a true mountain race. Left for six hundred years to -their unbroken line of development, they show in the successive layers -of the formation of their national mind the stages of the process. - -They first won in the Alps, by arms, sufficient room for themselves, and -set round their borders a ring-fence of impassable pikes. Then, turning -to supermen, they fought the battles of others, for the sake of war, -despising power, and moving untempted in the domains of kings. - -In the nineteenth century, the reflective mountain spirit gained hold -on them. They held war as an immoral pursuit and ceased from being -mercenaries. But their contemptuous loftiness remained. Without despising -their former glory they, as it were, drew into themselves and drew -themselves up at the same time. - -They have become the typically lotus-eating neutral nation in Europe, -supermen still in a way and armed to the teeth, but with swords ever -sheathed and with bayonets ever resting in the scabbard. - -In their national life the Swiss practice political self-education, and -would do so rather than seek the means of making their influence felt -among nations. The Swiss are but a small and insignificant nation, but -their history shows that, disillusioned of mere strength, they passed to -the consciousness of a moral identity. - -They became self-centred, and liked to keep aloof from other people’s -affairs. They formed the conclusion that-- - - “Le monde se fait lui-même. - Il mondo va da sè;” - -and, in the public life of Europe, assumed the part of spectators and -political moralists. - -For Napoleon, a mere village or two were a sufficient stake for which to -set Europe ablaze. With material means, he built up a political society -that soon crumbled away. Had the French been by temperament lotus-eating -supermen, would they have followed him? They too would have answered him -with the words-- - - “Le monde se fait lui-même. - Il mondo va da sè.” - -The victories of fourteen years could not make a Buonapartist Europe. - -What subsists of the Superman’s adventure? It had been just as well -for him, had he stood on the edge of the glacier of the Plaine-Morte, -withstanding temptation, though he had thereby shorn Elba and St. Helena -of their title to fame. - -The bent of the mountaineer’s mind is turned inwards, towards the -education of self. As a superman he pits himself against nature, to man -he is kind and just. He is the lotus-eater who would forget the things, -the seeking after which would turn him away from self tuition. - -He is a kind of Marcus Aurelius who does the share allotted to him in the -common task, and then withdraws into his higher self, preserving a kindly -interest in those who have built up no such upper chambers. - -That sort of man is not an adept at self-sacrifice, because sacrifice is -the opposite of education. If he entirely gave himself away, he would -have no inner garden left to cultivate, and in which to plant his own -vine and sit under his own fig-tree. But if you need not expect him to -die for you, or live for you, neither does he expect you to do the like -on his behalf. Mountaineers are known to help each other when their -lives are in danger in cases of Alpine peril. In self-love they practice -self-reliance. “Exercise _thyself_” would be their motto. - -Why? because the mountaineer believes in his Creator and looks upon His -work as a good piece of work, the quality of which the creature has -to justify in itself. So in the end should the mountaineer perish at -the hands of the forces of Nature which he has, by right of spiritual -conquest, transformed into moral values for the world, with him it is a -case of _invicto animo vicit moles_. - -While I was thus trimming the lamp of my thoughts Mr. B. contrived -sundry little amusements for himself. He brought out of his bag an -extremely smart dressing-gown and bedroom slippers. He arrayed himself -in the former and dressed his feet in the latter. Then he smoked the few -cigarettes he found in his pockets. Then we shared the frozen sandwiches -that were left over for our evening meal. When those occupations were -exhausted, it might almost be described as a fortunate factor in the -situation that his thirst would not depart from him. How to slake it -became the main concern that whiled away the long hours of the night for -the sleepless Londoner. - -The problem was as follows: being given snow ad _infinitum_ and a very -fair quantity of ground coffee beans, how to produce a refreshing and -fortifying beverage whose supreme quality consists in being black, hot, -pure, and strong:-- - - “Noir comme le diable, - Chaud comme l’enfer, - Pur comme un ange, - Fort comme l’amour;” - -but which, under the circumstances, would be valued principally for its -quantity. - -The improvised cook looked about him for a coffee-pot. He found nothing -in his bag that would do. But there was in mine a small tin pot which -had resided there from time immemorial. It was somewhat dented with age, -and bore many signs of the hardness of its lot, though its office was -of a quite amiable description. It carried about my smoked glasses and -sundry silk veils. I liked to have these by me--though I personally never -use them--because they often came in conveniently to relieve from the -glare of the sun those tender-skinned representatives of the fair sex -who insist on not making sufficient preparations to go over glaciers. -The pot contained also some cotton wadding, tintacks, pins, and such -like necessaries of hut life. With regret I poured these forth upon a -dry patch of ground, and committed the pot to the mercies--whatever they -might be--of the would-be cook. - -Some time later our camping ground was wrapped in a sheet of light. I -looked round. My friend had done wonders. He had scooped a nice square -hole in the snow and planted in it our lantern, in which he had stuck -and lit one of our tapers. The light from the taper had suddenly flashed -upon the scene through the transparent wall of snow. Then some of the -coffee was poured into my tin pot, and this was placed on the top of the -lantern and lumps of snow were heaped upon the coffee. - -Then began the labours of Hercules. The snow in the pot melted very -properly, but that which walled in the stove would do likewise. It either -fell in and smothered the lantern below, or else fell from above and put -out the taper. - -All night long the cunning of the young engineer was kept devising means -of meeting every fresh emergency. Anyhow, at every watch in the night I -was kept supplied with a few mouthfuls of hot coffee. - -So well did this suffice that, on striking our tents at eight -o’clock--_façon de parler_, for we had between us but one dressing-gown -to take off before revealing to an astonished world the effectiveness of -our Burberrys--we gave no thought to the Rohrbachhaus, but made our way -straight to the Wildstrubel, between the Raezli and Lämmern glaciers. - -Once more the popular notion that to allow one’s self to fall asleep -on an open glacier is to court an awakening in the other world, had -been effectually dispelled. Provided one is clad to perfection in -weather-proof material, with chamois leather underwear over the usual -woollen undergarments, one need have no fear as long as the air is still -and free from falling snow. - -On the contrary, in a violent snowstorm and with a heavy wind, nothing -but an actual place of shelter can afford sufficient protection. For all -that some people will push their dread to the most ridiculous extremes. -I met, not very long ago, a young German, an otherwise doughty lad, -who, rather than spend the night in one of the extremely comfortable -Concordia huts on the Aletsch glacier, preferred, after coming up on ski -the whole way from the Loetschenthal, to reach Rieder Alp in an exhausted -condition, at much greater risk than if he had stopped on the way. - -It is reported by de Saussure that the dread with which the men hired -by him in Chamounix to ascend Mont Blanc looked forward to the night -which must unavoidably be spent on the glacier des Bossons, was the main -difficulty he had to contend with in keeping up their _morale_. No sooner -had they reached the spot marked out for pitching the tents, than they -dug for themselves an underground recess and buried themselves therein, -as though they expected a hail of bullets to pepper them all night. -Yet, they had hardly been herded together for half an hour, when such -a terrible epidemic of heat broke out among the huddled pack that they -dribbled out one after another, saying they preferred a fair battle with -the elements to such a process of extinction. - -The history of the construction of Alpine huts enables us to trace the -progress which public opinion has made since. The first huts were simply -caves, walled in on the open side with a rough stone dyke, and on the -floor of which was strewn some straw, while a few utensils and a stove -lay about, all higgledy-piggledy, with some logs of fir or pine wood. -They were dirty, damp dens. - -Now, such ill-conditioned refuges have been given up as an absurd and -rudimentary conception of our forefathers. They sought a well hidden away -nook. We choose the most exposed spur of hill that is near our route. We -build on high, preferring places exposed to the full fury of the blast, -and we erect wooden houses that appear too fragile to resist the violent -onset of the storm fiends. But such refuges as these are dry and airy, -the snow has but little chance of choking them up. The light shining -through the windows when a party is gathered therein after dark, is as a -mast light on ships anchored at sea. - -The stored-up wood keeps dry. The emergency provisions that a party may -leave for the next--a party perhaps less favoured--do not rot away. And -when the sun shining upon those lofty mansions lights up the yellow or -brown pine wood, a sense of near comfort and of coming security pervades -the weary traveller’s breast and warms the cockles of his heart. - -This progress has to be paid for in the form of a light tax levied upon -the traveller to defray for the Swiss Alpine Club some portion of the -expense incurred in keeping the huts in order and regularly supplying -them with fire-wood. The original characteristic of the huts, which were -intended to be mere emergency refuges open gratis to all, has somewhat -suffered in this respect from the new policy. Visitors are now requested -in most of them, by an appropriate notice, to deposit their contribution -in a receptacle fastened to the wall. This may be the most convenient -way of collecting the money due. But it means that sums of money--not -inconsiderable in the opinion of any one badly in want--are left for -rather long periods in uninhabited premises which are far from being -inaccessible. - -It has happened that cash-boxes have been rifled. A less objectionable -way of managing this little piece of business is surely within the -resources of civilisation. It is not justifiable that any other premium -than wholesome exercise and natural beauty, should be held up as an -inducement to make an excursion on the glaciers of Switzerland. - -While here on the subject of huts, the awkward position which their great -multiplication of late years entailed upon the British clubs, may be -suitably laid before the reader. As the huts of the Swiss Alpine Club -became more and more frequented, questions of preferential rights of -admission came to the fore. It was obvious that non-Swiss clubs, able to -grant terms of reciprocal admission to the Swiss, must obtain for their -members, in the Swiss huts, preferential rights over Alpine clubs who -were so by genuine profession and yet had no local habitation in the Alps -or elsewhere in which they might hope to offer hospitality in their turn, -as an acknowledgement of hospitality received. - -Consequently, when notices were put up in the Swiss Alpine Club huts, -which number now from seventy-five to eighty, showing what clubs enjoyed -a right of admission on the score of reciprocity, the absence of any -and every English club struck the eye. English visitors were then able -to realise that they had been drawing benefit from the hospitality -provided--for all and sundry, it is true--by a large body of private -persons in Switzerland. In spite of every desire to remedy this situation -by contributing to the expense of building and maintaining the Swiss -huts, English climbers could not obtain a definite _locus standi_, for -want of being able to come under a reciprocity clause. Even at present it -would be idle to hope that English clubs may be quoted by name, beside -the Swiss, French, German-Austrian, and Italian clubs. But the following -arrangement was come to, on the initiative of English climbers, and with -the concurrence of the Swiss Alpine Club:-- - -1. A committee was formed in London, of an administrative character, to -serve as a rallying point for Englishmen who might wish to enter one of -the sections of the Swiss Alpine Club. The members recruited in that -fashion for the Swiss club formed an association of British members of -the Swiss Alpine Club, which is recognised by the Swiss club, but has no -corporate existence within that club. - -2. The new association, which now numbers little less than 400 members, -started a subscription with a view to providing the Swiss club with funds -sufficient for the building of a first-class hut on the Klein Allalin -Horn above Saas Fée, at the expense of £800. This hut was built by the -care, and will remain under the administration of the Geneva section of -the Swiss Alpine Club. It was completed and inaugurated this year (1912). - -The Britannia hut deserves particular mention in these pages, because it -has been contributed to by the ski-ing clubs of Great Britain, on account -of the first-rate opportunities it offers for ski tours in the High Alps. -It occupies a central position in the Mischabel range which, from the top -of Monte Rosa to the glacier of Ried that rolls down from the Balfrin to -within 4 miles of St. Niklaus, is one of the finest ski-ing fields of -Switzerland. - -[Illustration: The Strubel.] - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE BERNESE OBERLAND FROM END TO END - - The Oberland circuit--My appointment with Arnold - Lunn--An Anglo-Swiss piece of work--An unbelieving - public--Switzerland and Britain--Geographical--Practical--We - start from Beatenberg--The Jungfrau ice-slabs--New - Year’s Day at Kandersteg--In the Gasterenthal--On the - Tschingelfirn--Foehn-effects on the Petersgrat--The Telli - glacier--The Kippel bottle-race--A church door--Theodore - Kalbermatten--The Loetschen pass--Burnt socks--Roped - ski-ing--The Concordia breakfast-table--Why we did not ascend - the Jungfrau--The Concordia huts--The Grünhornlücke--On snow - “lips” and cornices--An afternoon snooze--The Finsteraarhorn - hut--A guideless party--Ascent of the Finsteraarhorn--Our - next pass--A stranded runner--The Grimsel--Home life at - Guttannen--Our sleigh run to Meiringen--A comparison of winter - and summer work--Memories and visions--Table of levels--How - to form a caravan--The pay of the men--Side-slip and - back-slip--Future railway facilities. - - -This the Oberland “circuit.” We left Beatenberg on December 31, 1908, -passed through Interlaken, went on to Kandersteg, crossed the Petersgrat -to the top of the Loetschenthal, traversed the Aletsch glacier between -the Jungfrau and the Concordia hut, ascended the Finsteraarhorn, reached -the Grimsel hospice, and came back to Interlaken and Beatenberg, where we -were again comfortably quartered on the night of January 8, 1909. - -This traverse was made into an event and marks a date in the history of -Swiss mountaineering. The telegraph and news agencies announced it far -and wide. It was the object of press articles and flattering references -in most countries in which interest is taken in mountaineering feats. It -has been lectured on, and related in periodicals over and over again. - -The reception given to a trip of this kind obeys the laws of pictorial -perspective. Maybe, however, shorn of the benevolent element so kindly -contributed by the public, our expedition is still worth describing in -its true relief, in the light of the impressions of the two explorers who -carried it out. - -This expedition, the first of its length at such altitudes at that time -of the year, was an Anglo-Swiss piece of work. It was performed in -company with Arnold Lunn. - -We met by appointment at Beatenberg, which his father was then opening -up for the first time as a winter station. Arnold Lunn is as keen a -mountaineer as was ever born under the skies of Britain. His poetic and -adventurous mind is endowed with an exceptional facility for imaging -forth in words Alpine scenery, and for communicating to others the -manly joy which overtakes him in such scenery. He has the soul of a -propagandist and missionary. He is a striking example of how, with -climbers, performance goes before propaganda, unless one would belong to -those who are deservedly marked out as hangers--on to the exploits of -others. There are only too many such loitering about the Alps nowadays. - -[Illustration: KANDERSTEG--FINSTERAARHORN--GRIMSEL. - -(Reproduction made with authorisation of the Swiss Topographic Service. -26.8.12.) - -To face p. 114.] - -Can there be a more noble spectacle than the sight of one, who having -met young with an extremely serious accident in climbing, which to all -appearance, and according to cool reason, should confine him to the part -of an armchair propagandist and pen-wielding missionary, yields again to -the irresistible call of the Alps, and ascends the Dent Blanche in spite -of the lameness consequent upon the accident in North Wales in which his -right leg was broken in two places, under such conditions that it has -continued ever since to be a source of daily suffering? - -Last winter, on the Eiger, battling with a terrifying snow and wind -storm, my lame friend was three times thrown out of his steps. He had -with him Maurice Crettex, one of the most powerful rock and snow men, I -believe, of the present day among Swiss guides. The situation would have -been frantically impossible but for him. But what a picture! Two men, -side by side, one, all physical strength and professional devotion to -duty, the other, all spiritual energy and moral force. - -It is particularly gratifying that a Swiss and an Englishman should have -been united in showing to ski-runners that the way across the Bernese -Oberland was open from end to end and that the most magnificent mountain -scenery that ever wasted its sweetness upon the desert air was awaiting -them. These were spectacles for which I was quite prepared, having -already moved, like many of my country men, amid the glories of High Alp -winter scenery, ever since some of the sections of the Swiss Alpine -Club (that of Geneva leading the way), had instituted for their members -and friends, the expeditions known under the name of _Grandes Courses -d’hiver_. - -It is, however, one thing that the Swiss should favour such expeditions, -and quite another thing that strangers to Switzerland should entertain -the idea. I understand that when the first accounts of my winter ascents -of the Aiguille du Chardonnet and the Grand Combin were read, in London, -in the pages of the Alpine Ski Club Annual, there came upon the lips of -many competent readers a smile which partly betokened admiration--which -I certainly did not deserve--and, partly, incredulity--which I certainly -expected in some measure. - -Even in Geneva I had at first some hesitation in making known my -Bagnes-Entremonts-Ferret circuit. When I did make up my mind to send an -extremely short and compendious notice to the _Journal de Genève_, the -editors let my scrap of paper lie six weeks before they printed it. It -was unkind of me to laugh in my sleeve while this long pause lasted. I -did not fare much better after my ascent of the Dent Blanche. I slipped -a word about it into a local but widely read halfpenny paper, to whose -information people “in the know” are wont not to attach much importance. -In fact, some busybodies had already forestalled my note with a few -warning lines to the effect that any attempt to cross in a consecutive -trip the Pennine Alps, in January, from Mont Blanc to the Simplon pass, -would be too hazardous to prove anything but fatal. And here was a -gentleman who not only had got from Bourg St. Pierre to Zermatt, but -asseverated he had ascended the Dent Blanche. - -Some of my colleagues in the Geneva section, desirous of protecting -the good name of their club, and anxious to exonerate one of the older -and more respected members from any charge of senile self-complacency, -explained gravely that it was a printer’s mistake, and that surely I had -written Tête Blanche in my hastily scribbled manuscript note. - -The reader must be told at this juncture that the Tête Blanche is an -insignificant little bump of snow on the Col d’Hérens, of which those -good colleagues of mine, with their knowledge of my climbing powers, -could well trust themselves to say that I might have reached its summit, -without putting too great a strain on my powers. Even now, another of -my young disciples, Marcel Kurz, whose circuits on ski in the Bernina -and Mischabel districts may be followed in two of the maps appended to -this volume, writes me that he is pleased to hear of its approaching -publication, because it may conduce to the enlightenment of disbelievers, -across isolated specimens of whom he still occasionally comes. - -Arnold Lunn, too, has met with ultra-sceptical folks, and a boastful -trait has been read by some into his ardour. - -For my part, I am content to look upon our mountaineering fellowship -as a pleasant little incident in the history of Anglo-Swiss relations. -These I much take to heart. There is every reason in the world wherefore -they should be frequent, numerous, and close. Sometimes, in the flush of -after-dinner speeches, I have spoken of the Swiss as the navigators of -the Alps and of the English as the mountaineers of the sea. There is some -similarity in the risks incurred. - -It would be a truism--in fact the repetition of a truism--to say how -English climbers of the middle of the nineteenth century helped the Swiss -in introducing into mountaineering the wholesome element of risk. “On ne -fait pas d’omelettes sans casser des œufs.” - -It should not be hidden from the present generation of English climbers, -however, that the example of their forerunners has perhaps been more -thoroughly taken to heart in Switzerland than among themselves. There is -hardly a family or friendly circle in Switzerland that does not count one -of its members in the ring of those whose life was sacrificed for love of -the Alps. - -The motives for associating here Swiss and English in my mind are not -solely sporting. It has hitherto been little realised how much Swiss -neutrality and national integrity are one of the bulwarks of the freedom -of Britain’s movements in Europe. - -Every effort is being made to join Switzerland more closely to the -economic system of central Europe. In a century in which economics are -considered to offer a more effective political weapon than the open use -of military force, the tightening of the ties of fellowship between two -nations, neither of which can possibly aim at political encroachments -upon the other, may usefully serve to counteract a less innocent set of -tendencies. What with military roads, tunnels, and railways, the Alpine -barrier between the Baltic and the Mediterranean is being worn very thin. - -It needs, probably, no further insistence to show that sentimental -Anglo-Swiss relations may be attended by practical consequences of some -immediate utility. In this network of associations an important function -devolves upon winter mountaineering. The English have no sporting -winter. They have already, in large numbers, adopted the Swiss winter -as what they want to supply home deficiencies. May this continue and an -ever wider bridge of Swiss and British ski be thrown over the Channel. -That this book, among others, might serve this purpose was one of the -motives that impelled the writer when he put together, for publication in -England, such accounts as that which follows. - -At first sight, the title I have given to this chapter may appear -exaggerated. But it will not bear out any such unfavourable construction, -if the reader will charitably recollect that he has already travelled -with me from the western extremity of the Bernese Alps, visiting from end -to end the Diablerets, Wildhorn, and Wildstrubel range, as a prelude to -this excursion beyond the Gemmi to the east. - -Geographically and technically the euphemistic title of this chapter -is not without excuse. The Oberland is theoretically taken to include -not only a western, but also an eastern wing, on to the Galenstock and -Dammastock. Popularly, the name Oberland is understood to apply to the -great range which is cut off on the east by the Grimsel and Haslithal, on -the west by the Gemmi and Kanderthal. Classical literature agrees with -the popular definition, the main point about which is, for ski-runners, -that between those two depressions there is no pass that does not lead -across glaciers. - -The Oberland shows, between its extreme points, two parallel rows of -peaks. The northern row overlooks the lakes of Thun and Brienz. The -southern row overlooks the valleys of Loetsch and of Goms (in French -Conches), leading up to the Furka pass. Of those parallel rows the -northernmost, facing somewhat to the west, comprises the Blümlisalp and -the Lauterbrunner Breithorn. The southernmost, drawing to the east, -culminates in the Bietschhorn and Aletschhorn, and includes the summits -which, under the names of Wannehorn, Galmihorn, &c., look down upon the -glaciers of Fiesch and Oberaar, while the northern row, curving round the -Lauterbrunnen Valley from the Breithorn, is crowned by that magnificent -cluster overlooking both Scheideggs: the Jungfrau, Mönch, Eiger, -Wetterhorn, &c., with the Schreckhorn and Finsteraarhorn somewhat in the -rear. - -Between those two rows a high glacial basin takes the form of an -elongated trough. From distance to distance this trough shows transversal -lips (cross-bars or threshholds, if one so prefers to style them), -which are the upper Tschingel glacier with the Mutthorn hut (9,700 -feet), the Loetschenlücke, with the Egon von Steiger hut (10,515 feet), -the Grünhornlücke, between the Jungfraufirn and the glacier of Fiesch -(10,840 feet), and at length the Oberaarjoch (10,800 feet), between -the Oberaarhorn to the north and the Oberaar-Rothhorn to the south. -One sees from the figures quoted that those glacier passes all reach -to an altitude exceeding 9,000 feet. The top of the arc--to speak like -Euclid--would pass over the Finsteraarhorn at an altitude of 14,035 feet. - -This high level is, in the opinion of Sir Martin Conway, who followed -it in his journey through the Alps from end to end, the very finest -snow-field in the Alps. It passes at the head of the greatest ice -stream, and is sufficiently remote from the Italian border to escape -the unfavourable influence which the Rhaetic, Lepontine, and Pennine -faces of the Alps have to endure from the hot atmospheric currents and -inordinately violent action of the sun. - -“Two things were necessary for the success of this trip,” says Arnold -Lunn in one of his printed accounts; “good weather and immunity from -accidents. We could reduce the chances of accidents to a minimum by a -careful scrutiny of our kit, and we could reasonably expect fair play -from the weather by judiciously choosing the moment to begin our attack, -though, of course, the weather is always the most fickle factor in -determining the success of an expedition. - -“As regards kit, I carried two pairs of gloves, one made of reindeer skin -lined with sealskin, the other a thick pair of woollen gloves, a woollen -scarf, a silk scarf, and a woollen helmet. A spare suit of underclothing -and two pairs of stockings completed the list of extra clothing. I wore -laupar boots and goat’s-hair socks on my feet, with a pair of crampons in -my sack for rock and ice-climbing. And here, incidentally, let me remark -that the ordinary crampon-nails which are fixed into the sole of the boot -soon spoil laupars. The only practical kind are those which are sold in -summer to be strapped on under the boots. - -“I think I have at last found the ideal ski-binding for mountain work. It -is made by a Geneva firm, and was given me by Professor Roget. It never -gave any trouble; it was strong and tough. It did not vary in tightness -with the temperature, and, most important of all, it could be put on and -taken off at a moment’s notice. This is really essential, as one may meet -with short stretches on which it pays to ‘take up one’s ski and walk.’ - -“I tried, for the first time, a pair of sealskins, and found them answer -admirably. They reduced the labour of climbing by 20 per cent., weighed -hardly anything, and could be taken on and off without any trouble. An -extra ski-tip, a pair of Canadian rackets, ‘climber’s guides,’ maps, &c., -completed our kit.” - -[Illustration: KANDER GLACIER. - -To face p. 123.] - -My intention was to use Kandersteg as a starting-point, to land on the -high level, at 9,000 feet, by means of the Kander glacier gradient, -to go down to Kippel, in the Loetschenthal, by the Petersgrat; to pass -through the Loetschenlücke, to drop thence into the basin formed by the -Aletsch _névés_ (the Jungfraufirn and Ewig Schneefeld of German maps); -to rise again to the Grünhornlücke, to skid down upon the _firn_ of the -Fiesch glacier, to overtop this network of ice-mountains by the ascent -of the Finsteraarhorn, to go round the Finsteraarhorn group on its south -side, to return to the north as far as the Oberaarjoch, to descend the -Oberaar glacier to the Grimsel hospice, to follow thence the posting -road and to enter Guttannen as knights-errant, mounted and spurred--that -is, in our case, on trusty ski and shod with nailed boots, the attire in -which we would leave Kandersteg. - -Thanks to the absence of any unpleasant incident, thanks also to a -most obligingly long spell of unbroken weather, the precautions we had -taken enabled me and my companions to carry out this programme without -interruption and without inconvenience. The “stripling,” Mr. Arnold Lunn, -gave proof of remarkable staying powers. Though our Bernese porters -seemed at first to believe that they were being “let in” for harum-scarum -adventures, by which they discreetly hoped the party might be brought -to a standstill after a few hours’ march, before it could run its head, -beyond hope of escape, into the dangers of this raid, they laid no -visible claim to being wiser than ourselves. They proved themselves to be -good and reliable fellows to the end, and came out of their trials with -beaming countenances, grateful for the lessons they had received in High -Alp ski-running. - -We got into training at Beatenberg, where a snowfall delayed our -start for three days, if three days spent on the running slopes above -Beatenberg may be looked upon as a delay. Then, one morning, the sun, -bursting through the snow clouds, showed us the great peaks of the -Oberland looking down on a scene newly painted white. Our hopes rose -high, and making our rucksacks proportionately heavy, we skied down to -Interlaken, losing a bottle of whisky on the way. Carefully laid on the -top of my pack, with its nozzle looking out upon the world, it flew out, -on Arnold’s calling a sudden halt, and broke its nose against the wall -by the roadside. Thus was our expedition christened straight away, as a -launched ship that leaves the stocks. - -On reaching Kandersteg, the gossamer banner of ice-dust blowing off the -Blümlisalp showed plainly enough that the gale from the north, which had -brought the fine weather, was still in full swing. My sympathy went out -to any young men who might be then battling up there with the raging -wind, for at Christmas and New Year’s tide the Alpine huts are much -visited by holiday-makers. Indeed, I saw later from an account published -in the Swiss periodical _Ski_, by Mr. Tauern, and by Mr. Schloss in the -Alpine Ski Club Annual, that those gentlemen were actually at the time -on the Aletschfirn. They had hoped to ascend the Jungfrau. Under the -circumstances the prospect lost its charm. - -As I write, the Jungfrau has not yet been ascended in winter. The Swiss -papers gave out last year that my young friend Fritz Pfeiffer had -succeeded in reaching the top. It was a misapprehension. Within two -hundred yards of the ice-cap that crowns the Jungfrau, Mr. Pfeiffer, who -was accompanying an officer of the St. Gothard troops, was compelled to -fall back before the heap of slabs of solid ice, with which the combined -action of wind and sun had strewn the way. On these the two distinguished -mountaineers were unable to gain footing. The slabs slipped away from -under their feet, or bore them down in such a manner that they could not -have had better toboggans. Toboggans, however, were not the thing wanted, -nor even such trays or pieces of board as children are fond of using, for -the sake of amusement, in sliding down grass slopes nearer home. - -The formation of these ice-slabs on exposed summits of suitable shape -opens up an interesting, and as yet unsolved, question in the history -of natural phenomena. What clearly happens is this. Snow, driven by a -tearing wind, falls against an ice buttress. Then the sun shines with all -its winter power upon the snow that sticks to the rugged ice. Exposed to -the action of two physical agents of great force, namely, to the heat -produced by the sun and to the impetus of the wind sweeping now with -perhaps still greater violence across a clear sky, the amorphous but -plastic mass is cut up and divided by a process which may be compared, -though the analogy is merely superficial, to what happens to dough in an -oven when a hot blast is driven through it. The dried-up dough breaks up -into flakes. - -When I first came across that winter phenomenon--I have never met with -it in summer--I was led to compare those piled-up ice-slabs to the stone -slabs of like shape and size which lie on the bare crests of so many -mountains. The supposition lies near that these, too, may be due to some -combined action of pre-existent heat and supervening wind impetus, in -those geological ages when we have a fancy for imagining that the still -plastic earth-crust was blown about in huge billows by the liquid and -aerial elements. - -Be this as it may, I hope I may never be uncharitable enough to desire, -for ski-ing parties, an encounter with those ice-slab pyramids. - -The caretaker who in winter keeps watch over the Schwarenbach Hotel had -just come down to join in the New Year festivities. He announced that -there was on the heights a fresh layer of snow 30 inches deep. Stoller, -a guide of some reputation, whose advice we applied for, was of opinion -that we should put off our departure till the 2nd of January. The advice -might be sound, but I did not like it because I knew how badly the men I -might be about to engage were likely to spend their time on New Year’s -Day. As a matter of fact, when we did enter the Gasternthal, we found -nothing like the amount of snow that we were told would impede our way. -From Stoller, who had just returned from a week’s engagement to teach -the rudiments of ski-ing to a Swiss club, we heard that all guides with -first-class certificates were away climbing, and that he, having only -just returned, would not be available. We engaged three men, under his -advice and under that of Egger, for whom Arnold Lunn had a valuable -letter of introduction from his father. One of these men had a guide’s -certificate, the other two were porters. - -I took three men because I wanted to carry sufficient commissariat for -six days, which the raid was supposed to last, with a margin in case of -a check being put on our progress by a change in the weather or some -accident that could not be foreseen. I hoped to force my way through -without touching any inhabited spot before we reached Guttannen. We went -down to Kippel, because our progress was so smooth and easy that it would -have been a pity to sleep in a chalet at Guggi just for the pleasure of -not stopping in a decent hotel. - -None of our men had been beyond the Aletsch glacier. This I did not mind, -having previously gone over the whole route in summer. Provided those men -carried their loads from hut to hut, we should be satisfied. - -Arnold Lunn says in the _Isis_ that we arrived in Kandersteg just in time -for a fancy dress ball, and aroused considerable curiosity as to what we -were supposed to represent. At dinner he sat next to a man who, lost to -all sense of local colour, had come dressed as a nigger minstrel. This -was on New Year’s Eve. - -Next day we pottered round Kandersteg, one of us receiving much useful -advice as to how to fix on his ski, from a lady who was under the quite -pardonable impression that she was addressing a novice, while the other -was considered enough of an expert to instruct another lady who had the -good taste not to be so sure of her own knowledge. - -We left Kandersteg on the morning of January 2nd. As usual in those early -starts, we had plenty of time, the five of us, to try and find out of -what stuff each and every member of the party was made. It was my first -expedition with Arnold Lunn. I was entitled to think he would take my -measure as curiously as I was about to take his. Two of our men turned -out to be quite satisfactory, but the third was destined to become the -butt of our satire. I am not prepared to say that he had spent New Year’s -Day in those excesses which I dreaded, because I have since been told by -old Egger that Adolf--as we shall agree to call him--was in bad health -when he undertook to serve us. Whatever might be the cause, whether -excusable or not, he showed himself throughout in the colours in which -he is painted--maybe somewhat to the amusement of our readers--by Arnold -Lunn and myself. - -Those who mountaineer for sport are very much like schoolboys, or they -become schoolboys for the nonce. The printed records of mountaineering -are to a great extent records of the kind of humour that overgrown and -elderly boys--if I may so describe those of us who have gone through -public school-life and wish to preserve some of its characteristics -in a sphere where these may be as harmless to others as comforting to -themselves--would be expected to cultivate. - -For us, in the course of a constant fellowship of seven days, Adolf soon -represented quite a definite and rather objectionable specimen of the -human kind. We found him lazy, slow, clumsy, ever ready to take undue -advantage. Some one, who had evidently made a close study of political -types, dubbed him the Socialist, and the title stuck. For my part, -anxious to secure for him a place among types ranking in a higher class, -I placed him, under the name of Thersites, in a gallery of classical -portraits in which I allotted to Arnold the part of fiery Achilles, and -to myself that of the worldly-wise and cunningly cautious Ulysses. - -Our course lay up the Gasternthal, one of the wildest and most impressive -valleys in the Alps, utterly desolate in summer. From its rugged floor -rise some of the sternest precipices in Switzerland. On our way we had -plenty of time to examine the superstructure of the shafts which were -then being driven through the floor of the valley to ascertain the depth -of the gravel-bed that formed it. Our readers may remember that, in -1908, the Italian workmen engaged in excavations on the north front of -the Loetschberg tunnel were suddenly overwhelmed by an inrush of water, -gravel, and mud. The progress of the boring was stopped till it could be -known to what extent it would be necessary to divert the tunnel, in order -to keep in hard rock. - -It is a bit of a reflection upon the forethought of engineers--and -geologists--that, before working their way from beneath across -Gasternthal, they had not sunk that shaft which was now to supply them -with an information that would still be opportune from the engineer’s -point of view, but which was belated in regard to safeguarding human life. - -Three hours after starting, we reached a rustic _café_, or summer -restaurant, which we discovered it was Adolf’s summer occupation to -preside over. It was a pretty place with a fenced orchard about it, -whose trees now stood out barely from amid the coverlet of snow which -contributed to enhance the attractiveness of the spot. But a dreadful -doubt crossed our mind. Was Adolf a _bona-fide_ mountaineer or was he a -professional tavern keeper? - -On reaching the doorstep of his property, he angrily dropped to the -ground his burden, produced the key of his cellar, and contrived to give -us the impression that he expected us to call a halt of some duration and -indulge in the delights of his Capua. We were suddenly confronted with -the thought of the temptation put by Circe before wary Ulysses and his -simple-hearted companions. Thersites, as a mental picture, was outdone. -The vision conjured up before us was that of five days to be spent in -plenty in this winter-bound Abbey of Thelema. We would empty the larders. -We would clear the bottle shelves. We would rifle the cigar boxes, under -the watchful, but encouraging eye of this male Circe, who would fill his -pockets with sweet-scented coin, instead of bruising his shoulders any -longer with that dreadful pack. We commend the trick to those who may -have the face to play it on the public. Nothing is easier. Switzerland is -full of those concealed Canaans flowing with milk and honey. - -[Illustration: GASTERNTHAL. - -To face p. 130.] - -Shortly after leaving Adolf’s pavilion, a bend in the valley disclosed -the ice-fall of the Tschingel glacier. The moraine up which we had -to pass came into sight. It was three in the afternoon--and we had -distributed some of Adolf’s packages amongst the other two guides--before -we caught our first glimpse of the sun, which flashed out triumphantly -behind the Hockenhorn, only to disappear in a few minutes past the -Balmhorn. A steep slope of snow led from the moraine to the glacier. - -Out of laziness, we did not fix up our ski with carrying straps. We might -have paid dearly for the mistake, as a sharp wind caught us half-way -across, and a dropped ski would have taken hours to recover. It is always -wise to have at hand in one’s pockets the short straps which serve to -tie together the ski at each extremity, and to make use of them whenever -one has to carry ski across an unskiable piece of ground. It is also -better to be provided with ski-slings wherewith to carry them across both -shoulders. The wind is the ski-runner’s treacherous enemy. When you are -on your ski it may drive you out of your direction, and when you carry -your ski it may try to wrench them from you and blow you off your balance -by weighing upon them. - -The last three hours of our walk lay along the _névé_ of the Tschingel -glacier, a snow valley bounded on the north by the cliffs of the -Blümlisalp, on the south by the gently rising Petersgrat. - -“The last lingering rays,” writes Arnold Lunn, “faded from the snows, -but the sunset was soon followed by the rise of the full moon, a moon -undreamt of in our English skies, so bright that I read with ease a page -of my note-book. Those who have only seen her ‘hurrying with unhandsome -thrift of silver’ over English landscapes have little idea of her real -beauty. Before we reached the hut we had been climbing fourteen hours -uphill, loaded with heavy sacks. Yet such was the mysterious fascination -of the moonlit snows that we made no attempt to hurry. Again and again we -stopped, lost in silent wonder. - -“Straight ahead, the Jungfrau, backed by the slender cone of the Eiger, -rose above a sea of shadows. The moonlight slept on her snowy terraces, -steeping in silentness her cliffs and glaciers, and revealed the whole -as a living monument of incarnate light. A hut stood in a _cirque_ of -snow. Here the wind had played strange havoc, torturing the billows and -cornices into fantastic shapes. Anything more weirdly beautiful than the -glancing sheen of this hollow I cannot conceive. Its colour could only be -compared, if at all, to the fiery blue of Capri’s grotto.” - -The writer of the above lines, whom we shall not tire of quoting in this -chapter, does not overpaint the picture. What could be more beautiful, -more entrancing, than the Tschingel terrace, by moonlight, in the middle -of winter? Standing on a balcony little less than 10,000 feet high, we -were able to read our maps, after ten o’clock at night, as plainly as at -noonday. - -To the furrowed and broken ribs of the Blümlisalp clung several small -glaciers, suspended in the couloirs like swallows’ nests in the eaves of -a ruined castle. The sharp pyramid of the Eiger shone beyond the white -cupolas of the airy Jungfrau, as though they had been the distant walls -and minarets of an Oriental city. The snows about us were alive with a -smooth and soft radiance. The sky was transparent, and as yet hung about -with light veils. Silver clouds fluttered about the peaks, and when they -floated into the moonlight from behind them, they flashed forth like -fishes when the sun plays upon their scales. Layers of purple and crimson -haze rested upon one another along the horizon. The play of light and -shade upon the black patches and white spots of the visible world showed -them, according to whither you looked, wreathed in smiles or puckered up -in frowns. Buttresses, cliffs, abysses swam in a bluish mist, in which -the twinkling rays of a million stars danced as sparkling dust. - -It is a law of this world that what is unbecoming--τα ου δεοντα of Greek -comedy--must ever come to underline and show off the most beautiful -sights by giving them a contradictory background. For Arnold and myself, -the last three hours of that day were spent on one of the most beautiful -walks we can remember. But Adolf had been completely knocked up long -before. During the self-same last three hours he experienced a great -desire for sleep, and the burden of his refrain was not, “How grand! -How beautiful!” but “Very, very tired!” Sometimes he dozed; sometimes -he half uttered swear-words, which issued from his throat like stones -rattling down a mountain gully. I had to send one of the other men to his -help. Whether we shouted to him Thersites or Circe, or the Socialist, -he cared not. What went to his heart, and as it were broke his wind, -was that we had left his tea-house far behind and would not take him -back across the beloved threshold. A miserable Alpine hut awaited his -tottering footsteps. He staggered through the doorway and collapsed on -the mattresses, sleeping at last when to sleep was decent. What was it to -him that every curve in the swelling snows, every crag and buttress of -the Blümlisalp cliffs was lit up by the mellow rays of the mountain moon? - -Of the night spent in the Mutthorn hut nothing need be said, except that -it seemed to us a perfect night. At 5.30 the alarum went off, and, if -Arnold Lunn’s story be trusted--and it must be, in the absence of any -other accountable person, as I was asleep at that moment--the ring of the -bell was accompanied by an ill-sounding German epithet. A guide stumbled -to the door, threw it open, and muttered in more parliamentary language: -“Abscheuliches Wetter.” Arnold says--and I must trust him in this again, -for I was still asleep--that a sense of sickening disappointment, such -as climbers know so well, fell upon the waking inmates of the hut, -a definition which must be taken to exclude Adolf and myself. Arnold -stepped outside and discovered heavy grey clouds blowing up from behind -the Eiger, sniffed a gust of south-westerly wind, laid his finger on -sticky snow, and, in thus feeling the pulse of the weather, became aware -of a high temperature. - -He says: “We sulkily despatched our breakfast and started up the slope -leading towards the Petersgrat. Suddenly Professor Roget caught sight, -through a gap beyond the Blümlisalp, of the still lake of fog hanging -quite undisturbed over the plain of Switzerland and above lake Thun. -I should like to say that he gave a cry of surprise, but, alas! the -professor has his emotions under strict control, and was content to -rapidly communicate to us his analysis of the apparent bad weather. These -unauspicious phenomena were merely local disturbances, which would vanish -after dawn. The westerly breeze was only a glacier wind, the grey clouds -only the effect of the intense solar heat collected the day before and -blending throughout the night with the cold air from the snows. As long -as the _Nebelmeer_ remained undisturbed, no bad weather need be feared. -Every sign of evil actually vanished an hour after sunrise.” - -On the Petersgrat we could fancy ourselves on the top of the globe. We -were standing on the highest point of a curved surface, shaped like a -balloon, and on all sides it seemed to fall away into immensity. Beyond, -rose in gigantic outline the summits of the Alps and, still further, in -long sinuous lines curving in and out of sight, the Jura, the Vosges, -and all that distant girdle that hangs loosely about the outskirts of -Switzerland. The winter fog filled up the intervals. Afar, there was not -a breath of wind, not a whirl in the air. - -The phenomenon that alarmed my party was that which is well known under -the name of _Foehn_, a phenomenon which may assume almost any dimensions, -sometimes general enough to embrace the whole of the Alps, and sometimes -so closely circumscribed that you might almost compare it to the motion -in the air produced by a small top spinning round on the palm of your -hand. - -The phenomenon is as follows: Masses of air of varying density and -temperature are pushed up the Alps and are dropped down, as it were, -upon the other side. Or else, as this morning on the Petersgrat, it is a -layer of hot dry air formed aloft that forces its way down, in corkscrew -fashion, on a given spot, through the nether air. - -With us the phenomenon lasted an hour and was as a water spout in the -middle of a still ocean. The universal quietude of the elements impressed -itself again upon the spot on which we stood, doubting, like Thomas, but -ready to believe, if a sign would but be given. By 8.30 the sun gilded -gloriously the whole Pennine range, towards which our eyes were eagerly -turned. - -As we reached the sky-line, that distant host of old friends greeted -us beyond the morning shadows, but what held us most was the wonderful -pyramid of the Bietschhorn. The sharp-shouldered giant, sprinkled with -snow from head to foot, through which showed his jet-black armour, -stood forth before us, as within reach of the hand, strangely resembling -the view of the Weisshorn from above Randa, but how much grander in his -winter cloak with jewel-like crystals! - -This second day was to be a day spent in idling down glacier slopes and -in lounging above the forest zone of the Loetschenthal. We knew now -that we could count on the sun till its proper time for setting in the -evening. We knew that on his decline and fall the moon would take his -place, as the night policeman succeeds the day policeman upon the common -beat. The winter God was full of gentleman-like consideration. The rules -of meteorology might have been purely astronomical and mathematical for -any chances we might see of their being upset by the weather fiend. - -The snow was hard and crusted as we entered upon the southern slopes of -the Petersgrat. After forty minutes running, or thereabouts, the guides -advised us to take off our ski while we descended the steep bits on the -Telli glacier. The fact is that those men were not quite sure of their -ground. I asked the party to proceed in close formation and to move -with studied care till we should reach the bottom of the Telli glacier, -considering that it would be wiser to cope with any difficulties it might -put in our way than to ski down the Faffleralp, as to whose condition in -winter I had not the faintest indication. The ordinary summer route might -prove dangerous from avalanches. On the Telli glacier, the hardness and -comparative thinness of the snow layer cemented to the ice, allowed of -crevasses and depressions being easily recognised. It would be a piece of -summer mountaineering in midwinter, and to this, for safety’s sake, there -would be no valid objection. - -I kept my people close in, to the eastern edge of the glacier, so as to -pass under the buttress on which were supported the masses of snow over -which I would not ski. The descent of the deep gully proved the right -solution to our difficulty and procured for us for some twenty minutes -the distinct pleasure of being thoroughly occupied with a serious job. - -A run over some extremely broken ground, then some cuts and capers in a -wood led us to a chalet, where we decided to have a feed and a rest. - -“This confession,” says Arnold Lunn, “lays us open to the scorn of those -who imagine that mountaineering is a kind of game, the object of which -is to spend the minimum of time on a peak consistent with reaching its -summit. Our party fortunately belonged to the leisurely school that -combines a fondness for wise passiveness with a strong dislike to reach -one’s destination before sunset. - -“Thus understood, mountaineering on ski is the purest of all sports. The -competitive and record-breaking elements are entirely eliminated. Those -who go up to the hills on ski are then actuated by the most elemental -motives, the desire to explore the mountains in the most beautiful of all -their aspects, and to enjoy the most inspired motion known to man. - -“To me the ideal form of ski-ing is cross-country mountaineering. -One thus approaches nearest to the methods of the pioneers to whom -mountaineering meant the exploration of great ranges, not the exhausting -of all possible climbs from one small centre. Nothing is more delightful -than to penetrate into the remote Alpine valleys in the winter months. -The parasite population that thrives in summer on the tourist industry -has disappeared. One meets the genuine peasant, ‘the rough athletic -labourer wrestling with nature for his immediate wants.’ - -“Those who travel first class and stop in the best hotels do not know the -real Switzerland. It is in the third-class carriages and small inns that -one sees the most characteristic types. Nothing is more enjoyable than to -escape for ten days from conventionality and dress clothes, wandering, -kit on one’s back, from club hut to club hut, and descending at rare -intervals to remote recesses in winter-bound valleys.” - -The conclusion of this is that neither of us could describe in strenuous -language the lazy afternoon we spent on the upper fringe of the woods -above Blatten and Ried. We had a quiet repast, smoked our pipes, or -cigars--and watched the shadows creeping up the Loetschenlücke. Having -heaps of time, we sailed down to Kippel, as merry as finches, piping like -blackbirds, and as fresh as new-laid eggs. Would we have been in such a -happy predicament if we had not been on narrow boards about six and a -half feet long and half as many inches broad, of Norwegian origin, which -were used primarily as a means of crossing deep snow, and have lately -been adopted as an aid to winter mountaineering? - -The hotel we landed at was quite an ordinary eating and sleeping house -of the ugly type which too often disfigures Swiss villages. How is it -that dwellers in the Alps who, when left to themselves, show such good -taste in the plainness of their dwellings and in their primitive church -architecture, are, when they build for townspeople, such utter strangers -to the most spontaneous suggestions of the artistic instinct? - -At table we chanced to have as neighbours three members of the Swiss -Alpine Club, whose native language was the Germanic. They were on their -way from the Grimsel and had just completed that section of our route -upon which we were to enter on the morrow. We sat with them after -dinner, and here fiery Achilles behaved most wisely. With high hopes -he went quietly to bed at a reasonable hour. Then Ulysses, seeing his -opportunity, thought he would like to unbend for a while. He sat up with -the Swiss party and sacrificed to good fellowship a few hours of rest and -the contents of a few fragile flagons. - -As midnight came on, the moon suddenly peeped indiscreetly upon the -carouse, showing through the casement a seductive vista of most -beautifully slanting slopes round the foot of which roared the river -Lonza. Cunning Ulysses, beside himself with a naughty idea, sent the -empty bottles flying through the window. Immediately the blood of the -young Swiss was up. They rose, strapped on their ski in a trice, and down -they went along the slope to the bank of the Lonza. The bottles were -by then floating on the swirl of the stream. But, in the case of each -pursuer, a timely Christiania swing brought him round up the bank again. -There was a swish, a spray of snow, and three young men were saved to -fight again for their country. - -On returning to the hotel, they and I found a jolly old villain in -possession of the tap-room. He was in the early stages of inebriation. -Seeing from the costumes of the party that he had to do with town-bred -mountaineers only, he drew from the depths of his imagination the longest -bow that was ever harboured by a genuine mountaineer in his armoury. With -him the humour was transparent. But it is not always so, unfortunately. -Some of the Swiss peasantry, brought into contact with the foreign -_clientèle_, are in the habit of being so pampered by sentimental, -gullible people that they quite overstep the bounds of any liberty that -may be permissible in resenting such treatment. - -On the whole, the winter life led in the high Swiss valleys is not -altogether wholesome. When they are visited in summer, the people are -seen in the busiest time and appear in the most favourable light. The -domestic establishments of the hotels, and the few individuals who -benefit from the presence of strangers, such as mule drivers, casual -dealers in cut flowers, in carved bears and rock crystals, are merely -parasitic and as temporary features in the landscape as those whose -passage called them into being. - -The evils inherent to winter seclusion are more serious. This old man was -an example, for he could be seen there day after day, spending his time -in idle talk and throwing into the till his earnings of last season. - -But stop: is Ulysses acting up to his reputation for wariness in -moralising at the present moment to a weaker brother’s detriment? Has he -forgotten that on the next day, Monday, January 4th, the little company -turned out into the night at six o’clock without him? Was it a fair -excuse, that, on the eve, he had engaged Theodore Kalbermatten to carry -his kit for him to the next hut? - -Having once more sworn allegiance to his usual beverage, milk, the best -friend of the young and the old, he marched out last, but in good order, -to join the troop over which he held command. As the dawn broke he found -them waiting for him before a church in the Upper Loetschenthal, built -six hundred years ago. Arnold had time to examine it. He says:-- - -“The church door was carved by the hand of some long-forgotten genius, -carved with a delicacy of execution surprising in this remote corner of -the Alps. We stopped for breakfast in some cheese-making chalets high -up in the valley. Here we exchanged some remarks on cows and kindred -subjects and gently chaffed the cheese-makers on the proverbially high -stature of the men of Ried. But one realised throughout the barrier -which one could never pass. We could form little or no conception of the -world as seen through their eyes. To them these mountains must seem a -waste by-product, an inexplicable freak on the part of the Creator. They -regarded us and our ski with that amused tolerance that everyone extends -to those idiosyncrasies which are not personally annoying. - -“This rugged conservatism is nowhere so accentuated as among those who -are shut off by mountain barriers from the ‘sick, hurry, and divided -aims’ of modern life. Theirs is the spirit so gently satirised in Utopia. -These things they say pleased our forefathers and ancestors: would God we -might be as witty and wise! - -“For six hundred years their forefathers had worshipped in the little -church we had passed, sheltered by the hills from all breath of modern -scepticism, apparently undisturbed by the thought that beyond them -existed spirits who recklessly doubted the priest’s control over -the economy of nature in such modest details as harvest rains. The -Loetschenthal still possesses the strange pathetic beauty of those -secluded Catholic valleys whose inhabitants seem to live a life as old as -the hills themselves, and in which one poor priest and one little church -stand forth as the only help, the only symbol of the world outside, and -of ages not absolutely prehistoric.” - -Arnold Lunn relates that after leaving the chalets he had an amusing talk -with Theodore Kalbermatten, whom I had engaged to carry my sack up to the -club hut. A fine-looking fellow, he showed a touch of that not ungraceful -swagger which one notices in many guides and in which Lunn rightly sees -nothing more than the unsophisticated pride that humble and well-meaning -men take in the achievement of good work. But business is business. Lunn -says very wittily that the conversation concluded with the inevitable -production of a card, coupled with the caution that, though there were -many Kalbermattens, there was but one Theodore Kalbermatten. - -Anyhow, we were soon great friends with Theodore. The day was indeed -long enough--like the glacier on which we were wandering--to make and -undo friendships several times over. Circumstances lent themselves so -well to mere strolling--think what it is to be able to cross the Bernese -Oberland without once having one’s foot brought up against a stone--that -we pressed our pace no more on this third day than on the preceding. -We might have been Egyptian sages walking up and down in conversation -outside the porticoes of Thebes with the hundred gates. Had we been told -that what we stirred up with our ski were the burning sands of Africa -which we mistook for Alpine snow, because our eyes were under the spell -of _mirage_, it would have been ungracious on our part to pretend to know -better, so much did we long for the coolness of the evening, for sea -breezes and the dew at dusk, as Arabs might, returning upon their tired -steeds to the secrecy of the oasis, after a raid in the desert. - -All said and done, we found that we had spent twelve hours in reaching -the summit of the Loetschenlücke pass. Arnold’s poetic gift found at -every step fresh sustenance. He had discovered the _beau ideal_ of a -pass. “It was,” he says, “the only opening at the head of the valley, -visible, with the whole length of the glacier, during the entire day. -For twelve hours a little gap backed by blue sky told of a wonderful new -world that we should see from the summit. Above us we caught sight of our -goal, the Egon von Steiger hut, bearing the name of a Swiss climber who -perished on the Doldenhorn, and built in his memory. This is the real -ungrudging spirit of mountain lovers, the attitude which Mummery sums up -so well. ‘The great mountains,’ he writes, ‘sometimes demand a sacrifice, -but the true mountaineer would not forego their worship even though he -knew himself to be the destined victim.’ - -“We had the whole day,” says Lunn, “to reach the hut, and without being -lazy, were wise enough not to hurry, and, indeed, there was no temptation -to rush on. The time was all too short to take in the wonders of the Anen -glacier on our left, the stern beauty of the Sattelhorn cliffs on our -right. Slowly the distant ranges climbed higher into the sky. Peacefully -the morning merged into the afternoon, and the afternoon into the -evening. We paused below the final slope to watch the glow creeping down -the snows of Mont Blanc. Even the guides were impressed by the strange -stillness, as-- - - ‘Light and sound ebbed from the earth, - Like the tide of the full and weary sea, - To the depths of its own tranquillity.’ - -“I shall never forget the tantalising suspense of that last slope. For -twelve hours a little strip of blue behind the sky-line had been an -earnest of the revelation that was awaiting us. For some six hours we had -been faced by this same long slope in front and above. Now only a few -yards remained. We took them at a rush. At sunset exactly, the sky-line -was beneath our feet and in one moment were set forth before us, backed -by the Finsteraarhorn, the ‘urns of the silent snow’ from which the -greatest of all the Alpine glaciers draws its strength. The rays of the -risen moon mingled with the ebbing twilight and lent an atmosphere of -mystery to our surroundings. For the moment we were no longer of the -earth earthly, for the moment the Loetschenlücke became a magic casement -opening into perilous snows ’mid faery lands forlorn.’ - -“Thus what, seen from a distance, was obtrusively--almost offensively--a -pass, wore a peculiar fascination for that very reason. It grew upon the -imagination with the magic of those corners one has only turned in one’s -dreams.” - -Like the historic gap between the Mönch and Jungfrau, it led to the -solitudes of the Aletsch, which Lunn had never seen save as a white -streak from distant ranges. Like all good mountaineers, who have usefully -wasted hours over a map in keen and eager anticipation, he now could -dwell with gladness upon the reality of the mental picture elaborated -long ago, while contemplating certain white spaces on an old copy of the -Siegfried map. - -But the inevitable anti-climax that dogs the flight of all poets was -awaiting us. “On this occasion it took the form of the club hut stove, -and a more effective bathos has never been devised. Amongst the torments -of the damned I am sure the smoking stove holds a proud place.” Some of -last summer’s moisture had remained in the pipe. Our fire might have been -of green wood and wrung from us copious tears. - -“The guides for the space of some half-hour, wrestled and fought and -prayed, Kalbermatten meanwhile keeping up a running conversation with -his favourite saint. Adolf, with a wonderful sense of the fitness of -things, chose the moment when supper was on the table to put in a belated -appearance. His contribution to the evening’s work was a successful -attempt to burn my thick socks,” writes Lunn, righteously indignant. - -The temperature outside the hut was 8° Centigrade under zero on arriving -and, very naturally, somewhat colder inside. At the Mutthorn hut we had -noted 9° Centigrade under zero in the evening and 10° in the morning. - -Our expedition unfolded itself from day to day with the monotony and -exactitude of a scroll. On the 5th, by seven o’clock, an hour before -sunrise, we were again on the slide eastwards. The lie of the land was -nasty. Most of us turned a somersault or two, a performance at which -those will not be astonished who have come down in summer from the Egon -von Steiger hut to the Gross-Aletsch-Firn. Then badly conducted parties -are daily watched from the Concordia huts, with no little curiosity. -They flounder about till they are often heard calling for help, or seen -disappearing in a crevasse, from which moment they are entitled, under -the rules of the game, to a search party. - -In his diary Lunn says that the Aletschhorn had shoved its head in -front of the moon. The solitude was almost oppressive. “Never have I -so realised the weakness of the cry that the Alps are played out and -overcrowded. True, some thousands of climbers have explored their inmost -recesses; but substantially they are little changed from the peaks that -looked down on Hannibal:-- - - “‘Die unbegreiflich hohen Werke - Sind herrlich wie am ersten Tag.’ - -And on a winter night one feels more than ever the insignificance of such -trifling excrescences as club huts and mountain inns. The parting _genius -loci_ has, perhaps, been sent with sighing ‘from haunted hill and dale’; -but I strongly suspect that these white solitudes of eternal snow are -still visited by the court of the Ice Queen.” - -To tell the truth, I rather hope that the feminine section of that court -leave the Aletsch severely alone, for our remarks that morning would -have stood trimming. Why? Because, fearing concealed crevasses on the -Aletsch-Firn, we roped. It was a miserable experiment. At rapid intervals -Adolf sat down, in the rear, of course, as he never could do anything -else but tail. Four sudden jerks, and four more bold ski-runners bit the -dust. At times, somebody in the front of the train followed suit, an -inspiration which necessitated a rapid swing on the part of those behind. -We swung, of course, in opposite directions, and the tangled skein that -ensued was enveloped in a mist of snow with a few oaths darting about. -No wonder, for such evolutions “excyte beastlie and exstreme vyolence,” -as Lunn found it expressed in his mind, so elegantly stored up with -classical quotations, and we rapidly came to the conclusion that there -was “a good deal to be said for being dead,” oh, much more than for -roped ski-ing with Adolf. - -[Illustration: CONCORDIA PLATZ. - -To face p. 149.] - -Ski-running on a rope is only possible if every member of a party is -a steady runner. I, for one, have always found its utility limited -to providing a merry, rough-and-tumble entertainment, such as the -Wiggle-Woggle, the Whirling Pool, and such-like helter-skelter -performances in which ’Arry delights to jostle ’Arriet. - -Meanwhile the quotation runs that:-- - - “The hunter of the East had caught - The mountain turrets in a noose of light.” - -But its author was in far too sulky a condition to appreciate a sunrise. - -By nine o’clock, with our troubles well ended, we were all comfortably -seated on the rounded edges of the famous breakfast-table, an erratic -stone in the centre of that wonderful ice _quadrivium_ marked on the maps -as Concordia Platz, in which the stone in question expresses the altitude -in four figures (2,780 metres). Carpeted in the purest white, surrounded -by pyramids in the best assorted white marble architecture, set out with -flying buttresses and domes in jasper, jade, and sapphire, the Concordia -Platz did not betoken the symmetrical designing power of man, but perfect -harmony in the work of Nature’s agents--sun, snow, rock, and ice. - -What a perfectly beautiful city for the dead, these precincts and temple -whence the handiwork of man was absent! And what a number of graves were -laid under the pavement of this cathedral! Think of the tears shed for -the many who came here, impelled by the desire to behold in this world -a habitation pure enough for angels, and whose human strength gave way -before the resistance opposed by the cruel guardians of this blissful -abode! - -During breakfast we discussed our plans. Our eyes were fixed upon the -Jungfrau, partly because we had vaguely talked of the tempting ascent, -but still more because, having come up here with ice-axes, regulation -ropes, and ten-pronged climbing-irons, it was quite plain that a serious -ascent entered into our programme. If I may put it frankly, pure -adventure was not the purpose that brought me on the Concordia Platz. I -wished to put to the test of reality, in the highest mountain rink of -the Bernese range, the theory forced upon my mind by observations and -experiences elsewhere. - -I had learnt conclusively much that was new and interesting about winter -conditions in the forest zone and on the denuded grazings that rise above -them. The comparatively easy slanting and horizontal expanses of the -ice-covered parts of the Alps had yielded some positive information to -the winter pioneers now visiting them for the first time. Now I wanted -to know, with ever-increasing accuracy, how those huge spurs of rock -and ice that are thrown up into the sky from the glacier region behaved -in winter. Hitherto they had been looked at and their condition judged -from a distance. Conclusions come to in that manner were extremely -unfavourable to their accessibility. One might, moreover, safely say that -no scientific men had subjected the winter Alps to the same scrutiny -as, in the years following the middle of the nineteenth century, made -Agassiz, Desor, the Englishmen Tyndall and Sir John Lubbock, famous, and -so many more whose hard and shrewd thinking about the physical complexion -of the Alps has met with general acceptance. - -In a humbler sphere, too, among men in daily contact with the Alps, -such as guides and chamois hunters, there was till lately an absolutely -ineradicable belief that the Alp peaks would oppose almost insuperable -obstacles to those bold enough to grapple with them under winter -conditions. - -But neither scientific scholars nor practical men could exactly say why -this should be the case. It was one of those vague impressions or beliefs -which are more imperative in proportion as actual first-hand knowledge is -scantier. - -Most would tell you, when pressed, that in January the High Alps could -not but be found smothered in the most stupendous quantities of snow that -the frightened imagination could body forth, and that in those masses -rock peaks and ice domes would be buried alike. - -Once more, on the Concordia Platz, the notion I had formed as to the -comparative scarcity of snow on the flanks of the leading summits of our -Alps--those exceeding 10,000 feet--was about to be reported upon and -tested by impartial eyes. - -Our three Bernese guides could barely trust the testimony of their own -eyes. They expected to see a Jungfrau embedded in snow from head to -foot, stuffed out to a shapeless mass, bolstered out as with the seven -petticoats of a Dutch _belle_. On the contrary, the Bernese Maid was more -slim than they had ever seen her in summer. Almost entirely free from -snow, she turned towards us a shoulder as smooth, bright, and pure as -that of a Greek goddess that might have been clad in a close-fitting suit -of silver armour. One of my men who saw her again last summer (1911), one -of the two hottest recorded since 1830, found her less free from snow -than she appeared on that January day, when she was actually melting -away under the perfect downpour of solar rays towards which her face was -turned. - -Thus was an important doubt set at rest by the testimony of practical -men. It would have taken us half the day to cut steps in the sheer -ice that stretched from the Roththal Sattel to the very top. The near -completion of the railway from Grindelwald to Jungfraujoch will make it -quite easy to institute a series of regular scientific observations on -this interesting subject. - -So far as we were concerned, after five days of sun and inverted -temperature it was out of the question for us to attempt the top slopes -of the Jungfrau at that hour of the day. It was tacitly agreed to abandon -it for the Finsteraarhorn. The same causes which turned the snow slopes -of the Jungfrau to ice and rendered them impracticable would dry the -rocks of the Finsteraarhorn, clearing them from the excess of snow which -the winter winds might have piled up there. So we pressed on towards the -Grünhornlücke, past the Concordia huts, ski-ing leisurely downwards on -the Aletsch glacier. - -The reader may easily picture to himself how much our ski were in tune -with the wonderful surface over which we were passing. - -“These rollings of _névé_,” relates Lunn, “are almost unique in the Alps. -On other glaciers one’s attention is diverted to the surrounding peaks. -But, as some one says, on the Aletsch the boundary mountains form an -insignificant cup-lip to the glacier itself, which, to my knowledge, may -be compared to the same on the Plaine-Morte only. The Oberland peaks, -which from Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen exhibit such a wonderful wealth -of design, are comparatively tame from the basin of the Aletsch. When we -think of the Jungfrau we always think of her as seen from the pastures of -the Wengern Alp. Seen from the Aletsch she is not particularly striking. -One’s whole attention is focussed on the broad, silent reaches of snow. -From the Loetschenlücke, from the Jungfraujoch, from the Grünhornlücke, -three vast ice streams flow down towards the Concordia, rightly so named, -for, there, irresistible forces blend silently in perfect harmony and -move downwards without a break.” - -By three o’clock in the afternoon we passed by the huts which now form -quite a township on the rocky spur which supports them. There is the -Cathrein Pavilion, a regular little mountain hostelry, the new Swiss -Alpine Club hut, and the old hut. Stowed away under the rock the -ancestral hut of all might betray its site to curious Alpine antiquaries. - -We could have walked straight into the township on that day, the rocks -being dry and swept clean of snow, the effect of the sun only, as I can -easily prove by the testimony of Mr. Schloss who, with his party, had to -take refuge in the Swiss Club hut during the storm that had raged in the -last days of December. He says: “We rammed the ski into the snow at the -foot of these rocks, expecting to reach the hut, some 50 metres above us, -in a few minutes. But the storm made the passage up the narrow path hewn -out of the rock wall very unpleasant. It was covered with ice and snow, -and the wind, blowing in furious gusts from the Jungfrau snow-fields, -threatened every moment to hurl one or the other of us down on to the -glacier below.” Let the reader take warning. - -From the Concordia Platz we started up steep slopes to our next pass. -But were they so steep? and did we climb at all? There is in words a -forceful though conventional mendacity. In language the most honest catch -themselves playing the part of gay deceivers. Did we have any occasion -during that week to draw one laboured breath from our tranquil breasts? -Restful and vigorous, we led the æsthetic life. - -As on the previous evening, there was a tantalising interest, the same -eagerness to look beyond the sky-line into the new world of snow. This -time the pass revealed the Fiesch glacier and the great pyramid of the -Finsteraarhorn. “Professor Roget,” writes my young friend, whose fancy I -like to tickle by appearing before him in the _rôle_ of an old cynic, -“having been here before, exhibited no indecent haste, and so I had some -time to myself in the pass. The guides--to them also the country was -new--were moved to unwonted enthusiasm on seeing the Finsteraarhorn. They -said, ‘Eine schöne Spitze, die müssen wir morgen machen.’” - -Indeed they might on the morrow. There it stood before us such as three -times already I had climbed it in summer. A photograph would hardly show -the difference in the seasons. The Finsteraarhorn could be ranked in the -same category as the Combin de Valsorey and many others 12,000 feet high -and upwards with rocky sides falling away to the south and west. Whenever -they had a northern slope whereby they were accessible in summer, I had -found that by that flank their top could be reached in winter with the -help of ski and ice-axe judiciously blended, and that, on the other -side, they would regale the tourist with the gymnastics of a scramble as -diverting as in summer. - -It was about two in the afternoon when our party assembled on the lip of -the Grünhornlücke. This substantive, which has before now enjoyed our -favour, I do not employ as a mere literary phrase. Let me say why. - -High Alpine passes are like funnels up which the wind sweeps the snow. -Most passes I describe in this book being parallel to the main range -of the Alps, are most susceptible to winds blowing from the south-west -and to north-easters. When the wind blows from the south-west the snow -driven up the inclined funnel overlaps to the north-east and forms an -overhanging lip in that direction. After a time intervenes a gale from -the north-east. It drives up snow under the curve of the lip and fills -the bend as with plaster. A time comes when, that space being filled up, -the new snow is rolled up over the lip and then bulges out in a hanging -cornice towards the south-west. That in its turn gets reversed, and so -forth throughout the winter. On passes, therefore, cornices are not -fixed. They shift from one side to another of the sky-line. - -This may constitute a serious danger, either because the lip is curled -over above you, and then you may have to break through it or even bore -a tunnel, as when a waterpipe, in order to be carried up through the -projection of a roof, is led straight up a wall and an opening pierced -to take it above the roof. At other times it is easy enough to get on to -the lip, because the outside edge of it bends down away from you. But -then the difficulty is how to get off the lip on to the chin below. Here -again, if you go carelessly forward your weight may break off the edge -of the lip. You will fall with it, through the open space underneath, on -to the lower level. Or else you may have to jump, or let yourself down -by means of a rope if the distance is too great or the landing surface -too steep or too slippery or too near an abyss for you to be sure of -getting a safe foothold. It is sometimes the wisest course to dig one’s -way down, as on other occasions you may have dug your way up. These are -the minor incidents that attend every kind of mountaineering. But they -are much more frequent, and sometimes a cause of real peril in winter, -because overhanging hems of snow may be met with, even in the zone of -the grazings, where the snow is usually very deep and much tossed about -by the contrary currents of wind resulting from the extremely broken -character of the country. - -High glacier passes are, on the whole, pretty free from cornices because -the wind has free play so near the altitude where all land ceases. -Geography is very much simplified from 9,000 feet upwards. You would be -easily convinced of it if, on a relief model, you sliced off all the -pieces rising above 9,000 feet and separated them from the remainder of -the model by slipping in a tray under them at that altitude. That is why -the High Alp ski-runner is much less concerned with avalanches than his -less ambitious brother who confines himself to lower and more complicated -regions. The reader will now understand better why Lunn and myself are so -perpetually “lounging, strolling, idling” in this raid. - -It was actually only two in the afternoon--let us say it again in the -light of these observations--when our party assembled on the lip of the -Grünhornlücke. We looked back towards the Loetschenlücke, once more a -mere dent against the sky, and contrasted our easy journey with the -long, laborious tramp which is there the lot of summer trippers over -slushy, soft sticky snow. How often had I worked my way toilsomely, with -wet feet and perspiring brow, over these extensive fields when they -were mud-coloured and a vast network of puddles! Yet the temperature -throughout had been delightfully mild! Our party lay down on the summit -of the pass as comfortably as on a hot Sunday afternoon, the members of -a boating party on the Upper Thames might choose to land on a dry and -elevated part of the bank--but, alas! in our case quite shadeless--to -boil the kettle and lay the table for afternoon tea. - -At 11,000 feet above sea-level we lay about on the white dry floor and -enjoyed a prolonged siesta, and thought how unlikely all this would -seem when we should relate it. But when the sun had set behind the -Aletschhorn, the change was instantaneous. We had now to go down slopes -facing east, whose surface glazed immediately. Our ski seemed alive, and -skimmed over the glaze like swallows skimming the surface of a lake. -We had plenty of room in which to break our speed by curving in uphill -and bending down and round again. I could indulge to my heart’s content -in my favourite amusement on such slopes, which, when you present the -broadside of your ski somewhat upwards and sideways to the concavity of -the surface, let you down at varying rates of speed while you describe a -spiral line to the bottom. - -In this case the foot of the pass was indeed the bottom, but it was also -the top of the Walliser Fiescher Firn. Like arrows from a hidden bow, -we shot along the path of the moonbeams and came to a standstill at the -foot of a dreadful black rock, on the top of which the rays of the sun, -before parting, had lit up as a beacon the windows and chimney-pots of -the Finsteraarhorn hut. We left our ski well planted in the snow and -scrambled up with our packs. This hut once stood on the Oberaarjoch, -till it was removed thence and rebuilt in its present position. The -trials of transport may account for its being somewhat loose in the -joints. It is not weather-tight, and the snow on the roof--in summer I -have known it to be rain--trickles through in large drops, sometimes -on the clothes set out to dry on strings all round the stove pipe and -sometimes on the noses of the sleepers in their berths. I understand -that the trickle of water on one’s cranium is one of the most terrible -tortures a man can be subjected to. - -Anyhow we had climbed a thousand feet, taken perhaps the wrong way up, -the whole in very good time to allow Adolf his usual extra hour for -joining us round the flowing bowl of hot soup. - -“As we were sitting down to supper,” says Lunn, “a party of some six -or seven Swiss came in.” They had just completed the ascent of the -Finsteraarhorn, and were not a little pleased to find the stove lit -and water on the boil. We had noticed on arrival that the hut had the -appearance of being inhabited, and on looking round had soon caught sight -of its denizens slipping and stumbling merrily down the shoulder of the -Finsteraarhorn. A look at the hut guest-book also told us that it had -been lately visited by two Norwegians. - -“That night in the hut we were a merry party. The Swiss belonged to the -class that in England divide most of their time between watching football -matches and playing billiards. They made one realise how much the higher -life of a nation was stimulated by a prevailing love of mountains. -For mountaineering is essentially the people’s sport. Climbing tends -more than any other sport to break down artificial barriers between -classes. Snobbery is seen in its true proportion against a background of -mountains. The wealth of enthusiasm which mountaineering inspires among -the artisan classes of Switzerland is a permanent asset to the nation, -lifting all those who come into contact with the hills out of their -narrow ambitions. Shelley felt this truth. The great peaks, he writes, -have a voice to repeal large codes of fraud and woe. One had only to -look at these Swiss to feel how their lives were coloured, their ideals -raised, their views broadened, by their love of their native mountains.” - -Lunn likes to speak of the Swiss parties he meets as being “guideless.” -I do not know to what extent this epithet may convey a clear meaning to -others. It hardly does to me. What is a guideless party? Unless it means -a party who undertakes, without the assistance of a professional guide, -one of the ascents for which such a guide is authorised by a binding -tariff to claim payment, the expression is wanting in point. There is -nothing particularly noteworthy in this, that the natives of Switzerland -should explore and climb the mountains of their country without the -assistance of professional fellow-citizens. These form a class which -has been instituted to serve two purposes: (1) To provide them with an -additional economic asset; (2) to give strangers confidence in exploring -the Alps. - -Guides seek from their employers certificates of good conduct and -utility. Many of the latter have acquired a taste, in those documents, -for sitting, as it were, at the feet of their guides as though the -positions were reversed. Indeed, it would be more natural that the -guides should give certificates of ability, daring, and endurance to the -amateur mountaineers whom they have in their charge. Under such altered -circumstances a guideless party would be a party in possession of a -certificate to the effect that they had gained sufficient proficiency in -mountaineering to hold a licence as guideless parties. Till things are so -arranged, the epithet is bootless. - -Many young Swiss solve the difficulty by going through the official -course of training laid down for professional guides, in the persuasion -that should they, or the party they are with, meet with an accident, -it would not be possible for either the guiding corporation or public -opinion to fairly lay any blame at their door. There was assuredly -no reason why the young men whom we saw on that day should have been -expected to meet with an accident because they had no paid bystander. - -“Luxuries had long been devoured, but even soup has a delightful flavour -in a club hut. And no one can really understand the charms of tobacco -who has never smoked in a club hut at the end of a good day’s work. The -mountain pipe has a flavour undreamt of in the plains. Even some horrible -hay-like production purchased in Adolf’s inn seemed inspired with -ambrosial flavour.” - -On this 6th day of January it was to be our turn to ascend the -Finsteraarhorn. For the first time in our trip this verb is an apposite -term. It meant work, and our Socialist undertook to prove it. He first of -all swallowed up on the sly the last contents of our pot of honey. If I -wished to be nasty, I should say that he got himself tied at the end of -the rope because he had calculated selfishly that he would be dragged up -and, being first and lowest on the rope when descending, he would be held -up by us. - -This little piece of reckoning did not miscarry. Wise Ulysses was too -good natured to let it be seen that he “saw through” this little plot; -fiery Achilles was of too powerful a build to mind a little extra weight, -and the other two Bernese guides were such excellent fellows that they -gave no sign of how much they suffered in their pride on account of their -colleague. - -“For once in a way,” says Lunn, “the guides were punctual. I think -Professor Roget was the only one in the party who did justice to the -breakfast. A seasoned mountaineer of thirty years’ standing, he can -eat stale bread and tinned meat at 6.30 in the morning with the calm -persistency of the man who realises that food is a sound insurance -against cold and fatigue. But we were all glad to turn out of the hut, -which we left at 7.15 a.m. The first signs of dawn appeared before the -moon had set, a somewhat unusual phenomenon. Such a sunrise--though one -misses the more dramatic change from the darkest night to the day--is -accompanied by an almost unique depth of colouring. Two hours above the -hut the sun shot out from behind the Oberaarhorn, I should like to add, -like a stone flung out of a sling.” - -[Illustration: BREAKFAST ON THE FINSTERAARHORN. - -To face p. 163.] - -The simultaneous presence, morning and evening, of sun and moon at -opposite ends of the sky, was one of the most interesting pictorial -features displayed before our eyes. I am not aware that painters are ever -likely to succeed in reproducing the cross light effects we witnessed, -silvery and cold at one extremity, golden and warm at the opposite -extremity, meeting on that endless expanse of neutral white, and shot -throughout with the azure of the sky. - -The Finsteraarhorn proved itself as accommodating as the Jungfrau was -rebellious: for one and the same cause, as already hinted. The rocky -_arête_ stood up like a lace ruff above its shoulder, as fine as if it -were wrought in muslin, and offering everywhere an easy hold for our -hands. It was free from snow and from ice, owing to the constant action -of the sun’s rays percolating through the superimposed layers of dry air. -Where there was any snow there was so little that we could hardly have -expected less in summer. The _arête_ was warm to our touch. - -On reaching the breakfast place, we looked anxiously at the sweep of the -uppermost span into space. Not a suspicion of any wind blowing up there. -The last two hours of the six afforded a delightful scramble along the -edge of that very impressive cock’s comb. For an hour and a half more -we climbed up alongside steep snow slopes, down which we saw the most -alarming ski tracks I have ever beheld. - -By one o’clock our ropes were thrown as a noose all about the top of the -Finsteraarhorn, the giant of the Oberland. The Socialist hung on to the -end of the rope like a scorpion’s sting; Achilles led, presenting his -naked torso to the bite of the sun; in the middle bulged the robust frame -of venerable Ulysses, with his grey hair blown about by the wind, and, -filling the gaps between those three important personages, came Gyger -and Schmidt, betraying on their honest, grave countenances their naive -satisfaction at seeing themselves on such a lofty platform. We spent a -wonderful hour on the summit. - -The view was perfect, as only a winter view can be, over all the great -ranges mellowed by the winter atmosphere. Beyond them a vast sea of -cloud covered the plains of Switzerland and Italy. We lay about hatless, -coatless, and gloveless. Not a breath of wind even to make the inviolable -quiet audible. Quoth Lunn:-- - - “‘It seemed as if the hour were one - Sent from beyond the skies, - Which scattered from above the sun - The light of Paradise.’ - -“Time stood still, or rather the time we passed on that aerial summit, -seemed stolen from the rest of eternity. At such moments the mind becomes -a passive instrument for recording external impressions. Old memories -arose unbidden; old associations lived again. Familiar ridges, the hills -of Grindelwald, the little chalet, just visible, where I had spent so -many happy summers, all lent an element of personal romance to the view, -all helped to awaken memories of ‘far-off things and battles long ago.’ - -“The view from the Finsteraarhorn is of its kind almost unique. It is -the very hub of vast spaces of eternal winter. Below, the ice-bound -cliffs of the Oberland, scored with the passage of ages, rise from a -waste of glaciers. The Finsteraarhorn is the culminating point of this -rugged chain, and looks defiantly over a host of lesser peaks towards -its great brethren of the Swiss Alps. From the Dolomites to Dauphiny, -from the Vosges to the Apennines, scarcely a peak of any importance was -hid. The winter atmosphere toned down the harsh features whilst rendering -the whole flawless panorama strangely distinct. The mountains were clad -in those wonderful bluish tints peculiar to the winter months, their -crudities had been softened, their barren places made smooth. The keynote -in the panorama was a dreamy, languorous atmosphere.” - -The boundless canopy of clouds dragged itself out lazily, like a huge -soft beast, to fill up all the interstices in this rock-bound and -rock-studded vista, shot through with waves of light. There was a superb -suggestion of indolence on the far horizon, turning pale against a sky of -unfathomable blue. Below us the small wooden hut, perched on its rock, -added a touch of human interest to the view. - -The guides went to sleep in the snow, while the two educated men of the -party contemplated and smoked, smoked and contemplated. - -“Nine long summers I had spent as a small boy in getting to know the -remote bye-ways of the Faulhorn chain. For nine summers we had looked -longingly up to the great cliffs of the Oberland, the peaks of storm and -of dread, the dark Aar peak, the Maiden, the Monk, and the Giant. Vaguely -we wondered if it would ever be ours to penetrate into their recesses. -By the peculiar cussedness of things, I had climbed in other ranges, but -till then had never returned to my first love. - -“The force of associations formed in childhood has been insisted on -_ad nauseam_ by Wordsworth and his imitators, but the sentiment is -none the less powerful for being somewhat trite. And even now, as this -early ambition had at last reached the point of realisation, I could -scarce restrain a feeling of regret. Though, in later years, calm reason -convinced me that the terrors in which my childish imagination had clad -the Oberland peaks were almost non-existent, yet the ease with which we -had conquered their monarch had its element of sadness. - -“The hour passed like ten minutes. The professor gave the word to return. -We roused Adolf and sadly turned down the _arête_. The weaker brother -led with great deliberation. On this occasion we lacked not æsthetic -compensations for his slowness. It was a unique sensation, sitting -astride that vast cliff, watching the afternoon lights spreading tinges -of an infinite gradation of tones over the boundless canopy of mist.” - -We reached again the fantastic little gap of the Hugi-Sattel, overlooking -a sheer cliff that drops down to the Finsteraarhorn glacier. We now -rested in the afternoon where we had breakfasted in the forenoon. We -looked back up the way we had come down. Owing to the ice, we had -been forced off the summer route--which keeps some distance below the -ridge--on to the very _arête_. There is nothing on the Matterhorn finer -than that sheer cliff that falls away to the glacier 3,000 feet below. -Drop a stone, and it falls the entire distance without a bound. The -climbing, however, both up and down, had been easy enough. Good sound -hand and foot-holds--no shadow of an excuse for a slip, not even for -Adolf, who had come up wailing in the forenoon, contributing to the -gaiety of the party by his monotonous: “Ich komme schon, aber nur nicht -so schnell.” With a shudder he beheld the track of the two Norwegians, -who had taken their ski to within a thousand feet of the summit, and, on -their return, appeared to have gaily descended a slope of soft snow lying -on streaks of ice, at an angle of 45 degrees, bridging several yawning -cracks. - -Having rested on the Hugi-Sattel--this part of Switzerland recalls -everywhere the names of its explorers and scientific investigators--we -slowly retraced our steps to the hut, reaching it at 5.45. - -The merry Swiss boys had left everything in beautiful order. We had -all the room--and all the raindrops--to ourselves. Heated through and -through, the roof was letting the water from the melting snow pass -through the shingles. - -Once more a perfect sunset gave promise of yet another day of cloudless -beauty. Our anxieties--we had none others than those which might come -from eagerness to succeed--were at an end. We had done what we had set -out to do. Had we planned to go to the North Pole--or to discover the -Antarctic--and succeeded likewise (as mountaineers would have done long -ago if they had troubled to) our feelings could have differed but -little from those that now passed in our minds. There is a likeness in -all achievements in this. When the past is just putting forward its -forefinger in warning of its readiness to withdraw our deed gently -from our grasp and from the sight of men, we feel a pang that to have -done something means parting with it soon after. Some may have been -so ambitious to reach the North Pole that they set about it in a -dishonest spirit. Some returning from another voyage of joint and mutual -discovery--that generally goes under the name of a wedding tour--carry -home with them a melancholy tinge of regret upon their happiness. So did -we. - -Yet there is in simple achievements a satisfaction which nothing else in -the world can give. Most other successes leave something to be desired. -The instability of wealth and health is a platitude. But Lunn rightly -says that every successful expedition is a permanent asset, bringing in -year by year a high rate of interest, an incorruptible treasure in the -memories of the past which nothing can destroy. - -“Next day we got away by 7, stumbled down the steep rocks below the hut, -picked up our ski, our faithful boards, standing all bespattered with -snow, and by the light of the moon skied merrily down the Fiesch glacier. -As dawn broke we pushed up the long slopes leading to our next pass, the -Oberaarjoch. Suddenly an expression of pleasure escaped Professor Roget. -Such an unprecedented phenomenon--on the part of the old Cynic--aroused -my attention. I turned and saw what, for an æsthetic mind, was probably -the most striking view of the whole tour--namely, softened and subdued -by the magic of the winter atmosphere, the perfect pyramid of the -Weisshorn flanked by the daring spire of the Matterhorn. - -“A little later it was my turn to give vent to some satisfaction, and the -professor looked up to see Adolf walking well at the head of the party -with his pack trim and neat on his shoulders, like those people who, -when approaching the end of their trials, stride forth as if they had -conquered the world.” - -We almost reluctantly took our stand upon this the fifth and last -sky-line we were to cut through with the flat of our ski. The last of -our five passes disclosed the long arm of the Oberaar glacier, backed -by the mountains that overshadow the birthplace of the Rhône. Now the -Finsteraarhorn showed us his back view, his shoulder blades, terrace upon -terrace of sheer rock. - -Indeed, the force that was impelling Adolf back towards civilisation was -not of the sort that could make the pace for us. We were going onwards -and onwards, but rather drawn by the sun towards his haunt in the east, -the common goal of so many pilgrims. But our mood was not devout except -that we were nature worshippers who, while marching to Canterbury, were -diverting one another with appropriate tales. You might have had pleasure -in seeing us advance in very open order up the wrinkled back of the -Fiesch glacier. I believe one of us was holding a pipe between his teeth, -another strolled with his hands in his pockets, a fourth darted about -kodak in hand. - -Adolf thought we were slow, and grew impatient at our tarrying on this -astonishing veranda. It has, perhaps, no like in the world in this, that -it is a suspended ice-garden of an extent and altitude well proportioned -to the physical faculties of man, showing as much of natural beauty under -one of its most prodigious aspects as does not exceed the understanding -of a well-balanced mind. - -I shall never forget the ever renewed delight which I found in skirting -the southern buttresses of the Finsteraarhorn range. We did not take -a step forward without stopping to look backward through the wide gap -formed by the valley down which the Fiesch glacier pours its waters in -the Rhône. The whole of the Pennine Alps displayed themselves within this -gap. - -There they loomed as lifted off the earth, a gossamer, a sea of soft -light, a row of pearls looking as frail as a dream, and yet a real world, -the key to which is love of the beautiful. - -Softly--the ski have a way of caressing the snow--slowly, chatting, then -wrapped in silence, we went forward, as on wings. Immersed in light, -we might have been borne aloft by an expansive force within ourselves, -so much did we rise without any effort. It was barely midday when we -stood on the Oberaarjoch. Before us bent and curved the sides of the -last glacier which we had yet to follow--the Oberaar Gletscher. Our eyes -embraced a new horizon which, surging beyond the Galenstock and the -Dammastock, extended further than the Toedi in the north and enclosed the -Bernina in the east. - -We were not alone on this Belvedere. The Oberaarjoch hut, high above -us on our left, looked like one of those boxes which in a theatre allow -the eyes of the occupants to plunge down upon the stage unseen. The -platform in front of the hut was occupied by some fellow-runners, whose -voices reached our ears almost as soon as we saw them. They were watching -us, and we exchanged with them such greetings as ships may send to one -another when crossing on the high seas. To-morrow they would resume their -course towards the skies we had left behind us, while we pushed our way -towards those they had hitherto travelled under. - -It would be idle to attempt to reckon up our widely sweeping curves as we -came down the Oberaar glacier. The surface, concave at the top, becomes -convex at the bottom, with a regularity which is a good example of an -unfailing law in glacier phenomena. I think we turned to the right, and -spun round to the left, and then turned to the left and spun round to the -right for about twenty minutes on that sheet of snow without a stop. Our -men bowled themselves down anyhow. But the spiral line we looked back -upon from the foot of the glacier would have won respect from the most -exacting teacher in draughtsmanship. - -Lunn says that the top slope was unskiable. So we set our lunch upon it. -“Thence some straight running took us over an uninterrupted stretch of -snow about five miles in length. The surface was hard and wind-swept, -but the gradient was so gentle that we could let ourselves go without -thought of possible falls. We turned off beyond the snout of the glacier -and bore away down a gully to our left. Here the professor supplied an -interesting _entre-acte_. - -“The guides had, for once in a way, got ahead. Suddenly Professor Roget -fell down at the top of a steep and trying slope. He did not rise, so I -sent the guides back to help him. Adolf saw his opportunity: a little bit -of a tragedy coming in the nick of time when the perils of the route were -over. He puffed and panted up the slope, leading the search party with -a rush. When at last three hot and perspiring guides reached the piece -of wreckage stranded on the chilly shore they were not a little annoyed -to see the boat right itself without their help, and, recovering the use -of human speech, the Professor remarked that he hoped this lesson would -teach them to keep together. It did!” - -By four o’clock in the afternoon we had wandered over the long, flat -basin at the end of the Unteraar glacier, whence we said goodbye to the -Finsteraarhorn. Arnold, in high spirits, was bent on making the most of -his last chances. We were on the last spur abutting on to the flat land -in the middle of which stands the Grimsel hospice, when I saw him dash to -the left over the brow of the last wave of the hill, exclaiming, “I see a -cheeky thing to do!” The next moment he was sailing along safely on the -flats. We had no thought of entering into the hospice. Why should we? We -had not a scratch, we did not feel an ache, our equipment was as complete -as when we had started. We therefore took immediately to the road. - -“Here we at last discovered genuine winter. Above, on the glaciers, -all had been warmth, colour, and light. Here in this grim gorge all was -sombre, grey, and chill. The hospice seemed to breathe a feeble defiance -to the genius of this abode of frost. Never have I seen anything more -desolate than the deserted post-road, gagged with old avalanche tracks -and overhung with icicles. Below, the angry gash of the torrent peered -out between cakes of ice, whilst above the waning light revealed sombre -bosses of grey rock smothered in snow. - -“We were anxious to telephone, so I took one of the guides and made all -speed down the road. Some one had conveniently made tracks, which had -iced during the night and afforded some furious running. At last, at 6 -p.m., twelve hours after leaving the hut, we pulled up at Guttannen. -Here we telephoned to Beatenberg and Kandersteg and then went in search -of night quarters. The hotel was, of course, closed, but we found rooms -for the night in an adjoining chalet and were afforded one of those -sidelights on real Swiss life which the summer visitor so rarely sees. - -“We supped in the one room which was warmed, and here the family were -pursuing their various occupations. The patriarch was mumbling in the -corner over his pipe, attracting, like the majority of patriarchs, little -attention. The father, a guide in summer, chatted on the winter’s work. -He appeared to think that cutting the wood and bearing it towards the -valley left a man little time to grow fat. At the table a young girl was -plying--alas!--not the spinning-wheel of a previous generation, but an -unromantic ‘Singer.’ In front of her stood some dressmaker’s model, a -hideous, headless monstrosity on a wire cage. On the stove a small youth -slept contentedly. To him entered a bustling little damsel with the -maternal instinct precociously developed. With unsuspected tenderness -she gently lifted him up, still sleeping, bore him out of the room, and -attacked ‘with an undaunted tread the long black passage up to bed.’ - -“Supper over, we lit our pipes with pardonable satisfaction. Our long -journey had been carried through without a hitch. Perfect weather, -thorough arrangements, every precaution. Seriously, one can scarcely -be too careful in winter mountaineering. With every precaution, the -entire complexion of things may be altered in one moment. A broken -ski, a wrenched ankle, the work of a minute, and the situation becomes -charged with painful anxiety. With superb indifference the mountains -suffer us for ninety-nine days, and, perhaps on the hundredth--with equal -indifference--they strike. - -“_Friday, January 8th._--Up once more before the dawn, to discover signs -of bad weather, which had thoughtfully postponed its arrival till we had -left the upper snows. One day earlier and we should have been cooped up -in the Finsteraarhorn hut for four days, living on stale bread and tinned -meat. A sleigh was hired to drive us to Meiringen, but I was anxious to -finish the journey on ski, so, with unpardonable sophistry, I ‘tailed’ -behind the sleigh. This proved far from easy on the icy, winding road. - -“At last, six days and six hours after leaving Kandersteg, five happy -men stepped on to the Meiringen platform. On lake Brienz the sky was -veiled in dark, lowering clouds, and snow fell as we drove up to -Beatenberg. On arriving, we were plied with those questions which a -certain type of people offer as well-meant flattery: ‘Was it not too -cold?’ ‘Wasn’t it too, too awfully dangerous?’ We could have accepted -the heroic _rôle_ with greater equanimity, had we failed to realise that -any one with decent endurance and a fair knowledge of ski-ing could have -accompanied us without risk.” - -To give satisfaction to so many kind inquiries, I gave two days later -my first lecture before a more than crowded audience, and Arnold Lunn -supplemented it. The joint address is the common foundation of anything -we have since written on the subject. - -Let me now wind up with a few final remarks. - -1. Winter mountaineering may be more difficult and more dangerous than -summer climbing. One often has to face the most intense cold; but with -first-class conditions such as we enjoyed, it is scarcely more arduous, -and certainly much more enjoyable, than summer work. Our journey in -summer would have involved hours of walking through damp, slushy snow. -There would have been wearisome tramps up and down _moraines_, tedious -stretches of mule paths, dull grinds over grass slopes, and I shudder to -think--consider the mileage!--what the last day would have meant in July. -As it was, we at no time suffered from the cold, and, strangely enough, -though our days were long and mostly uphill, in point of time at least, -we neither of us ever felt tired. This was, to be sure, owing to good -ski technique. “The professor would never allow us to raise our ski off -the surface of the snow. In that way they were absolutely no weight, and -even the raising of the foot and leg was replaced by the glide upwards of -the ski blade which provided a resting-point and support, reducing the -muscular action to the same amount of forward movement as is necessary -on level ground, without any additional force being employed in vertical -action.” - -Given good weather and normal conditions, a six-day traverse can be -accomplished with very little fatigue and still less privation. I have -done four such and have never been any the worse. One may weary somewhat -of soup, bread and cheese, but barring these and similar drawbacks, there -is no reason why any one of moderate physique and fair ski-ing powers -should not follow in our steps. - -Somehow the memories of those six days have the power to impart something -of the magical colourings of a winter sunset to the drab dullness of -lowland evenings. On the mountains we all have moments when life assumes -unsuspected values, helping us to realise on our return to civilisation, -that the things that are seen are temporal, whereas the things which for -the time are not seen are for all practical purposes eternal. “The winter -Alps are but a vision, a faint memory intruding itself at intervals -when the roar of the commonplace is for a moment hushed in silence. If -visions were not at times the most solid of realities this world would be -intolerable.” - -“Just for a moment I have had a fleeting vision,” wrote Lunn, when he -had once more settled down to the round of daily life, “of the silent -snows of the Aletsch, as you and I saw them that glad evening on the -Loetschenlücke, lit in all the splendour of the January moon. It faded -all too soon, and the winter Alps again seem very far away.” - -2. I append a table of levels, in feet, similar to the table of my -vertical displacements, in metres, which the reader has found at the end -of the Diablerets to Kandersteg chapter:-- - - _January 2nd._--Kandersteg to Mutthorn hut: 5,700 feet - (Tschingel pass). - - _January 3rd._--Mutthorn hut to Petersgrat (our second pass): - 1,000 feet. - - _January 4th._--From Kippel to Egon von Steiger hut (Loetschen - pass): 6,000 feet. - - _January 5th._--From Concordia Platz to Grünhornlücke (our - fourth pass): 2,000 feet. - - _January 6th._--From Fieschfirn to Finsteraarhorn: 5,000 feet. - - _January 7th._--From Fieschfirn to Oberaarjoch (fifth pass): - 2,000 feet. - - Add 2,000 feet for unconsidered trifles. The total vertical - displacement is thus brought out at a little under 24,000 feet. - -We paid each of our men a pound a day. Other expenses brought the cost -to thirty pounds. It is better to have plenty of men and plenty of food. -Plenty of food because one is always liable to be detained some days in -the huts by the bad weather--plenty of men, which does not necessarily -mean guides, because a party that can be broken up into sections is -infinitely safer and handier. A party of six may be expressed by 2 + 2 -+ 2, or by 3 + 3, or by 4 + 2, dispositions which may fit into almost -every emergency. - -There is no doubt that sealskins are extremely convenient and a great -saving of labour in going uphill, because they annihilate back-slip, the -bugbear of beginners and of loaded men. Serious trouble may be caused -by wrinkled and puckered-up hard snow, or by those extremely slippery -patches, either snow or ice, which now and then upset the balance of the -High Alp runner. - -The remedy to this I have found in a contrivance against side-slip -which figures as a permanent fixture on the powerful pair of military -ski which I used on all my big traverses. It consists of two blades of -hardish steel, about 5 inches long, sharpened and shaped in the fashion -of skates. Linked to each other across the upper surface of my ski, they -adhere to the sides by lateral pressure only, which is applied by means -of a top screw. The edge of each blade stands out beyond the flat of -the ski by the merest fraction of an inch, in front of one, and behind -the other, foot. This secures straight running on hard snow and ice by -biting into it, preventing side-slip when the broadside of the ski slew’s -round to the drop of the slope. The laws of mechanics teach that this -contrivance, maintained against the ski by side-pressure only, should get -pushed out of place when, the ski being edged, an unduly large portion -of the weight of the runner falls to be borne by the ski edge. But, in -practice, it is not so, provided you are careful to obtain the maximum of -side-pressure that the horizontal binding screw can produce. - -[Illustration: ADOLF ON THE FINSTERAARHORN ARÊTE. - -To face p. 178.] - -Studs on the inside of the blade, making impressions upon the wood of -the ski, without injuring it in any way, increase the resistance of this -contrivance to the vertical pressure caused by the weight of the runner. - -3. Within a few years from the date of writing, this part of -the Alps will be girdled by a network of mountain railways. The -Grindelwald-Jungfrau railway, already completed to the Jungfraujoch -(11,000 feet), will deposit the ski-runner within a stone’s throw of the -Concordia Platz. There he will, as the phrase goes, have it all his own -way, with the resources of civilisation and a railway station to fall -back upon. - -The line of the Loetschberg, on the international railway, -now being built to join Berne to Brigue, should be open to -traffic by the end of 1913. It will then take but a few moments -to run there and back, underground, between Kandersteg and -Goppenstein in the Loetschenthal, joining together both ends -of the ski route Kandersteg--Gastern--Mutthorn--Petersgrat (or -Loetschberg)--Kippel--Goppenstein. - -To the east, a line now under construction from Brigue, with a tunnel -under the Furka pass to Andermatt, will connect the St. Gothard ski-ing -grounds with those we have just described. - -Skiers running down the Aletsch will be able to take train at Moerel -or Fiesch. These coming facilities are not altogether pleasant to -contemplate for those who hold the traditional ideas about the virginity -and sanctity of the Alpine Holy of Holies; but to the extent in which -it may be possible to work those lines in winter--and to this there is -no insuperable physical obstacle--they will greatly contribute to the -generalising of ski, and thereby confer inestimable benefits upon young -people in Europe, while reducing to the minimum consistent with the zest -of manly enjoyment those risks which are the haunting terror of the -parents, sisters, and wives of the adventurous winter sportsman. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE AIGUILLE DU CHARDONNET AND THE AIGUILLE DU TOUR - - The aspect of the Grand Combin--Topography--Weather conditions - for a successful raid--A classification of peaks--The Orny - nivometer--The small snowfall of the High Alps--The shrinkage - of snow--Its insufficiency to feed the glaciers--The Aiguille - du Tour--Ascent of Aiguille du Chardonnet--The St. Bernard - hospice--Helplessness of the dogs--The narrow winter path--The - monks’ hospitality--Their ski--The accident on the Col de - Fenêtre--“Ce n’est pas le ski.” - - -The Val de Bagnes, the Val d’Entremont, which leads up to the pass of -the great St. Bernard, and the Val Ferret are comparatively little -frequented by Englishmen, even in the height of the summer season. Why -it should be so is not quite clear. There is no finer group in the Alps, -from Tyrol to Dauphiné, than the Grand Combin and Mont Velan group. As -seen from Lake Champex, or from almost any point of vantage in the Val -de Bagnes, the group of the Combins and abutting snow-clad tops forms -one of the grandest pieces of mountain architecture that can be imagined, -one of a character that is somewhat uncommon, for the breadth and width -of the lines are more striking here than in the usual type of mountains -tapering up to a peak. The snow-fields and icefalls are magnificent, -while the altitude of this group (Grand Combin 4,317 metres, or 14,164 -feet) enables it to rank beside Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, and the Mischabel -range, eclipsing the Finsteraarhorn and Piz Bernina. - -If the Englishman is not so often seen in summer in that region as he -might be, I am sure that in winter none have yet visited on ski the -valleys of Bagnes, Entremont and Ferret, with the exception of a party -about which I may have something to say in another chapter. The writer of -these lines has, therefore, an excellent chance of introducing a novel -field to the British ski-runner. He spent an eight-days’ week in March, -1907, upon a raid in the valleys above named, ranging from one to another -on ski, with two friends, one of whom was a youth of eighteen, and the -other a well-known Valaisan ski-runner, Maurice Crettex, from Champex. - -A knowledge of topography being absolutely essential to one’s safety in -High Alp ski-running, even the most expert runner will take care that -at least one of his party possesses that knowledge to perfection. The -runner who takes the risk of wasting some of his strength--or time on -short winter days--upon errors in direction, is little short of a fool. -Owing to steep slopes and complicated ground, the slightest topographical -mistake may cause a fatal waste of precious time--and of a man’s -useful energy, the fund of which is limited in a town or plain dweller, -who only occasionally tries his physical endurance in winter at a high -altitude. - -[Illustration: FERRET--ENTREMONT--BAGNES. - -(Reproduction made with authorisation of the Swiss Topographic Service, -26.8.12.) - -To face p. 182.] - -A raid on ski is not a raid if it is interrupted by stress of weather. -It is then best described as a commonplace misadventure. The intending -raider must trust to chance, assisted by a careful reading of the daily -reports of the weather issued from Zürich. These reports now very usually -distinguish between High Alp weather and the conditions prevailing during -the same periods in the lake and river region. When there is a scientific -prospect of fog over the lakes and rivers, this means that the air is -still, and that the sun shines upon every mountain rising above four, -five, or six thousand feet, as the case may be. A wind arising from north -or east will not interfere with the raid (except in the matter of cold), -but a gale from west or south will bring it to an abrupt end, and be -attended with the utmost danger if the warning of a falling glass is not -immediately acted upon. - -During the eight days that this raid lasted, the weather was absolutely -steady, fine, and windless, the sun and moon vying uninterruptedly with -each other to extinguish darkness. We suffered at no time from the cold -after sunset or in club huts, and basked all day long in the sun’s direct -heat and in the rays reflected from the snows. The temperature fell -at night to 10 or 15 degrees under zero Centigrade, and rose to most -extraordinary readings during the day. We were dressed in the warm, tough -material used by all competent mountain climbers even in the height of -summer, with strong thick boots, and never for a moment suffered from -cold feet. - -Thanks to the above circumstances and to a happy concourse of every -advantage, my two companions and myself were the first human beings -who ever smoked their pipes and cigars in winter, and sat in their -shirt-sleeves on the top of the Aiguille du Tour, Aiguille du Chardonnet, -and Grand Combin. The latter summit was attempted by one of my colleagues -at Bâle (Mr. O. D. Tauern, the German gentleman mentioned in another -chapter). But the most gallant efforts failed to bring him and his -friends to the very top, though the tour was a complete vindication of -winter mountaineering on ski. An account of their expedition appeared in -the Annual (1908) of the _Schweizer Ski-Verband_. - -A ski-raid upon the giants of the Alpine world does not necessarily mean -that the raider sets his ski upon the brow of the conquered adversary. -Such a pretension would be pedantic. The summits of the Alps may, for the -ski-runner, be divided into three classes, strictly according to their -conformation, whether they be small or great, Alpine or only sub-Alpine. - -There is the class which is inaccessible under winter conditions, because -those summits are then led up to by slopes so sharp or insecure that -neither ski nor boot can reasonably be used upon them. That class we -reject altogether. Another class consists of mountains, such as the -Diablerets, Wildhorn, Wildstrubel, the tops of which are led up to by -slopes eminently fitted for ski, both upwards and downwards. A third -class consists of summits which cannot be reached on ski, because they -are rock-pinnacles, but which can be _only_ conveniently approached on -ski. This class, to my mind, is the best, as it combines ski-running with -rock-climbing. The Dufour Spitze of Monte Rosa would be the grandest -example in this category. - -Grand Combin, approached on the north side from the Plateau des Maisons -Blanches, belongs to the same class as Diablerets, Wildhorn, and -Wildstrubel. But if the ascent be varied by climbing the rocks _viâ_ -Combin de Valsorey, a course which I found as easy and comfortable in -winter as in summer, the Grand Combin passes into a--to my mind--higher -class. The Aiguille du Chardonnet and the Aiguille du Tour, to the tops -of which there is from no side a continuous way on snow, are other -typical instances. - -Any one who would follow in our footsteps and perform, like us, an eight -or ten days’ ski-running and rock-climbing raid, will find every useful -indication as to programme and distribution of time in the following -description:-- - -The raid comprises three parts: First, Aiguille du Tour and Aiguille du -Chardonnet; second, Great St. Bernard, and Val Ferret back to Orsières; -third, Grand Combin, and back to Martigny. - -The ski-runners will leave Orsières at about 7 o’clock a.m., and proceed -on their first day to the Cabane d’Orny, or to the Cabane Dupuys, which -lies still higher. The Cabane d’Orny being quite comfortable, the -vertical displacement from Orsières (890 metres) to the site of that hut -(2,692 metres) will probably be found a sufficient effort to justify one -in leaving the higher hut severely alone that day. The Cabane d’Orny may -be reached either by following the bed of the Combe d’Orny from Orsières, -or _viâ_ Chalets de Saleinaz, from Praz de Fort. We found both lines of -access equally good, but information as to the best at any given time of -the winter season should always be obtained from those locally acquainted -with snowcraft. The ascent to the hut being continuous, the ski-runner -will save much time, and save up much energy, in using a contrivance -against back-slip, whichever may be the one he favours. - -There is near the Cabane d’Orny, against a flight of rocks, a nivometer. -This is an apparatus for recording the height at which the snow may rise -against a rock face. Persons of an observant turn of mind are requested -to read the nivometer (which consists of horizontal bars of red paint, -bearing each a number at regular intervals) and to enter in the hut-book -the date of the observation. This is one of the many lame devices which -have been contrived to measure the snowfall at a given spot during the -year. It is supposed that interesting data, and points of comparison from -year to year, may thus be collected. And these, with observations made at -other places in the glacier zone, are digested and published from time to -time. - -There is no doubt that the nivometer will show every day in the -year--though it will not be so often noticed--the height at which the -snow stands against the face of that rock. But how much information can -it give about the snowfall? Snow cannot find its true level on the face -of a rock against which it is blown about by the wind and where it is -interfered with by the temperature of the stone, sometimes heated by the -sun and sometimes colder than the air surrounding it. - -Snow is not like water or air. It is not an elastic consistent substance -or a uniform fluid, like gas, seeking its own level or settling down -upon a surface. It falls unevenly upon an uneven ground. It melts or -accumulates, shrinks or flies about according to its local situation, -and, within a given time, the nivometer will give very contradictory -readings. A snow gauge is no easy thing to establish. When rain falls it -is easily measured, because, in the course of nature, it is mere water. -Not so with snow. - -What is measured by the Alpine nivometers is the height of the snow -lying at a certain place on a given day. Density cannot be checked. Yet -it operates immediately after the snowfall. This mode of mensuration -gives no reliable clue. Some of the snow was carried away by the wind -that would have remained on a windless day. Some has been blown from -elsewhere, in what proportion it is impossible to tell. How much has -melted depends on the sun heat, and the amount of this deficiency no -instrument is there to record. A storm may have intervened. Another may -have blown the snow flat, concentrating the total mass within a smaller -compass. Another may have piled it up in abnormal wreaths. - -The science of snow measurement is quite in its infancy. When it is -developed it will probably be on lines very different from those at -present followed, and the results cannot be foretold. - -Natural nivometers should be raised above the surface like dovecots and -set up in wide-open spaces, in situations exposed to the four winds of -heaven. They should be able to receive on all sides the snow moving in -the air. They should be in the shape of a cone with long, gently sloping -sides. And even then they would not prove much, unless the snow they had -collected was gauged after every fall and the apparatus swept clean and -prepared to receive the next fall on a smooth surface. - -It would then probably be found that the amount of snow falling on the -glaciers of the Alps is much smaller than we are apt to imagine. In any -case, the depth of the snow that finds a permanent station upon the rock -and ice surface of the Alps, till spring, is only a fraction of the -depth of snow that would be obtained by adding together each volume of -snow that might be gauged after each separate snowfall. Snowflakes form -an aggregate which gradually passes into a conglomerate. They lie at -first like the pieces of a game of spillikins, at different angles with -one another. By degrees the crystals lose their shape. The edges of the -prisms die out. The air that circulated between them is expelled. A hard -texture takes the place of the flimsy structure of the first moment. In -this process of reduction in volume and of increase in density, cracks -are generated in the mass. They are at first potential and remain latent -till wind-pressure, or the footfall of man, determines the bursting open -of the surface, accompanied by a report which sometimes unnecessarily -alarms the unwary, and at other times is a sure sign of a dangerous -snow-quake. - -The depth of the snow is also modified by a process of sublimation which -causes it to shrink rapidly. The atmosphere while re-absorbing the air -expired by the snow, also re-assimilates some of its moisture, even -without the suggestion of a thaw. - -The outcome of so many efficient causes may be summed up in one word: -shrinkage. But, as snow almost always is wind-driven when it falls, -a large portion of the quantity follows in the air a course parallel -to the wind, and (when it strikes obliquely the smooth and slippery -surfaces--old snow, ice, rock surfaces--over which it travels instead of -locating itself upon them) it is impelled forward, and sweeps along till -it can find a lodgement against a solid protuberance, or is dropped over -the edge of some break in the surface, out of the reach of the wind, when -it finds a resting-place and gets piled up. This is another reason why -one meets with less snow on the wind-swept, high-lying surfaces than in -the middle zone of the Alps. - -A third effective cause is to be found in the clouds. Snow-laden clouds -do not generally unload themselves at a very high altitude. They form -themselves in belts on the lower flanks of each range and pour forth -their contents nearer the grazing and forest zone than one would be led -to expect when one looks up towards them from the bottom of a valley. -We then see the basement and sides of the cloud masses. We project their -vertical lines almost infinitely into space. This is the kind of delusion -to which we are subject when we look at a house from the street-level -or, _vice versâ_, when we look down from a roof on to the pavement. The -actual volume of snow whirling above our heads is considerably thinner -than we assume. This is the case particularly during the winter season in -Switzerland, as winter balloonists may testify. - -So, without entering any further into the scientific aspects of this -question, we wish here to note provisionally that a properly conducted -nivometric survey of the Alps might show that the winter snow storage is -quite out of proportion with the quantities required to replenish the -upper ice-forming reservoirs to whose function so much importance is -attached in the current theories about glaciers. - -From the hut try the ascent of the Aiguille du Tour the following -morning. On ski, along the easy slant of the Glacier d’Orny, and then -by an easy climb, lasting one hour at the most, on good dry rock (3,531 -metres = 11,615 feet); this undertaking will be a great delight. The -upper reaches of the Glacier du Trient and of the Glacier d’Orny are one -of the most magnificent ski-grounds that man can imagine. They can be -taken advantage of both before sunset on the day of one’s arrival at the -hut, which should be reached by two o’clock, and on the next day, for a -departure at eight from the hut should enable you to be on the Aiguille -du Tour by eleven, which leaves the whole afternoon for runs. - -[Illustration: THE VALSOREY GLEN. - -To face page 190.] - -Your third day can be employed in ascending the Aiguille du Chardonnet -(12,585 feet) as follows: ski up to the Col du Tour; ski down the pass -facing west, and leaning a bit to your left; then up the slope from right -to left (that is facing full south) at first, and then full west, along -the foot of Aiguille Forbes. From the moment you have passed that point -the ski-runner becomes a climber. You may have to cut a few steps to -reach the eastern arête, which runs from the dip on the west flank of -Aiguille Forbes to the top. The _arête_, of course, requires rope and -much skill in manipulating it. - -In splendid weather, the rock being free from snow or ice, and, into the -bargain, well known to one of the three of us, we did the climb without -experiencing anywhere a moment’s delay. Time-table: Started from Cabane -d’Orny, 5.50 a.m.; reached Col d’Orny, 7.15 a.m.; crossed Plateau du -Trient to Col du Tour by 8.15 a.m.; passed foot of Aiguille Forbes by -10.20 a.m.; set foot on _arête_ by 12 a.m.; reached top at 1.25 p.m.; -completed descent of _arête_ by 3.20 p.m.; resumed our ski at 4.20 p.m.; -skied back to Col du Tour by 5.40 p.m.; got home by 7 o’clock. - -Our rests were: Twenty minutes at 8.15 a.m., twenty minutes at 10.20 -a.m., thirty-five minutes at 1.25 p.m., twenty-five minutes at 4.20 p.m., -twenty minutes at 5.40 p.m. - -For ski tours in the Mont Blanc range, consult the maps by Barbey, -Imfeld, and Kurz. - -The fourth day of this raid was employed in an easy and very fast run -down to Orsières, then on a vehicle to Bourg St. Pierre, whence four -hours on ski bring the runner to the Hospice du Grand St. Bernard, the -gates of which are open night and day to all-comers. A long night in a -most comfortable bed, after a most substantial meal, and followed by a -plentiful breakfast next day, made sufficient amends for the nights spent -in the Cabane d’Orny. - -In summer the hospitality extended by the St. Bernard monks to passing -tourists--one may not spend more than two nights under their roof--is -somewhat perfunctory, because they are oppressed by numbers. In winter, -on the contrary, they are left to themselves. Time and solitude are -somewhat heavy and passers-by of some education are the more welcome. - -Within a lap of the hospice we were spied by the famous dogs. They barked -and made but a poor pretence at coming towards us. They were terribly -handicapped in the snow, which we lightly brushed with the flat of our -ski. No wonder they floundered: the floury snow was about 6 feet deep. -Their fore and hind quarters went under, and then hove again into sight, -while they swung out of one hole into the next, as nutshells rising and -falling with the waves. - -This situation threw some fresh light upon their legendary life-saving -occupation. The tables were turned. We were much better prepared to save -them from suffocation than they to lend us a helping paw. In fact, one -huge beast’s efforts to get on board my ski somewhat perplexed me. - -We had struck out our own line, in coming up, across the surges of the -snow. The farther from any path, the happier the ski-runner. But we saw -enough of the winter track to understand the usefulness of the dogs. The -track is about 2 feet wide. It cuts in and out of the summer road, and -consists simply of the narrow footpath which pedestrians and the monks -have trodden hard. They manage to keep it open from summer to spring by -directing upon it the little traffic there is. The snow hardens after -each fall when walked on and raises the pathway by so much, building up -by degrees a kind of elevated viaduct on which to remain is the condition -of safe progress. Step out to the right or to the left by one inch, you -drop down several feet into the drifts. - -What this might mean, in the fog or during a blizzard, to those weary, -ill-shod, ill-clad, under-fed Italian labourers who still choose that -mode of transit to save their railway fare under the Simplon, we could -easily imagine. The dogs, on the other hand, would keep upon the track -and scent in what snow-covered spot the poor trespasser had missed his -footing and strayed. The remainder would be spade and shovel work for the -charitable monks. - -Easter being early that year, Lent was drawing to an end. The house was -wrapped in silence. The bells being hushed, a rattle croaked along the -passages instead. But Lenten hospitality may be lavish and fishes must -swim at all times, as the capital trout from the Dora Baltea experienced, -that was floated on the best of wines down to a worthy home of rest. On -the next morning we met a procession; they were calves being driven up -from Italy. They looked sickly against the pure sunlit snow, but they -capered and frolicked, and booed with joy. Well might they do so as long -as the bells were silent. But after! - -Years before this, the monks had been driven to the use of boards for -getting about. They invented a rude ski wanting in the essential feature -of modern planks, free action for the heel. With them the heel was -fastened down to the boards. They sprinted and punted about with the -help of a long stout pole, achieving quite a style of their own. With -their long robes waving, and swinging their gaffs from side to side, now -to steer, and now to propel their unsteady craft, with arms alternately -raised and lowered, they cut very picturesque figures against a terribly -bleak background, with their dogs pounding after them, till we lost sight -of them behind the corner like a flock of mountain choughs. - -My next day saw me across the Col de Fenêtre (2,773 metres = 8,855 -feet), along the whole Val Ferret, back to Orsières, a most magnificent, -perfectly easy and reposeful trip. From point to point, that is, from -Orsières up the Val d’Entremont to the Col du Grand St. Bernard, and -through the Col de Fenêtre, down the Val Ferret, back to Orsières, -the ski-ing is first-rate, these valleys running on parallel lines, -downwards, from south to north. The crossing from one col to the other, -upon south-facing slopes, is the only unpleasant piece of ski-ing, though -quite safe and easy. - -A fatal accident befell here a party of runners a few years after. They -intended running up the Val Ferret to the hospice when they committed -a serious mistake. As the map shows, the summer path winds corkscrew -fashion from the bed of the valley to the lakes of Ferret. Now, when a -ski-runner is seen upon a steep winding path, or ploughing his way up -the sides of it, it often means that he has not reconnoitred the skiers’ -route on his map. Those young men cut into a snow bulge, the snow ran out -through the slit and overwhelmed one of them. - -Those bulges are a most treacherous invention of the snow-fiend. They -are best likened to an egg-shell full of sand, with some compressed air -imprisoned between the shell and the sand. Break the crust, the air runs -out with a puffing sound, and the snow, freed from pressure, begins to -trickle through the hole, enlarging it. Then the whole mass, blowing -itself out and thrown out of balance, comes down. - -The study of the map would have shown to the victims of this phenomenon -of nature that however much the corkscrew might be the right way up or -down for loaded men and cows (the pack and the cow between them determine -the lie of every mountain path), such a path was not for men mounted on -skiffs that could choose their course upon the country-side with the same -liberty of choice as a ship steering upon the open sea. - -This brings back to my mind a regulation supposed to have been issued by -a certain War Office on the Continent. Some zealous officers had been -coaching their men in the use of ski upon open fields, and some trifling -injuries had been entered by the army medico in his report sheet. - -Next autumn a circular was received in every army corps recommending -officers to teach ski-ing on roads only! - -Last winter I was trotted up a steepish and narrow winding path by some -well-meaning friends who had acquired their ski-ing from a “big” man. -Some patches of the road under wood were sunk in deep snow; others, in -the open, were ice; others bare earth and stones, and the whole was so -well banked in that side-stepping was impossible. - -When I mildly remonstrated--after, not before, discipline would forbid--I -was politely told that so-and-so always took his parties up that way. No -doubt, and quite heroic of him, _mais ce n’est pas le ski_. - -In the evening of this day, which I reckon as the fifth, a conveyance -carried the three runners, in whom the readers of this chapter may by -now have become interested, to Châble, in the Val de Bagnes, and then -to Lourtier, a convenient starting-point for an attempt upon the Combin -region. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE GRAND COMBIN - - The Panossière hut--Tropical winter heat--Schoolboys and - the Matterhorn--Shall it be rock or snow?--The Combin - de Valsorey--My third ascent of the Grand Combin--The - track home--Col des Avolions--Natural highways of a new - character--Twenty-three thousand feet ascended on ski. - - -On the sixth day of my expedition we left Lourtier shortly before 10 -o’clock a.m., knowing full well that we were in no hurry, that we meant -to thoroughly enjoy our day’s work, and that the hospitable door of the -Cabane de Panossière would be no more difficult to open after sunset than -before. - -As soon as we had passed the last houses of Lourtier, we put on our ski, -and, practically, did not remove them from our feet till eight o’clock -that evening, allowing for two hours’ rest in the heat of the day, from -two to four. We branched off from the Fionnay direction to turn to the -right at Granges Neuves, crossing the bridge to Mayens du Revers, and -hence rising towards the path that leads in summer from Fionnay to the -Alpe de Corbassière. We thus reached, by two o’clock, after passing the -wooden cross at the point 1,967, and just beyond the chalets of the Alpe -de Corbassière, the point 2,227 of the map. We spent there two hours, -under a tropical sun. Then we plunged down a gully to the west, on our -right, so as to advance on ground which the sun had not softened, and -rose again along the side moraine to the point 2,644, whence there lay -before us a most romantic moonlit landscape. - -The hut was still in darkness when I reached it, the last of the party, -in order to enjoy the sensation of seeing the windows dimly lit by the -candlelight within, and the smoke curling up out of the chimney. The -impression was one of charming “cosiness,” in the middle of a more -than Arctic landscape, and there was that sublimity above and around -which beggars the art of description. A snow and wind-tight Alpine hut, -well stocked with fuel and blankets, well supplied with plain food and -wholesome drink from the provision bag of its guests, is, in midwinter, -one of the snuggest “ingle-nooks” a natural epicure may wish for, and, -strange to say, what he may therein find most pleasurable is the shade -and coolness of the shelter, so fairly could I compare our tramp of that -day to a trip in the “scrub” under the equator. Forsooth, the prejudice -which still prevails against roaming in winter at high altitudes is a -remnant of that state of mind which kept early explorers of the High Alps -tramping round and round the foot of such hills as the Matterhorn, which -Macaulay’s healthy “schoolboy” would now think nothing of rushing at, -with his sisters trailing behind. - -If it is possible, in sporting circles, to speak of the _Zeit Geist_ -without pedantry, we should say that the spirit of the time, in matters -mountaineering, has undergone a remarkable change since the advent of -Macaulay’s proverbial schoolboy. - -Or is the change not rather a return to a healthier frame of mind? - -It is quite true that in few sports is the extreme penalty, death, -so constantly near at hand as in mountaineering. But is it not quite -apparent, too, that the early lovers of the Alps were full-grown, -leisured, and cultured men, whose training, occupation, or temper, had -not properly prepared them to see the risk in its true proportions? From -them a whole generation took the cue. Then came another, for which the -taking of risks exceeding the _modicum_ attached to a passive existence -was the touchstone of manliness. They sought in the Alps opportunities -for strenuous displays, as well as haunts where the harassed soul could -take holiday. They are the generation which made of Switzerland the -playground of Europe. It is they who brought mountaineering to the -present period, when first ascents have become a hackneyed amusement, and -schoolboys marvel at the facility of undertakings which, when attempted -for the first time in bygone days, rightly called forth the admiration -of the civilised world. Is it in the modern spirit that, on the morning -of my seventh day, with the grand unconcern of an ever-victorious squad, -hitherto scratchless, bruiseless, and unwearied, we took the route, well -known to all of us, which leads up the Glacier de Corbassière to the Col -des Maisons Blanches? On reaching the plateau which precedes the col, we -made up our minds as to the choice between the two routes to the top of -Grand Combin. - -The choice lay between rock and snow. Rock won the toss. From the Plateau -des Maisons Blanches we turned full south, and left our ski at the foot -of the steep snow and ice slope which leads to the Col de Meiten. The -track over this col, dotted upon the map (Siegfried Atlas, Swiss military -survey), crosses the Combin rocks upon a snow belt from north to south, -where it ends upon the so-called Plateau du Couloir. The ascent to the -col--we were roped--presented no difficulty. The crusted snow was easily -kicked into foot-holds. - -The rocks of the Combin de Valsorey, which we ascended from the col, now -looking east, were absolutely free from snow or ice, the only discomfort -being exposure to a hot sun in an excessively dry atmosphere--just the -thing, I should say, for salamanders, which, unfortunately, we were -not. In this respect our experience totally differed from that, already -alluded to, of Mr. Tauern and his friends. Not only did they take to the -peak further east, from the corridor, _viâ_ Grand Combin de Zessetta -(this summit is immediately south of the figures 3,600 on the Siegfried), -using climbing-irons on the steep ice, but they experienced a cold so -intense that they were driven back. - -For my part, being no longer a young man at all, I felt so overcome with -the dry heat on Combin de Valsorey, that I remembered with complacency -how fully acquainted I was with the top of Grand Combin, and how useless -it would be to bore such an old friend with another visit at an unusual -time of year. I went, nevertheless, and spent some minutes of that -triumphant afternoon in amicable nods to Mont Viso, which somehow I had -missed on my previous visits. - -The reader will gather from the late hours noted in the following -time-table what confidence a rock-climber may gain from the knowledge -that his ski are waiting for him below, firmly planted in the snow, and -that a secure track marked on the friendly element runs uninterruptedly -from the spot where they stand to a trustworthy refuge hut. We cheerfully -cut through the loops of our ascending track, by a perpendicular course, -and, as the reader will see, returned to the hut in an incredibly short -time, enjoying with untroubled mind the afterglow of a magnificent sunset -gradually whitening into mellow moonlight. - -_Time-table_: Left Panossière hut at 7.15 a.m.; reached first plateau -by 8.20 a.m.; reached Maisons Blanches, 10 a.m.; reached foot of Col de -Meiten, 10.55 a.m.; lunch, thirty-five minutes; reached top of Meiten -pass, 12.20 p.m.; reached top of Combin de Valsorey, 2.30 p.m.; reached -top of Grand Combin, 3.30 p.m. (14,164 feet); afternoon tea on top of -Combin de Valsorey, thirty minutes; left Combin de Valsorey, 5 p.m., -resumed our ski, 7.15 p.m.; back to hut, 7.45 p.m. - -Remember that in runs like this, extending over 8 kilometres (5 miles), -the runners must keep together from beginning to end. - -The eighth day of this fascinating circular tour was an easy one. It is -worth noting, as an instance of many of the same kind, which moderately -trained ski-runners would find extremely remunerative. Our eight days’ -work would form the third and last portion of a typical ski trip, such as -the Val de Bagnes enables the intelligent amateur to compose in various -ways, in this instance as follows: First day, from Lourtier (where night -lodging can be had at the telegraph office), to Cabane de Panossière, -_viâ_ Fionnay; second day, Col des Maisons Blanches, and back to the -hut; third day, back to Lourtier _viâ_ Col des Avolions, leaving plenty -of time to reach Martigny by sledge, and catch the evening trains to -Lausanne, Geneva, Milan, or Berne. - -The Col des Avolions is an insignificant incision in the range of rocky -heights which run along the tongue of the Glacier de Corbassière on its -west side, from north to south. From the hut you cross the glacier very -much to the north, though slightly inclining to the west. In an hour’s -time you will be on the col, the vertical displacement from the hut down -to the foot of the pass being about 190 yards (the difference between -2,713 metres and 2,523 metres is the amount “dipped”), while the rise -from the foot of the pass is 125 yards, approximately. These 125 yards -were practically all the climbing we got that day. You will ascend with -your ski slung over your shoulders, the most convenient way when the -gullies are steep, short, and full of compact snow. - -No man in his senses will attempt High Alp ski-running without strong, -heavily soled and nailed mountain boots to his feet. The big nails round -the toe of the boot are most valuable for lodging one’s feet into steep -snow slopes or couloirs, and a broad, flat, nail-fringed heel need never -interfere with the running, unless the heads of the nails are uneven. -Nails on the sides of the boots are less necessary. - -From the Col des Avolions there is a delightful run down, full -north-west, to the stream which the path crosses (see map) to lead up to -the Chalets de Sery. Keep well to the right (east) of the point marked -2,419. We found the bed of the stream quite practicable on ski, as far -as we required it to get round the point 2,419. Then we made for point -2,243, so as to keep on the level (about 2,190 metres), while leaving -that point on our left, slightly above us. Then we proceeded down to -the Alpe de la Lys, keeping above the tree-line, till we could ski down -to Tougne on fairly open ground. Thence, to the bridge that crosses the -Dranse to Lourtier, the ground is not complicated, or you may ski down -to Champsec. We left the hut at 8 o’clock a.m., sat astride the Avolions -saddle at nine, and entered Lourtier at twelve, having in nowise hurried -ourselves. - -It is a distinctive feature of mountaineering on ski that its votaries -look for natural highways of a new character. - -The winter snow opens up quite unexpected routes, and it will soon be -the business of ski-ing clubs to issue maps revised from that point of -view. A well-filled-up steep gully becomes an opportunity for building -up a stairway that summer is unaware of. A gorge in which a dangerous -stream brawls in summer on slippery rocks may now appear in the guise -of an open and straight line of communication between upper and lower -reaches separated by impassable shelves of rock. Glacier tails, at other -times bristling with spiky _séracs_ and riddled with gaping blue pits, -turn into smooth bridges thrown over blanks in nature that were a torture -to contemplate. Torrents are reduced to the size of tiny transparent -rivulets closely hemmed in between narrow banks of solid snow and easily -spanned by the long, pliable boards. A frozen-over and snow-wadded Alpine -lake, toilsomely skirted in summer by winding up and down its rocky, -broken shores, may be crossed from point to point by a smiling navigator. -The word snowcraft acquires a new meaning. The runner eyes the country in -its broad, general aspect, determines, map in hand, the bee-line leading -to his destination, fixes upon the stretches of unbroken snow that will -bring him round any unskiable places, and in the end gets home more after -the style of birds borne through the air than after the fashion of the -clod-hopping kind. Here is, to wind up with, a note of the total vertical -displacement which we have shown may be attained, with ski, in the course -of eight days. From Orsières to Cabane d’Orny, 1,802 metres; to Aiguille -du Tour, 839; to Aiguille Chardonnet, 1,131; from Bourg St. Pierre to -Grand St. Bernard hospice, 839; thence to Col de Fenêtre, 228; from -Lourtier to Panossière hut, 1,613; thence to Grand Combin, 1,617; Col des -Avolions, 125; metres, 8,194. Of course, the measurement on the ground -would show a still more significant total, but I do not really believe -that more than 600 yards need be added on that score. On the other side -the following items may be deducted, as done on foot, climbing: Tour, -270; Chardonnet, 500; Combin, 1,000--metres, 1,770. This leaves, as -actually ascended on ski, a minimum of 7,000 metres, a trifle under -23,000 feet. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -ACROSS THE PENNINE ALPS ON SKI BY THE “HIGH-LEVEL” ROUTE. - - The “high-level” route--Previous attempts--My itinerary--Marcel - Kurz--The wise old men of Bourg St. Pierre--Maurice - Crettex--Guides with bamboos and laupars!--The snow-clad - cliffs of Sonadon--The Chanrion hut--Sealed-up crevasses--The - nameless pass--Louis Theytaz--The Pigne d’Arolla--The Bertol - hut--Why the Dent Blanche could be ascended--The ladies’ - maids’ easy job--The dreadful summer slabs--We push past - two “constables”--My cane--We bash in her ladyship’s white - bonnet--The Ice-Maid presses gently my finger-tips--The - cornice crashes down--A second night in the Bertol hut--The - Col d’Hérens--An impending tragedy--A milk-pail versus - ski--Dr. Koenig and Captain Meade--The real tragedy of - Theytaz’s death--Ropes and crevasses--Mr. Moore’s account--My - comments--The Mischabel range and Monte Rosa. - - -From the St. Bernard hospice to Bourg St. Pierre the run down presents no -particular interest. It is at Bourg St. Pierre the “high-level” road to -Zermatt is entered upon. - -For about fifty years it has been customary to give the name “high-level -route” to the glacier passes which connect Chamonix and Zermatt--Col -d’Argentière, Col des Planards, Col de Sonadon, Col de l’Evêque, Col -de Collon, Col du Mt. Brûlé, and Col de Valpelline. All these passes, -except the second (Col des Planards), are above 10,000 feet and linked to -each other by means of glaciers. This is the high-level route properly -so-called, and as followed in summer. - -The first attempt to cross the Pennine Alps in winter on ski, from west -to east, was made by a party of four from Chamonix, namely, Dr. Payot, -Joseph Couttet, Alfred Simond, and the guide, Joseph Ravanel, nicknamed -“le Rouge.” They started from Chamonix in the middle of January, 1903, -and appear to have outlined for themselves the following route, which was -intended to bring them in three days from the “Pavillon de Lognan,” above -Argentière to Zermatt:-- - - _First Day_.--Col du Chardonnet, Fenêtre de Saleinaz, Orsières, - Châble (in Vallée de Bagnes). - - _Second Day_.--Châble, Cabane de Chanrion. - - _Third Day_.--Chanrion, Glacier d’Otemma, Col de l’Evêque, Col - du Mt. Brûlé, Col de Valpelline, Glacier de Zmutt, Zermatt. - -Obviously, this plan could not be carried into practice as it was laid -down on paper. Into the bargain, the runners were stopped on the Col de -l’Evêque by bad weather, and, being short of provisions, they backed -down the Vallée de Bagnes, the whole way to Martigny. Thence they went -to Evolena, and crossing the Col d’Hérens, they reached Zermatt. From -Evolena to Zermatt the day was a long one, and they came down the Glacier -de Zmutt at night (see _Revue Alpine_, 1903, pp. 269-284). This first -attempt, over ground as yet unknown to the ski-runner, was broken up into -three sections. - -One month later (in February, 1903), two pioneers, who probably had no -knowledge of this first feat, started in their turn upon the high-level -route on ski. - -They were Dr. R. Helbling and Dr. F. Reichert. Starting from the Vallée -de Bagnes, they reached with much difficulty the Cabane de Panossière, on -the right bank of the Glacier de Corbassière. - -After attempting the Col des Maisons Blanches in order to reach the -Cabane de Valsorey, they found themselves compelled to return to the -Cabane de Panossière, and thence crossed the ridge at Mulets de la -Liaz. The descent on the face looking towards Chanrion was extremely -trying. They had to carry their ski. Anatole Pellaud, of Martigny, who -accompanied them, actually lost his pair, and came home along the Vallée -de Bagnes, while the others spent the night in the wretched huts of -la Petite Chermontane. The following day was spent in lounging about -the Cabane de Chanrion. Then they went on to Arolla by the Mont Rouge, -Seilon, and Riedmatten passes. At Arolla they slept in a barn, and next -day ascended to the Cabane de Bertol. The last day in this uncomfortable -pilgrimage was taken up in crossing the Col d’Hérens, ascending the Tête -de Valpelline, and descending to Zermatt (see Alpina 1903, p. 207, and -following: Erste Durchquerung der Walliseralpen). This is, beyond doubt, -one of the finest expeditions on ski that had yet been attempted in the -Alps. - -[Illustration: THE PENNINE RANGE FROM GRAND ST. BERNARD TO ZERMATT. - -(Reproduction made with authorisation of the Swiss Topographic Service, -26.8.12.) - -To face p. 208.] - -In January, 1908, the third attempt took place. Like the first, this -caravan started from Chamonix. It consisted of M. Baujard (from Paris), -with Joseph Ravanel, “le Rouge,” and E. D. Ravanel. Already on the first -day this party got off the bee-line. They went down to Châble along the -Col des Montets and the Col de Forclaz, then to Chanrion. On the third -day they left Chanrion at midnight, and got to Zermatt at 6.30 in the -evening, having crossed the Col de l’Evêque, Col du Mt. Brûlé, and the -Col de Valpelline (see _Revue Alpine_, 1908, p. 80). - -As one sees, these three expeditions partly followed, or cut across, the -high-level route. So far as the first three passes are concerned (those -of Argentière, of Planards, and of Sonadon), they left them completely -on one side. They were right in leaving the first. The best and only -rational course is to traverse this part of the Mont Blanc range by -the Col du Chardonnet, or the Col du Tour and Orny. Indeed, the Col -d’Argentière, on the Swiss side, lands one in a wall of rock, where -nobody should think of venturing on ski. The Col du Géant cannot either -be used to any advantage. - -The Col des Planards (2,736 m.), leading from the Val Ferret to Bourg -St. Pierre, is quite ski-able, but does not present the same interest as -a run on a glacier. Thus if you start from Chamonix, you must, at least -once, descend into the valleys. This necessity makes of the “high level” -from Chamonix an empty word for the Alpine runner. - -If you start from Bourg St. Pierre and proceed to Zermatt from pass to -pass, you will travel along an almost unbroken ice route, which may -be compared to that which leads across the Bernese Oberland from the -Lötschenthal to the Grimsel. Chanrion, at the altitude of 2,400 m., is -the only downward bend of some depth on this road, the only place where -one is not surrounded by ice. - -“Mr. F. F. Roget, of Geneva,” says a newspaper, “who in January, 1909, -with Mr. Arnold Lunn, explored the high-level route from Kandersteg to -Meiringen, planned out as follows his exploration of the Pennine high -level in January, 1911:-- - - “_First Day._--From Bourg St. Pierre to the Cabane de Valsorey - on the Sex du Meiten (3,100 m.). - - “_Second Day._--Col du Sonadon (3,389 m.), Glacier du Mt. - Durand, Cabane de Chanrion (2,460 m.). - - “_Third Day._--Col de l’Evêque (3,393 m.), Col de Collon (3,130 - m.), Col and Cabane de Bertol (3,421 m.). - - “_Fourth Day._--Ascent of Dent Blanche and a second night in - the Cabane de Bertol. - - “_Fifth Day._--Col d’Hérens (3,380 m.), Glacier de Zmutt, - Zermatt. - -“Mr. Roget was lucky in being able to carry out this programme from point -to point, with the exception of a delay of one day in the Valsorey hut, -where the atmospheric conditions compelled him to spend two nights. This -disturbance in the weather was in itself an additional piece of luck, -as a fall of snow, driven by a violent north wind, laid a fresh carpet -of dry stuff over the old, making the run, the whole way to Zermatt, a -perpetual delight. - -“Mr. Roget had asked Mr. Marcel Kurz, of Neuchâtel, to be his companion, -and had engaged four guides, all of whom did duty as porters, namely: -Maurice Crettex, Jules Crettex, Louis Theytaz (of Zinal), Léonce Murisier -(of Praz de Fort). The two Crettex are natives of Orsières, and form -probably the strongest pair of ski-ing guides that the Canton du Valais -can now produce.” - -Marcel Kurz had been my companion on the Aiguille du Chardonnet and on -the Grand Combin. He is the youth of eighteen alluded to in a preceding -chapter. He began his career as an Alpinist in 1898 and, since, he spent -every summer in improving himself, Praz de Fort being the usual summer -quarters of his family. In 1906 he became acquainted with the Grisons -ranges and particularly with the Bernina peaks. The following summer -finds him in the Mont Blanc range, in 1908 he was in the Pennines. His -first Alpine expedition on ski was when I took him up the Chardonnet. - -From that time he fell into my way of preferring winter tours to summer -climbing, and intends, in the end, to publish the skiers’ way up and -down every mountain in Switzerland to the top of which he may be able to -get on ski. For two years he presided over that extremely distinguished -society of young climbers, the Akademischer Alpen Club, at Zürich. Next -spring, on leaving the Polytechnic University of Switzerland, he will -enter the Federal Topographic Bureau in Berne as surveying engineer. - -As a soldier, he was first a private--like every able-bodied young -Swiss--in the corps of machine gunners attached to our mountain -infantry. He served his term as non-commissioned officer and is now -doing his officers’ training course at Lausanne. I would not in this -way offend Kurz’s modesty and tax my reader’s patience by giving here -so many particulars about a life career which after all is only at its -inception, and is not so very different from that of many young fellows -of the same age, did I think it out of place that a sample should appear -here of the manner in which mountaineering sport, professional studies -or occupations, and military obligations are crowded together in the -Switzer’s youth. - -The journey from Bourg St. Pierre to Zermatt was performed from Monday, -January 9, 1911, to Saturday night, the 14th. It might have been done in -half the time, but such was not the purpose of the expedition. - -At Bourg St. Pierre we met with one of those quite trifling but -somewhat unpleasant incidents with which mountaineers may be harried in -those remote Swiss villages where winter sportsmen are quite a novel -apparition. We fell upon a nest of those obsolete and retired guides -who fill the emptiness of their lives with nothing and find in the idle -habits they have acquired an excuse for passing adverse comments upon -the new mountaineering. We could not but go about collecting victuals -from the village shops, and did our packing in the public rooms of the -hostelry known under the name of Déjeuner de Napoléon. This started -the tongues of those who would talk. Buonaparte, indeed, seems to -have bequeathed to those big-mouthed villagers, whom he astonished by -breakfasting like any other mortal, a distinct capacity for bluff. - -Three old guides sat, hours before midday, with a glass of kirsch -huddled between their thumbs, eyeing our goings and comings and scanning -all our doings. Then they consulted each other and began bragging of -the wonderful exploits they had performed in their day. Having thus -employed half an hour in impressing us, they proceeded to call our -attention--simply by making much of it within our hearing--to the -enormous risk we were about to incur by entrusting ourselves to such -inexperienced men as those young madcaps whom we had brought along with -us, and who had no share in the vast knowledge and weight of authority -that had by degrees been amassed in Bourg St. Pierre. - -When they thought they had successfully filled us with suspicion towards -our men, they asked Maurice Crettex, in my presence, whether he had -fully recovered from an accident he had met in the summer when running -a cart-load of hay into a barn. The hay was toppling over and he had -been badly squeezed between the wall and the cart while holding up the -unsteady mass with his pitchfork. Little did they know that I was fully -aware of that and had purposely wished to be Crettex’ first employer -since the accident. - -All their sly dodges having failed, their vindictive jealousy and -self-conceit, when we had left, ran into another channel, and of this a -few words will be heard at the end of our chapter. The jolly old villain -of Kippel was sterling gold as compared with that ugly crew. - -_First Day._--Fine warm weather, foehn wind. From Bourg St. Pierre to -the Chalets d’Amont (2,192 m.), the ski-runner’s track falls in with -the summer route; but instead of climbing the chimney over which stands -a cross, the ski-runner keeps on to the south, and enters on the left -the gorge through which escapes the water of the Valsorey glacier. This -glacier is thus reached, then the Grand Plan, whence one discovers the -hut standing on the Sex du Meiten. Starting from Bourg St. Pierre at 11 -o’clock, it was quite easy to reach the hut by sunset. - -I noticed that the guides were provided with sealskins, light bamboos, -and laupars. There can be no question about the utility of sealskins -on long Alpine expeditions; but a light, short bamboo is certainly not -the right weapon for a guide, and laupars, with a few nails driven in, -certainly are most unsuited for glacier work. In other respects the men -were perfectly equipped. There were three ice-axes in the party, two -ropes, and everybody was provided with climbing-irons. - -_Second Day._--A violent wind during the night, then snow till midday, -when the north wind gained the upper hand, clearing the sky after 2 -o’clock. Beautiful sunset, clear night, 18 degrees Centigrade under zero. - -_Third Day._--Weather beautiful; quite half a foot of fresh dry snow on -the old wind-driven snow. - -[Illustration: THE SONADON CLIFFS. - -To face p. 214.] - -There is on the way from Bourg St. Pierre to Chanrion over the Col du -Sonadon a difficulty which may have turned the earlier runners away, -and no doubt induced them to go round that range from the north -rather than go across. This obstacle is the wall of rock which runs -as an unbroken, fortified line from the shoulder of the Combin on the -north to the Aiguilles Vertes in the south, and divides the Glacier de -Sonadon into two basins--the upper and the lower. The old editions of the -Siegfried Atlas show a dotted line which passes close to the Aiguille -du Déjeuner (3,009 m.), but it has been recognised that this route is -exposed to falling stones. Caravans now prefer to ascend to the Plateau -du Couloir under the shoulder of the Combin, and to descend upon the -Glacier de Sonadon, and thus reach the pass of that name. - -We were quite successful in traversing the snow-covered rocks, along -which ran in former days the usual route. In case any runners should feel -called upon to prefer the new route, owing to the state of the rocks and -of the snow, here are some indications as to how to strike upon the right -course. From the Valsorey hut one should climb straight up, on ski or on -foot, till one is on a level with the Plateau du Couloir. If the snow is -good it will generally be found to be hard; if it is powdery, avalanches -are likely. From the Plateau du Couloir one may slide down to the glacier -and put one’s ski on again, getting gradually on a level with the Col du -Sonadon. I do not say that this track is better than the old one which we -took. The conditions of snow and rock should each time be considered in -the choice, because open snow slopes on hard ice-worn rock are the happy -hunting ground of the avalanche fiend. - -At 10 o’clock, having crossed the small Glacier du Meiten, my party was -standing on the edge of the high wall which overlooks the lower basin -of the Glacier de Sonadon. For ski-runners the situation was somewhat -ludicrous, and was not one in which to remain for any length of time. The -party removed their ski, put on their climbing-irons, and the Crettex -brothers, carefully roped, went forward as scouts. The snow was in -capital condition (newly fallen powdery snow, very light and dry on the -bare rocks, and in the couloirs old snow of great consistency). Progress -was possible along a kind of ledge, which dropped slantingly along -slopes whose angle of declivity was about 45 degrees. One’s foot rested -occasionally in the compact snow, and sometimes on the rock itself. This -ledge presented an extremely narrow surface, and if one did not know that -it is in use in summer one might question in winter whether it existed at -all. It is very irregular, zigzagging across the couloirs and hanging on -to the spurs which separate them, but extremely interesting. - -When once the Col de l’Aiguille du Déjeuner had been reached, the snow -showed a continuous surface on to the Glacier du Sonadon. The ski were -once more put on, and the party “tacked” its way, first down, and then -up, on slopes on which the sun brought trifling avalanches into motion. -At about 3 o’clock in the afternoon the caravan was seated in the full -glow of the sun on the Col du Sonadon (3,389 m.). An hour later began -a rapid descent on the Glacier du Mont Durand--one of the many of that -name--with one’s face turned towards the sunset on the mountains above -Chanrion (Ruinette, Glacier de Breney, &c.). One should avoid running -too low down on the glacier. The thing to do is to cross over to the -north-east _arête_ on Mont Avril, and to descend full speed, pushing on -to the Glacier de Fenêtre, describing thus a vast semicircle on to the -tip of the tongue of the Glacier d’Otemma. Hence by moonlight to Chanrion -on the opposite slope. The hut was reached at 6 o’clock. There was but -little snow in front of the door, and no snow at all inside. By that time -the moon shone through a damper atmosphere; the glass was somewhat lower, -though comparatively high (it remained so throughout the expedition), -but the cold had considerably abated since the morning. This meant the -gathering up of mists during the night. - -There is a serious drawback to the Chanrion hut. Its situation marks it -out as a most convenient resort for Italian smugglers in the dull autumn -and winter months when the tourist traffic has ceased. Those smugglers -cross over from Italy in large numbers, bringing in farm and dairy -produce, and then return to their homes laden with heavy packages of -tobacco, sugar, and every kind of grocery that is heavily taxed in their -own country. They are not above lifting such things as spoons, forks, tin -plates, and sundry useful kitchen utensils, nay, even the blankets with -which the club huts are furnished. Such movables are therefore almost -entirely removed from Chanrion at the close of the summer season when the -caretaker comes down. The six of us had to be content with the barest -necessaries out of the always very scanty club furniture: six spoons, -six forks, six plates, six knives, six blankets: quite enough, you see, -whether smugglers or no smugglers. - -_Fourth Day (January 12th)._--As foreseen, the weather was dull. -Departure at 8.30. Considerable masses of snow had filled up, or at least -completely closed, the huge crevasses, which in summer are open at the -junction of the Glacier d’Otemma with the Glacier of Crête Sèche. Not the -slightest fissure could be detected. - -There are at the outlet of the Crête Sèche glacier some interesting -engineering works to regulate the outflow and obviate floods which have -repeatedly visited the Dranse valley, owing to the collection of water in -glacier pockets and their bursting when the weight is too great for the -ice walls to bear. Of these not a sign could be seen. - -As a long and wide avenue, the glacier stretched itself out before the -runners, and out of sight. Grey mists, rising from Italy, hung loosely -over the southern rim of the glacier. But when near the upper end, at an -altitude of 3,000 m. or thereabouts, the mist melted away and the sun -reappeared. Three passes had to be crossed on that day in order to reach -the Bertol hut by night. At that time of year those passes were nothing -more than slightly marked elevations in the snow-fields. The first opens -between Petit Mt. Collon and Becca d’Oren. This pass, as yet nameless, -and which it will be convenient to call here Pass 3,300 m., affords a -much more direct route than the Col de Chermontane, or any other. Messrs. -Helbling and Reichert had swerved away from the continuous snow-highway -to the north. Messrs. Baujard and Ravanel had taken refuge from the -crevasses upon the rock passes south of the Bouquetins range. In our case -the choice was determined by the requirements of ski technique. From Pass -3,300, gentle downward and upward slopes led us on to the Col de l’Evêque -(3,393 m.), which was reached at 2.30 in the afternoon. - -In the direction of Italy the sky had remained dull. To the north the -mountains shone (including the Bernese Oberland) in a blue sky, in which -floated a few clouds. The glass on that day, as before, gave very fair -readings. There was but little wind, and the cold was not sharp. - -On that day I conversed much with Louis Theytaz. It was with me a set -purpose that he should accompany us on this expedition, since I had read -in the Alpine Ski Club Annual, and otherwise heard, of his High Alp runs -with Mr. W. A. M. Moore and some of that gentleman’s friends. I wrote to -Theytaz from Les Basses above Ste. Croix. He joined me at Martigny. He -was what one would call “a nice, jolly chap.” - -But was he in for bad luck? He had hardly placed his things in the net -of our railway carriage, going to Orsières, when his climbing irons fell -from the top of his rucksack upon his head, badly bruising his forehead -with the prongs. I had engaged him to carry my own pack, as I had made -up my mind that I was now old enough to have a personal attendant all to -myself. My luggage was particularly valuable to the whole party, as it -contained all the spirits I allowed them, namely, in two large flasks, -the contents of four bottles of whisky, the proper allowance for six -men during six days in January weather at a minimum altitude of 10,000 -feet. Theytaz surprised me when, on arrival at the Valsorey hut, he -violently threw my pack upside down upon the bed planks. The stopper of -one of the flasks flew out, and then I had the pleasure of seeing the -floor streaming with whisky. We got through to Zermatt very well on the -contents of the other flask. But the head of an expedition so serious as -this, when he has forbidden wine and limited spirits to the supply which -is known to be in his possession only, does not like to see half of it -spilt on the first stage of the journey by an act of sheer carelessness. - -Anyhow, I viewed Louis Theytaz in the light of what I had read and -heard in his favour. Knowing that he was again to accompany, within a -fortnight of leaving me, Mr. Moore and friends to the Pigne d’Arolla, -that mountain gained much interest in our sight, as, with the searching -eyes of ski-runners, we examined its slopes dipping into the higher -reaches of the Glacier d’Otemma. We photographed it a little later in -the day in its eastern aspect. Seen from the south and west it presented -the most attractive appearance. From the east, it would have been out of -the question. What it might be from the north we could suspect from its -ominous hang that way. - -Recollecting that Messrs. Helbling and Reichert had struck the Glacier -de Seilon from the west, I advised Theytaz either to lead his party down -south to the Col de Chermontane, or to take them back the way they had -come, and reach Arolla in the same manner as the eminent gentlemen whose -route was on record. But I did not at the time attach any particular -value to my opinion, having learnt from experience how much better -things generally turn out in practice than they appear likely to do when -considered by an over-prudent man in a pessimistic mood. Louis Theytaz -was swallowed up by a crevasse on the Glacier de Seilon. - -From the Col de l’Evêque to the Col de Collon the snow was hard for -half a mile or so; but as soon as the northern slope of the latter was -reached the snow resumed its excellent quality. Thus the three passes -were crossed. Wide curves brought the party down the gentle slopes of the -Glacier d’Arolla to the level marked 2,670 in the map. From that point we -made towards the right bank of the glacier, and landed on the very steep -slopes which rise between it and the Plan de Bertol. Some of the party -removed their ski rather than run along the top of this ridge. When we -were well above the Plan de Bertol we were careful not to dip into it, -but turned in to the right, and this move brought us to the foot of the -Glacier de Bertol, in which the six runners opened a fairly deep track -while tacking with geometrical regularity in the direction of the Bertol -hut. They gained about 25 metres in each tack. The moon lit up their -march. In the higher reaches of the glacier the slope stiffened, but the -snow remained excellent. - -Let it be noted here that from one end to the other of the trip we were -entirely spared hard and wind-beaten snows, except at the Col de Collon, -as above specified, this being the result of the day’s delay in the -Valsorey hut, during which it snowed so nicely. Moreover, the high-level -route presents on its whole length a belt of comparatively low summits on -the south side--low because the route is situated so high. This almost -continuous parapet considerably interferes with the view upon Italy, but -it is a protection from sun and wind, and no doubt assists in keeping the -snow in good condition. - -At seven o’clock in the evening the foot of the Rocher de Bertol was -reached. The ski were hidden in a niche for the night. We climbed on -foot, like dismounted dragoons, up the wall, the rocks of which form a -kind of ladder. The rope which is permanently fixed there was available, -though partly buried in snow. This hut, perched as an eagle’s nest above -the glacier, looks as if the Neuchâtel section of the Swiss Alpine Club -(to whom it belongs) had wished to underline with a stroke of humour the -Swiss Alpine Club regulations, which say that, in the first instance, -huts are intended for the accommodation of the sick and wounded. The door -was blocked up with snow, but the windows gave quite comfortable access -to the kitchen. - -“On that evening,” says the newspaper already quoted, “the party became -more confirmed than ever in Mr. Roget’s resolve to attempt the ascent of -the Dent Blanche. The condition of the mountains and the weather seemed -to justify his anticipations. In forming that bold plan Mr. Roget had -taken his stand upon the successful experiences he had had before in his -winter ascents of the Aiguille du Tour, the Aiguille du Chardonnet, -the Grand Combin, the Finsteraarhorn, the Diablerets, the Wildhorn, the -Wildstrubel, &c. It could not but be, he thought, that the Dent Blanche, -like all the foregoing peaks, would present itself in January in such -a good condition that its ascent by the south _arête_ would be quite -possible. It was Mr. Roget’s belief that the _arête_ would show in its -fissures but a thin layer of dry and powdery snow. He was convinced that -the cornices would show a full development, with their faces to the east -and south-east, but without any hem of snow on the west side of the -_arête_, where the ascent is practically made. The slabs, he thought, -would be entirely covered with ice, but this ice, in its turn, could not -but be covered with an adhesive layer of old snow, with fresh snow on the -top of it, and this, having fallen in comparatively mild weather, must -have cemented itself on to the old snow, so as to form with it a reliable -surface, at whatever angle a footing might have to be gained. After a -spell of fine weather, the Dent Blanche could not be more difficult in -winter than in summer. In fact, he thought the rocks had been shone upon -by the sun till they were dry and free of snow, the couloirs had been -swept clean by the wind or clothed in a firm crust. That the cornices -might come down with a crash was evident, but this would be into the -abysses on the east slope, which was immaterial. On the western slope -the snow would be firmly enough attached to the ice to leave but little -opportunity for the ice-axe to come into play.” - -Those forecasts, brought to the proof, were borne out by reality. The -snow, which had fallen three days before (a light, powdery snow, coming -down in whirls), had gained no footing, nor could it, upon such an -_arête_ as that of the Dent Blanche. The little of it which the sun had -not had time to melt we swept away with our gloved hands. It was an easy -job, as that of ladies’ maids brushing away the dust on their mistress’s -sleeves, and we certainly did not complain of having some little -tidying-up to do. - -_Fifth Day._--At six in the morning some early mists were trailing slowly -on the ice and snow-fields between the Dent de Bertol and the Dent -Blanche. The light of the setting moon broke occasionally through the -clouds. The weather might be uncertain--and it might not, for the glass -was at fair. The mists turned out to be, as on the preceding days, such -as herald a beautiful autumn sunrise. A start was made in the direction -of the Col d’Hérens. Slowly the day dawned, and found the party on the -Glacier de Ferpècle. By that time we could make out which was the real -direction of the wind in the middle of those mists which seemed to drift -about aimlessly. It actually blew from the north-east, then from the -north, with a steady but moderate strength, which abated entirely only at -sunset. The _impedimenta_ were, for the most part, left on the northern -side of Col d’Hérens, keeping but a few victuals, the three ice-axes, the -climbing-irons, and two ropes. We turned the heads of our ski against the -north wind, skirting the foot of the big southern _arête_, so as to reach -a small terrace situated above the spot marked Roc Noir on the map. On -this terrace the ski were firmly planted in the snow. Dismounting, we -fastened on our climbing-irons. Three ski sticks were kept along with the -three ice-axes. - -Among the first rocks the party halted in order to take some food. It -was 9.15. By means of the ropes two caravans were formed, and these soon -started, exchanging a cheerful _au revoir_ in case some incident should -separate them. - -The brothers Crettex and Marcel Kurz were on the first rope; on another -myself, Louis Theytaz, and Léonce Murisier, this last carrying the bag of -eatables. - -The fairness of the weather, the capital condition of snow and rock, and -the fitness of the party would have made it quite possible to reach the -top of the Dent Blanche at one o’clock in the afternoon. But there was no -good reason for any hurry. A quick march might bring on some fatigue, or -at least some totally unnecessary tension of mind and physical effort. -This would entail some slight additional risk to no purpose whatever. The -climbers had the whole day before them, and need not make any allowance -for difficulties when returning to the Bertol hut, for they would follow -their own tracks (which they knew to be safe) back across the glacier, -whatever time of night it might be. Consequently this ascent of the Dent -Blanche was deliberately carried out, and almost without any effort. It -was accomplished in such leisure as not to need any quickening of the -pulse. - -Maurice Crettex and Louis Theytaz were fully acquainted with every -peculiarity of the Dent Blanche, and treated her with as much familiarity -as though they had been babes sitting on the lap of their own -grandmother. The Crettex section of the caravan got on to the _arête_ at -a trot, and began to ride it (the expression is false, but picturesque) -at the point 3,729. Lunch was relished at point 3,912. Thence the two -sections kept about 50 yards apart. Up to the first Grand Gendarme the -_arête_ is undulated rather than broken up, and quite comfortable to -follow. There are fine glimpses on the Obergabelhorn to the right and on -the Matterhorn; the cornices of the _arête_ formed round those pictures -magnificent frames with an ice fringe. - -I had long been curious to ascertain what might be in winter the -condition of the famous “plaques” or “dalles” (slabs), which have -acquired such an evil reputation in summer. No such thing was to be seen. -They were pasted over with excellent snow, in which Maurice Crettex dug a -few steps when the ice came near to the surface. He seemed to do it as a -matter of form: assuredly it would have been an irregular practice to do -otherwise. It is true that without our excellent climbing-irons we might -have been much less at ease. In point of fact, it was enough to dig out -the snow with one’s boot-tips and to stand firmly in the holes on one’s -climbing-irons in order to skip over those formidable slabs. - -The _arête_ offered the best means of progress immediately after passing -the Grand Gendarme. This appellation is bestowed upon the turrets, -which, constable-like, bar one’s progress along a ridge. On the rock of -the _arête_ there was the merest sprinkling of fresh snow, so dry and -light that it could easily be brushed aside, and nowhere prevented one’s -gloved hands from securely grasping the rock. The scramble was quite -interesting, and the hours passed by so agreeably while proceeding up -this magnificent staircase, that nobody felt in a hurry to shorten the -pleasure of the climb. There was occasionally a bit of a competition -between Louis Theytaz, leader of the second rope, and Maurice Crettex, -leader of the first, as to who should lead the van, but Crettex would not -yield his place, and stormed on. - -Here I left my stick planted in a mound of snow on the _arête_. We might, -or might not, pick it up on the way back, and I took my chance. This -stick was worthy of being planted and left there. It was a beautiful bit -of cane, smooth and white as ivory, which I had picked up from a heap of -drifted wreckage on the Cornish coast, in the preceding summer, while -bathing. What scenes it might have witnessed upon the deep I did not like -to picture. Yet, but for its suggestive power, I should not have brought -it the whole way from Watergate bay. - -It has always been my fancy to unite in one sweep of vision the ocean and -the mountains, the deepest with the highest. My Dent Blanche might be one -of a school of whales stranded on high when the waters withdrew, and my -harpoon was well placed, sticking in one of the vertebræ of her petrified -spine. - -At the time of writing, I understand that it is there still, respected -of the eagles and of the gales. The summer thaw has left untouched the -fleecy patch of snow. The lightning has drawn in its forks before the -unaccustomed wand. Now and then a guide writes me that he has seen it, -that so-and-so could not believe his eyes when he led up the first party -of the summer season and found an ivory staff shining on the ridge. In -wonderment, he reported the matter to some colleague of mine who had -heard in our club-room my first account of this ascent. - -For my part, I am content to look upon this incident as confirming my -views. A frail stick, planted in the middle of a patch of snow on the -most exposed and weather-beaten _arête_ in the Alps, appears here as the -needle showing how nicely balanced are the scales of Nature. - -In due course the rock came to an end, and the _arête_ showed itself -under the appearance of a white-hooded crest. It was the final pyramid. -On that day, Friday January 13, 1911, the small, conic snow-cap which -surmounted the brow of the peak was brought down by a blow from an -ice-axe, at 3.30 p.m. A short time was spent on the summit. The view was -now and then obscured by a cloud sailing rapidly down from the north and -skirting the watch-tower on which stood the onlookers. - -On the way down, each section, in its turn, with feet deeply embedded in -the snow, reached again the bare rocks of the _arête_, having resumed the -footprints made on the way up. But when leaving the snow that covered -the terminal pyramid, the party did not continue on the _arête_ the way -it had come up, but wheeled to the right--that is, westward--and began -ploughing in a downward course the slopes of the Dent Blanche facing -Bertol, which had the appearance of being all snow. In spite of the -extreme steepness of the slope, the party, with heels and climbing-irons -well wedged into the snow, advanced with great security and speed, -though the irons did occasionally impinge upon the ice. The slope -getting sharper and the layer of snow thinner, it became necessary to -substitute a lateral or horizontal course for the vertically downward -course. A few steps had to be cut before a footing could again be gained -on the _arête_. But, by that time, the caravan had proceeded beyond both -Gendarmes, and, though it was night, we could hop along quite nicely. - -During this bit of traverse, being without a stick I rested my left hand -upon the snow each time I moved forward, digging in my bent fingers to -relieve the foothold from some of my weight. The Ice Maid then kissed my -finger-tips very gently. The bite was so timid that the kind attention -escaped my notice at the moment. But late that night, before the stove, -in the hut, I struck a match upon the hot iron plates with my right hand, -to light my cigar, while holding up some garment to the fire with my -left. The heat made the mischief apparent. It caused almost no pain, only -giving an earnest of what the Ice Maid could do if pressed too hard. - -Through the mists of this January dusk the moon threw a gentle light, -which made it easy to discern the footprints made in the morning on the -snow. The few steps which had been cut here and there on the ice were -quite visible, and the rope made it a simple matter to descend the rocky -parts. So, from that moment, the descent consisted simply in repeating -in the opposite direction the moves of the morning. - -The cornices on the left hand were made more beautiful than ever by the -play of the moonbeams through the icicles. Now and then some fragment of -the cornice came down with a crash, and a cloud of dust arose from the -abyss and sent minute crystals across the faces of the men. It was 8.30 -when the party stood again beside their ski. An hour later we picked -up our heavier luggage. Sitting on our rucksacks, we took an evening -meal. Then, ropes and all being packed, the six strolled back across -the Glacier de Ferpècle at pleasure, and, as fancy bade, each chose his -own way. The night sped on, and half its course was almost run when we -reached for the second time the hospitable nest on the Bertol rock. We -might have been shades moving in a dream rather than men. Our task being -successfully accomplished, we might claim a right to vanish away, like -dissolving views thrown for a moment upon a screen. - -_Sixth Day._--The morning was long and lazy. At eleven o’clock, after a -good rest and full of good cheer, we entered upon our last day’s work. -The sun shone brilliantly, and, thanks to his kindness, and thanks also -to the smooth and sparkling snow, this last day, more than any of the -foregoing, if possible, gave rise to one of those rambles on ski which -are the delight of the Alpine explorer. On approaching the Col d’Hérens, -the track of the preceding day was departed from where it had bent away -towards the Dent Blanche, and the party turned their backs upon -their conquest. The rocks, which on the Col d’Hérens divide the Glacier -de Ferpècle, on the north, from the Stock glacier to the south of the -Wandfluh, could just be seen emerging from the snow. The ski were removed -for about ten minutes while descending those rocks. - -[Illustration: ON THE DENT BLANCHE, WITH MATTERHORN. - -To face p. 230.] - -It may be said that from that point to Zermatt the run was practically -continuous. No obstacle of any sort ever came to interfere with the -downward flight. Whenever the party came to a stop, it did so for its -own pleasure and convenience. After the rush down the sides of the -Stockjé came the run down the Glacier de Zmutt, with the icefalls of -the Matterhorn glacier on the right. Fragments of ice studded the snow -surface, and the ski occasionally grated against them. On the moraine, -where in summer the surface is stony and the climber’s brow wet with -perspiration, we slid along as borne on by wings, rushing through the -air. When we reached the Staffelalp the sun was beginning to set. Over -the tops of the arolla pines stood forth in a mighty blaze many friends -visited of old--the Rimpfischhorn, the Strahlhorn, the Allalinhorn, the -Alphubel; the beautiful mouldings of the Findelen glacier were bathed in -rays of purple fire. On approaching Zermatt the snow proved heavy and -deep. The ski got buried in it and shovelled along masses of it, somewhat -delaying the running. Zermatt was reached by five o’clock at night. - -The village was in a hubbub, and we arrived in the nick of time to ring -the necks of I do not know how many birds of ill omen ready to take their -flight. The Bourg St. Pierre dunderheads had had six days in which to -rouse the journalists. They had stuffed them with fusty words of ignorant -wisdom. Reporters had telegraphed and telephoned, to make sure of their -quarry. A column of guides had been warned by the head of the Zermatt -relief station to be in readiness. They were to leave on the next morning -for the scene of the expected disaster. - -They might do so yet, for all we cared. By looking about carefully they -might detect the tip of one of Mr. Kurz’s ski, which had snapped off -against a stone, at the moment when, entering the village at a quick -pace, he had suddenly come upon a milkmaid with her pail balanced on her -head. There was nothing for it but to go gallantly to the wall. This was -more courtesy than the ski could stand. Its point came off, and this the -rescue party might bring back as a trophy. - -Joking apart, Zermatt gave us a grand reception, seasoned with steaming -bowls of hot red wine and cinnamon. - -Thus was accomplished the first successful ski-run from Bourg St. Pierre -to Zermatt. Luck was good throughout; indeed, if an attempt to ascend the -Dent Blanche on a Friday and on the thirteenth day of the month could not -break the weather, nothing would. - -The Crettex brothers went back by rail to Orsières. Louis Theytaz got out -of the train at Sierre. He returned to his avocations at Zinal, looking -with well-founded confidence to his next engagement, a few days hence, -with Mr. Moore. - -The Crettex’ had no sooner reached home than a telegram reached them -from my friend Dr. König of Geneva, one of the pioneers of the new -mountaineering school, enjoining Maurice to expect him at once for a -repetition of the successful expedition, news of which had meanwhile been -carried to Geneva. - -Dr. König and Maurice found our ski track generally undisturbed, but the -wind and sun had done their work upon the fresh snow, hardening it and -covering it with the usual icy film. The running was fast and uncertain, -for want of side support for the ski blades. On the way they climbed the -Grand Combin, as I had done in 1907. Imitation by such a distinguished -mountaineer was the most flattering form of appreciation I could look -for. I met him some time after at our Geneva Ski Club, when he observed -that he wondered not so much at what my party had accomplished--in which -he was quite right, as I proved by producing the table of our very easy -hours--as at the bold practical thought that had inspired and helped us. - -Like me, Dr. König had noticed from the Zmutt glacier how practicable -the Matterhorn would be. In fact, Maurice would have tackled the Zmutt -_arête_ on the slightest provocation. Meeting at Zermatt Captain Meade, -who had just achieved the Zinal Rothhorn, Dr. König communicated to him -his observation concerning the Matterhorn. As was soon made public, -Captain Meade succeeded in making a January ascent of the Matterhorn. -Unfortunately he suffered very severely from exposure. - -I had returned to my ordinary occupations in Geneva, when I was startled -one morning by a note in the local papers. On the very day on which -Captain Meade was “doing” the Matterhorn--January 31st--Louis Theytaz -was perishing on the glacier de Seilon, an occurrence which changed an -otherwise successful trip into a dreadful ordeal. The cold may be gauged -from Captain Meade’s notes in the _Alpine Journal_. The thermometer down -at Zermatt at 7 a.m. showed 27 degrees of frost Fahrenheit. - -The fatal accidents to ski-ing parties that I so far know of in the -Alps have proceeded from one or another of three causes: avalanches, -exhaustion ensuing upon stress of weather or losing one’s way, and -crevasses. For no accident yet can ski be made responsible, a rather -remarkable exception, when one reflects how easily a ski blade may break -or a fastening get out of order. - -Theytaz’s accident was caused by a crevasse. He was one of four able -and well-known guides accompanying a party of three gentlemen who put -implicit faith in their leadership and in whom they had every confidence. - -The third on a rope of three, Louis Theytaz followed the two leading -over a crevasse which, after the event, showed itself about 7 feet wide, -and of which the party had become aware before launching themselves -across it. It was unfortunate that the leading guide “took” the crevasse -obliquely to its width. The moving rope, too, compelled each man in -succession to bring his weight to bear on the same spot. The rope -could not be of much use for want of stable supporting points. A man -advancing carefully on foot breaks his speed at every step. Not so a -runner on ski. - -[Illustration: TOP OF DENT BLANCHE. - -To face p. 234.] - -The gentleman preceding Theytaz made a stopping turn on the further side -of the crevasse, and waited to see him over. By that time Theytaz’s -brother Benoît, who was leader on the rope, might have been ready. -Anyhow, the snow broke. Theytaz was hurled down and the rope snapped. - -I was on the very rope when ascending the Dent Blanche. It was an old -rope, but perfectly satisfactory. Why are the best of ropes liable to -snap? After this accident, which roused his personal interest as it did -mine, my friend Kurz instituted experiments on all kinds of rope material -on the market. The results showed conclusively what rope material, -under tension, was the best, but no light was thrown upon the supposed -greater liability to snap when frozen, either when dry or after absorbing -moisture. All we know so far about the breaking-point of mountaineering -ropes, is that they may break under a shock which will leave a man -unmoved in his steps though, on trial, they may resist a tension far -greater than can be put upon them by the dropping suddenly into space of -a man’s weight. - -An athlete may burst a taut chain by muscular effort. A horse may burst -his girths by a little inflation. What about a slack rope? - -Popular imagination, baffled by such obvious but unexplained -contingencies, at once suspects foul play. The strangest stories may be -heard in the Val d’Anniviers about Theytaz’s broken rope. - -Mr. Moore’s own account appeared in the Alpine Ski Club Annual for 1911, -and runs as follows:-- - -“On January 28th last, a party assembled at Martigny, A. V. Fitzherbert, -A. D. Parkin, and myself, with four guides: Félix Abbet and the three -Theytaz brothers, Louis, Benoît, and Basile, all of Zinal. Next morning -we walked up to Fionnay, where a small hotel had been opened for us. The -snow was in perfect condition, and as we had an hour or so of daylight to -spare, we enjoyed some practice runs on an excellent slope just outside -the village. Here we made the acquaintance of three ex-presidents of -the Geneva section of the Swiss Alpine Club, who were learning to ski -in this deserted retreat. They had a comfortable chalet, where we spent -a most pleasant evening, surrounded by Alpine paintings and old Swiss -wood-carved furniture. - -“At 8 a.m. on the 30th we got off, provisioned and equipped for a hard -two days, and started up the valley to Chanrion. It was easy-going as far -as Mauvoisin, but beyond that the summer path was quite impassable in -places, owing to the overflowing and freezing of streams. We lost much -time over these, and finally had to descend to the bottom of the gorge, -which afforded much better going.” - -May I break here the thread of the narrative to insert an observation. -Louis Theytaz had got information from us as to this passage, and had -been told that the summer path was known in the Bagnes valley to be -impassable in the winter, particularly with ski. The gorge is the right -ski-ing route. - -“A steep and trying couloir brought us up to Chanrion. We left next -morning at 6.30, and made for the Glacier de Breney, where we were able -to put out the lamp. It was pretty cold. Near the top there must have -been nearly 50 degrees of frost. The glacier presented no difficulties, -the only obstacle being an ice-fall, up which we had a little -step-cutting. - -“The trouble began about an hour below the Col de Breney, where we were -met by a piercing north-east wind, which struck us in gusts, sweeping -up clouds of powdery snow, through which one could hardly see. The snow -was quite hard under foot, and all, except Louis, took their ski off on -reaching the col. Half an hour’s walking brought us to the top of the -Pigne (12,470 feet), where we got the full benefit of the gale. The view, -however, was magnificent, and fully justified the struggles of the last -few hours. - -“We stopped on the top about five minutes, and then returned to our ski -and began the descent to the Glacier de Seilon. For half an hour we -descended on foot over wind-swept slopes, at first gentle, and then steep -and crevassed, till we at last got out of the wind and into the sun, -when a short halt was made. At this point I became painfully aware that -three fingers had been temporarily frost-bitten. Parkin also had lost all -feeling in his toes, but did not realise how bad they were till later -on. We were soon off again on ski, and on perfect running snow, in the -following order: Benoît, Fitzherbert, and Louis on the first rope, myself -and Parkin on the second, followed by Félix Abbet and Basile unroped. - -“As we approached the ice-fall which gives access to the Glacier de -Seilon, there occurred the sad accident which cost Louis his life, -depriving us of an old and tried companion, and the Valais of one of its -best guides. We were running down and across the glacier when the leading -three came to a small depression and ridge running straight down the -slope parallel to the sides of the glacier, evidently a crevasse bridged -over by snow. The first two crossed safely, but apparently loosened the -snow, which gave way under Louis. He fell back into the crevasse which -was about 8 feet across, and as the rope tightened, it snapped, and he -was gone. Basile was running on to the bridged crevasse a little higher -up, at the same moment, but although it gave under him, his pace carried -him over, and he fell clear. Abbet was just behind Louis and saved -himself by throwing himself down.” - -[Illustration: ON THE STOCKJÉ, LOOKING EAST. - -To face p. 238.] - -Mr. Moore next gives a sketch of the crevasse and of the position of -each in relation to it. Then he continues: “This journal is no place to -describe the half-hour which followed, the memory of which is only too -fresh for those who were present. It is enough to say that we could not -reach Louis with 130 feet of rope, and had to tear ourselves away. It -was a great relief to know from subsequent examination that, although -we had heard him answer for about five minutes, he could not have lived -longer, and in all probability felt nothing. The search party of guides -that went up next day found the body 160 feet down, and as we had only 80 -feet of reliable rope, we could have done nothing.” - -The sketch shows--and its accuracy cannot be doubted--that Messrs. Moore -and Parkin were keeping a course that led them past the crevasse without -touching it; that Basile Theytaz showed less discretion, and escaped -because, being unroped, he came singly on the bridge, in a place where -the crevasse was narrower and when he was sufficiently under weigh. Abbet -escaped simply because he approached the crevasse in the wake of Louis -Theytaz, and took warning in time, for he was about to cross the gulf at -its widest. - -One may say--in all kindness and with every sympathy--that the roped -party which met with the accident was badly led, and one may say so the -more confidently, as the leader seems to have been fully aware that he -was heading for a formidable crevasse. - -When planning my traverse from Bourg St. Pierre to Zermatt, I had it in -my mind that an expedition across the Pennine Alps from end to end would -not be complete, unless I pushed on over the Mischabel and Weissmies -ranges to the Simplon pass, beyond which begin the Lepontine Alps. - -The weather was so fine and our powers of endurance had been so -slightly taxed that we might easily have pushed on. In fact, in respect -of weather, circumstances remained so favourable that we might have -continued till the end of February without experiencing a check. The -weather report was so perpetually: Still and warm in the High Alps. - -Unfortunately Marcel Kurz had broken his ski, and it might be just as -wise to go home and nurse my frozen finger-tips. There are other things -in life than ski-running. So we came to the conclusion that we had done -enough for glory. - -However, Marcel Kurz took this spring (1912) his revenge over the -misadventure to his ski and, with some friends, completed our interrupted -programme. - -I append here his notes, as the Mischabel range is about to be an object -of great interest for British runners who will find that Saas Fée has -become a nursery of excellent ski-running guides. - -At the moment of writing (August, 1912), the Britannia hut on the -Hinter Allalin, as already pointed out in this volume, is about to be -formally inaugurated. It opens up to the ski-runner a magnificent field -for exploration on account of which the English ski clubs liberally -contributed to the erection of this ski-runner’s hut _par excellence_. - -The map entitled Mischabel-Monte Rosa shows one of the numerous zigzag -tracks for which the district will become famous. - -[Illustration: MISCHABEL RANGE AND MONTE ROSA. - -(Reproduction made with authorisation of the Swiss Topographic Service, -26.8.12.) - -To face p. 240.] - -Mr Kurz’s notes show also what an incredible amount of stiff -mountaineering can be crowded easily into a short time by ski-runners, -including the ascent of Monte Rosa, the highest peak in the Alps next to -Mont Blanc. - -The latter is not a ski-runner’s mountain. The gradients are too sharp -and exposed. Monte Rosa, on the contrary, is an ideal runner’s mountain. -I lay no stress on the fact that Mr. Kurz’s raid was guideless. I have -endeavoured elsewhere to show how much this term is a misnomer when -applied to perfectly competent mountaineering parties that dispense with -professional guides. - -_March 27th._--We started three from St. Nicolas for the Mischabel hut -up the glacier of Ried and over the Windjoch pass. The weather was -very fine, extremely warm at about three o’clock in the afternoon. The -glacier was extremely broken up, presenting the same appearance as in -autumn. Would do very well for ski in a normal year, particularly on -the higher _névé_. The last 300 feet of the Windjoch should be done on -foot. On the top of the pass there rose an unpleasant west wind, and the -snow being most unpleasantly hard, we elected to leave our ski on the -spot, intending to come back for them on the next day and to ascend the -Nadelhorn by the way. We spent the night at the Mischabel hut. - -_March 28th._--Very uncertain weather; too much wind to attempt the -Nadelhorn. We walked down to Saas Fée in two hours on very firm and very -reliable snow. - -_March 29th._--On hard snow and dry rocks we walked up to the Gemshorn -and thence along the snow _arête_ to the Ulrichshorn, coming down on -to the Windjoch to pick up our ski. We then ran down the Riedgletscher -till within a few hundred feet of Gassenried, and thence walked to St. -Nicolas, first on hard snow and then on wet snow. - -_March 30th._--We walked from St. Nicolas and then skied to a fairly -hospitable hut on the Untere Taesch Alp. - -_March 31st._--Along the Untere Taesch Alp and the Langefluh glacier, our -ski carried us up to the _arête_ rising above the Rimpfisch Waenge and -along that _arête_ to the altitude of 3,600 metres. Then on foot along -the ordinary route we reached the top of the Rimpfischhorn (13,790 feet). -The ascent took seven hours, the descent four hours. The rocks were -absolutely dry, as “summery” as possible. This is a very interesting ski -tour and had not yet been attempted. - -_April 1st._--The weather is bad; we come down to Taesch and go to -Zermatt to get fresh supplies. - -_April 2nd._--Weather splendid with a furious north wind. We return to -our cabin on the Taesch Alp. One of us returns to the lowlands and two -only are left to continue the campaign. - -_April 3rd._--The weather is very cold and we make too early a start. We -cross the Alphubeljoch to Saas Fée, leaving the Alphubel unascended on -account of the fury of the wind. A pass somewhat steep from the Taesch -side and somewhat crevassed on the Saas side, from the runner’s point of -view, but magnificent with respect to scenery. - -[Illustration: FOOT OF STOCKJÉ, LOOKING EAST. - -To face p. 243.] - -_April 4th._--Weather magnificent. North wind not so strong. We ramble -most delightfully on our ski from Saas Fée to Mattmark, which is a deadly -place in other respects. - -_April 5th._--From Mattmark to Zermatt by the Schwarzberg Weissthor. -Weather mild, foehn, rather cold on the top, magnificent outlook over -Zermatt. The snow hard throughout allowed us to ski up very quickly (four -hours from Mattmark to the summit, 3,612 metres). At Findelen we enjoyed -an afternoon nap under the arolla pines. Amid regular flower-beds we -descended to Zermatt, where we met two other friends. - -_April 6th._--From Zermatt to the Bétemps hut on Monte Rosa, following -the Gorner glacier from the beginning and employing half an hour in -crossing the _sérac_ zone on foot. The heat on the upper reaches of the -glacier was most overpowering. - -_April 7th._--Monte Rosa. Snow quite hard here, and everywhere else, -throughout this fortnight. Weather beautiful, slight north wind. We left -the hut at six o’clock, reaching the top at 12.35. - -_April 8th._--Not a cloud in the sky all day long. We take sun baths all -day about the hut. - -_April 9th._--We intended to ascend the Lyskamm, but bad weather came and -punished us for our idleness on the preceding day. Foehn and fog. There -was nothing to do. We ran down to Zermatt in two hours along the whole of -the Gorner glacier. - -This laconic record is extremely instructive. It bears out the -contentions already formulated in other parts of this book. The snow -surface was hard, reduced in volume, and as cemented by the wind. -The _arêtes_ were bare of snow, free from ice, and perfectly dry. The -crevasses were either plainly visible or firmly crusted over. Ski were -throughout useful in preventing the surface from breaking underfoot, -perhaps still more in going uphill than when rapidity of movement -lightens one’s weight flying downhill. The summer of 1911, as one knows, -was one of the two driest on record in the preceding half-century. The -glacier snow was therefore worn down to its thinnest when the winter -snows began to pile themselves in layers above them. These too remained -comparatively thin, affording admirable running surfaces when sprinkled -over with fresh snow. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE PIZ BERNINA SKI CIRCUIT IN ONE DAY - - Old snow well padded with new--Christmas Eve in the Bernina - hospice--The alarum rings--Misgivings before battle--Crampons - and sealskins--A causeway of snow--An outraged glacier--The - Disgrazia--A chess-player and a ski-man--Unroped!--In the - twilight--The Tschierva hut--Back to Pontresina--Hotel - limpets--Waiting for imitators. - - -At the close of 1910 Marcel Kurz was at Pontresina. I had occasion to -draw up certain reports upon the winter aspect of the district, and -he kindly undertook the inspection of the glacier routes for me. A -few glorious days seemed about to efface the memory of many previous -gloomy ones. On the day on which this account begins, a little snow had -fallen in the morning, the skier’s welcome _quotum_. Nothing affords -such excellent sport as old snow well padded out with about a foot of -new floury stuff. The ski blades sink nicely through the top layer of -rustling crystals. The ski-points pop out of the snow like the periscope -of a submarine. The sparkling prismatic flakes stream past each side of -the lithe, curled-up blade, like silvery waves parted by the prow of a -fast motor canoe. - -“The north wind,” writes Mr. Kurz, “was now clearing the sky of every -cloud, leaving the dazzling snowy heights and the forests below steeped -in sunshine and brightness. It was our last chance, and, in a few -minutes, our minds were made up to accept it. Half an hour later we were -in the train on our way to the Bernina pass. - -“The exact itinerary of this expedition I published in the _Alpina_ -(Mitteilungen des Schweizer Alpenclubs) number of February 1st, 1911, -p. 22. The following only being intended as a short sketch, I will not -describe the route too minutely. The principal landmarks are: Pontresina, -Bernina pass, Alp Palü, Palü glacier, Fellaria glacier, Upper Scerscen -glacier, Fuorcla Sella, Sella glacier, Roseg glacier, and back to -Pontresina. - -“‘Grützi Herr Stäub! Grützi Herr Kurz!’ These first words of greeting, -uttered on our arrival by our little friend at the hospice, showed her -evident pleasure on seeing us so soon back again. It was, in fact, our -second visit to the hospice within the week, but this time we came firmly -intending at last to carry out our plan. - -“Here was the same low-ceiled, comfortable room in which we had sat -before, while the landlord and his friends talked the whole evening -away, with a big dog snoozing by the stove. We had taken supper at this -very table with Casper Grass, the Pontresina guide, on Christmas Eve. -Here had huddled together an Italian couple, busily writing endless -cards of Christmas greetings. The landlord, ever to be remembered, his -bead-like eyes looking out from behind his spectacles with a malicious -twinkle, stood up at times, munching a long ‘Brissago,’ to see that all -was right, while talking volubly in Italian. A maidservant sat at the -corner table, pen in hand and with vacant look, evidently stuck fast in -the midst of her literary endeavours. Not a star was to be seen outside, -and the howling wind, rattling the shutters with every gust, made us feel -how rash it was to have come at all. To drown the sound of the storm we -set the phonograph going, which cheered but little our drooping spirits. -Still, we started on the morrow, but on arriving at the Alp Grüm, the -violence of the wind made it impossible to go further--a disappointment -we had anticipated. - -“But now we were out on our second attempt, and would not go back. This -time our friend Grass had unfortunately been obliged to remain behind at -Pontresina, in spite of his longing to join our expedition. The weather -was fine and cold, intensely cold. Our chances of success were great; the -reconnoitring done on Christmas Eve had sharpened our appetite for the -unknown beyond. - -“The alarum had rung long since, and our candle had been alight some -time. The window-panes, white with frost, shut out the black night and -the piercing cold; never had one’s bed felt so comfortable. If our -bodies remained motionless, our thoughts wandered forth, trying to pry -into the secrets still lying concealed in the lap of the coming day, just -as the watchman’s lamp pierces the darkness of the night. - -“There is a delightful thrill of impending battle hazards in being the -first to break upon new ground, as when a troop nearing the line of fire -eagerly questions the dissolving morning mists and doubtingly greets the -light that will expose it to the enemy’s strokes. What unkind shafts -might Fate have in store? What bolts might the glacier be preparing to -fire off, when we should pass under the portcullisses of its castellated -strongholds? With what pitfalls might the snow desert not be strewn under -the winning aspect of its rustling silken gown? - -“If we wished to reach the Roseg glacier before nightfall, we must cross -the Fuorcla Sella between four and five o’clock that afternoon. This, -supposing that we should have passed the Palü glacier by midday. All -that, and back to Pontresina, in one day! Would it be very hard work? -That was the question, for nobody had yet ventured there in winter, and -on ski. - -“Thus did our thoughts travel till we finally dropped off to sleep again, -only to wake a few minutes later with a start, and leap from our beds to -make up for lost time. - -“At 6.30 we left the hospice. It was pitch dark, though numberless were -the stars shining overhead, so the lantern was lighted which had already -guided many travellers. A cheery voice, from one of the windows above, -wished us good luck, and with this pleasant sound in our ears we started -on our way. - -[Illustration: PIZ BERNINA CIRCUIT. - -(Reproduction made with authorisation of the Swiss Topographic Service, -26.8.12.) - -To face p. 248.] - -“Having reached Lago Bianco, we went due south, the wind at our backs. -Looking down, we saw the valley of Poschiavo sunk in the mist. We rapidly -crossed the lake and the level ground beyond, when dawn began to break. -By the time we had passed Pozzo del Drago it was already broad daylight. -At the steep wooded slope above Alp Palü we took off our ski and put on -crampons. The ten- or eight-pronged crampons fit very well on to ski. -They are wide enough--being calculated to enclose the heavy-nailed sole -of mountain shoes--to embrace the blade of the ski, and the bands are -long enough to be buckled conveniently over one’s boots. - -“To the left appeared Le Prese, with its lovely lake among forests of -chestnuts, while to the right began to tower the threatening mass of the -Palü glacier, which formed part of our route. We were again running on -our ski when, at this point, the snow proving very slippery, we attached -our sealskins. - -“These should be fitted with a ring to throw over the point of the -ski, and should stretch down to the middle of the ski, where they -should terminate. Here they are fastened to the ski binding by a proper -mechanical contrivance. They may be taken on to the back end of the ski, -but then they are difficult to stretch and fix over the heel of the ski. -It is quite unnecessary to carry the sealskin so far back. The clamp -under the beak of the ski completes the arrangement and tightens or -loosens the skin _ad libitum_. - -“We continued thus till our arrival at the first fall of the glacier, -when, to reach the opposite side, we passed along a narrow strip of -snow we had noticed and marked to that effect some time before. The -slope became so steep that our sealskins failed to adhere, and we were -beginning to skate about on the hard crust of snow. Above our heads hung -the _séracs_, which forbade our venting our wrath in loud vociferations. -We strengthened ourselves, therefore, with the additional safeguard of -our crampons, and proceeded comfortably, taking care to have a firm grip -of the hard snow. On arrival at the first table of the glacier we stopped -for breakfast and enjoyed the sun. Before us stretched a long causeway of -snow to the top of the glacier; near us Pizzo di Verona, its ice cascades -resembling a shower of glittering emeralds, cast a shadow on all around. -The weather was glorious. Stäubli introduced me to several of his old -friends towering on the opposite side. Far beyond appeared the majestic -Ortler group. - -“We continued our ascent round the western side of the glacier, roped -this time. At the foot of Piz Cambrena we took the direction of the col -opening to the west of Pizzo di Verona, and from thence an easy way -opened up through wonderful _séracs_ all aglow with the morning sun. _Va -piano, va sano._ A few more gaping crevasses had to be carefully avoided, -then the _névé_ became even, and we finally reached the col, leaving -behind us the Palü glacier, moping over its mysteries now unveiled. It -was midday. - -“We could not restrain an outburst of admiration at the new world before -us, with the Disgrazia as the culminating point. Stäubli, mad with -delight, began a wild dance on the edge of the precipice. One of the many -slabs of stone which surrounded us served well for a table. While the -kettle was boiling we could have had time to ascend Pizzo di Verona, but -we preferred to remain where we were and enjoy the wonders before us, -taking an occasional photograph. A great stillness reigned everywhere. -We did not talk. We understood each other just as well, perhaps better. -But why should there not have been more than the two of us to enjoy that -glorious sight? Would that I could have transported all you city people -to magic scenes like these! - -“I cannot help thinking of one who, regularly every day, at Zürich, comes -to the restaurant where I dine to play his game of chess at a table near -me. He salutes his partner, the small glass of cognac is brought, the -cigars are lighted, and then the game begins and continues to the end, -without a single word being uttered, and this each day of his life. Poor -wretch, how I pity you! How shall we repay our fathers for showing us the -mountains and their glory? - -“We were roused from our motionless ecstasy by a sensation of cold, and -upwards still, continued our way along the Italian frontier towards the -Piz Zupo, and lazily skid over the frozen ice-waves of the Fellaria -glacier. How shall I describe the fairy-like scenes met at every step? We -came to the foot of the huge buttresses of the Piz Zupo and Piz Argient. -What a contrast between those awful, dark, jagged arêtes and the snowy -robes flowing round their feet? Further on we came into a fresh region of -glaciers, dazzling in their brightness, with the mass of the Disgrazia in -the background, sunk in shadow. - -“‘Man wird verrückt!’ exclaimed Stäubli, my dear little friend Stäub. - -“Having unroped and relieved our ski both of crampons and sealskins, we -once more glided softly over those lovely snow deserts which run along -the border on Italian territory. A cry of ‘Youhéé’ fills the air. Stäubli -was flying over an enchanting lake of ice, and though the snow was not -of the best, we enjoyed our run to the full. Soon we were half-way -across the Fellaria glacier, directing our steps towards the western -side, where a new region was about to open before us; a black _arête_, -however, hid the other side still from view. It was a solemn moment. We -began to descend and fly over the ground, when, turning the cornice of -rock, we suddenly stopped to gaze on the wonderful sight before us. The -two Scerscen glaciers stood out bathed in light at the foot of the Gümels -and Piz Roseg, the whole suffused with the soft mauve tints of the ebbing -twilight. - -“We soon reached the Upper Scerscen glacier, in the midst of a formidable -amphitheatre of mountains. The king of them all, Piz Bernina, was at last -revealed to us, towering above Piz Argient, Crast Agüzza, and Monte Rosso -di Scerscen. The Italians showed their good taste in erecting the Rifugio -Marinelli in this very Eden. We could stop at this little stone hut for -the night. We preferred, however, continuing our run. From here to the -Fuorcla Sella we roped, and made a large circuit to avoid the region -of crevasses as much as possible. Soft clouds of snow were raised by the -wind, and sparkled like diamonds in the sun. - -[Illustration: UPPER SCERSCEN AND ROSEG GLACIERS. - -To face p. 253.] - -“By twilight we began ascending the last slopes to the Fuorcla Sella. We -reached the col, and, leaving the sunny Italian slopes behind us, entered -into the shadow of the Sella basin. It was 4.30 p.m.; we still had -three-quarters of an hour of daylight left, which would exactly allow us -to reach the flat of the Roseg glacier. We enjoyed a lovely run over the -soft, powdery snow tinted with mauve, the reflection from the rocks of -Piz Roseg all on fire in the setting sun. We knew our way here by heart, -and skimmed over the snow without fear, ‘yodling’ frantically. - -“By the last ray of the setting sun we left the Sella glacier, and -passed on to the Roseg glacier. There were still a few traces left of -our expedition three days before on our way to the Piz Glüschaint. Far -in the distance we could see the lights of Pontresina brightly shining. -We seemed quite near already. We stepped over the back of the glacier in -long strides, and on nearing the Tschierva hut, where two friends were -to meet us, we began to yodle. However, our calls remained unanswered, -and no lights could we see. We were not astonished on learning later that -those two distinguished mountaineers had been enjoying luxurious couches -at Samaden all the time! - -“One difficulty remained, in the shape of the Tschierva moraine. I asked -Stäubli for some light. He tied an electric lamp on to his belt, leaving -me in complete darkness! - -“A little later we started on a splendid run, descending from the -Tschierva hut, where we flew over the ground like phantoms. This run was -cut short on arrival at the bridge of the Roseg Restaurant, where the -road is completely spoiled with the deep ruts made by the sleighs. We -took advantage of this stoppage to rest awhile and finish some cake left -from our morning’s repast. After this, we passed through the beautiful -Val Roseg, a lovely spot, but wearisome after a long night run. - -“In the hotel, brilliant with many electric lights, we are sitting at -a table with our friend, the guide Grass, and some welcome bottles of -wine. Stäubli, the pink of neatness, is giving the guide a long account -of our trip. Around us the usual set of well-dressed people laugh and -talk. For them it is like every other evening; for myself, I find it -difficult to realise that all I have seen and felt is not a dream. A glow -of happiness fills my heart that not all these lights could surpass, -and the wish comes to shut out all around and rest once more in those -glorious solitudes. What a gulf seems to separate me from those who have -not seen the wondrous mountains, those who have not shared our vision of -the silent snows! - -“Life is made up of contrasts, and I take pleasure in recalling them to -my mind in order to perpetuate their memory.” - -Strange it is, on reading over those lines written by Marcel Kurz, -to have to add that the idea of the Piz Bernina ski circuit did not -germinate in a Pontresina mind. Forsooth it was reserved for the Swiss -to conceive and execute. But how strange is that apathy, that subjection -to routine on the part of an otherwise bold and enterprising people! And -how strange too that out of the number of foreign sportsmen congregating -every winter in the Engadine, not one could brace himself to “get up -and go” from Pontresina to the Bernina hospice, thence to the refuge -Marinelli, thence to the Tschierva hut and back to Pontresina, in three -days, if he so pleased! - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER X - -FROM AROSA TO BELLINZONA OVER THE BERNARDINO PASS - - The Arosa Information Bureau--The hospitality of sanatorium - guests--The allurements of loneliness--Whither the spirit - leads--Avalanche weather--The Spring god and King Frost--The - source of the Rhine--The post sleigh in a winter storm--The - Bernardino pass--Brissago. - - -Badenin Aargau is a flourishing watering-place, whence I was glad to make -my escape a few years ago in the last days of March. - -I had wired to the information bureau at Arosa, asking how long I might -expect to find good snow. The answer came: “Till the middle of May,” -which sounded boastful, in fact rather alarming, by promising so very -much. But why should I malign those good people? I found heaps and heaps -of snow, enough to satisfy all reasonable requirements till the middle of -June. - -My little daughter kept then a small paper box, in which she stored up -all the fine weather I might wish to apply for. On fair terms of purchase -she “let out” a certain number of fine days--as many as she thought I -might be allowed--to take me to Arosa and thence to Bellinzona, where I -was to join her and her mother on the way to Brissago on Lago Maggiore. - -There certain open-air orange and lemon groves I knew of awaited us and a -blossoming aloe near by on the way to Ascona. - -To swoop down the Bernardino pass upon Mesocco on ski and land a few -hours later on the banks of Lago Maggiore, after crossing the Rhaetic -Alps from Arosa to Hinterrhein, tickled my fancy. My line would be from -Arosa to Lenzerheide, along the Oberhalbstein valley to Stalla, otherwise -called Bivio, thence to Cresta Avers, and somehow along the Madesimo -pass to the Splügen road, and then east to Hinterrhein, and across the -Bernardino pass through the village of that name to Mesocco. The whole -thing could be done on ski. It would nowhere take me over glaciers. -I should do this alone, carrying my pack, sleeping every night in a -comfortable bed, and tramping by day on ski like any ordinary summer -vagabond wasting his shoe-leather on the hard high road. - -I could imagine nothing pleasanter. I should not take off my ski till -the last strip of snow sticking to the edge of the Mesocco road gave way -and should bring my navigation to a standstill upon the characteristic -mixture of mud and gravel found on post-roads during the spring thaw. -There is no small charm in slithering upon snow getting thinner and -thinner till it is from two to three inches deep and tapering in the end -to the bare inch, which is enough for the expert runner. - -Spring has a delightful way of creeping and sneaking up the Alpine -passes, using against King Frost every seduction that a soft, tender -heart can devise to disarm a fierce, unrelenting spirit. It threads its -way delicately from one warm, protected nook to another, and throws out -feelers that stretch forth tremblingly from the rock crannies into the -rough air. - -Flowerets peep out here and there. The eggs of frogs float about in slimy -masses upon pools of warm water banked in with snow. The released springs -and waterfalls throw off their transparent scarves of iridescent crystal -ice. The blackbirds hop about from branch to branch piping upon bare -trees that are still sunny through and through, but do not yet venture to -chill their feet by touching the ground still encumbered with deep snow. - -The hard winter god, gradually coaxed into a softer mood, relaxes his -hold upon the crust of the earth. What more delightful than this mixture -of two seasons? Under one’s feet all is winter still. Above, spring -skies, a scented air. Within one’s breast a heart yielding gently to the -suggestions of a new atmosphere. To enhance the contrast and accelerate -its phases, the spring god artfully turned the head of my ski full south -straight in the face of the sun. - -Thus it is within any one’s power to rewrite in this way for himself -Hesiod’s “Book of Days,” and he will do it best if alone. - -It was a peculiar thing to pass from Arosa, still lying under six feet of -snow, over the south brim of the cup and to swoop down upon Lenzerheide, -while the steamy fog of incipient spring hung over the moving, thawing -masses, and the man who had brought me up so far shrank back. There were -cracklings round about and dull thuds. A roar and clang came up from the -bottom of the gorge as the snowbanks crashed in upon the stream whose -reawakening had soaked and eaten away their supports. Something had gone -wrong with a ski-binding. Thus a kindly word may be spoken in time by the -mountain fiend before he strikes. He plays fair. Go away, he says, unless -you know that you have the luck of the Evil One. The brim of that snow -cup was a parting line. One pair of ski carried its man back the way he -had come. The other carried its man forward whither the spirit led. - -I left Arosa with a pang of regret. I had lived there some perfectly -happy and health-giving days in an abode reserved for so many who are -sick beyond human help. I was alone, and went from table to table as a -guest bidden to dinner. My hosts would, if I may apply this figure of -speech to a moral attitude, seek me out for my strength, and I found, in -the proximity of their illness, the shadow of our common human plight -falling across my path, bringing with it a kind of excuse for my rude -temporary immunity from physical ills in which in time we all share -alike, but which seem to create such unfair contrasts. - -Some were there, so to say, for a last throw of the dice in this Monte -Carlo of consumptives. On the return of some to health depended the -future of a home, wife, children, awaiting anxiously the physician’s -verdict upon their chief, for whose cure the last moneys of the family -were now being staked upon the double card, Arosa Davos. - -A powerfully built Englishman, among others, I got to know. On the next -day he was to be told whether he could go home or not. He was writing to -his wife in the last hour of that day, about that hour of the next which -would hail his return to life, duty, and love, or bring down upon his -head another of those blows for which there is no other remedy than the -infinite serenity of the children of God. - -Then he came up to me, spoke of the impending interview and of all that -was at stake. - -I looked at him and said, “You are as sound as a bell.” The words were -magnetic. They were posted to London that night, and the next day the -happy father and husband, released by the professional man’s verdict, -prepared to pack. - -There are two tragedies that to my mind are particularly pathetic, both -Alpine--that of the lung patient whom the Alpine sun cannot save, and -that of the Alp worshipper in bounding health for whom the Alps have -become as a car of Juggernaut. - -I have seen dead, handsome young men, for whom the avalanche had woven a -shroud of snow, and I have beheld wasted frames for whom the sun could -not weave fresh physical tissues. - -Of the Arosa scenes I carried a keen remembrance as I passed, safe and -sure, from ice-cold slope to sun-baked slope, whether the northern blast -froze my moustache, or the Ausonian breeze loosened the rigidity of the -air into balmy wafts. But Arosa was not without its moments of fun. There -was a parson there who gave me his Christian name to guess. It began -with B, and that was to be the clue. But I suggested Bradshaw, Bradlaw, -and Beelzebub before his obliging wife put me on the way to the right -spelling, Bible. - -Of all places that suggest Chaos, a poor bare beginning of things, that -place is the desolate spot in which the Hinter Rhine takes its rise. It -is called Paradise, and if ever man required to cheer himself with a -euphemism, it might be here. From Splügen to Hinterrhein extends a flat -tract of country on every inch of which nature has left an impression as -of exhausted powers. And yet, under those external marks of sterility, -lurks the beginning of a great thing, the Rhine, its fruitful valleys, -its grandeur, its world-renowned towns. You may “tail” behind a -post-horse from Splügen to Hinterrhein for an hour in the gathering dusk, -and wonder whether the next moment will not drop you over the edge of the -world. - -But a comfortable inn will open its homely rooms. You will tumble among -children learning their lessons around the stove. A place will be made -for you beside the young mother with her youngest hanging at her breast. -The father will walk in with the proud gait of him who bears himself with -grace and kindness in his sense of manly power. - -“Crossing the Bernardino,” he says, “to-morrow, alone!” - -“Why not? I am on ski; the post-sleigh does its service in all weathers.” - -“Yes, but two men go together with the sledge and the horses.” - -Indeed, I saw them the next day. I left at a reasonably late hour, and -they left still later, catching me up along the flat. Then I passed -them up the slope. They took all the windings, I cut across. It was a -terribly bleak day. The wind blew the snow in wreaths, and these laid -themselves across the old hard wreaths. Sleigh and horses cut through -them, throwing out the two men. They rose again, and got back into their -seat to cut through the next wreath. This time the sleigh was overturned. -The horses--harnessed tandem fashion--plunged, reared upon their sinking -hind-quarters, ploughing the snow with their breasts, while their hoofs -pawed about for a footing. Then they came off with a rush, once more -taking the sledge through. It was a long, narrow sleigh, just wide enough -to hold two men, with the mail bags boxed in behind them--more like a -torpedo than anything else. - -It seemed impossible to distinguish the causeway under the wreaths of -snow, in the snow dust blown up by the wind and with strips of fog flying -and curling about. Yet the horses kept to the winter track, and all -that plunging and kicking was the ordinary business of every day. The -_Cantonieri_ stationed from league to league in stone sheds all along the -pass, kept guard in the worst places, and came out with spade and shovel -to expedite the mail. - -I saw all that, hovering about like a stormy petrel, unable to make out -whether my hoverings were looked upon as of bad or good augury. I expect -the latter, for if there is a gift that mountaineers seldom lack, it is -that of jovial good humour. To talk and exchange impressions would not -be the question, till we might “foregather” in Bernardino village, where -horses would be changed and men might rest. But long before the mail -came down I was swinging through the empty village, between its deserted -hotels, leaving the storm behind me and opening my coat to the sun-rays -that brought the snow down in trickles from the roofs. - -On and on I went, staying at last my course on the edge of a wood above -Mesocco. There I sat on the corner of a stone wall, riding it as a lady’s -saddle, with one ski dangling and the other hanging down as a stirrup, -lost in contemplation. The contrast was so complete, so wonderful, -knotting together as it were in one bow the most opposite aspects of -nature. - -There I rested, snow-man and sun-man in one. - -A peasant came slowly and stolidly by, making a mess of the thin snow -with his heavy boots. He looked at me with great sympathy, stopped, and -let out that one word in the Italian tongue, “_Stanco!_” (“Tired!”) - -A few hours later my ski were stowed away in an attic room at Brissago. -Their time was up. But I would take them out again on the return of the -appointed hour. “Jamais pressé, toujours prêt.” - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -GLACIERS--AVALANCHES--MILITARY SKI-ING - - A legacy from the past--The formation of glaciers and - atmospheric conditions--Forests and glaciers--Our deficient - knowledge--The upper ice and snow reservoirs--What is the - annual snowfall and what becomes of it?--How glaciers - may be classed--Mechanical forces at work--Moraines and - _séracs_--Avalanches--Periodic avalanches--Accidental - avalanches--The general causes--The statics of snow--What - happens to winter snow--_Strata_--How steep slopes may be - classed--Excusable ignorance of strangers to the Alps--Those - who write glibly in home magazines--Unsafe slopes--Avalanches - when running across slopes--The probing-stick--Avalanche - runs--Military ski-ing--The St. Gothard and St. Maurice - districts--Military raids in the High Alps--The glaciers as - military highways--Riflemen on foot as against marksmen on ski. - - -On the whole the Mid-European glaciers are a legacy from a distant past. - -Their former size and extent corresponded to general meteorological -conditions which have long ceased to exist. - -They might--and no doubt did--alternately increase and decrease within -historical times. They nevertheless must be viewed as a bequest, a kind -of heirloom coming from a prehistoric ancestry. They are the survival -of a phenomenon which, in its former compass and intensity, is no longer -compatible with the meteorological _régime_ of Central Europe. - -The temperature most suitable for the formation of ice in nature is the -temperature which remains the most steadily around the freezing-point of -water. Extremes of temperature are not favourable to the formation of -snow, which is the form in which water generally passes into glacier ice. - -It stands to reason that the oftener the atmosphere can be saturated -with moisture in circumstances which allow a frequent discharge in the -shape of snow falling upon surfaces that are iced--or such as will retain -the snow, assuring the transformation of some of it, ultimately, into -ice--the more will the thermometer readings show a temperature rising and -falling only moderately above and below the freezing-point of natural -water. There is no use in further emphasising this obvious truth. - -Everybody will understand that moisture formed in hot tracts of the -atmosphere has little chance of being converted into snow, and that, -while a warm atmosphere may generate water--destructive of ice and snow -surfaces--a very cold atmosphere cannot assist in glacier formation--on -high land, at any rate--for want of vapours to condensate and -precipitate, and for want of water masses to consolidate. - -It follows that, within historical times, the Alpine glaciers have -undergone variations according to changes in the quantity of moisture -contained in the atmosphere, theirs being such altitudes and such -climatic conditions as might allow the Centigrade thermometer to swing -pretty steadily between 20 degrees above zero and 20 degrees under, all -the year round and in the course of a day. - -These conditions existed more fully in periods when the Alps were -well wooded. Such a period pre-existed the first historical epoch of -Switzerland. Under the Romans, say from 50 B.C. to 500 A.D., this first -historical epoch was marked by the wholesale destruction of forests--the -usual price to be paid for civilisation--and the glacier world retreated -in a ratio commensurate with the process of denudation. - -Then came the Early Middle Ages, which for about six or seven hundred -years show a distinct retrogression in Swiss civilisation. The glaciers -now regained some of the ground they had lost, because the wooded -surface, which is the most favourable to the condensation of moisture, -underwent a considerable increase. - -In modern times the forest area has again undergone such shrinkage that -it has reached the minimum when artificial means have to be devised for -its preservation. Glaciers have gone back again. - -We may therefore define glaciers as ice and snow reservoirs formed -under prehistoric conditions which no longer exist. They are kept alive -on a reduced scale, in a direct ratio to the moisture yielded by the -atmosphere as often as it is conveniently a little above and a little -below the freezing-point of natural water. - -[Illustration: THE SONADON GLACIER. - -To face p. 266.] - -Our knowledge of the glacier world in its formative processes is as yet -extremely deficient. What proportion of the year’s snowfall--within -the glacier region--is actually converted into ice? What proportion -melts away on the surface and passes directly into water, to be carried -away, carrying along with itself some of the ice? What proportion is, by -sublimation and evaporation, returned to the atmosphere, to become again -the toy of winds, in the shape of snow or rain-clouds, never feeding the -glacier at all on which it first fell? - -On the other hand, who can tell how much ice is formed on the glacier -surface by the direct absorption of the air moisture collecting upon such -a condensator? And would it be alien to our subject to ask what effect -may have on the present glaciers the loss of pressure consequent upon the -enormous reduction in bulk and height which they have undergone? Is the -glacier ice formed under the present rate of pressure capable of offering -anything like the same resistance to disintegration as its prehistoric -congener? What are its powers of self-preservation under the vastly -inferior pressure which it experiences in the very places in which ice -was once packed to a height and in a bulk we should not like to express -in figures, even if we possessed competent data? - -The broad fact seems to be that as much snow as falls on the glaciers -throughout the year is taken back into the atmosphere, and that the snow -congealed and fixed in the upper basins is as nothing compared with the -quantity of water that evaporates or runs away at the nether end of the -mass every summer. What is the capacity of the ice-forming _firn_ of the -Aletsch basin compared to the extent of its melting surface? And how much -snow does the _firn_ receive every year from the atmosphere? And how much -of that snow is incorporated? - -There are now so many approaches to the glacier world of Switzerland that -it should be easy to determine, at the outlet of a few typical glaciers, -the amount of water thaw conveys to the valleys below. According to the -season, it is quite easy to distinguish between rain-water, water from -springs, and glacier water. Such observations would lead to results -reciprocally verificatory. - -My provisional conclusions are that:-- - -1. The snow falling on the Swiss glaciers is a mere fraction of the -quantity wanted to assure their stability. - -2. The average snowfall of any year returns to the atmosphere. - -3. The source and means of congealation are not proportionate to the -exigencies of ice-formation, even for the maintenance of the _status quo_. - -4. The glaciers, regressing as they are now doing, are not being -replenished to any appreciable extent from the so-called everlasting snow -storage, and certainly not at all in proportion to their wastage. - -In other words:-- - -1. In a number of years X the whole glacier mass of Switzerland is -dissolved and reconstituted in proportions that are less than in the -preceding X period. - -2. The snow fallen during the period X--if present conditions are -accepted--is pumped back by the atmosphere during the same period. - -3. The quantity of water flowing from those glaciers in the time is -greater than the means of glacier recuperation. - -4. Yet the glaciers do recuperate in some proportion to their former size. - -5. Consequently the condensation and congealing of atmospheric moisture -must be much more effective an agent than hitherto suspected, for there -is no reason why, upwards of 9,000 feet, snow should be less liable to -thaw on ice than on rock surfaces. Rock and ice areas are conterminous. - -Glaciers may be classed, according to their physical conformation, under -the following headings:-- - -1. _Circular Schema._--They are then enclosed in a basin more or less -irregular in shape. The enclosed mass of ice remains concave as long -as it is lower than the rim of the basin. But it becomes convex in the -centre when it rises above the horizontal line joining the opposite rims -of the basin. - -2. _Longitudinal Schema._--A. On the flat, or approximately, those -glaciers show convex surfaces. - -B. When resting on a slope they are concave in the upper basin, which -feeds them and become convex as they reach lower and wider channels. - -This second type is the normal glacier type. - -A diagram or section of the convex portion of the glacier--an ideal -diagram of course--would show the mechanical and static forces at work -in a fan-shaped formation radiating from a point on the not geometrical, -but mechanical, centre line of the glacier, this point being situated on -its bed, where the side-pressures converge and annihilate each other’s -progress. - -From this point the bottom ice works its way up to the -melting-surface--but obliquely, being the whole time carried down by the -slope--and throws up side moraines and one or several spinal moraines in -the process. The spinal moraines always rest on pure ice. The ice seams -have been thrown up from the inside. - -Crevasses may occur in an outward, open, surface-formation, as in -_séracs_ when they are grouped together, or else they are the result of -accidental deflections or temporary oppositions in mechanical and static -forces at work in the ice. - -We said a while ago that there was no reason why, at the height of 9,000 -feet and upwards, snow accumulations should be more stable and constant -on ice surfaces than on rock. The cause for this is simply that rock and -ice are too near to each other and at altitudes too closely alike for -serious differences in temperature. - -Let us now pass to the matter of avalanches. If snow is utterly unstable -on rock, so it is on ice. Rock and ice constitute an avalanche area, -which in winter extends down so as to include all steepnesses on which -snow may lodge and whence it may be dislodged by the forces of Nature. - -Avalanches may be periodic or accidental. - -A periodic avalanche is the kind that comes down regularly at a known -spot, each time sufficient cause is brought into play. Maps of the Alps -exist on which those periodic avalanches are noted. Almost every Alpine -village has a periodic avalanche on its territory. The peasants know -when and where to expect it. It is called _the_ avalanche of so and so, -and your business is to find out, each time you propose going out on an -expedition, whether it has come down or not, and all about it. - -An accidental avalanche arises from general causes taking effect -fortuitously. - -The general causes are:-- - -1. A quick rise in the temperature. - -2. A sudden fall of the barometer. - -3. A change of wind. - -4. A fresh fall of snow. - -5. Slopes of a certain angle and conformation. - -6. Differences of density, moisture, and consistency in superposed layers -of snow. - -A study of the statics of snow is the royal road to the understanding of -avalanches. - -On a slope snow is in a state of more or less pronounced instability. - -A first fall of dry winter snow upon dry slopes is extremely avalanchy, -provided it be heavy enough. If it be a fall of wet snow on a porous -surface--that is, neither frozen ground nor hard rock--the snow will as -it were flop together in a slithering mass, but is not likely to form -itself into a dangerous compact floe. - -As soon as a second fall of snow comes to adhere to what is left of -the first, it may happen that the second layer does not get properly -welded to the first. The thoroughness of the attachment depends on the -adhesiveness of the snow and on weather conditions. A foundation is -therefore laid for the slipping of the new snow upon the surface of the -old. - -In the course of the winter the snow gets consolidated in one mass, but -the process takes each time from two to three days, during which caution -is necessary. A homogeneous layer of snow, hardened from the outside by -wind pressure, or freezing over after a slight thaw, may then break up -into slabs which slide down on the older snow, should one with ski, or in -any other fashion, cut that snow away--at any point--from its support. - -A _stratum_ of snow on a steep open slope is like a piece of cardboard -balanced on your finger. There is a limit to the inclination of the -cardboard beyond which it will slip off its pivot. So it is with snow. - -Newly fallen snow soon ceases to be an amorphous mealy mass. Its bottom -layer models itself on the surface on which it lies and, if turned over, -would show that surface _en relief_. The next _stratum_ adheres to the -first more or less, and finds points of support for itself, such as rocks -protruding through the first _stratum_, trees, shrubs, fences, dykes, &c. -Every ensuing layer is less shored up than the one beneath. Should there -be a rise in the temperature, an increase of moisture brought on by a -change in the wind, the snow becomes heavier and may start down; as a dry -sponge on an inclined board, gradually absorbing water, must slide down -when the inclination of the board and the quantity of water reach the -critical point. - -Our illustration from the cardboard balanced on a finger-tip, and from -the sponge on an inclined plane, makes it clear that it is impossible to -state at what definite angle the equipoise of a snow _stratum_ must be -lost or is sure to be kept. That angle depends on the finger-tip, on the -weight and size of the cardboard, on the sponginess of the sponge, on the -slipperiness of the plank, on your holding your breath, or mischievously -blowing upon the suspended object, &c. When about to capsize, the -cardboard may meet some external point of support, such as your raised -hand, which, in the case of the snow _stratum_, would be a pre-existing -prop and maintain an otherwise impossible stability. - -A fall in the barometer almost always means an increase of moisture which -is unfavourable to the steadiness of old snow. A dry, hot wind--such -as _foehn_--is worse, because its heat penetrates the snow to the very -bottom and sets it moving throughout its thickness. - -New snow is dangerous till it has had time to set--that is, for two or -three days. - -Runners are generally agreed to call steep the slopes on which avalanches -may occur. - -Steep slopes are either concave, convex, or straight. - -They are concave when the slopes converge towards a central dividing line -lying deeper, to the eye, than their sides; these are scooped out of the -hill. - -Concave slopes are:-- - -1. Funnel-shaped, when the funnel may be either upright or upside down. - -If it is upright, the wide opening is at the top. If the slope affect the -shape of a reversed funnel, it opens out at the bottom, but it may also -be choked up in the middle, opening up again above, like an hour-glass. - -Concave slopes are quite safe if strewn with rocks, overgrown with -shrubs, or wooded. They are untrustworthy if the sides have been planed -down, as it were, by what we may call natural wear and tear. - -The reader sees here how the indications of nature may be properly -interpreted. It is quite clear that a gorge which is a natural shrubbery, -for instance, has not been visited by avalanches for a time at least as -long as the plants took to grow to their visible size. - -The trouble here is that Londoners, for example, having to deal with -a gorge which they have not seen free from snow, cannot be expected -to tell whether it is safe or not. The local man alone--a permanent -eye-witness--possesses the information required, and failing actual -acquaintance with the place, a practised mountaineer alone can form an -opinion. - -Slopes are convex when the centre line, to the eye, rises above their -sides. These stand out from the hill, diverging from its top. - -Convex slopes should be ascended and descended along the dividing-line. -This line, as a dominating centre, will always be sought out by the good -High Alp runner. It is both the shortest and surest path from point to -point, and great is the delight to see at one’s feet the avalanche runs. -If the coping is occupied by rocks, the runner will keep to the snow near -to the rocks, but he has no business there at all if the rock ridge is -considerable enough to harbour avalanche snow. A practised eye sees at -a glance whether snow in excess of the capacity of the gullies is still -suspended above the runner’s head, or whether it lies in cakes and balls -at his feet. - -Here again the native will know. It would help you but little to say -that you have found him out to be an unconventional runner, that he is -slow and not at all the handy man you expected. However much you may -be entitled to fancy yourself or your skill as a conventional runner, -he is the better mountaineer, and should your conventional style leave -you in the lurch, he is the fellow to do the right thing for you. It is -then just as well to remember, when one writes in a home magazine, that, -on the spot, one was the incompetent person of the party. “He of the -ice-axe,” your guide, would do that second job, too, far better than you, -if the use of the pen in that periodical was not inconsistent with his -inferior social standing and extremely imperfect education. - -The straight slope is the slope on which every point is on the same plane -as another. These slopes are safe when they abut on to ground which -obviously is locally viewed as not exposed to avalanches: vineyards, -potato-fields, woods, hay-lofts, &c. - -They are unsafe when undermined by a trickle of water--springs, for -instance--and when the layer of snow next to the ground has melted -away without affecting the upper layers; or when the slope rests upon -a protruding ledge over which it bulges out; or when it is cut by -longitudinal ribs of blown-out snow which you may break open unawares, -letting out the mealy contents upon yourself. - -All slopes may be traversed--that is, you may run across them obliquely. - -When about to traverse, look to the foot of the slope, and then look to -the head of the slope. If all is right, sound the snow with your stick -and glance into the conic hole made by it. In time you will acquire -an ability to tell by the feel whether the snow is mealy, or set, or -damp, and how many layers your stick breaks through before coming to a -standstill upon frozen ground, or against rock, or before sinking into -the hollow space that may exist between the nethermost layer of snow and -the soil. - -Of course, all this you cannot do with a short, light bamboo, -conveniently fitted with an osier disk within three inches of the point! -To go forth so simply equipped means that you are leaving your brains at -home on that day--a thing I often do myself--but, I assure you, only when -out for mere play! - -A stick that cannot be used on an emergency either as an anchor or -as a sounding-line to take castings with, is a poor friend. It is -instructive to look curiously into the hole made by one’s stick. What -would be the use of a sport practised simply as an opportunity for being -scatter-brained with impunity, so long as luck lasts? - -On the hill-side, slopes--concave, convex, and straight--are joined -to one another by linking surfaces varying in shape and inclination, -but of too limited a development and too irregular a build to offer -to avalanches any opportunity of spreading over them; or else slopes -are separated from one another by breaks in the ski-ing surface, such -as ravines. In these, masses of snow gather most conveniently. The -longitudinal gaps opened up by landslips, torrent beds, or even only the -slides made by wood-cutters through forest and pasture land to launch -felled trees into the valley, are very distinctly avalanche runs. Efforts -are now being made to bar such runs by artificial plantations, fencings, -or walls. - -The centre of military ski-running in Switzerland is in the environment -of the permanent Alpine forts which defend the St. Gothard knot of -trans-Alpine and sub-Alpine (railway tunnels) lines of communication -from Italy into Switzerland, betwixt the sources of the Reuss, Ticino, -Rhine, and Rhône. Another centre is situated in the Rhône Valley, at the -point where a natural defile bars the line of communication between the -upper Rhône Valley, at St. Maurice, and the Lake of Geneva, commanding to -some extent the roads converging upon that point from Northern Savoy and -leading to it from Italy over the St. Bernard pass or through the Simplon -tunnel. - -The opening of the Loetschberg tunnel on the new short railway route -between Berne and Milan will, however, make it advisable to erect some -kind of additional works about Brigue. - -The Gothard and St. Maurice guards use ski, and ski-ing detachments are -about to be attached to the brigades of mountain infantry located all -along the range of the Alps. - -Many junior Swiss officers have made themselves proficient in the -new mountaineering by joining military ski courses. Military patrol -competitions meet with much favour at the large ski gatherings. - -For all that, the adaptability of ski to military purposes is not very -great in the High Alps. Still they are called upon to become quite a -consideration in border defence or attack. Small troops of skiers could -pass easily from one side to another of the Alps, occupying flying -posts of observation, and even raiding places where the defence would -have preferred to put its own outposts, had it not allowed itself to be -forestalled. The Alpine Club huts afford sufficient shelter for summarily -equipped detachments numbering from twenty to forty men. - -Bodies of troops crossing the Alps in winter by the passes available for -considerable military transport would enjoy a distinct advantage if the -outlet of the passes had been previously occupied by half or quarter -companies of bold ski-ing infantry pouncing, as it were, from the skies -upon small snow-bound places with summer hotels ready for occupation and -better stocked with means of subsistence than one would at first be led -to expect. In some Swiss Alpine villages particularly, large supplies -are often accumulated for the next summer season, and in others much -merchandise is stored up to accommodate the Italian smugglers whose -“exports” from Switzerland are all the year round a source of profit to -their purveyors. - -[Illustration: AT THE FOOT OF COL D’HÉRENS. - -To face p. 279.] - -Swiss ski-runners, by expeditions like my own, have proved that the -glaciers may be used, within strict limits, as highways for rapid and -unexpected military movements. Till now it was assumed that crevasses, -iced rocks, and piles upon piles of corniced snow would offer insuperable -obstacles to any military action. But the crevasses--as the reader now -knows--are most hermetically sealed. To the expert and wary runner the -snow opposes no greater barrier than to the pedestrian in summer. Does -not history teach how foot-soldiers have _en masse_, with artillery and -baggage, been moved to and fro across the Alps? Henceforth, military -runners may be trusted to scour the ranges, undetected, cutting -communications one day at the St. Bernard hospice and opening fire three -days later upon the Simplon hospice, hanging alternately on the only two -military roads joining Switzerland and Italy between the St. Gothard -forts and French Savoy. - -Those raiding parties could be followed by considerable parties of -transport men, carrying fresh ammunition and supplies. - -Such places as Bourg St. Pierre, Fionnay, Arolla, Zinal, Zermatt, Saas, -would be, from the Italian point of view, worth seizing and manning -at the outset of a winter campaign. From the point of view of a Swiss -advance aiming at laying hold of the southern outlets of the military -roads before the enemy could move up its advanced columns, those places -would be valuable bases for the auxiliary services waiting upon the -raiding detachments. - -Hitherto forces crossing the Alps in winter could expect to be safe -from attack on their flanks. Henceforth there might be a very different -story to relate. The few experiments hitherto made show that an attack -by skirmishing ski-runners upon columns on the march could not be met -by dispatching against them rifle-men on foot. Across country a man on -foot will take about an hour--on flat ground--to cover a distance which -an average runner on 2 feet of snow will overtake in one-quarter of the -time. Uphill, the advantage of the ski-man is still more marked, and he -may continue much longer. Moreover, he disposes of the whole hill-side, -and may take cover exactly as he pleases, by crossing snows over which -the pedestrian can make no progress at all, and becomes a most convenient -mark. The ski-runner may force his pursuer into any ground he chooses. -For a force developed across an expanse of snow, it is extraordinarily -difficult to carry out an attack upon ski-runners firing from behind -shelter. They occupy probably the higher position, and their field of -vision is absolutely uninterrupted. Rushes from point to point across the -zone of fire are quite out of the question in the absence of any screen -whatsoever. - -As for the rifle-men or sharpshooters on foot in charge of a village, -sallying forth to dislodge a party of runners firing into their -position and then withdrawing out of the reach of adversaries firing -from opened-up tracks, spaces, or houses, the idea is not plausible. A -dismounted horse-soldier might just as well advance sword in hand against -marksmen manning rifle-pits, or an infantry man, short of ammunition, -might just as well trust his bayonet to reach a horseman galloping away -out of sight. - -Ski-ing patrols of mountain infantry with portable machine-guns could -defend such passes as the Furka or the Grimsel against forces pushed -forward in vastly superior numbers. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE MECHANICS OF SKI-BINDINGS - - The shoe--The original bindings--The modern bindings--The - foot--The hinge in the foot--Different functions of the - toe-strap and heel-band--The parts of the binding--Faulty - fasteners--Sketches of faulty and correct leverage--A schematic - binding--_Critique_ of bindings in use--Suggestions--Cheeks and - plates--A whole blade--Cause of strained feet--Steel wire in - bindings. - - -In choosing a suitable binding for the high-level routes in the Alps--as -in thinking out or devising such a binding--the runner’s commodity is the -main consideration. There is human anatomy. There are the possibilities -of leather, metal, and wire. And footgear, and ski, and binding have to -work together. - -Runners who run for sport alone have a preference for the boots known -in the trade under the name of laupar boots. They are thick-soled, -flat-heeled, box-shaped above the toes. The Lotus boots, made on an -American shape, are a good type also. But are they good Alpine boots? - -Runners in the Alps for whom ski are a means to an end, as well as an -object in itself, generally wear an ordinary mountaineering boot of a -large size, carefully nailed on heel and sole. This for two reasons:-- - -First, there is frequently some distance to be travelled over, in order -to get across the rough, broken, or wooded ground before reaching the -high snow-fields. - -Second, it is practically impossible to dispense with nails in one’s -boots when crossing, above the snow-line, rocks and icy patches. On these -ski are useless. They have to be carried for awhile or left behind, till -called for. The runner is then thrown upon his boots and climbing-irons. -Should his boots be laupars, the climbing-irons have to be fitted on to -the bare soles. This is an inconvenient process, partly because the bands -are liable to freeze, partly because it may take more time to don and -doff the irons than the emergency will be kind enough to allow. - -Those who speak of injury done to ski-blades by boot-nails carry too -far their sympathy for an excellent servant. In point of fact, a -symmetrically and regularly nailed boot makes upon the ski-blade and -plate a harmless impression. The lodgement of each nail-head is clean. It -even affords an additional support when turning, or breaking, or swinging. - -The characteristics of a good running boot are, as one sees, few and -definite. - -With ski bindings, or fastenings, the matter is altogether different. - -The popularity of ski-running burst forth so suddenly upon the sporting -world that the invention of new bindings--of which there is no end--soon -proceeded even beyond the boundaries of common sense and reason. - -The original Scandinavian and Lap bindings, with bent twigs, twisted -cane, or long thong, were quite sufficient for their purpose and in their -place. - -Of the new bindings a large number are of a commercial character only. -Others, brought out on the score of mechanical perfection, come forward -with purely academical credentials. - -The early Scandinavian or Norse fastenings had a distinct quality. -They were not invented, but grew. They were made of one same material -throughout, showing the essential feature of a sound binding: uniformity -of texture. But the ski-blade was directly fastened to the foot, more -particularly to the toes, by the binding. - -The defect of these original bindings came to light when they were put -to more athletic uses. They then proved too weak, and not sufficiently -durable, in the hands of Germans, Austrians, and Swiss, practising the -Norse sport in their own countries. - -Iron and steel, in varying degrees of hardness, were pressed into -service. The uniformity of material was thus brought to an end. - -To make a long story short, the Huitfeldt and Ellefsen bindings are -generally admitted to be the most useful. The former is distinguished -by a clamp for bolting down the heel-strap. The latter obtains -rigidity--which is considered indispensable--by binding the heel of the -runner to the ski-blade by means of a stiff sole. - -Whatever the binding, the mechanics controlling the linking together of -limb, boot, and ski in common action, need some explaining. Even the -lay-reader may gain some benefit from a short and easy excursion in the -domain of _technique_. - -The foot consists of toes, ball, and heel. The point of play is the same, -whether one walk or use ski. It lies across the ball of the foot. It -is determined by the structure and articulations of the foot, from the -extremity of the big toe to above the ankle-joint. But the line of play -does not lie _along_ the foot; it lies athwart. On this line turns or -hinges the foot, as though a rod were run through it, whether the motion -be up and down--that is, vertical; or horizontal (right and left); or -oblique (foot sideways and edgeways), as in turns, swings, &c. - -There is thus an axis of rotation through the foot. This axis need no -more be horizontal than, for instance, the wheels of a motor-car when one -drives over an obstacle. - -The foot should sit at ease in the binding. It must not be fretted, -chafed, galled, or pressed by the material of the binding when the work -to be done puts a long and enduring strain on the boot. To that effect, -the binding should be such that the pressure will, as it were, cancel -itself by an equal application and even distribution, whatever may be the -movements and position of the foot. - -In other words, the heel-strap must have its point of attachment on the -axis of rotation across the foot, the point on which it revolves to -describe some portion of a circle in the vertical direction. - -But this attachment must be mobile throughout in the horizontal plane. -It should not be fixed on to the side of the ski-blade, or upon the ski -in front of the foot, or anywhere else. One should bear in mind that, in -mechanics, a heel-strap adhering to the ski at the centre of revolution -acts like a rigid arm. The balance of the body is upset by sudden shocks -which may react injuriously upon the foot, whenever there is a rigid -connection brought into play, if only for one instant. - -It is the business of the toe-strap to establish a connection (a close -and immobile connection) between the foot and the ski, which it is the -foot’s function to propel. To the contrary, to perform its office, -the heel-strap requires no fixed points of vertical support. In a -mechanically perfect binding, the foot of the runner would be free to -revolve, as on a pivot, in the horizontal plane, spending thus forces of -lateral origin, while the ski continued upon its course. As it is, a good -runner surmounts disturbing, incidental forces (the ordinary cause of -accidents arising from ski-structure) by passing them up along his body -and neutralising their effect by shooting himself upwards, as if to fly. - -When twigs of twisted cane were used they broke away under the strain. -The long leather thong was stronger, but it froze, or imbibed water with -too much alacrity. - -A ski-binding is essentially composed of four parts:-- - -First: A ring, or toe-strap, in which to adjust the point of the foot, -and which is the _fulcrum_. - -Second: A heel-band, which, passing round the foot, presses its fore-part -against the _fulcrum_, in the ring, or toe-strap. - -Third: A fastener, either clamp, bolt, buckle with eye and prong, sole -of appropriate length, lever, &c., wherewith to regulate and adjust the -pressure of the heel-band upon the _fulcrum_. - -Fourth: Side-supports, or cheeks, for the ball of the foot, generally -placed on each side of the _fulcrum_. - -It is under number three (clamps, buckles, and levers) that all -fastenings are at fault. They would have to be self-adjusting, so far -as quick adaptation to changing weather conditions and sudden running -strains is necessary. But such cannot be automatically obtained yet. The -best fasteners are approximate in their action. The worst are clumsy -mechanical contrivances. Most, good or bad, link the heel-band with the -ski blade. Some fasteners are placed on one or both cheeks. - -[Illustration: FAULTY LEVERAGE.] - -We have already made it plain: the heel-band, when stretched out round -the foot, should be free to revolve in the same plane as the flat of the -ski, as set forth in the following sketches:-- - -Here lateral impulses or checks are transmitted through the point of -attachment of the heel-band. - -[Illustration: CORRECT LEVERAGE. - -A. Oblique View. - -B. Front View.] - -Here none but the pressure exerted by means of the heel-band fastener -upon the _fulcrum_ (toe-straps and cheeks) controls the ski. - -If the reader will kindly remember what we said about the axis of -rotation lying across the ball of the foot, he will now understand that -the heel-band has to describe “some portion of a circle” on the apex A, -as follows:-- - -[Illustration: CORRECT LEVERAGE. - -Side View.] - -each time the foot moves up and down in the vertical line. - -Consequently the principles of a schematic binding work out in this way:-- - -First: That the heel-band be free to move in a horizontal plane, and be -made to run through the fastening lever instead of being itself attached -to the ski by an extremity. - -Second: That the heel-band run loosely through a loop or sleeve placed on -the apex of the foot axis on each side of the ball of the foot. The band -will hinge on the loop, else it would slacken and tighten as the foot -rises and falls. - -Third: That the heel-band be of the nature of a continuous rope, or -closed circuit, passing through the handle of the lever which, when -opened or shut, releases the foot, or presses it down into the toe-strap. - -Fourth: That the heel-band hang upon each apex of the rotatory axis -instead of being tied there. - -There are many reasons for accepting the above remarks. For instance, the -point of rotation works out too high in many manufactured bindings. The -heel-strap then cannot adhere as it should to the boot. Its radius and -that of the heel do not coincide. In the case of a well-known Norwegian -binding, the strap, on the contrary, starts from a point of attachment -which, on each side of the ski, is placed lower than the toe-line. Thus -the heel-strap is wrongly centred again. The boot undergoes irregular -pressure, a cause of additional fatigue and a waste of mechanical power. - -Most makers have been led into this fault by the bulk and thickness of -the material ordinarily employed--namely leather. Leather does very well -for circling the heel, a flat band being there the proper thing to be -used, but it is less useful to the front, where tension is called for. - -The fore part of the heel-band might perhaps be replaced by a rope of -fine strands of wire, with a breaking strain equal to, say, six hundred -pounds, by far exceeding the strength of the stoutest ski-thong. At the -point of rotation, the strap, in which is placed the heel, would meet -the wire. Thus the connecting-point between the heel-strap and its wire -extremities to the front would coincide with the pivots on which the heel -revolves in the axis of the foot. - -Under those conditions, when lifting from the ski the heel of the boot, -the tension of the heel-band remains uniform in every position. - -This part of the binding apparatus may be practically autonomous. Free -from any direct connection with the wood, it ceases to be a medium -through which shocks may disturb the balance of the body. The foot then -is free to exercise unhindered its own balancing power and to obey its -spontaneous “statics.” - -When cheeks are used, they generally consist of two steel plates, with -turned-up sides or ears, and frequently provided with holes at suitable -distances. Hammered into shape, the plates usually overlap each other on -the centre line of the ski. Sometimes a pin driven through any two holes -in the superposed plates (by means of a spring, to which it is attached) -maintains the plates at such a distance from each other as may fit the -boot of the runner. - -Plates need not be inserted through the wood of the ski, as is the case -with most bindings with cheeks, but they may be laid on the flat of the -blade, quite on a level with the rotatory axis of the foot. A steel -spring may then be adjusted along the middle line of the foot-rest. It -may be raised with the greatest ease, bringing the pin with it. - -To the usual practice of boring a hole through the wood of the ski should -be preferred an arrangement such as we have just described, preserving -for the runner that on which he most justly may pride himself: a whole -and uninjured ski-blade. - -The writer has always used in the High Alps a binding fulfilling the -conditions here laid down. He found his binding both safe and strong. - -Elasticity and uniformity of pressure are so well secured by the -severance of the heel-band from the body of the ski, that a fall forward -is not accompanied by an awkward strain, such strain being almost always -brought about by the reaction of the weight of the ski upon the muscles -or bones of the foot. It is now generally recognised that strains and -breaks are not caused by the firmness of a binding, but by an unequal and -jolting application of pressure to the bones and muscular tissues. - -A binding, the whole of which may be detached from the ski-blade by -taking out a pin and removing a lever, is handy to travel with, as -instruments to fit on a new binding instead of an old or broken one, are -inconvenient adjuncts. - -The weak points in steel rope bindings are:-- - -1. That the rivet connecting wire and leather may give way. The splicing -should be most carefully seen to. - -2. The metal cheeks may turn out to be brittle, if too hard or too thin, -as in any other binding with cheeks. - -3. The soft steel wire being made of strands, the very condition of its -pliancy, this also means that the strands may be too soft, or too hard, -or that they may be broken or unwound by coming into contact with hard -edges. To obviate this risk, an oiled leather sleeve through which the -wires might run, would protect them against friction and provide them -with a lubricant. - -The lubricant should be applied also on the bends of the wire. - -The leather sleeves are placed outside each cheek by means of a rivet -with the loop upwards and free. This provides a non-rigid “focus” of soft -material, through which the fine wires, though tense, run loosely. The -section of the wire thus enclosed lies at a varying angle with the foot -as it rises and falls, and adjusts itself to this in its every position. - -The lever by means of which the tightening of the wire heel-strap is -managed, is best placed across the ski-blade in front of the foot. The -wire runs freely through this lever to which, as mentioned before, it -should not be attached. Thus, in case of a wrench, or should the runner -fall, the whole of the wired heel-band may yield to the foot and shift -it just a little to one side or the other, instead of jerking it, as is -otherwise common, either against or out of the binding. - -Be this as it may, and taking things at their best, the modern -ski-runner’s desideratum--a binding of uniform material, adaptable and -elastic throughout--has yet to be met. - -An occasionally rather heated warfare was, a few years ago, waged in -words, all about ski-bindings. The shape, length, breadth, and grooving -of the ski-blades were also drawn into the field of controversy. Such -debates are a positive relish for enthusiasts and fanatics. But, though -angry words break no bones, violent talk is apt to be vapid and, save for -the sake of exercise in vituperative wit, can serve no useful purpose. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -RUDIMENTS OF WINTER MOUNTAINEERING FOR SKI-RUNNERS - - The new “Alpinism”--A re-statement of elementary - principles--Ski-runners _versus_ summer pedestrians--The - experiences of an eminent physician--How to walk in snow--Put - not your trust in sticks--Keep your rope dry--Stand up on your - feet--Ski-sticks as supports--Winter clothing. - - -Till within the last one hundred and fifty years mountaineering as a -sport was undreamt of in Europe. The high Swiss valleys were then visited -by a few scientific and geographical explorers or by people whose means -of livelihood and business occupations stood in some connection with the -valleys, their produce and inhabitants. - -During the nineteenth century, poetry and literature fostered summer -mountaineering, and commercial enterprise was not slow in following in -the wake of the intellectual and emotional admirers of mountain scenery. -The High Alps were frequented by others than mere trans-Alpine travellers. - -But it was reserved for the present generation to invent winter sports. -By them, the Alpine winter has sprung into international life. Thanks to -them, winter mountaineering is now fast adding a new branch to Alpinism. - -In the light of this new age, even the most elementary principles of the -mountaineer’s art have to be re-stated. Within the compass of the most -modest pretensions, the present chapter aims at so doing--for winter -sport lovers of either sex, whom the perusal of the foregoing chapters -may further fire with zeal. General readers--ladies particularly--we -would not rudely expect to be at pains to supplement, by incurring a -course of severe trials, their deficient opportunities and brevity of -experience. They will not regret their patience if they read these pages, -which, roughly speaking, cover a ground beyond which few of them ever are -likely to push their investigations. - -None can safely and properly use ski in the Alps but they who have become -acquainted with a mountainous country as summer pedestrians. But many now -visit the Alps in winter only. As these have no previous acquaintance -with the conditions of mountaineering, let them here take heed and be -warned. - -For want of minding these hints, you might fare like a famous physician -of our acquaintance who, coolly, in mid-January, after an early -breakfast, left his hotel, at Beatenberg, with a sandwich in his pocket, -a few drops of whisky in his flask, and accompanied by his son, lightly -clad and lightly shod like himself. - -They went merrily along in the snow, on gently sloping ground bathed -in the rays of the sun, till they found themselves by midday above a -somewhat tall and far-stretching wall of rocks. The heat of the day and -the weariness of the flesh promptly brought about the disappearance of -the whisky and sandwiches. But the sun would continue to burn above and -the snow to be deep below. Hot heads, icy feet, worn limbs. To trudge -back seemed uninviting. So the tourists at sundown took to the steep -rocks with trembling legs. Their hands were numb. They slipped on wet -snow. They got no grip on the ice. They fell into snowdrifts. Their heads -were dizzy. Their feet froze. To reach quickly the happy end of a sad -tale, it was three o’clock in the morning when they were snatched from -the edge of the grave by a party of peasants bearing lanterns and drawn -to them by their despairing cries. - -Like cases are well-nigh of daily occurrence. - -So, if you would be a mountaineer, you may learn here a few things which -probably you think you know already, but perhaps do not:-- - -1. _How to Walk in Snow._ Wear heavy socks and stockings, put on boots of -stout leather with nailed soles and broad low heels. - -To go uphill, set your feet down lightly but firmly in the snow, putting -your weight upon the ball of the foot. Then raise yourself on your -foremost leg by a forward swing of the body, to bring it well above your -bent knee. This will set your hindmost foot free to step up in its turn, -quite lightly. You must not raise yourself by means of a push away from -the ground, you would merely glide out of your step, backwards. - -To go downhill, put your foot flat in the snow, heel and all, keeping -your heel straight, to build a foundation. But do not thump your foot -down. There is frequently, under the snow, a slippery surface of stone or -ice. - -Put not your trust in sticks. As you do not know very well where the -point will rest when thrust through the snow, it will often cause you to -stumble. Your body should be well supported and well balanced on your -legs alone. - -2. If you use a rope in snow do not let it drag. Insist on your -guide keeping it dry by coiling it up in his hands when it would be -inconvenient to keep it taut. A rope that has over and over again been -frozen and wetted is slippery under any condition and may snap under -sudden stress. - -3. When climbing rocks or steep grass slopes in winter, it is safest to -assume that they are frozen over. Wear strong gloves and use them to -hold on with, but do not lay your full weight, through your hands, on -to jutting pieces of rock. Such supports are indispensable in climbing, -but likely to break away. So use them as supports only. The weight of -your body must rest on your feet and be raised by your legs to its next -resting-point. Frozen ground, frosted grass, iced rocks are always -extremely dangerous. - -When letting yourself down frozen rocks, as a rule with the help of a -rope, stand upright and in most cases with your back to the rise of the -hill. You may then let yourself down on your bent elbows while your feet -settle in their next hold. - -4. The winter mountaineer has such a preference for ski-running that -he has but little opportunity to use the instrument called _pickel_, -_piolet_, or ice-axe. However, when compelled to remove his ski and sling -them across his shoulders to pass a difficult piece of ground, he will -hold his sticks together and use them in guise of an ice-axe for support. - -When going down a sharp incline on foot, hold your sticks together, -with both hands resting on them. Let the point end rest on the high -ground well behind you, but do not lean back. You would find your feet -running away from under you. When going uphill, plant the point ends of -your sticks somewhere on the ground in the middle of your stride, but -somewhat higher on the rise of the hill than the ground you stand on. It -is a common mistake to plant one’s sticks down the slope, a sure way of -running into danger. In case of a slip, the place of hands and sticks is -on the higher ground, while it is the business of the feet to seek alone -a fresh hold lower down. They are thus partly relieved from the weight of -the body, and this is kept upright. - -5. The clothes of the winter mountaineer should be strong and warm. -When moisture-laden, the air is more trying than when it is dry, though -colder. Thaws are not unknown in winter, and rain in the valleys is -an experience to be prepared against. Boots and leggings should be -weather-proof. One should wear wind-proof knickerbockers or breeches, a -chamois leather waistcoat, a short but wide and easy coat. Rough woollen -material collects the snow. Such should be reserved for underwear. Outer -garments should present to the snow a smooth, closely woven surface. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -WINTER STATIONS--WINTER SPORTS--HOW TO USE SKI - - The awakening of the English--Switzerland the ice and - snow rink of Europe--The high winter stations and the - low--Principal sporting centres--Insular delusions--The - Continental network of winter sport associations--Winter - sports on ice--Tobogganing--The winter climate varies with - the altitude--A classification of sporting centres according - to altitude--The ski-runner is monarch of the Alps--How to - keep one’s ski in good order--How to learn the gentle art of - running on ski--Precepts and practice--The turns, breaks, and - swings--_Point final_. - - -It is strange to have to acknowledge, that while in the high-lying -valleys of the Alps the Swiss have basked for centuries in hot Christmas -sunshine, the English, till within the last twenty years, remained -ignorant of Alpine winter sports. Enlightened medical men first -recommended the tonic properties of the Alpine climate in winter. Then -came the spirited promoters of the Public Schools Winter Sports Club. Now -Sir Henry Lunn’s winter stations stud the Alpine ranges from end to end. - -These stations are typical of the best organisation hitherto devised to -connect winter games known in England, such as skating, curling, and -hockey, with the magnificent scenery and inexhaustible opportunities -afforded by the Swiss winter climate. As compared with regions -situated further north, the sporting advantages of Switzerland over, -say, Scandinavia, consist in its central situation in mid-Europe, the -closeness of its population, the immense accommodation for visitors, the -short distances from station to station, the compactness of the road and -railway system, and above all in the abundance of sunlight throughout the -winter months. We need say nothing on the benefits of altitude. If air, -sun and snow are ideal winter conditions for modern men and women, the -higher we go, the more completely will those benefits be secured. - -Be this as it may, stations under 5,000 feet are not so reliable for -steady, continuous frost, as those situated above that level. This is -a pity, because, from a social point of view, the lower stations are -largely patronised. The winter sportsman likes to rise quickly. He knows -that high peaks and deep valleys are nowhere so closely and attractively -interwoven as in Switzerland. The two highest points permanently -inhabited by a sedentary community are, in the valley of Cresta Avers, -between the Maloja and Splügen passes, and at Chandolin d’Anniviers above -Sierre, both at an altitude of about 6,000 feet. These places are above -the forest zone and should in time become the flourishing winter sport -stations which their situation entitles them to be. At the other and -lowest extremity of the scale, but in the vicinity of Mont Blanc, and -wanting but little energy to raise its potentialities to the level of the -very best, should rank Megève, above Sallanches in the valley of the -Arve. Unfortunately there has been hitherto in that part of the world but -little disposition to act in an enterprising spirit. - -The most important stations, so far, are those situated:-- - -1. In the Engadine and adjoining valleys (St. Moritz, Pontresina, -Kampfer, Silvaplana, Sils, Maloja, Fex, Davos, Arosa, Klosters, &c.). - -2. In the Bernese Oberland (Grindelwald, Beatenberg, Wengen, Mürren, -Grimmi Alp, Kandersteg, Zweisimmen, Adelboden, Gstaad, Lauenen, &c.). - -3. In the Vaudois Alps (Chateau D’Oex, Comballaz, Les Ormonts, -Leysin--this latter with many sanatoria--Caux above the lake of Geneva, -&c.). - -4. In the Rhône valley (Chesières, Villars, Gryon, Morgins and Champéry, -Montana and Vermala, Louèche les Bains, in German, Leukerbad), &c. -Zermatt is accessible and may be most comfortably lived in in winter, but -cannot be said to be as yet a properly opened up station. The same may -be said of Saas Fée, to which the new Britannia hut of the Swiss Alpine -Club, a gift of the British members of the club, should draw henceforth a -large number of English ski-runners. The Simplon and St. Bernard hospices -are open throughout the year. - -5. In the St. Gothard district (Andermatt, &c.). - -6. In the Jura range (St. Cergue sur Nyon, Les Rasses sur Ste. Croix, -Mont Soleil sur St. Imier, &c.). - -7. In the Mont Blanc district (Chamounix, St. Gervais, Le Planet, -Finhaut, &c.). - -[Illustration: THE BRITANNIA HUT. - -To face p. 302.] - -The offices of the Federal Railways at Regent Street, 11B, London, -S.W., deliver gratis an illustrated winter list of Swiss mountaineering -resorts. Many of these have been founded by local enterprise only. Such, -though quite commendable and moderately expensive, do not often afford -the first-class skating facilities found in the Engadine, at Grindelwald, -and in stations under English management. - -Stations which may boast of a large and well-kept skating rink, a curling -pond, well-laid toboggan and bob-sleigh runs, a rink for hockey, and -plenty of good ski-ing slopes, with hotel accommodation for an unlimited -number of visitors of either sex, are a modern achievement of no mean -order in primitive out-of-the-way Swiss mountain villages, buried under -anything from 3 to 9 feet of snow. - -There is a marked difference between the stations patronised by the -English--or visitors from the capitals, whatever their nationality--and -the stations frequented by the local people for sport or holiday -purposes. Those two classes avoid each other very effectually, though -unconsciously for the most part, and without any pointed intention so to -do. - -The former class depends on “central heating” for comfort. So exclusively -do they depend on this and so steadily do they flock to the best -accredited stations, that they often fondly imagine themselves to be the -only sportsmen active in winter. How often has the writer been asked, at -Villars, for instance: How is it that we English are alone seen on ski -in Switzerland? This mistake is easily accounted for, because those who -get that impression do not go far enough afield to correct it. If they -did, they would soon find out what an extremely small proportion of those -who run on ski are English. A little thought will show that this is quite -natural. - -Ski-running facilities stretch, as it were, in an unbroken line from -Scandinavia through central Europe straight down to the Maritime Alps, -and from the Vosges and Dauphiné in the west to the Carpathians in the -east. The number of ski-runners recruited over this immense area is -immeasurably larger than anything the British Isles (where there exist no -ski-ing facilities worth mentioning) can produce. - -The whole of Central Europe is, as it were, caught up in the meshes of a -huge net of Alpine associations and skiers’ clubs. These hold periodic -competitions and meet in international congresses, commanding a degree of -public attention and drawing to themselves an interest the magnitude of -which passes quite unnoticed in the United Kingdom. - -In a rather ill-considered manner, winter visitors to Switzerland like -to crowd the resorts which have become famous for their suitability in -summer. This is not quite the way to set about the thing. Winter stations -should be sought out for their own characteristics. Several low-lying -centres are not nearly so suitable in winter as in summer. Besides, many -which could be favourably reported upon by specialists, have hitherto -failed to be introduced to the public. - -Winter sports may be divided into two classes:-- - -1. Those which depend upon nature alone. - -2. Those which depend upon nature artificially aided. - -Among the latter class, skating and curling are foremost. Running on ski -ranks first among the former. - -It would be out of place here to dwell upon skating, curling, and -hockey. These are most congenial pastimes under the blue skies and -amid the magnificent scenery of the Alps, but they are distinct from -mountaineering. Scottish and Swiss curlers vie with each other in such -stations as Kandersteg. Curling stones are imported from London, and -ponds are now made in all centres favoured by players of the game. - -Skating rinks are a much more costly affair than curling ponds. Patrons -of the sport are apt to forget how valuable and extensive is the land -that has to be purchased and prepared in the vicinity of the hotels. A -staff of professional skating rink builders is in request, with an army -of sweepers under their orders. In the middle of the day the great heat -of the sun has often to be kept down by filtering the rays through huge -pieces of stretched-out sacking or canvas. As the supply of electricity -for lighting purposes is seldom scarce, night _fêtes_ are a great feature -upon the Alpine rinks. - -The social life is indeed sometimes a little excessive, and may interfere -with the steadiness of one’s nerve. When Englishmen, by way of amusement, -use the Swiss military rifle at the local range in friendly rivalry with -the peasantry, the Swiss team has hitherto been invariably victorious, no -doubt because the British marksmen are called out “for social duty on -the station” at too close intervals. - -The toboggan, or _luge_, and the sleigh are usual vehicles with the -Swiss. A sight deeply indicative of manly power and grace, is that of -Swiss woodmen steering heavily laden sleighs round jagged corners and -down precipitous ice cliffs. A run on one of these is an introduction to -a new set of sensations. - -But the “common herd” toboggan and bob on well-defined roads or tracks, -or buzz down runs purposely laid out for their use. According to the lie -or curve of the land, and with a view to accelerated speed, artificial -runs are scientifically built up in lines and bends carefully designed -beforehand. The banks are made of snow piled up with a shovel, and often -hardened into blocks by pouring water upon the snow. - -The Alpine climate, whether the Swiss, French, Italian, or Austrian Alps -are considered, varies with the altitude. It is at its worst in the -region of towns, lakes, and rivers, wherever the altitude is under 1,500 -feet. - -The winter months begin to wear their characteristic aspect in places -ranging from 3,000 feet and upwards. But climate must not be confused -with general suitability for sport, and stations between 3,000 and 4,000 -feet, however excellent in every other respect, are not yet high enough -to show a thoroughly reliable winter climate. South-west winds, recurrent -thaws, rain, and fog may affect sport seriously in such places for the -whole of any one week out of three. - -But, upwards of 4,000 feet, a steadily dry winter climate sets in early -in December, and may be relied upon to last until the end of March. There -is sure to be some thawing now and then, under the influence of mild -weather or as an effect of long exposure to the sun, but the dry, cold -air, and the torrid rays of an almost tropical sun, are the prevailing -features of the sporting season. - -As, upwards of 7,000 feet, no winter stations have as yet been thrown -open, the useful range of Alpine climate is as follows:-- - -1. Under 3,000 feet (such as Mont Pélerin, above Vevey, and Ballaigues, -above Vallorbes). - -2. From 3,000 to 4,500 feet (these stations are the most numerous and the -most frequented). - -3. Between 4,500 and 6,500 feet (at this altitude some people begin -to experience breathing and heart troubles, mental excitability, and -insomnia). - -Stations situated in this last and highest zone afford excellent sport. -Such are, for instance: Mürren, Montana-Vermala, the whole of the -upper Engadine, Arosa, Davos, &c. They are the ski-runner’s paradise. -Pontresina, particularly, is one of the very finest centres for long -excursions on ski. But, while some other parts are rather too flat, the -Pontresina district does not abound in short, easy runs. - -At from 7,000 feet and upwards, the climate is that of a glorified -North Pole; alternative spells of beautiful blazing sunshine, and of -stormy, snow-laden, piercingly cold winds. In winter the temperature of -the air is always low and, practically speaking, there is frost above -the snow-line every night even in summer. But, in the coldest January -weather, the sunbeams are poured forth in such arrays, for weeks at a -time, from cloudless, windless skies, that one’s sensation of bodily -heat, between sunrise and sunset, may be quite overpowering. - -All those allurements would perhaps, as in former days, still count for -little, but for the transportation of the ski from their dull, northern -home to that house set on high which opens its southern frontage, as a -balcony 200 miles long over the plains of Italy. - -This chapter would not be brought to a fit conclusion if its last lines -were not the means of enabling the reader to make himself proficient in -the bare rudiments of the ski-ing craft which brings the High Alps in -their winter garb within reach of human gaze. - -The beginner should purchase ski made of ash, and somewhat shorter than -the reach of his arm when extended above his head. He will find the -Huitfeldt binding most convenient, with the improved Ellefsen clamp -patented under the name of Aspor. - -Previously to using your ski, oil them repeatedly at intervals of a week, -and give the oil (if possible hot linseed) plenty of time to sink into -the wood. Then rub lightly some dry paraffin-wax into the grain of the -wood. Each time after using your ski, clean them and rub them down with -an oily cloth or sponge. - -Warm feet are the royal road to health and comfort: there must be room -enough in your boot to leave freedom of motion to each toe. - -First learn to move about on the flat, without any support of any kind. -If you have followed our advice as to oiling and waxing ski, the under -surface of yours will be perfectly smooth and very slippery. So, next, -choose the most gentle slope you can find to glide upon. Let it be an -easy slant leading on to a flat piece of snow. - -Practise going down steadily and slowly, holding in each hand, if you -like, a light bamboo or hazel-wood stick. These are to be used only to -pick yourself up. Never practise with a single stick, or a stout, heavy -stick, or a long stick. - -Put the right foot foremost, then the left. Then go down on one foot -alone, alternately using the right and the left. - -Go through these preliminary exercises with extreme patience. In nothing -so much as in ski-running is it fair to say “The more haste the less -speed.” - -The beginner who raises his ski off the snow surface falls into a serious -mistake. He should glide his ski along the surface of the snow when -moving uphill as well as on the flat. Ski were not made to be lifted, -like feet, but to be pushed along, like a drawn-out wheel. A sensible -learner never forces his way up a slope, but, as soon as he feels himself -sliding back, he eases off to the right or left. He should always keep -his ski close to each other, whether his course be upwards or downwards. -The knees, too, should be held close together when descending. The body -should not stoop from the waist but lean forward from the ankle-joint, so -as to be well balanced over the middle of the ski, the limbs remaining -loose and easy throughout. - -The whole secret of straight and easy running may be further summed up in -the following simple golden rules:-- - -1. Stand upright on your ski, keeping your body at a right angle to the -slope down which you run. - -2. Keep ski, feet, and knees together. - -3. Then practise lunging with each foot alternately, with the forward -knee bent each time as far as it can go. - -4. While lunging bring the weight of the body to rest alternately on each -ski. - -5. Practise thrusting back each leg alternately as far as it can go, with -your body resting on the forward bent knee. - -6. Then bring both ski close to each other again, and let yourself be -borne downwards along hangs of increasing steepness. - -7. Then let yourself fly down the whole length of a long slope, first on -one foot, then on the other, till you can move along on each ski, without -bringing the other into play. - -8. Practise dragging each ski alternately behind the other, setting the -hind ski free from your weight, then raise the front ski in the air and -transfer all your weight to the back ski. - -Having got so far one may begin trying swings to the right and left. - -1. To do a Telemark swing to the right, push your left ski forward, and -bring the weight of your body well above your fully bent knee. If you -then incline your body slightly within the curve you wish to describe -in the snow to your right, the forward ski, left, will begin to glide in -sideways. The inner ski (the right ski) will follow within the curve, -provided you keep your right leg well extended behind, and keep the -weight of your body off it. - -2. To do an Alpine swing to the right, turn the beak (or head) of your -left ski towards the right ski, while laying the weight of your body on -the left ski, placed lowest on the slope. The left ski will then swing -downwards and sideways, and, under the pressure of your foot, come round -the head of your right ski, accomplishing the turn. In this swing the -heels (or back of the ski) fly apart. - -3. To do a Christiania swing to the right, start with ski even and close -together. Advance slightly the right ski, get up speed sharply and then -throw your weight somewhat backwards by a side thrust inward, ranging -from the left hip to the right. The heels of the ski will slip together -away from your body, behind you, to the left, and the heads of both ski -will point to the right. - -The Christiania is reputed a difficult swing, but here is the “straight -tip”: Old ski, with edges worn down at the heel, feather round -beautifully. - -Beware of learning those turns in deep or heavy snow, lest you sprain or -wrench an ankle. Hard, ridgy snow is even more dangerous. - -This is not the place to teach how, at the altitude of 7,000 feet and -upwards, begins High Alp ski-running, in which the Swiss are past -masters, because this phase of sport is not for beginners. On the other -hand, consummate runners with good guides and inured to every kind of -hardship, might well be trusted to add to this book many a page showing, -much better than the present writer can, how the High Alps in winter have -infinite pleasure in store for the bold, cool-headed, and strong. - -[Illustration] - -UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON - - - - - BURBERRY - - WEATHERPROOF OUTRIGS FOR - - Ski-ing, Lüge-ing and Skating - - _Every genuine Burberry garment is labelled “Burberrys.”_ - - [Illustration] - - “HINTS ON ALPINE SPORTS” - - By Professor F. F. ROGET, Author of “Ski-runs in the High Alps.” - - A handbook of invaluable advice addressed to those ambitious to - excel in Winter Sports. - - Price 6d., Post Free. - - BURBERRY OUTRIGS, for men and women, designed from the - specifications of experts completely satisfy the exacting - requirements of Winter Sports. They have been tested under the - severest conditions, and pronounced infinitely superior to any - other form of equipment. - - BURBERRY MATERIALS, woven and proofed by exclusive processes, - afford healthful warmth and comfort in the coldest weather, - yet in action prevent overheating by their faultless - self-ventilation. Airylight, they minimise fatigue and conserve - physical energy. - - BURBERRYS’ system of weatherproofing, whilst it leaves the - textural ventilation of the fabrics undiminished, renders them - permanently antagonistic to every form of moisture. Burberry - Winter Sports materials are smooth surfaced and uncreasable, so - that snow cannot lodge upon them. - - LIGHTWEIGHT, yet densely woven, Burberry excludes cold wind and - is so durable that years of rough-and-tumble wear amongst snow - and ice fails to affect either its appearance or its efficiency. - - BURBERRYS - - Haymarket, S.W., LONDON; Boul. Malesherbes, PARIS. - - - - - SKI-ING - - FOR BEGINNERS AND MOUNTAINEERS - - By W. RICKMER RICKMERS - - With 72 Full-page Plates and many Diagrams in the Text. Cloth, - 4/6 net. (Inland Postage 4d.) - - There are few who can look back on so many years of strenuous - ski-ing as Mr. Rickmers, and, save one other man, nobody has - had so large and successful an experience of teaching it to - beginners. This volume is especially valuable as containing the - advice of a mountaineer. It is “short and sweet,” embodying - everything the beginner must know in order to learn as quickly - as possible. The second part gives him due warning and sound - advice, once he has mastered the elements of ski-running and - sallies forth on short tours to be followed by long expeditions - into the wintry mountains. Mr. Rickmers’ idea throughout is to - teach and tell only what has stood the test of time and what - is strictly necessary, thus saving from much indecision the - ski-tourist who is to be. - - The book will be found to be the most complete introduction to - the subject in English. - - “A fascinating book on the most delightful of Continental - winter sports. Not only is Mr. Rickmers a strenuous and - accomplished ski-runner himself, but he has had years of - experience as a teacher of the art, and his handy volume - embodies everything that it is essential for the novice to know - in order to become an efficient ski-runner in as short a time - as possible.”--_T. P.’s Weekly._ - - “He is a teacher of vast experience, who has studied every - defect in style that a beginner can possibly fall into, and has - learned how to cure them all. If the novice with the aid of - this book studies his every posture and action, practising the - right and with pains correcting what he learns is wrong, he is - on the high road to becoming a first-class runner.”--_Scottish - Ski Club Magazine._ - - _On Sale at all Booksellers._ - - T. FISHER UNWIN, 1 Adelphi Terrace, London. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKI-RUNS IN THE HIGH ALPS*** - - -******* This file should be named 54163-0.txt or 54163-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/4/1/6/54163 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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