Evening star., 1902-08-22
DANGERS OF THE ALPS
TRAINING REQUIRED BEFORE AS
CENDING THE MATTERHoRN.
Rules Which Should Be Observed by
Mountain Climbers in
Switzerland.
From the London Mail.

About this time of the year the desk
weary Londoner begins to exclainl, "Beauti-
full Switzerland" and to ask for ticket for
Lucerne-"available for one month" Let
nothing be said against his yearning for the
glorious Alps or to deter him from spending
a holiday among some of the most marvel
Gus scenery on the face Of the globe. Yet
the eager holiday maker, in his anxiety to
get away, should pause long enough to d.
gest wtll-meant word Of advice.
The average Briton considers himself
quite capable of accomplishing through"
journey from, say, Marylebone to the sum-
nit of the Matterhorn with no more prepa-
ration nor rest than Is absolutely essential
for meals and sleep. He may do 1t, but 1t
will be at the cost of ruined holiday, and,
possibly. an injured constitution. 1t Is i'm
possible for a person accustomed to a Sc
dentary life (unless he Is particularly
strong) to accomplish such a feat without
injury to health.
Preparation Necessary.
Therefore, when the traveller has arrived
among the mountains he should not count
a weeks preparation for a big ascent as
wasted. There are many short climbs near
Lucerne with which the novice can blunt
his maiden alpenstock, and they form
valuable training ground and preparation
for an assault upon one Of the Swiss giants.
Among these are the Rigi and Mt. Pilatus,
both of which need no special preparation.
Once thoroughly "fit,'' the guides can be
consulted about the contemplated big
climb" A further point: Once their advice
is given, take 1t, even though 1t is to give
up the anticipated ascent. A good guide
sums up patrons physical condition at
a glance, and will make no ascent If one
of the party is incapable of completing it.
Nautilus Zurbriggen, one OF the most cele-
brated guides Switzerland ever produced.
czII
guide must lay down the law for his pa
irons. Because 1t Is hot in the valley, they
will come to the guide to climb peak, in
volving ice and snow rock, and, maybe.
night on the rocks, with q dress so light
that If they stood still for an hour they
would perish with the cold. l always say,
Get warm clothes and 1 will go with you;
but like that. no. certainly not
"As to diet, / would say to all and sundry
who climb For lunch and dinner carry
what you like-chicken, ham or beef-any-
thing, only avoid spirits. which ought to be
taken only at a hard pinch and a last
resource. I keep spirit a doctor keeps
a poison. and never use it except in very
small quantities. One of the best drinks for
mountaineers is eggs beaten up in claret
both for thirst and as a restorative when
fatigued."
Dangers of the Climb.
AS to the incidental dangers of the climb,
some such as a crevasse, are obvious once
they are seen; but a dangerous 'snow
bridge" is often only perceptible to the
trained eye Of the guide. The snow-bridge
Is due to the filling up Of a crevasse during
the winter snow storms. Then the snow
melts underneath and leaves a frail natural
bridge of snow spanning it's depths. If the
guide decides that it will "bear' he creeps
over, and one by one the roped figures of
the party crawl over on their hands and
knees, so as to distribute their weight over
the largest possible part OF the treacherous
surface.
A crevasse pure and simple can sometimes
be crossed in a stride. Sometimes 1t is too
sive to walk round. Then the guide cuts
steps down the side until the great. ice
crack narrows sufficiently to be crossed
and then more ice steps are cut up the
other side and the obstacle is overcome.
Crossing crevasseS by this method is
one of the most exciting incidents in noun
tafneering One by one the black figures
of the party vanish into the cold blue
depths of the crevasse, and after an in
Again. a sheer face of rock has sometimes
to be scaled. If it's irregularities promise
safe and sufficient foothold the guide does
not go out of the track to find a way round
Up go the roped figures until just near the
top "cornice' of rock may project A
moose of rope is thrown over the beetling
cornice until it catches on an outstanding
pinnacle of rock. The rope must be SUBJ
1ected to several severe jerks to make sure
1T is fast before the guide trusts his weight
to It, 1t must be remembered that this
critical and delicate operation has often to
be performed by man hanging on to the
face of a precipice with fingers and toes
before the guides courage and skill can be
realized