Arizona republican., 1902-08-03
MORE OF, ALPINE DANGERS.
The Unskilled Scaler of the Gins Is
 Prone to Rashness.

Let nothing be said against the yearning of the tourist for the glorious Alps or to deter him from spending q holiday among some Ci the most mar vicious scenery on the face of the globe. Yet he should pause long enough to di- gest a well meant word of advice.
 The average amateur mountain climber considers himself quite capable of accomplishing through" journey from, say. Marylebone to the summit of the Matterhorn with no mere prep aration for rest than is absolutely es- sential for meals and sleep.
 He may do it, but it will be at the cost of ruined holiday, and. possibly. an injured constitution.
 It is impossible for person accus- toned to sedentary life (uness he is particularly strong) to accomplish such a feat without injury to health.
 Therefore, when the tra"eler has ar rived among the mountains he should not count a weeks preparation for q big ascent as wasted. There are many short climbs near Lucerne with which the novice can blunt his maiden alpen- stock, and they form a valuable train ing gre und and preparation for an as sault upon one of the Swiss giants. Among these are the Rigi and Mount Pilatus, both of which need no special preparation
 Once thoroughly fit the guides can be consulted about the contemplat big climb A further point Once their advice is given. take it. even though it is to give up the anticipated ascent. A good guide sums up a pa tient's" physical condition at a glance. ' and will make no ascent if one of the party is incapable of completing it. 1 Matths Zurbriggen. enc of the most celebrated guides Switzerland ever produced, once made the following re- i mark: '''rhe guide must lay down the | law for his patrons. Because it is hot | in the valley. they will come to the ! guide to climb peak, involving ice and snow work, and, maybe night on the rocks. with dress light that | if they stood still for ar hour they would perish with the cold. I always i say, Get warm clothes and l will gC with you: but like that, no, certainly not
 As to diet. I would say to all and sundry who climb: Fer lunch and din- Ter carry what you like-chicken, nam. ! CT beef-anything, only avoid spirits, which ought to be taken only at a hard pinch and as a last resource. l keep spirits as a doctor keeps q poison, and never use it except in very small quan- , titles. One of the best drinks for moun- taineers is eggs beaten up in claret both for thirst and as q restorative | when fatigued.'
 As to the incidental dangers Of the i climb, some, such as a crevasse, are obvious once they are seen, but dan
 
 ceptible to the trained eye of the guide. The snowbridge is due to the filling up of q crevasse during the winter snow storms. Then the snow melts underneath and leaves a frail natural bridge oi 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 ever on their hands and knees. so as to distribute their weight over the | largest possible part of the treacher- ous surface. A crevasse pure and sim pie can sometimes be crossed in a stride. Sometimes it is too wide to st1.le or leap over. and too extensive tC walk around.
 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 mountaineering. One by one the black figures Of the party vanish into the cold blue depths of the crevasse. and after an interval, they emerge again on the other side:
 Again, sheer face of rock has some
  promise safe and sufficient ioothold the guide does not go out Of the track to find way round. Up go the roped figures until, just near the tCp, cor nice of rock may protect. A moose of rope is thrown over the baetling cor nice until it catches on an outsta nding pinnacle of rock. The rope must be subjected to several severe jerks to make sure it is fast before the guide trusts his weight to it. It must be re- membered that this critical and deli cate operation has often to be per formed by man hanging on to the face of precipice with fingers and toes before the guides courage and | skill can be realized.
 Many oi these cCrnices on well known mountains are now furnished with firmly secured chains. and this rock laSSolng IS net often necessary in ordinary mountaineering. Should a member of a party be so unfortunate as to meet with an accident by a fall, he is placed in a special ambulance chair. which many guides carry. and is at once taken Cn the mans back to the hotel.
 The cool courage the guides exhibit when carrying q disa abled man is abso- lutely marvellous, and when chasms have to be crossed and cornices nego- tiated by guide burdened with an in- jured patron, the feat is even more 1 wonderful.
 Another point. Never drop your ice ax. true mountaineer only tightens his grip on this essential implement should he slip. For instance. should r one of the party fall down a crevasse |. while unroped, without an ice aX he