Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-02-09
AIDS
ALPINE CLIMBING
TO The HEIGHTS
Aerial Elevators and Rail
ways Make Smooth Path of
Globe Trotters; Contrast TO
Old Ways.

Geneva. Fen. Eff the pioneers OF
Alpine climbing could revisit the
mountain fairgrounds OF Europe this
winter they woela be startled indeed.
Whore they molled and toiled upward
in considerable fear and trembling the
weakest oe most lndolent tourist to-
day may soar without an effort
surely the way Of the globe trotter
Is being made smooth. and there be
those who regret Il exceedingly. a
funlcular railway Is now half-cOm-
pletcd on rs way up Mount Blanc. BY
next year the Jungfrau viii be con-
duerod similarly: while the Wetter-
horn already has It's aerial elevator.
Germany. Italy, Spain and Austria all
have easy ways Go climb" their
spacious heights. There Is. IN fact,
today the substitute for the magic car
pet--a thing of cogs or electric force
that can transport It's human cargo,
II not wherever they list, at least In
to places hitherto inaccessible 10 all
but the lusty.
what a change from even seventy
years agoi Then an Alpine expedition
with an objective over 10000 feet
above sea level seemed to be bound
FOE an enterprise almost as serious az
voynge to the north pole. II began
preparations months beforehand, with
long discussions as 10 the route, the
engagement of a dozen guides and
poters az great expense, the building
OF wooden bridges over dangerous
crevassees and t1e erection Of tents
at each hating 'c-for there We're
no Alpine huts In those days -Four
days or thCrca routs were spent on
the trip. with the TACT Of big bill OF
costs the only sure tling about Il. EX-
peusivc though they were. the guides
were very far from expert. In fact
! any strong yuu+s viilugcr with some
notion of the loftler heights was en-
ployed.
Those times are gouo. Even for the
persistent climber the villagers have
become professional guides with q
fixed tariff OF charges, while for this
mere sightseor, who does not pin hii
| faith 10 shanks' pony. there is tbs
| elevator or the funicular.
! The contrast is sharper still II We
/ 60 farther back for the comparison
| The Alps. as late as the beginning OF
| the fifteenth century, were looked up
on as the favorite abode OF goblin,
and dragons, and even the lowei
! mountain passes were not crossed OK
! capt ia the direst necessity. the tray
\ ,.ers on such occasions forming them
\ selves into large caravan, stronRi.
\ armed to night against unknown spir
It's and devils"
Then. as now, the only enemies on
4 countered by the Alpine traveller
were snowstorms and avulanchos, bu
when party did not return 10 IN
valley, II was the general belief ina
! Il had been destroyed hy the ovil spir
It's of the mountain.
There Is NO sport Ia the world whicl
has caused such revolution In Eu
rope, and especially In switzerlan'
as mountaineering. and, in a bron
sense. no sport has 80 many follow
ors. because every tourist who reache
the top Of a mountain, even BY IN
easy, modern means OF the funlct
lar. electric railway or elevate
Z may be considered an Alpinil
Al heart. and several millions OF thei
"climb" mountains IN this way ever
summer AipiniHts have several 81
) prohioua names for these "touri
, climbers" but Il must DE admitls