New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-16
CLIMBING THE ALPS
Conditions Reported Better
than They Were Last Summer.

w lltIng from 6ilNutlWdld, JulldH
Grande, Fellow OF the Royal Geographical
Society. says that the winter Of 19i2-lS
will be memorable not only for the ex-
traordinary scarcity Of snow. but also for
the long spell Of settled weather early in
January throughout the Alps. which has
rendered conditions for climbing a great
deal better and safer than AZ any time
during last summer" lie adds. In The
Pail Mall Gazette:
Quantities OF snow fell last summer on
the mountains. and a great deal more fell
i'm the months OF October and November.
So that the crevasses on the glaciers have
almost all been well filled IN and bridgcd
over never remember the Alrsch
Glacier. either IN summer or winner, pre-
sontinC so smooth and unbrokcn sur
face as AT present The other day ! he
licve / could hive driven Russian troka
from Jungfrauioch 10 the foot OF the
slopes leading to the Concordia hut The
snow was frozen so hard that neither my
guides nor ! needed snow rackets.
Il never remember any winter when ]
saw or heard so few avalauches. ana when
the conditions in general were so favor
able for high ascents. II English climb
ers only knew how perfect they have been.
and. for that matter. still are. the guides
would not now be lamentng that there are
so few mountaineers 10 taXe advantage OF
them.
in the Bcrnese Overland. IN particular.
the ascenis Of certain Of the highest
peaks have this year been made much
easier By trains on the Jungfrau Railway
being run 10 Jungfraujoch. the present
terminus. The Swiss papers. as well IA
those Of other countries. have had much
to say about my ascent of tine Jungfrau
in one day from GTindewald. but, after
all II is now not very wonderful
achievement. especially with the noun
tain in 50 good d condition As II has been
lately. IL would even be possible now to
leave Grindelwald early in the morning.
climb the Jungfrau that day, and return
the same evening to Grindelwald Just IN
time for dinner-that H.. supposing Grin
delwald was left at a. IN. a special train
taken from Eicergletcher station at $50.
Jungfraujoch left not later than H. the
summit OF the Jungfrau reached about 2.
the descent made In one and half hours
and another special train taken from
Jungfraujoch about 3:45 or o'clock. 30
that tIgergletcher station would be
reached again not later than 0. Thence
a IL Il quick descent Of two hours TO
Grindelwald.
"As if happened. ! left Grindelwald TO
lac exact, at $40 III the morning, reached
t,igergletscher at 10 O'Clock. waited III
noarIv II for a train, left JungfrauJoch at
/. 20 reached the summit OF me JuneiIau
~ 4.45. left II at 4.Jj. and arrived back
again at Jungfrauloch at $40 THESE
times. Of course. include mats.
",rhe Monk and the tinsteraarhorn can
,lso I'm favorable circumstances, De now
aecended I'm one day from Gf1ndelWald.
buf for the latter peak SKI Wouid nave 10
be nsed from JungfrauJoch. On the day
u,ben / WAS on the JunSfrau, ana the iOl-
't',a dav when | was on the summit
az the Monk, the view was OF an extent
and The atmosphere of clarity rare even
i'm midwinter. If storm De encoun-
tered as happened TO me on ,ne Junslrau
s,,n,rnft the cold may certainly De very
Savere even this mild winter, but IN gen
eraI the cold this season is nothing com
nared with what II usually is IN winter IN
the Alps. -, ,soa,ts carried on, I'm
.ho pornese Overland this winter have
neon those of the Great Schrechhorn, the
Finsteraarhorn. the Flescherhori ana me
E,iger by "A route seldom taken IN winter
-
,,,,e nort Of Switzerland, however. but
also in the Bernina group. while . outside outside
Switzerland Mont Blanc mas been ascend
ed bv a Russian from MOSCOW win three
Chamonix guides They took rather more
than three days over the entire expedi-
.inn 6ndinc the snow very heavy between
,hn Crands Mulets and the summit.
AS for skirunners, they have e,d hardly S,,
,,,o,ars and curriers' have been on the
inks from morning TIL night There is no
Doubt that the best ice this winter has
hoen in Crindelwald and the EnGadine re-
uorts since the New Year Grindelwald
las been crowded: st. Moritz had three
thousand visitors some time ago. while
Dovos has more than five thousand
good s many bobsleigh and some nd nd ttobossan
s%ating competitions. but most OF the
Skiing events. whether races or jumping,
have had to be postponed. ana Tor very
GOOD reason that there Is either no snow
al all. or II there be any, IL IL much too
hard Even Holsters; when mas gen en-
orally plenty, Of snow. has had to put of
a., eli iumDinQ"