The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-03
GROW DARING IN THE ALPS,
An Era Of Guideless Mountaineering
IL Coming On.


Boston Transcript: The general
subject of climbing without a guide is
one that is now attracting a great deal
Of attention in Europe. An English
sporting magazine says: I'VE may
late the development of modern
mountaineering from the birth of
guideless climbing. The pioneers were
responsible for a more radical revolu-
ton than, they perhaps anticipated.
the result Of their movement being to
raise the general standard of British
mountaineering" The assertion Is
made that need be nothing more
than a good walker to be able to climb
with guides to the top Of any peak in
the Alps, and it is added that he who
has to depend On his own skill,
Strength and nerve must have the
craft at his fingers ends. The guided
mountafneer merely needs to follow
his guides n he may do this for
years and not be able to LEAD in a sim
pie climb or find his way to the top
OF an eStsy snow peak.
There are arguments On both sides.
Certain Alpine clubs are such in truth.
and the criterion for the admission of
a member is whether one is willing to
trust himself o N the rope with a AN
didate. But at the same time the let
ting down OF the bars of Alpinism by
the preaching Of %guideless climbing
AN only do harm. Man is prone to do
what he seems some one else do. with
the confidence in his own ability he
tramps boldly where the angels Of the
profession read with greatest eau
ton, and, tramps likely through to his
own destruction. A mans life NAV
be at stake at any moment. if daring
work Is to be undertaken. The guide
is a native of the country. He has
n9ESpn his life I'm Cprnn nrnface;~- ill.,
that of farming or herding that takes
him out of doors. He learns the me-
THEOLOGICAL moods Of the country as he
does it's geography.
The native learns, through constant
experience, the habits of his cliffs and
glaciers, the meaning Of the crevasse
and the delicacy Of method required
for determining it's location: he realiz-
es the responsibility of snow bridges.
He knows Of avalanches, and the acct
dents and incidents that move them.
He always has in his mind the Ian
puage Of the mountains and their sur
r~oundings.
The amateur may be able to surpass
the Guide in safe daring by the quality
Nevertheless the sacrifice Of life
through incompetent mountaineering
is large. There is in this country al
safe and sane Fourth of July move
ment. But thel ives saved hardly ex-
coed mortality of the careless Alpin-
list. A movement for safe and sane
Alptnism would effect nearly equal re-
suits so far as mere mortality is con-
cerned. Yet the pendulum is swinging
away from safety in Alpinism; it is
rather in the direction of greater dar-
ing in proportion to intelligence and
experience, and inevitably there will
be greater losses. Self-confidence eff
fects most startling results. At about
$4,000 feet the mountaineer has met
men sauntering along in a threatening
position without utilizing the rope. It
was not because they did not know.
Guideelss Alpine climbing may be ap-
proved when it is undertaken by the
few whose experience fits them to I'M
derstand the dangers of walking over
crevaEsed glaciers and treacherous ice
slopes, but the achievements of these
men must not be too highly accepted
by the general tramping public.