OUR LITERARY CORNER

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14042, 13 May 1911, Page 7

OUR LITERARY CORNER

ORIGINAL AND SELECTED MATTER,

NOTES ON BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

MOUNTAINEERING IN MIDWINTER.

(By Mi.'s Constance A. Bap.nicoat.) A few bold climbers and true lovers ■'of tho iJiotiiuiius have climbed in mid- ' tfifittT for tlu , last tiity years, but only verj , gradually—n Ot until the last year o r two —has it d.iwned upon the iumvl of the general climbing public lha£ nut merely has winter climbing much to T-ecorumond it, but that it is even possible. TJiou.•-■.!] numbers of peopfo have come to tho .Swiss Alps every winter now lor more than ten y.?.\* p,ist—strong F-'uplo who have come for tho sake of sports, and not consumptives who liiivo conio for the sake of health—then- have boon .scarcely any K'inter.■ ascents during all that tiniti until this year, when tho "Wctrorhorn has boon climbed at least six times, tho .Monk three or four times, if not more, tho Mattcrhorn oneo, and the Groat Schreckhorn once, by myself. :. I may say, I hope, as inero matter of fact, and not as matter for boas tin::. that tho Monk is far the easiest of ■■'•' these mountains, indeed much tho 'easiest winter ascont in this part of tho Alps; an d that though tho Wettcrhorn j<; very much harder, it is still nothing in comparison with the Great Sclireokhorn, which is considered still one of the most difficult mountains in tho Swiss -Alps, and quite the most difficult in th'o Bcrnoso OberJand, except the Finste'raarhorn, which is opposite it, and which is, I believe, far worse still. Via the Agassizjoch, only one ascont ot it in winter has ever been accomplished, and tliat one. was not by an Englishman. It is not only terribly long, nut terribly cold and fatiguing. . During tho Lost three or four years Mr Jalian Grando, F.R.G.S., has mado sereral winter ascents, but lie is, I think, tho only well-known climber who has done so—nntil this year. Ho climbed tho Great Schreckhorn in midwinter (on the sth of January, 1910), ■ whereas I did it on the 28th of January, 1911. He had, on tho whole, worse conditions than I had. He also climbed the Wotterhorn and Monk Eoveral times "in winter, in bad conditions, and it . was ho who gavo mc the most valuable advice as to outfit, which of course differs from that required for summer climbing, and he also engaged for mo his own chief guide, Fritz Amatter, of Grindelwald, who has had, I think, much more experienco of winter mountaineering than any other guide. Indeed. I should not have ventured on the Schreckhorn in winter with any one but Amatter. I took as second guide Rudolph liuigener, another Grindelwald man. Some winter climbers, wideod most of thorn, havo complained not of the cold but of the heat, of being oppressed -during their climbs. It was not my experience. I suffered from cold a good 'deal, but never from hoat, in spite of tho fuct that tho Schreckhorn was not as cold when I 'ascended it as it can bo. But thero was a bitter wind blow,toig, not strong, but still enough to ■sblcw tir> frozen enow and particles of '*\cft (spiculao) into my faoe> and enough Jlo'mak© it very aifficult to stay long in 'M exposed place, and impossible to tak© off' my gloves for moro than a few minutes. Whether the climber suffers much from cold during a winter ascent leprads upon the condition of th© moun■tain and whether there is wi<nd or not. The condition of a high peak can never bo twice the same; but everyone attempting a first-class, or, in fact, any peak in midwinter, must preparo for cold. IF ho does not havo it at midday, ho will have it in the early morn.ing and at night, and owing to the ■bhor;tnofiß of the winter days, ho must do a gfeat deal by lantern and moon.light. I was not heavily but very wann3y drossod —fivo thicknesses of cood woollon garments, and I never wanted to slip off any of them. I had, besides, a thick white knitted cap,; which was pulled down over my eaurs and nectk, leaving only the eyes, nceo and mouth uncovered. Without such a cap, of the very thickest and most closely woven wool, there is no keeping one's care jsoeure against frost-bite. I had also loop; thick woollen cuffs, and tiie nsiial very thick baby gloves—two pair, for on© got frozen hard as a board, co that I could not grasp my ice-axe. Then I had two thick pair of Woollen stockings and thick woollen over them, with thidk anklets Over th© tops of my boots, and vary long heavy putties on top of all. The anklets were frozen stiff as a board by tie'end of tho day, and I often fedt my feet very cold,.'but I ne-vor was threatened with frostbite. In winter oh'mtbtng it is absolutely essential to \feavo tho toes free, so that they can W constantly moved, otherwise tho jnsk of frostbite is much increased.

_;We all wore Canadian snow-chocs or enoflr-raokots on the glacier going np t<> the hut, and a littlo on the day of W ascent. The snow-rackota axe flj*ped like a large oval tennis-racket, sntl attached to one's heavy climbing toftfs "They "are certainly proventiag one from sinking iv more than a couple of inches, . *ifin with merely boots one would go to tlie knoes; bat they of wuKe do not grip woll on a hard snows »"po, and are impossible on ice- or . Joclsß. On the Schreekhorn ski are useless.

The winter view from a peak is quite unlike the summer view. It. wutn- ;- the world seems coloured trith tlireo colours only—blu.-s, tho hiuo of the clear sky, white." the white of tho snows, and black, the blackness of tho rocks where they are too steep for the snows to lin en them. I could see almost every wellknown Alpine peak, from Mont Blanc to the Finsteraarnorn. but I do not think they looked so high as in summer, for the snow has a lowering effect, tfkich has often been observed. As it was so bitterly cold —unlike Mr Grande's for he could vt for an hour or more on the summit, and without glove 3 or a cap, too —1 went down at once behind a snow-wall, rosted » iittlo, and took some food. No hot tea could be made, because of the wind, but the guides had kept the tea and wine- abo; r o freezing-point by wrapping the bottles up in thick woollen gloves. The descent is mad© by the same long ridge, and I carao to tho conclusion that one of the worst trials about winter climbing is being obliged to wear gloves, for one has so littlo grip of the rocks with them. On the snow slopes my strength gave out rather badly, my back being so tired I hardly knew what to do. It may be because of the cold aid tho lowering effect of this on tho vitality, but I

m J set out from Grindolwald at ' .a.m. on v Friday morning, with mv "!° EU'des. it was brilliantly fine, as « has been almost tho whole winter ance mid-I>ecember in Switzerland, •loero was a sharp frost, of course, wio ground being very hard and icy. At • O'clock, the dawn was just breaking. ;i>DßK«es tho usual equipment of ropes and axes, 1 took brown bread, a whole ,«mt chicken, cheese, butter, apples, chocolate, something for making soup, ■•*»» coffee, and a thermos, with, of opuree, plenty of sugar and prunes. The ■|«Q -jams and tinned fruits suitable for » summer climb aro not very cood for winter.

..-■; I remember the beautiful winter sannse glow—a stretch of salmon pink, ■*p«n ono of cold blue, then one of saloon pink again, and the sunstino first e&tching the Finsteraarhorn, always tho test'and always tho List peak to bo »} «P, and turning it to a bright gold wat. Bnow, I need hardly say, lay Wer everything, and from the" recks «ung long blue, or sometimes creamy, Widest When we reached the top of the Lower Grindelwald glacier, we put .«& ttyrope. and the snow-rackets, which

think a winter ascent takes more out ot one than a summer aac&nt. i contrived, however, to get down to the glacier again, when all went well. liigU '-ij as 1 was 1 eoiiid wo over thu ranges towards the western horizon. 'Jut!') was tiio ir.osj worcleriul suiuiot. 1 think, I have ever seen, and it lasted for several nours. A storm seemed to bo coining up, tor heavy purpie-biack clouds touched the tops of tho mountains, lilting to show a sky of iia;necoiour and orange beneath. Afterwards tho horizon turned a deep fiery red, and contiuu'jd lor hours, ti.'i tht- evening stais were out and night had sot. in. As wo came back that we fo;:iid, after a time, that -am wind had blown away all traces of our morning icotsU t *.3. V. ith the light, dry. powdery snow it had completely covered them up, if no one hacT passed by that winter. Consequently we lost, our way, night carno on, and we had to stumble about, for n lung while on slippery rocks by the aid cf a lantern, which was very slow and toilsome work. Amatter. about seven o'Hook, cheert-d mc greatly by remarking that it might. bo three or four hours still before wo reached the hut. Unexpectedly, however, we picked up the track again, and Tvercy down after all at S.l'o—a si:;t?en hour climb, which is not so long as many a summer ascent. 1 ac;rco with those climbers who think there is a certain fascination about winter climbing which there is not about summer climbing. I tJi'nk, as I have said, that it is a greater strain on the vitality, and thereis, of course, always the. risk of frost-bite. I think, also, it is bettor to begin winter climbing by an ascent somewhat les3 severe than the Great Schreckhorn, which hni only been ascended in winter about four times, and only onco before, by a woman. ' Thero are many other difficulties about winter climbing. It is much more expensive than summer climbing, for instance, and not every guide is competent to undertake it. Grindelwald. February Ith.

we hardly took off again till we reached thc hur. Jt was not at all a difficull or tiring day, and in the middle of ii Amatt/T contrived to Ixiil snow anc make mo hot tea—a luxury I have never yet had on a mountain excursion. We saw many tracks oi foxes—thf light, scratching of their little claws or tho snow, too hard for thorn to s'.nii into; and many tracks also cf chamois, winch como down low in tho wintor. That day, however, we saw none though on our re.urn we sighted three We reached tho hut, the now _trahlegg hut, on the Sehrekhorn sido o< tin; Lower Urindclwald glacier, at 4.11" p.m. Tins hut, which was opened onl*. last summer, te exceedingly comfort.able*, one ol the host 1 hare been in, Tne re arc three rooms, two stoves, r. sink to wash up in, a small bath, anc all tiio furniture and fit-tings necessary. No food is kept there, however, onij pepper and salt, and such condiments, 1 may say hero that tho two huts on the Tasman gincier are among th* best huts I have found anywhere. 1 did not know that at first, but now that I havo scon many mountain huts, 1 do know it; Tho tempcraturo in tho new St-rah-le.'-'g hut was about 7 A degrees F. helow freezing point. (It was a Celsius thermometer in tho hut, so I cannot exactly givo the tempcraturo Fahrenheit.) In a few minutes the guide; had cut up wood, of which plenty had heen left in the hut, lit a fire, and were melting snow to make coffee and soup. I notice that so great an authority on Alpine subjects as Mr \Y. A. li. Coolidge. who still lives in Grindelwald, considers that one of tho worst drawbacks to winter climbing is that thero is no water, so that all tea, coffee or soup has to be made from molted snow, which often imparts an unpleasant flavour. I do not know why, but I did not notice that on thi? occasion, though I know that melted snow is always supposed to bo very undesirable, if water can possibly be obtained. The guides made very good hot soup, and directly after taking it, I went *nd lay down under tho blankets, of wFicli there is an ample supnly. By piling on about si - . I managed to keep warm. Amatter said he would got up nt threo and sec what tlio weather was like. If it were not too cold, wo would get up then and go. He must have got up much sooner, for I had been up a long while, getting into all my thick clothes, and it was still only a quarter past three. It was the most perfect starlit morning, tho stars shining with a brilliance only seen when it is very frosty and cold. It was absolutely still, and absolutely silent. Not a sound of a living creature was heard, not the cry of a bird, not oven the cracking of ice nor the fall of an avalanche. By 4.'30 wo had had hot coffee and bread and butter, had packed up provisions for tho day, put on tho rope, and wero off. It was not very dark, llhough thero was no moon, and we ooiikl have seen, I think, without tho lantern to guide us, as wo made our way over an endless snow-alopo. By six o'clock, with so much, snow about, it was already somewhat light, and by seven tho dawn was approaching fast. The winter snow was quito diffcront from any Summer snow 1 have known. It was deep, certainly, but much drier and more powdory than stinunor snow. It was also much more settled, far less liable to come down in avalanches than I have often seen it in summer, for there had been no fail of fresh enow for a fortnight or three weeks. Tho slopes, too, wero often easier than in summer, as stops ocu'd generally, be kicked in them, instead, of 'being laboriously cut. But a clirribor will know what I moan whon I say that being so much on snow, supporting myself with my ice-axe, and. not frequently changing from snow to rocks, and from rocks to snow again, as ono usually does in summer, mado thc ascent very tiring, and put a severo strain on the muscles of tho back. In spite of a cold wind which caught us sometimes, blowing powdery snow into our faces and peppering our cheeks with it as if it had been so many needle-points, we reached the saddlo at 11.30 in the morning—very good time. Amatter often assured mc that the cold was "gar nichts"—nothing at all, and that the snow was "ausgezeichnet"—excellent. No doubt, but the cold was sovoi-e enough for a first winter ascent. Tho saddle, however, was not iced over, whereas in January, 1910, Mr Julian Grande found it entirely ice, with a biting wind which blew his leading guide over. At this point of our ascent, indeed, Amatter became so hopeful that he said ho thought wo should be on the summit in an hour. .From hero it is merely a long climb over a ridge, what tho French guides call an '•arete," and the Swiss guides a "grat." Wo wont prosperously along this ridge for a time, for it was nothing but firm rocks, not iced over —indeed, tho icedover rocks- I had dreaded so much, the thing of all others I dread in climbing, I never found once. After a time, however, tiie arete was all snow, and this took a terrible timo to pass over. It is such a narrow ridgo that on© foot can often be put on ono sido and ono on tho other. It is 13,000 feet up in tho air, and, thero is always moro or le*s wind on it. Thero is nothing to hold to, and if a puff of wind comes, one feels as v ono must blow over. This ridgo was very badly corniced, and there was often nothing for it but for Amatter to Knock down somo of tho snow and Hatten what remained, so that wo could slide over it, a foot on cither side. In the middle of thc arete, moreover, thero is a deep break in the rocks, from one to the other of which, high j up in tho air with a terrible gulf on , either sido, a jump has to be made, j This is very nerve-wearing, even if one j has had many climbs before. 'I be end j of it was, what with, snow, and cold j wind, wa did not reach tho summit; till 2.15, having taken two and a-hali ! hours ir.stcad ot one. and then it v.-as j so bitterly cold, at 13,385 feet, that ; could scarcely keep my eyes open, and could not stay more than a minute or two