MOUNTAINEER POPE.

Grey River Argus, 3 May 1922, Page 6

MOUNTAINEER POPE.

HIS ADVENTURE ON MONTE ROSA. GENEVA, February 11. In mountaineering circles the adventures of the present Pope, Pius XL, in the Zermatt range are. well remembered, the more so as he is probably the only Pope wkose hobby h:is been climbing. In 1889, when ho was merely Abbe Ratti, and aged only 32, he and a climbing companion named Grasselli, accompanied by two Italian guides from Courmaycur, nearly lost their lives through having been twice benighted during the descent of Monte Rosa. As a result, however, the present Pope has to his credit the seventh ascent of this mountain by the eastern arete; and anyone who knows this climb will agree that in his time he must have been vigorous, hardy and enduring. According to the guides, the Pope was wearing the orthodox climbing costume, and the local records as contained in the Valaisan Alps Guide, which I believe is now kept by my friend the Abbe of Zerm: tt, and was likewise kept by his predecessors, narrate that the Abbe Ratti, as he then was, with his companion Grasselli (who died a few years since, after becoming principal of the San Carlo College in Milan), took 20 hours and a-half over this ascent of the Monte Ross. This was the time spent in actually climbing, and makes no allowances for rests nor for enforced bivouacs, one at a height of over 15,000 feet. The party left the Marinelli Hut (in Italy) at midnight of July 30, and reached the summit of the highest peak of Monte Rosa (the Dufourspitze) at 8 o’clock in the evening. The vreather, though fine, was icily cold, for, as is always the case on this summit, a bitter wind was blowing. Hence they descended about 100 feet on the Swiss side, and spent the night on the cornice, under a chimney well known to climbers. Here there was room for the four men to stand, close together, roped, but not room for them to sit down. All their rpovisions, including coffee, were frozen. Next morning at dawn, instead of going down to Zermatt by the ordinary route via the Betemps Hut, the future Pope insisted upon traversing the Pointe Dufour to the Point Zumstein across the Grenzsattel. The Grenza Glacier, however, was in such a bad state, as is often the case, that the party was overtaken by nightfall while still upon it, and again had to camp out, this time under shelter of rocks, quite near the Betemps Hut. The reason why they did not attempt to reach the hut was that they were worn out. On August I the present Pope, his companion and his two guides reached Zermatt, where they found a rescue party being organised to go to look for them. The Pope seems to have come through his adventure unscathed, and his companion had his toes frozen, and therefore was obliged to stay in Zermatt for a time. The Pope, however, with two guides, set out again on August 3 to traverse the Matterhorn, and the next day was safely at Breuil, on the Italian side of the mountain. Since then the Pope has never lost an opportunity of visiting the Alps, and although since he has worn the cardinal's hat be has not attempted difficult ascents, nevertheless he has always been fond of glacier excursions and long mountain walks. Those who know his love of co mtry life and especially of mountains, find it difficult, indeed, to imagine how he can ever be content with the orthodox walk about the Vatican gardens, beautiful as these are, and with the view obtainable from the little summerhouse at the highest point of the grounds. His sister, indeed, says that she fully expects he will not remain throughout the summers in the Vatican, but will escape, if only for a short time, to the mountains.