Chapter I: Preface: 11

I EARLY DAYS 13

II CLIMBING IN CORSICA 20

III THE WETTERHORN 40

IV THE JUNGFRAU 52

V THE JUNGFRAU AND THE JUNGFRAUJOCH 68

VI ON SKIS IN THE BERNESE OBERLAND 82

VII ON SKIS IN THE BERNESE OBERLAND (_continued_) 95

VIII A WINTER’S NIGHT ON THE TÖDI 107

IX THE BIFERTENSTOCK 122

X MONTE ROSA 140

XI THE TWINS 153

XII THE MATTERHORN--A BEGINNER’S IMPRESSIONS 164

XIII THE MATTERHORN 182

XIV THE DENT D’HÉRENS 193

XV MONT BLANC 213

XVI MONT BLANC FROM THE SOUTH 227

XVII TWO CHAMONIX AIGUILLES 248

XVIII THE AIGUILLE DU DRU 269

XIX TOWARDS MOUNT EVEREST 283

XX MOUNT EVEREST 296

XXI MOUNTAINEERING PHOTOGRAPHY 335

ILLUSTRATIONS

Climbing the Matterhorn by the Zmutt ridge _Frontispiece_

FACING
PAGE

Rock-climbing 14

Crossing a steep snow slope 14

Scrambling in the range of the Tödi 18

Climbing the Capo al Dente 24

The southern summit of Capo Tafonato 28

The Cinque Fratri from below the Col de Foggiale 32

Paglia Orba from the Cinque Fratri 36

Morning mists 44

Climbing down a steep ridge 48

The short cut--roping down 48

The north face of the Jungfrau 52

The icefall of the Guggi Glacier 56

“We basked on the roof of the Guggi hut” 62

Cutting steps over the upper lip of a bergschrund 76

Evening storm 80

Morning calm 80

The Eismeer icefall 86

Sounding a snowbridge 86

Cornices on the Punta Margherita 98

A cornice on the Rôchefort ridge 98

The Tödi 108

The Tödi from the Bifertenlücke 116

The summit of the Tödi 116

The Bifertenstock from the Bündner Tödi 128

“... a faithful record of Forster’s blood-bespattered
condition” 136

The east face of Monte Rosa 142

The Frisallücke 148

The Grenz Gipfel 150

The Val Sesia from Monte Rosa 150

A crevasse on the Zwillings Glacier 154

Castor 154

The Swiss ridge of the Matterhorn from the Matterhorn
hut 166

The Swiss summit of the Matterhorn from the Italian
summit 170

The summit of Mont Blanc in 1911 170

Descending the Italian ridge 174

The Matterhorn from the Dent d’Hérens 178

The Matterhorn from the Stockje 184

The Matterhorn at sunset 184

“... that tremendous overhang called the ‘Nose of
Zmutt’” 186

An ice avalanche 196

The north face of the Dent d’Hérens, showing route
followed 210

Back at the Schönbühl hut after the climb 210

Mont Blanc from the Dôme hut 218

Descending Mont Maudit 224

The Peuteret ridge from the Col du Géant 224

Mont Blanc from the Val Veni 228

The Innominata from the Col du Fresnay 236

The Aiguilles Blanche and Noire de Peuteret 244

“A traverse of about thirty yards across the steep western
flank of the Peuteret ridge....” 244

Chamonix Aiguilles and Mont Blanc 250

Descending the Grépon 250

A stiff chimney 250

A sérac 254

“Two ladders tied together and laid across the chasm” 254

The summit of the Grépon 258

Good, sound rock 264

The bergschrund below the Dru 270

Where next? 272

“La Pendule” 274

“... A rather steep ice slope--the Mur de la Côte” 274

On the summit of the little Dru 278

On the first day out from Phari Dzong 290

Shekar Dzong 290

Mount Everest and the Base Camp 294

Camp II. 294

“A suitable slope was soon found” 302

Amid the séracs of the East Rongbuk Glacier 304

Crossing a trough on the East Rongbuk Glacier 304

Mount Everest from Camp III. 306

The North Peak and the North Col Camp 314

The North Peak from an altitude of nearly 24,500 feet on
Mount Everest 316

Mount Everest from the North Col, showing route 330

Monsoon clouds 330

On the return journey to the Base Camp 332

In a mountain hut 336

The Aiguille du Géant 338

The Sella Pass 338