Chapter II: Preface: vii

I. WHAT IS MOUNTAINEERING? 1

II. A FEW WORDS ABOUT GLACIERS 7

III. AVALANCHES 15

IV. THE GUIDES OF THE ALPS 22

V. THE GUIDES OF THE ALPS (Continued) 50

VI. AN AVALANCHE ON THE HAUT-DE-CRY--A RACE
FOR LIFE 59

VII. CAUGHT IN AN AVALANCHE ON THE MATTERHORN--THE
ICE-AVALANCHE OF THE ALTELS--AN AVALANCHE
WHICH ROBBED A LADY OF A GARMENT 72

VIII. LOST IN THE ICE FOR FORTY YEARS 92

IX. THE MOST TERRIBLE OF ALL ALPINE TRAGEDIES 107

X. A WONDERFUL SLIDE DOWN A WALL OF ICE 113

XI. AN ADVENTURE ON THE TRIFT PASS--THE PERILS OF
THE MOMING PASS 122

XII. AN EXCITING PASSAGE OF THE COL DE PILATTE 134

XIII. AN ADVENTURE ON THE ALETSCH GLACIER--A LOYAL
COMPANION--A BRAVE GUIDE 142

XIV. A WONDERFUL FEAT BY TWO LADIES--A PERILOUS CLIMB 153

XV. A FINE PERFORMANCE WITHOUT GUIDES 170

XVI. THE PIZ SCERSCEN TWICE IN FOUR DAYS--THE FIRST
ASCENT BY A WOMAN OF MONT BLANC 194

XVII. THE ASCENT OF A WALL OF ICE 208

XVIII. THE AIGUILLE DU DRU 221

XIX. THE MOST FAMOUS MOUNTAIN IN THE ALPS--THE
CONQUEST OF THE MATTERHORN 250

XX. SOME TRAGEDIES ON THE MATTERHORN 268

XXI. THE WHOLE DUTY OF THE CLIMBER--ALPINE DISTRESS
SIGNALS 289

GLOSSARY 293

INDEX 295

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Melchior Anderegg, 1894 _Frontispiece_

Climbers Descending the Ortler 2

The Aletsch Glacier from Bel Alp 7

General View of a Glacier 8

A Glacier Table: after a Storm 11

A Crevassed Glacier 13

An Avalanche near Bouveret: a Tunnel through an
Avalanche 17

Edouard Cupelin 22

Descending a Rock Peak near Zermatt 31

A Big Crevasse: the Gentle Persuasion of the Rope 37

A Typical Couloir: the Ober Gabelhorn: the Wrong Way
to Descend: Very Soft Snow 42

Piz Palü: Hans and Christian Grass 44

Christian Almer, 1894 54

An Avalanche Falling 59

Eiger and Mönch from Lauberhorn 66

Avalanche Falling from the Wetterhorn 79

On Monte Rosa 83

Mr Whymper: Mrs Aubrey Le Blond: Group on a High Peak
in Winter 85

Mrs Aubrey Le Blond and Joseph Imboden: Crossing a Snow
Couloir 89

Mont Blanc: Nicolas Winhart: a Banker of Geneva: the
Relics of the Arkwright Accident 92

Alpine Snow-Fields 108

A Start by Moonlight: Shadows at Sunrise: a Standing
Glissade: a Sitting Glissade 136

On a Snow-Covered Glacier 148

Martin Schocher and Schnitzler 150

Exterior of a Climber's Hut: Interior 157

The Meije: Ascending a Snowy Wall 171

Top of Piz Scerscen: Party Descending Piz Bernina: On
a Mountain Top: Descent of a Snow-Ridge 194

Hard Work: Setting Out in a Long Skirt 204

A Steep Icy Slope: On the Top of a Pass 216

A Slab of Rock: Negotiating a Steep Passage 225

The Family of Herr Seiler, Zermatt: Going to Zermatt in
the Olden Days 250

The Guides' Wall, Zermatt 259

The Zermatt Side of the Matterhorn: Rising Mists 260

A Bitterly Cold Day: The Matterhorn from the Zmutt Side 265

Jost, Porter of Hotel Monte Rosa, Zermatt 268

Hoar Frost in the Alps 274

ERRATA

The plate labelled to face page 225, to face page 11.

" " " " 5, " 83.

TRUE TALES OF MOUNTAIN

ADVENTURE