Ski-runs in the high Alps . AY Old snow well padded with new—Christmas Eve in the Berninahospice—The alarum rings—Misgivings before battle—Crampons and sealskins—A causeway of snow—An outragedglacier—The Disgrazia—A chess-player and a ski-man—Unroped !—In the twilight—The Tschierva hut—Back toPontresina—Hotel limpets—Waiting for imitators. T the close of 1910 Marcel Kurzwas at Pontresina. I hadoccasion to draw up certainreports upon the winter aspectof the district, and he kindlyundertook the inspection ofthe glacier routes for me. Afew glorious days seemed aboutto efface the memory of manypre
Ski-runs in the high Alps . AY Old snow well padded with new—Christmas Eve in the Berninahospice—The alarum rings—Misgivings before battle—Crampons and sealskins—A causeway of snow—An outragedglacier—The Disgrazia—A chess-player and a ski-man—Unroped !—In the twilight—The Tschierva hut—Back toPontresina—Hotel limpets—Waiting for imitators. T the close of 1910 Marcel Kurzwas at Pontresina. I hadoccasion to draw up certainreports upon the winter aspectof the district, and he kindlyundertook the inspection ofthe glacier routes for me. Afew glorious days seemed aboutto efface the memory of manyprevious gloomy ones. On theday on which this accountbegins, a little snow had fallen in the morning, theskiers welcome quotum. Nothing affords suchexcellent sport as old snow well padded out withabout a foot of new floury stuff. The ski bladessink nicely through the top layer of rustling ski-points pop out of the snow like the periscopeof a submarine. The sparkling prismatic flakes 245. 246 SKI-RUNS IN THE HIGH ALPS stream past each side of the Uthe, curled-up blade,hke silvery waves parted by the prow of a fastmotor canoe. The north wind, writes Mr. Kurz, was nowclearing the sky of every cloud, leaving the dazzlingsnowy heights and the forests below steeped insunshine and brightness. It was our last chance,and, in a few minutes, our minds were made up toaccept it. Half an hour later we were in the trainon our way to the Bernina pass. The exact itinerary of this expedition I pub-lished in the Alpina (Mitteilungen des SchweizerAlpenclubs) number of February 1st, 1911, p. following only being intended as a short sketch,I will not describe the route too minutely. Theprincipal landmarks are : Pontresina, Bernina Palii, Palii glacier, Fellaria glacier, UpperScerscen glacier, Fuorcla Sella, Sella glacier, Rosegglacier, and back to Pontresina. Griitzi Herr Staub! Griitzi Herr Kurz!These first words of greeting, uttered on our arri
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmountai, bookyear1913
