A Brief History of Alpinism
Rhône Alps | Chamonix, France
Where did alpinism originate? Spoiler alert: it's the Alps. The French Alps to be specific, and the Chamonix Mont Blanc area to be precise.
Beginning in the mid 18th century, yes, before the United States was established as a country, people were exploring the glaciers and mountains of the Alps. In the Chamonix area, a few odd characters began to have an obsessive curiosity with the massive, glaciated peak that dominates the landscape in Chamonix and the surrounding area: Mont Blanc.
1760 - Mont Blanc: Horace Bendict de Saussure's Obsession
In 1760, enticed by the dramatic features of glacier and granite looming above Chamonix, a young man from Geneva became fixated on Mont Blanc. Smitten with the idea that people might find a way to the top of the massive ice-covered peak, Horace Benedict de Saussure put up a reward for anyone who could "find a viable route to the summit of Mont Blanc." This drew the attention of local guides, but at the time it was a revolutionary concept and a monumental feat. No one made a serious attempt to summit.
June 8, 1786 - Tactics Evolve...Unintentionally
At the time, lore amongst peasants in the Alps was that it was impossible for a person to survive a night out in the high mountains. This fear made attempts to summit a peak like Mont Blanc seem incredibly far-fetched. It wasn't until a local gem hunter, Jacques Balmat, unintentionally spent the night out on the Grand Plateau and returned to town alive and well that people's perspective on climbing expanded in a major way. What if we took two days to climb the peak and camped on the mountain?
1786 - A Climbing Team Forms, The Summit of Mont Blanc is Made!
This idea changed climbing and set Balmat up to become one of the first ascensionists of Mont Blanc. After searching Chamonix for a climbing partner, Balmat finds the town doctor, Michel Paccard, who is also mesmerized by the idea of climbing to the top of Mont Blanc after having made several attempts on his own. Paccard understands that Balmat has the key to the summit route and since Paccard is not interested in the reward money, the team is set. The team set off to climb Mont Blanc on August 7th, camping in the same cave the Balmat had spent the night alone. The team makes the summit of Mont Blanc at 6:30pm on August 8, 1786.
1787 - Saussure Makes the Summit
Spurred on by the achievement and still wrestling with his own obsession with Mont Blanc, Saussure decided to give the summit a go. In 1787, Saussure and a team of 18 guides made the summit of Mont Blanc. In doing so, he sparked a trend of mountain climbing among "educated circles of Europe" and Mont Blanc saw a flurry of summits.
1808 - First Female Summit of Mont Blanc
Marie Paradis makes the top of Mont Blanc with Mountain Guide Jaques Balmat. On July 14, 1808, Marie makes the summit after camping at the Grand Mulets and is henceforth known as Marie de Mont Blanc.
1857 - The Golden Age of Alpinism
The Alpine Club, the world's first club devoted to mountaineering, is started in London. At this time, the only peaks to have been summited in Chamonix are Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi, but members of the Alpine Club set their sites on other gems in the area:
1866 - Whymper & Croz lay siege to a series of hard peaks
In a single week, English artist Edward Whymper and Mountain Guide Michel Croz summit several of the most difficult peaks in the range. They put up first ascents on:
- July 8: Traverse of the Col du Triolet
- July 12: Aiguille de Trélatête
- July 15: Aiguille d'Argentiere
1886 - Alpinism Advances
As summits are stacked up by guides and climbers in the Rhône Alps, climbers begin setting their sights on new goals: harder routes on peaks that have already seen summits. Climbers start attempting routes on all faces and ridges of peaks that have already been climbed, spurring advancements in climbing techniques as the difficulty of routes increases. As they do, the mountains begin to become more accessible. Albert F Mummery, legendary first ascensionist of this period, noted that;
All mountains appear doomed to pass through the three stages:
An inaccessible peak - The most difficult ascent in the Alps - An easy day for a lady.
Albert Frederick Mummery, My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus
1908 - Crampons are Created
Tricounis (slightly better than Hob nail boots) are still the gear of choice for travelling on snow and ice until English climber Oscar Eckenstein invents the 10 point crampon. This is a major advancement in climbing, but it doesn't become widespread until the Eckenstein asks Henry Grivel to manufacture his design. Crampons spread quickly, even as some climbers are dubious.
1929 - Crampons Advance and Expand What is Possible on Ice
Laurent Grivel expands Eckenstein's idea and adds front points to his design. This advancement is a game changer that allows climbers to tackle much steeper snow and ice. It is credited with being a major reason the Eiger North Face (the last great problem of the Alps) was climbed in 1938. The German team of Anderl Heckmair and Ludwig Vörg caught an Austrian team (Fritz Kasparek and Heinrich Harrer) ahead of them by using 12-point crampons to make quick work of the snow and ice. The teams ultimately joined forces to summit the Eiger via the North Face, but they were aided in a major part by the Germans leading the snow and ice.
1938 to Today - Modern Alpinism
As alpinism has grown, advancements in equipment, access to peaks via trails, roads, planes, trains and lifts and most importantly, the expansion of people's minds, has led to incredible ascents. Still, the achievements of these early pioneers cannot be understated. Even now, after lightweight gear has dropped pounds and pounds from our packs, nylon ropes and harnesses have increased safety bounds above the hemp rope bowlined around pioneering climbers' waists, these 19th century routes hold the test of time and offer challenges to modern alpinists. Give the Whymper Couloir a try and see if you'd trade in your styrofoam helmet and rechargeable headlamp in for a wool hat or your crampons for a set of hobnail boots!About the Author
Zeb Blais is an IFMGA Mountain Guide based in Truckee California. He loves all the disciplines of mountain guiding, ski, rock and alpine climbing and tries to spend as much time as he can in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps.
Sources
- The Mont Blanc Massif: The 100 Finest Routes. Rebuffat, Gaston. c 1973.
- https://www.chamonix.net/english/mountaineering/history-of-alpinism
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountaineering
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_age_of_alpinism
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Paradis
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_F._Mummery
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Whymper
- https://www.britannica.com/video/179705/Overview-ascent-Matterhorn-expedition-Edward-Whymper-1865
- https://grivel.com/blogs/company/history
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Eckenstein
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crampons
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricouni
- https://www.climbing.com/people/anderl-heckmair-first-ascent-eiger-north-face/
- https://us.grivel.com/blogs/grivel-stories/the-engineer-the-crampon-and-the-beast-by-marina-morpurgo