The great point is to start uphill slowly. Imitate the slow, rolling, rhythmic gait of the Swiss guide, who can walk uphill all day without a rest and finish practically as fresh as he started. This is of tremendous importance.
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| Crossing the bergschrund on the Schreckhorn. Photo from G D Abraham, The Complete Mountaineer. |
The mountaineer never knows what a day may bring forth; for instance, bad weather may develop and find the hurried or over-speeding "freshman" of the morning with little reserve of strength or resource when it is needed. Scores and scores of times the writer has seen this happen in Cumberland. In the Alps it may be a matter of life and death; this has been illustrated in the case of innumerable fatal disasters.
Frostbite, again, attacks an overdone party in a most mysterious and surprising fashion. The writer was once raced up an Alpine peak by two young climbers in charge of two careless Swiss guides. They reached the summit first, of course, but both were more or less exhausted by their rate of ascent. The day was bright and sunny. Certainly a chill northerly breeze blew over the crest, but the writer wore neither gloves, muffler, nor anything except ordinary clothing. Still, the two speedmen were suffering badly from frost-bite, mainly in the feet. After receiving the usual first aid by prolonged rubbing with snow, they proceeded valleywards painfully. The case proved serious and later some toes had to be removed. The plan "slow but sure" always tells in the end on the mountains, and when setting forth for a climb this should never be forgotten.
References
From George D. Abraham, First Steps to Climbing, Mills & Boon, Limited, London, 1923.
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