tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618037172759094056.post2182234872030656968..comments2024-03-28T22:18:49.598+01:00Comments on One Hundred Mountains: Mettre ski!Project Hyakumeizanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04260637418886330553noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618037172759094056.post-37085083495898236722011-05-28T16:43:23.540+02:002011-05-28T16:43:23.540+02:00Sunnybeauty: von Lerch was a professional soldier ...Sunnybeauty: von Lerch was a professional soldier and I'm sure he never let business interfere with his life. As we see from Brigadier Poecher's excellent biography, he kept in touch with all his Japanese friends after WW1 too...Project Hyakumeizanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04260637418886330553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618037172759094056.post-51645475346500817232011-05-28T16:25:25.351+02:002011-05-28T16:25:25.351+02:00It was very nice to know about this friendly Von L...It was very nice to know about this friendly Von Lerch and his mixing with Japanese people and having brought skiing into Japan. There is one thing I want to know: After leaving Japan in 1912, he went back to join Austrian army, didn't he? In 1914, the World War I started and Japan joined the Allies, which means Japan became Austria's enemy, doesn't it? Did he write anything about how he coped with this sad course of events?sunnybeautyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12674968432555807898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618037172759094056.post-55720210788089819862011-05-22T11:21:02.297+02:002011-05-22T11:21:02.297+02:00Tony: many thanks for the Outdoor Japan reference ...Tony: many thanks for the Outdoor Japan reference - somehow I failed to pick this one up on Google, when researching von Lerch. Will put in a link to Bill Ross's excellent article immediately. Looks like we were both referring to the same source, Brigadier Poecher of the Austrian Army. With all this centennial interest in von Lerch, it would be great if his account of Japan could be published in the original German, say - apart from the skiing and mountaineering, it must provide some fascinating insights into everyday life in the Imperial Army...Project Hyakumeizanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04260637418886330553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618037172759094056.post-50616931873126516282011-05-22T11:15:51.342+02:002011-05-22T11:15:51.342+02:00Iain: many thanks for that reference, which I'...Iain: many thanks for that reference, which I'd missed. Yep, here is Weston's account of von Lerch, on page 268 of the facsimile edition of "The Playground..." It adds one or two useful details to the story - if they are correct. One is that the Ski Club of Japan grew out of the Takata Ski Club. Weston also says that Fuji was successfully ski-climbed in 1912, on the third attempt. One of the previous attempts ended in a fatal accident. Wonder who was behind the successful attempt? Weston hypothesises that "one reason why Japanese ski-runners have made such rapid and easy progress is because the foot of the ordinary person is so strong and so natural in form, not having been subject to the cramping and weakening effect of leather boots". Naruhodo, na....Project Hyakumeizanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04260637418886330553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618037172759094056.post-50710618724847376722011-05-22T10:41:10.036+02:002011-05-22T10:41:10.036+02:00Great stuff... particularly enjoyed the idea of hi...Great stuff... particularly enjoyed the idea of him deciding to join a route march from the Japan Sea coast to the Pacific... presumably a fairly normal thing to do in those days :-)<br /><br />By the way, there's an article in the latest Outdoor Japan magazine on a very similar theme, which you might find interesting...<br /><br />http://www.outdoorjapan.com/magazine/story_details/224<br /><br />TonyTonyhttp://climbjapan.blogpost.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618037172759094056.post-79860465771104149972011-05-21T13:58:22.643+02:002011-05-21T13:58:22.643+02:00Another fascinating posting. Full marks to you fo...Another fascinating posting. Full marks to you for the English account. <br />I vaguely remember Weston writing about skiing in Japan in, I guess, The Playground of the Far East. I shall investigate further.Iainhwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07593667640067919728noreply@blogger.com