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Product Description
Colin Wells, Scotland On-line,
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Customer Reviews
In fact, the Alps themselves (with their multitude of cable cars and other mechanical aids) have "aged" more than Mummery's writing style - in fact Mummery himself was worried lest it eventually be possible to ascend the Jungfrau by steam-lift or cog railway... Prophetic words indeed.
This is the crux of the book - ascending a peak itself was not the essence of mountaineering, it was how you did it and how you overcame difficulties that was important. The first two chapters of the book are devoted to Mummery attempting "difficult" ways up the Matterhorn, the ordinary Hornli route was too easy for him. As it happened, it didn't go according to plan - Mummery's description of being confronted by "geister" (ghosts) who were going to throw his party off the Furggen ridge is one of the most unusual pieces of mountaineering writing anywhere.
Mummery later climbed without guides, and found far more enjoyment in the hills with his friends going at their own pace, stopping when they felt like it and admiring the view; instead of being forced along at a "guide's timetable." This advice is still very true today.
So if anyone is overtaken by a peak-bagging frenzy, read this book. Mummery's laid-back style will both amuse you and make you think about what mountaineering and the freedom of the hills should be all about.
Out of print for many years, this reprint was much needed. (Before the Ripping Yarns.com edition came out, a second-hand copy would have cost you £50 to £150! However, if you had spent £50 on a copy, it would still have been £50 well spent.)
It's only when you read the book that you realise just how far Mummery (and his companions, Collie, Hastings and Slingsby) were ahead of their time. Not only are his routes such as the Grepon still sought-after by Alpinists today, he was one of the first to realise that bagging peaks wasn't important - it was how you did it that mattered.
So, if you want to be entertained and read about how some of the classic routes in the Alps were first climbed, then buy this book. If you want to read about routes that are more on the cutting-edge of today's Alpine climbing, then you'll need to go elsewhere - but you'll miss a real gem in Mummery.
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