898 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Mount Washington has reached 50 below 

 zero. 



ASCENDING MONT BI,ANC ON A SI.e:DGE: 



The energy and courage displayed by 

 the veteran astronomer in carrying out 

 his plan in the face of almost insuperable 

 difficulties was indeed remarkable, and 

 the more so as he was nearly 70 years old 

 and so lame he could not climb a yard 

 nor even walk easily on the level ; yet he 

 has had himself dragged to the summit 

 three times on a sledge. During his first 

 visit he stayed four days near the sum- 

 mit, making observations. 



Though the descent in general is not 

 so slow or laborious as the ascent, in 

 some places it is more hazardous. The 

 descent to the Vallot Refuge was par- 

 ticularly disagreeable, as the ridge seemed 

 far steeper as you looked down it than it 

 did in climbing up. We got to the Grand 

 Plateau about eleven o'clock. The heat 

 of the mid-day sun melts the surface 



crust on the slopes below, and our feet 

 constantly sank into the porous substance 

 at every step, so there was more danger 

 of sticking fast and breaking our legs 

 than of falling down precipices. 



We enjoyed the sport of glissading 

 down these slopes, where there was no 

 danger of crevasses. Each seated on the 

 snow, with his ice-axe for a rudder, 

 would glide in a few minutes down a 

 declivity which took an hour to climb up. 

 Frequently those behind would overtake 

 those in front; and, as all were tied 

 together, it was great sport to roll to- 

 gether in a jumbled mass of flying legs 

 and snow. 



In five hours after leaving the summit 

 we were at the Grand Mulcts, where we 

 stopped for an hour's rest. In three 

 hours more we were again in Chamonix, 

 with Mont Blanc behind us! In all we 

 had been roped together 14 hours, and 

 had suffered no mishap. 



SKI-JUMPING AT GRINDE;I,WALD 



Photo by W. Nehrkorn 



^ In winter tourists from every part of the world assemble to enjoy the winter sports for 

 which the little town offers an unrivaled setting-. Conspicuous among these are ski-running- 

 and jumping, a sport of Scandinavian origin, but now thoroughly acclimatized in Switzerland, 

 .though introduced as recently as 1902. 



