CLIMBING BELUKHA 213 



There is a lot of work to be done in these moun- 

 tains, and, now that travelling on the Siberian railway 

 is pleasant and a journey of 800 miles from civilisa- 

 tion brings you to the foot of the highest mountains, 

 there is no reason why botanists, geologists, artists, 

 hunters, explorers, and climbers should not find these 

 mountains quite as attractive as any in the world. 



So far as photography is concerned, the air is 

 much more actinic than the air in the Swiss Alps, 

 and snap-shots or short exposure will be quite ex- 

 posed enough in summer, while even in March a snap- 

 shot was the most useful, and a very short exposure 

 all that was necessary. 



It is necessary for the climber to take crampons, 

 which must be very sharp and of the very best 

 steel ; also a particularly sharp ice-axe. The axe I 

 used is an old one and not sharp . This made it much 

 more difficult to cut the ice ; besides that, I had it 

 cut down to pack into a cricket -bag, and was there- 

 fore unable to get much leverage on it. 



The nails on the climber's boots are of vital 

 importance, and the boots must be felt-lined. The 

 cold is so intense, that even the temperature on 

 Swiss peaks in winter is nothing compared with the 

 cold on the summits of the Altai Mountains. 



The climber must make preparations, both in 

 summer and winter, for much colder mountain tops 

 and much colder winds than on the Swiss Alps. It 

 is of vital importance to have the thickest under- 

 clothing, a' short seal-skin or bear-skin coat down 

 to the knees, and a very thick " shuba " (all-fur 

 coat) to go over all. 



Great care should be taken to have all instruments 

 packed carefully, because there are no springs on the 

 sledges or droslcies. The explorer will do well to 

 protect himself, when camping, from the severe Arctic 

 wind, and avoid a valley if possible, because the 



