ALPINE CLIMBING.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1923, Page 4

ALPINE CLIMBING.

, MR JULIAN CRAXHL’S tl Rtv. ; "Alpine Ascents and ML'cntures, j uas the title of a lecture given in j - thi: (hon'd flail. ( ip'isichiii'ch. last | , | week, by Mr Julian Grande. Tliete I wa ; a large attendance, over whiih. Professor ~f. Macmillan Brown pres id- j . ed. . | i Mr Grande has a very extensive j , acquaintance with his subject. Ot.vi-| t ou.-lv a vein keen climber and an eni- thusiasl on the grandeur of Alpine ■ .scenery he talked for well over an hour on mountaineering in such cuteitain- '' ing fashion as to have hi; audience „ i at one with him and enthusing aiso. , There were reminiscences m the hum- j i omits and serious kind, anecdote-; con- . neclcd with trip- in the Alps and a i ' wonderful set of photograph; to keep j the inietvM el tin audieuie. Tlie very | fine c.'.llcction iJ lantern slides was a j feature, and along with .Mr Grande s ! picturesque description helped the audi- j once to gunge the spirit of He climber, j

jlo.st n| those who rc;ul newspapers, said -Mr Grande, von Id hav • noticed accounts (if Alpine.accidents and must! have ask:■»! thuiiiM.-:v-*s why men (limb--1.1 nr■■tiiu.iiiis and took -m- ; risk-. If,- i tlul is l, t know oi any luuiun that \va< j so fond c, t limbing as ike la iti-h. | Apart from everything t* 1 st• taey must j not forget that '•oiik o. the mo.-t ini- ! porta lit events in sacred histu'y took j place at the • of a mountain. lie j would like to s yt (•..* New Zen- j 111 11.-I • ll’.iJO'.'st s M j iiiia - in motor cr.r>. y n.o re- j result ot id- visit the >tml: of New J Zealand joined together and 'o.-nied an ; Alpine Club its results would, imt have , been iu vain. Alwne climbing ns a j sport had no equal. j ••You have here in New Zealand— j 1 won’t speak of the scenery—peak-- ,• and passes which I was going to say j are head and shoulders above the pea.<> j of Switzerland. France and Italy, mu j have in the Waiho Gcry' a id iho Fox | Glacier, South Wesihml, sights nhr-h j Ido not regret having conic l&.jw j miles to see. Yet the only U'wng tiling' my guide, Frank Miilen. and myself, saw on that journey was a few of your beautiful birds.” After remarking on the dozens of spots of scenic value on -UwsJYest Coast, Mr Grande said that

if a company could bo formed to erect about a dozen hotels they would attract a great volume of tourist traffic. While they would not get 1,000,000 as .Switzerland did they might get ICO,OOO. lie regretted exceedingly to have to t.'ll them that New Zealand was very badly oil' for hotels, especially off the Ivaten track. When they realised that in Switzerland there were 11000 hotels and 4 AO!) people engaged in the busiii"' s they would understand him when he spoke of tourists as an industry. .Mr Grande gave it description of an ascent of the Great Schreekhnrn. A ; very interesting preamble was his outline of the necessities in a climber's outfit and the capabilities of a Swiss | Alpine guide. All the photograph-j were clear,-but particularly beautiful were some taken during a storm tie-j pieting I lie flashlight illuminating vari- ' oils peaks. A series taken from the | summit ol ill" limgfrau (nearly l-I.OOGj feet high) dining sunrise acre the sub-| jocL of general admiration. "! nevei j realised trulv the meaning of the Tilth I

e-aim "The l!-. avoirs deelare tlie glory of God. . . .’ until I Matched the glories of the sunrise from iungfrau,'’ declared .Mr Grande. I,oval colour was lent to the lecture by an account of Peak Bartiii oat fin the Southern Alps) which, it is stated, resembh's the Great Sebreekborn. A start was made at fi a.in. in company witii Guides Peter Graham and Prank 1 Milieu, and the top was reached at j " p.m., the p:irty being the lirst to | reach the summit. Of Ins excursions j •ii the Southern Alps generally Mi I ftVnude spoke highly. Copeland Pas- j I<■ dv -c. d" 1 • - tile most wonderful in the world. II" ha- some Inteie-timr > camel.a record- ol this trio nbn.