Helmut Dumler and Willi Paul Burkhardt. Translated by Tim ...aac-publications.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/aaj/... · the Munich firm of Rudolf Rother after major changes were made

The High M ountains o f the Alps. Helmut Dumler and Willi Paul Burkhardt. Translated by Tim Carruthers and adapted by Ken Wilson. The M ountain­eers, Seattle, Washington, 1993. 224 pages, 275 color photos, sketches, maps. $45.00.

In 1923, when m odem mountaineering was unknown and mountaineers could still recall the names and accom plishments of their worthy predecessors, there appeared on bookshelves Austrian Karl B lodig’s volume, Die Viertausander des Alpen (The 4000-m eter Peaks of the Alps). B lodig claimed to be the first person

to have ascended all the Alpine 4000-m eter peaks, a feat he achieved in 1911. Since that date topographers have somehow managed to add a hump here and there and to deflate by a few meters many otherwise worthy summits: but B lodig’s list can be considered as good as any. The book has stood the test of time. There were two reprints before the 1928 second edition. The author died in 1958 at the age of 97. He was surely one of the last survivors of those hardy men and women who participated in the A lps’ Golden Age of M ountaineering.

Blodig is long since gone, but his book and his ideas continue to tickle the appetite o f large numbers o f climbers. To this day people set out in his footsteps in search of all the 4000ers. Thanks in part to Blodig there are probably thousands of climbers today who have clim bed them all.

The original list has now been expanded to 61— and by some enthusiasts to the startling num ber of 150. W hatever the merit of these additions, latter-day numerology called for revision of B lodig’s work, a task undertaken in 1968 by the M unich firm o f Rudolf Rother after m ajor changes were made by German w riter Helmut Dumler. Dumler wrote a 1989 edition with splendid color photographs collected by the Swiss Willi Paul Burkhardt. Diadem Books of Great Britain acquired English language rights and Tom Carruthers made an English translation. These last two developm ents made it possible for Ken Wilson to summon up his editorial wizardry and produce what is almost certainly the most magnificent, up-to-date and informative volum e ever devoted to the high Alps.

Because of the num ber of contributors, the reader may wonder w hether the editors have not chosen too many cooks to spice up the stew. But fear not, for Ken W ilson, like a master chef, has taken the best of everything to create a tasteful blend and produce what is clearly a modern and m uch-needed redesign of the original.

The photographs alone guarantee the book’s value. By this review er’s count there are 275 in color and three in black-and-white. All o f these are of the highest professional quality, taken under ideal conditions. This, of course, is a bit misleading, as those of us fam iliar with both A laska and the Alps; for our mem ories also evoke pictures of torrential rain and blinding snowstorms.

However, the photos are the icing on the cake. The text is, if anything, more meritorious than the pictures. It is extremely well written and cram med with valuable information as well as frequent anecdotes and historical references. Contem porary observations, notably about modern ski-mountaineering, are found side by side with geographical notes and well-researched history. Sooner or later, of course, attention is focused on the Golden Age, that half century between about 1860 and 1910 when the last of the as yet unclim bed 4000ers were finally ascended. Apprehensive people began to wonder w hether the ascent o f the final great summits might not spell an end to mountaineering. “W here do we go from here?” they asked. How wrong they were; for as the old traditions died, new ones began to replace them.

Each mountain is treated separately, but not w ithout reference to its geographical location. After a discussion of the “outlying” summits, such as

Gran Paradiso, Bernina and Ecrins, the authors follow the sun from east to west, focusing first on the Bernese Alps, thence on the Pennines, and, finally, in a fitting climax, on the M ont Blanc region. Each area is furnished with a map. In addition there are fine drawings by Sebastian Schrank that outline original routes and, where desirable, others. There are brief guide-like sum maries for each peak that contain vital information which can be obtained at a glance w ithout reference to the main text, these provide data on such things as valley bases, location of huts, range o f route difficulties, and so forth.

At $45, the price is a bargain. W here else will you find 275 magnificent color illustrations and a wealth of geographical, historical and guidebook material? If you want a copy, you better act fast before it is sold out into less worthy hands than yours, or before the publishers adjust the price upwards.

A ndrew J ohn K auffm an