Albert F. Mummery
Encyclopedia
Albert Frederick Mummery (10 September 1855, Dover
, Kent
, England
– 24 August 1895, Nanga Parbat
), was an English mountaineer and author. Although most notable for his many and varied first ascents put up in the Alps
, Mummery, along with J. Norman Collie
, Hastings, and two Gurkhas are also known to have been the first men in recorded history to have attempted to summit one of the Himalayan eight-thousanders - the fourteen highest peaks in the world.
Their innovative, light-weight endeavour upon Nanga Parbat
in 1895 was to prove ill-fated with Mummery and both Gurkhas losing their lives in an avalanche whilst reconnoitring the mountain's Rakhiot Face. The mountain would go on to earn its reputation as a "man-eater" because thirty-one men would lose their lives on its slopes before the first ascent was made by the legendary Austrian Mountaineer Hermann Buhl
in 1953. Buhl, the only man in history to have made the first ascents of more than one of the 8,000 metre peaks, described Mummery as "One of the greatest mountaineers of all time".
. The tanning business was prosperous enough for Mummery to devote most of his energies to climbing and economics
. He became a friend of J. A. Hobson
, and they collaborated on The Physiology of Industry (1889), which argued that because of economies' tendencies towards over-saving - and this being a cause of depressions – the economy required intervention to achieve stability.
s, but with his companions William Cecil Slingsby
and J. Norman Collie he was part of the movement which revolutionized alpinism by the practice of guideless climbing. He invented the Mummery tent, a type of tent used in the early days of mountaineering
.
He made a series of remarkable first ascent
s, most notably the Aiguille du Grépon
(which features a crack named after him), the Dent du Requin, the Grands Charmoz, the Teufelsgrat on the Täschhorn
, the Dürrenhorn
and the Zmutt ridge of the Matterhorn
, which he ascended on 3 September 1879 with the guides Alexander Burgener, J. Petrus and A. Gentinetta. In 1894, he led his friend, the young Duke of the Abruzzi, to the top of the Matterhorn by the same route.
Mummery occasionally climbed with his wife Mary, or with her friend Lily Bristow.
In 1880, Mummery and Burgener were repelled while trying to make the first ascent of the much-coveted Dent du Géant
, being forced back by some difficult slabs. This provoked Mummery to exclaim prophetically: 'Absolutely inaccessible by fair means!'
In 1895, Collie, Hastings and Mummery were the first climbers to attempt the Himalayan 8,000 metre peak
, Nanga Parbat
, the ninth highest mountain in the world. On this pioneering lightweight expedition, the mountain claimed the first of its many victims, when Mummery and two Gurkha
s, Ragobir and Goman Singh, fell and were killed by an avalanche
while reconnoitring the Rakhiot Face. Their bodies were never found. The story of this disastrous expedition is told in J. Norman Collie's book From the Himalaya to Skye.
Mummery left behind him a legacy of some of the most well-regarded routes in the Alps, and also, in his book My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus, one of the enduring classics of mountaineering literature.
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
– 24 August 1895, Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters...
), was an English mountaineer and author. Although most notable for his many and varied first ascents put up in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, Mummery, along with J. Norman Collie
J. Norman Collie
John Norman Collie FRS , commonly referred to as J. Norman Collie, was a British scientist, mountaineer, and explorer.- Life and work :He was born in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, the second of four sons...
, Hastings, and two Gurkhas are also known to have been the first men in recorded history to have attempted to summit one of the Himalayan eight-thousanders - the fourteen highest peaks in the world.
Their innovative, light-weight endeavour upon Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters...
in 1895 was to prove ill-fated with Mummery and both Gurkhas losing their lives in an avalanche whilst reconnoitring the mountain's Rakhiot Face. The mountain would go on to earn its reputation as a "man-eater" because thirty-one men would lose their lives on its slopes before the first ascent was made by the legendary Austrian Mountaineer Hermann Buhl
Hermann Buhl
Hermann Buhl is considered one of the best climbers of all time. He was particularly innovative in applying alpine style to Himalayan climbing...
in 1953. Buhl, the only man in history to have made the first ascents of more than one of the 8,000 metre peaks, described Mummery as "One of the greatest mountaineers of all time".
Life
Mummery's father was a tanner and mayor of DoverDover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. The tanning business was prosperous enough for Mummery to devote most of his energies to climbing and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He became a friend of J. A. Hobson
John A. Hobson
John Atkinson Hobson , commonly known as John A. Hobson or J. A. Hobson, was an English economist and critic of imperialism, widely popular as a lecturer and writer.-Life:...
, and they collaborated on The Physiology of Industry (1889), which argued that because of economies' tendencies towards over-saving - and this being a cause of depressions – the economy required intervention to achieve stability.
Mountaineer
Mummery is best remembered for his pioneering efforts in mountaineering. Initially, he climbed with mountain guideMountain guide
Mountain guides are specially trained and experienced mountaineers and professionals who are generally certified by an association. They are considered experts in mountaineering.-Skills:Their skills usually include climbing, skiing and hiking...
s, but with his companions William Cecil Slingsby
William Cecil Slingsby
William Cecil Slingsby was an English mountain climber and alpine explorer.Slingsby first visited Norway in 1872 and fell in love with the country. He has been called the discoverer of the Norwegian mountains, and the father of Norwegian mountaineering...
and J. Norman Collie he was part of the movement which revolutionized alpinism by the practice of guideless climbing. He invented the Mummery tent, a type of tent used in the early days of mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
.
He made a series of remarkable first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
s, most notably the Aiguille du Grépon
Mont Blanc Massif
The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range in the western Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...
(which features a crack named after him), the Dent du Requin, the Grands Charmoz, the Teufelsgrat on the Täschhorn
Täschhorn
The Täschhorn is a mountain in the Mischabelhörner group of the Pennine Alps in Switzerland, lying south of Dom.The first ascent of the mountain was by the Rev. John Llewelyn-Davies and Rev. J. W. Hayward with guides Stefan and Johann Zumtaugwald and Peter-Josef Summermatter on 30 July...
, the Dürrenhorn
Dürrenhorn
The Dürrenhorn is a summit in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies towards the northern end of the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south above the resort of Saas-Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west. It is part of the Mischabel range, which culminates at the Dom...
and the Zmutt ridge of the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
, which he ascended on 3 September 1879 with the guides Alexander Burgener, J. Petrus and A. Gentinetta. In 1894, he led his friend, the young Duke of the Abruzzi, to the top of the Matterhorn by the same route.
Mummery occasionally climbed with his wife Mary, or with her friend Lily Bristow.
In 1880, Mummery and Burgener were repelled while trying to make the first ascent of the much-coveted Dent du Géant
Dent du Géant
The Dent du Géant is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in France and Italy.The mountain has two summits, eighty-eight feet apart and separated by a small col :*Pointe Graham , first ascent by W. W...
, being forced back by some difficult slabs. This provoked Mummery to exclaim prophetically: 'Absolutely inaccessible by fair means!'
In 1895, Collie, Hastings and Mummery were the first climbers to attempt the Himalayan 8,000 metre peak
Eight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia....
, Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters...
, the ninth highest mountain in the world. On this pioneering lightweight expedition, the mountain claimed the first of its many victims, when Mummery and two Gurkha
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
s, Ragobir and Goman Singh, fell and were killed by an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
while reconnoitring the Rakhiot Face. Their bodies were never found. The story of this disastrous expedition is told in J. Norman Collie's book From the Himalaya to Skye.
Mummery left behind him a legacy of some of the most well-regarded routes in the Alps, and also, in his book My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus, one of the enduring classics of mountaineering literature.
External links
- Peter H. Hansen, ‘Mummery, Albert Frederick (1855–1895)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004