Excerpt from Mountaineering Art Mountaineering is the art of getting up and down mountains. The master of the art is he who can make his ascents in good style, with ease to himself, and with safety to his companions. The whole art of mountaineering is one not easy of acquirement, or to be mastered in one or two seasons. It must always be the outcome of long practical experience, united to natural aptitude. The art cannot be properly acquired from the pages of a book. Precept 1s nothing without practice, the sole superiority, in most cases, of the professional guide is constant practice. The best method for a novice to learn is to watch an adept at work. Nevertheless, a great deal may be learned about equipment and technique from the printed page and the illustration. In this volume an endeavour has been made, to trace and indicate the broad principles of climbing and mountaineering, from bouldering to the conquest of the highest summits of the earth. The book is the outcome of more than twenty years' experience as a climbing leader in many parts of the asio-european continent, and on almost every kind of rock, snow, and ice formation. In preparation for it, almost every published work on climbing and mountaineering, in English, and in the principal continental languages, has been consulted. If the notes and advice contained in my book are found of assistance in the equipment of the ideal mountaineer, the safe one, the author's aim will be fulfilled. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.