Karl Blodig
The 'bad step' on the Aiguille Méridionale d’Arves showing L. Purtscheller and Karl Blodig. Illustration by E.Compton, 1895 | |
Personal information | |
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Nationality | Austrian |
Born | (1859-10-16)16 October 1859 Vienna, Austrian Empire |
Died | 7 September 1956(1956-09-07) (aged 96) Bregenz, Austria |
Occupation(s) | Mountaineer, optician, writer |
Climbing career | |
Known for | First to climb all Alpine four-thousanders |
First ascents | Mont Brouillard |
Karl Blodig (16 October 1859 – 7 September 1956) was an Austrian mountaineer, optician, and writer. Blodig was the first to successfully climb all Alpine peaks of over 4000 meters, completing his final summit around 1911.[1] He wrote about these climbs in his book Die Viertausender der Alpen (The Four-Thousanders of the Alps), first published in 1923.
Mountaineering Life
Born in Vienna, Blodig spent his early years in Graz, climbing Mount Triglav while still in his teens. At the age of twenty he climbed Monte Rosa, guided by Christian Ranggetiner, and by twenty-three he had made non-guided ascents of the Dufourspitze, Zumsteinspitze, and Weisshorn. Between 1890 and 1911 he succeeded in climbing the remaining peaks to achieve all those summits that were at that time listed as being over 4,000 m in height. These achievements included first ascents of the Brouillard Ridge on Mont Blanc as well as the first traverse of the Rochefort Ridge. Among his alpine climbing partners were Ludwig Purtscheller and the Alpine artist Edward Theodore Compton.[2]: 7
Around 1911 Blodig was part of a regular mountaineering meeting at Pen-y-Pass in Wales, among whom was George Mallory. Blodig observed Mallory expertly tackling a crux pitch of a very difficult ice chimney. Even though all the climbing friends present were impressed by Mallory's skill as a climber, Blodig later observed rather prophetically about Mallory that: "that young man will not be alive for long!"[3]
In 1932, and at the age of 73, Blodig undertook solo ascents of the Aiguille du Jardin and the Grande Rocheuse in order to achieve summits that had subsequently been added to the recognised list of 4,000 m peaks since his 1911 achievement.[2]
Works
- Die Viertausender der Alpen. Munich: Bergverlag Rudolf Rother, 1923.
- Bilder aus Vorarlberg und Liechtenstein, no year.
- Durch's Montafon. Mit Karte aus Gerster’s Handkarte von Vorarlberg 1:175.000. Bregenz: J. N. Teutsch, no year.
- Vorarlberg das österreichische Rheinland. Ein Führer durch die Sommerfrischen Wintersportplätze, Berge und Täler des Landes. Bregenz, 1928.
- Die Viertausender der Alpen, 2nd ed., Munich: Bergverlag Rudolf Rother, no year, ISBN 3-7633-7429-9 (with Helmut Dumler).
- Die Viertausender der Alpen, 5th ed., Munich: Bergverlag Rudolf Rother, 1968 (with Helmut Dumler).
References
- ^ Rawlinson, A. K. The Climbers Club Journal, 1957, pp. 108-10.
- ^ a b Helmut Dumler and Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps, London: Diadem, 1994.
- ^ Firstbrook, Peter (1999). Lost on Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine. New York Times (book extract). ISBN 0-8092-9892-9. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
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- Aiguille d'Argentière
- Aiguille de Bionnassay
- Aiguille de Blaitière
- Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey
- Aiguille du Chardonnet
- Aiguilles du Diable
- Aiguilles Dorées
- Aiguille du Dru
- Aiguille des Glaciers
- Aiguille du Goûter
- Aiguille des Grands Charmoz
- Aiguille des Grands Montets
- Aiguille du Grépon
- Aiguille du Jardin
- Aiguille du Midi
- Aiguille de l'A Neuve
- Aiguille Noire de Peuterey
- Aiguille du Pissoir
- Aiguille du Plan
- Aiguille de Rochefort
- Aiguille du Tour
- Aiguille de Tré la Tête
- Aiguille de Triolet
- Aiguille Verte
- La Breya
- Le Catogne
- Le Châtelet (Mont Blanc)
- Dent du Géant
- Dôme du Goûter
- Dôme de Rochefort
- Les Droites
- Le Génépi
- Grand Capucin
- Grand Darray
- Grand Pilier d'Angle
- Grande Lui
- Grande Pointe des Planereuses
- Grande Rocheuse
- Grandes Jorasses
- Mont Blanc
- Mont Blanc de Courmayeur
- Mont Blanc du Tacul
- Mont Brouillard
- Mont Dolent
- Mont Mallet
- Mont Maudit
- Pic Eccles
- Picco Luigi Amedeo
- Pointe Allobrogia
- Pointe Helbronner
- Pointe d'Orny
- Pointe des Plines
- Pointe Ronde
- Pointe Walker
- Le Portalet
- Punta Baretti
- Tita Neire
- Tour Noir
- Tour Ronde
(first or major ascents)
- Allain
- Almer
- Anderegg (J.)
- Anderegg (M.)
- Balmat
- Blanchard
- Blodig
- Boivin
- Bonatti
- Bonington
- Boulaz
- Bristow
- Brown
- Burgener
- Cassin
- Charlet
- Clough
- Cordier (H.)
- Cordier (P.)
- Couzy
- Croz
- Dent
- Desmaison
- Destivelle
- Długosz
- Eccles
- Eckenstein
- Gabarrou
- Ghirardini
- Graham Brown
- Güssfeldt
- Harlin
- Heckmair
- Hemming
- Hudson
- Kennedy
- King
- Klucker
- Kuffner
- Kukuczka
- Kurtyka
- Lachenal
- Lafaille
- Lambert
- MacIntyre
- Mallory
- Maund
- Mazeaud
- Messner
- Middlemore
- Moore
- Mummery
- Paccard
- Paradis
- Patey
- Ratti
- Rébuffat
- Rey
- Robbins
- Roch
- Rouse
- de Saussure
- Smythe
- Stephen
- Terray
- Twight
- Vallençant
- Walker
- Whillans
- Whymper
- Winthrop Young
- Arve (river)
- Chemin de fer du Montenvers
- Giardino Botanico Alpino Saussurea
- Haute Route
- Marathon du Mont Blanc
- Mont Blanc glacier flood
- Mont Blanc tramway
- Mont Blanc Tunnel
- Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway
- Skyway Monte Bianco
- Top of the Mont Blanc
- Tour du Mont Blanc
- Val d'Aosta
- Val Ferret
- Val Veny
- Vallée Blanche Aerial Tramway
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