Mountaineering in Switzerland

In the middle of the main square of Chamonix stands the memorial erected to the Geneva naturalist Horace-Benedict de Saussure and to his guide. Although de Saussure was not actually the first person to reach the top of Mont Blanc, he and Balmat together gave the initial impetus to mountaineering and awoke a new passion in mankind. The Swiss have made a substantial contribution to the conquest of the Alps. In addition to those of de Saussure, many other valuable explorations have been undert...