British Columbia, 1986, 1st edition. 256 pp, b/w photos, maps, mapped end papers. New hardcover with dust jacket.
SIGNED on the title page by Bill Putnam.
A history of the Swiss climbing guides of the Canadian Rockies; Kain, Feuz, Fuhrer, who created the first center of mountaineering in America and did many first ascents in the Canadian Rockies. 'The first professional mountain guides to be employed in North America were all Italians: Guiseppe Petigax and Lorenzo Croux of Courmeyer, Antonio Maguinaz and Andrea Pellissier of Valtournanche and ERminio Botta of Biella, all in the retinue of Luigi Amadeo of Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi whose successful expedition to Mount Saint Elias in 1896 became an Alaskan and mountaineering legend.
The next summer, Professor H.B. Dixon followed his example and engaged Peter Sarbach, to accompany him on several weeks of climbing in the "Canadian Alps". This is the story of those men, who prided themselves not merely on being guides, but on being Swiss guides.
