ANIMATED PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE ALPS.-- ASCENDING MONT BLANC AND THE SCHRECKHORN.
At the end of September an expedition, which had for its object the taking of animated photographs illustrating the climbing of the highest mountain in Europe and of some of the most difficult rook peaks in the Alps, left Chamonix for the ascent of Mont Blanc. The expedition, headed by Mr. F. Ormiston-Smith, an enthusiastic climber and mountain photographer, with whom were such well-known guides as Christian Burgener and Bohren of Grindelwald and Joseph Demarchi of Chamonix, was equipped with special apparatus carrying 3,000ft. of film and so adjusted that every movement of the climbing party could be followed and photographed, even in the most difficult positions. The first day's work was devoted to the journey to the Grands Mulets, the resting place in Mont Blanc where the night is spent previous to the ascent to the summit. Here were many opportunities for interesting pictures, and the films that were secured, give an admirable idea of this portion of the ascent. The start of the party, with incidents of their progress to the Glacier des Bossons, the crossing of this and other glaciers, and the many little difficulties which occurred to the climbers, were all recorded, the conclusion of this portion of the film showing the party regaling themselves at the Grands Mulets and finally watching a marvellous sunset panorama. At 1.30 the next morning a start was made for the summit, and the camera was constantly at work recording all the interesting details of the climb in the early morning hours, perhaps one of the finest portions being the wonderful sea of clouds which filled the valleys, ten thousand feet below, at day break. The difficulties of working the camera at such a high altitude were greatly increased by the effect of extreme cold on the sensitive film, the coating of which came away from the support and constantly broke in the machine. However, this being remedied, a fine series of pictures was taken, which shows the party crossing some of the tremendous crevasses by means of frail snow bridges, finding a way round others by narrow ice-ledges, and finally reaching the summit of the Great White Mountain 15,781ft. above the level of the sea. Two days later the expedition left Grindelwald, in the Oberland, to ascend the Schreckhorn, a most difficult rock climb, the view from the summit of which is one of the finest in the Alps. Those who have scaled the fine "arrête" of the Schreckhorn will appreciate the difficulty of working a camera in a high wind on such an exposed ridge : but by tying the apparatus with the rope and straddling the rocks, a safe position was secured from which it was possible to "take" the climbing party as they traversed these rocks towards the summit. From the summit the incomparable panorama was photographed, and all those difficulties, so dear to the heart of the climber, were faithfully recorded as the climbing party ascended and descended. The expedition was at work for seven days, and during that time over 3,000ft. of film were exposed, the results of which, it is safe to say, will give to the non-climbing public a better and more accurate idea of the difficulties and dangers of high Alpine ascents than they previously possessed.

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"Animated Photography on the Alps-Ascending Mont Blanc and the Schreckhorn", Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, Londres, samedi 8 novembre 1902, p. 358.