The Alps, the British and the Swiss: A Very Special Relationship

It all began with the Grand Tour, the rite of passage for wealthy young Englishmen to complete their cultural education. To visit Italy was paramount, but to get there one had to cross a mountain range: the Alps. Somehow perception shifted and the crossing became an adventure; the Alps were no longer seen as a dangerous barrier but as a place of majestic beauty. Especially for the Romantics those mighty peaks were the realm of the sublime, a spiritual escape from industrial society. To the astonishment of the Swiss mountain farmers, British tourists hired them as guides and porters. The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857, six years before the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC). Serious climbing began alongside more relaxed ways of enjoing the scenery. The Swiss were quick to react - along came steamers, railways, Grand hotels. And whenever the English appear, the organisation of sport begins: climbing, sleighing, curling, downhill skiing. We shall have a closer look at the English conquest of the Alps, including passages from memoirs and guide books. Level C1