Mont Vélan
Encyclopedia
Mont Vélan is a mountain
in the Pennine Alps
, located on the border between Switzerland
and Italy
. At 3,727, metres Mont Vélan is the highest summit lying between the Great St Bernard Pass and Grand Combin
. Two large glaciers cover its northern flanks: Glacier de Tseudet (west) and Glacier de Valsoray (east). The Glacier de Proz, lying on the west side, was traversed during the first ascent.
The mountain is located south of Bourg-Saint-Pierre
in the canton of Valais
and north of Etroubles
in the Aosta Valley. The Petit Vélan
is a lower summit in the same massif lying north to the main summit.
, Laurent Joseph Murith. He had been born in the near-by village of Sembrancher
in 1742 and had taken holy orders in 1776. Murith, besides being an ecclesiastic, was a scientist, and was the author of a botanical handbook to the Valais. He was acquainted with the Genevese scientists and welcomed them when they came to his parish of Liddes
or to the Saint Bernard
, of which he later became prior. He decided to climb Mont Vélan, which was the most impressive peak in his region.
Murith found two hunters who had some idea how to lead the climb, and the three men started on August 31, 1779, carrying food for several days and a barometer which, by luck, was not broken during the ascent. They slept a night on the way and proceeded to attack the mountain from the Glacier de Proz. They encountered numerous difficulties, amongst others a wall of ice which Murith climbed by hacking steps and hand-holds with a pointed hammer. The hunters complained of the heat and of exhaustion, but Murith successfully reached the summit. When he was back in Liddes, he wrote triumphantly to Horace-Bénédict de Saussure
to describe his climb:
Feeling proud of his achievement he wrote a few month later to the Genevese traveller Marc Theodore Bourrit
:
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Pennine Alps
Pennine Alps
The Pennine Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland and Italy...
, located on the border between Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. At 3,727, metres Mont Vélan is the highest summit lying between the Great St Bernard Pass and Grand Combin
Grand Combin
The Grand Combin is a mountain in the western Pennine Alps in Switzerland. With its high summit it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps and the second most prominent of its range...
. Two large glaciers cover its northern flanks: Glacier de Tseudet (west) and Glacier de Valsoray (east). The Glacier de Proz, lying on the west side, was traversed during the first ascent.
The mountain is located south of Bourg-Saint-Pierre
Bourg-Saint-Pierre
Bourg-Saint-Pierre is a municipality in the district of Entremont in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-Geography:...
in the canton of Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
and north of Etroubles
Etroubles
Étroubles is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy....
in the Aosta Valley. The Petit Vélan
Petit Vélan
Petit Vélan is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland, NW of Mont Vélan.-External links:*...
is a lower summit in the same massif lying north to the main summit.
First ascent
The protagonist of the first successful ascent of the Velan was a priest of the Great St Bernard HospiceGreat St Bernard Hospice
The Great St Bernard Hospice is a hospice or hostel for travellers in Switzerland, at 2469m altitude at the Great St Bernard Pass in the Pennine Alps. The frontier with Italy is only a few hundred metres to the south.-History:...
, Laurent Joseph Murith. He had been born in the near-by village of Sembrancher
Sembrancher
Sembrancher is a municipality in the district of Entremont in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Sembrancher is first mentioned in 1177 as Sancti Pancratii de Branchi. Its German name St Branschier is no longer used.-Geography:...
in 1742 and had taken holy orders in 1776. Murith, besides being an ecclesiastic, was a scientist, and was the author of a botanical handbook to the Valais. He was acquainted with the Genevese scientists and welcomed them when they came to his parish of Liddes
Liddes
Liddes is a municipality in the district of Entremont in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-Geography:Liddes has an area, , of . Of this area, 33.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 23.8% is forested...
or to the Saint Bernard
St Bernard Pass
St Bernard Pass may refer to:*Great St. Bernard Pass crosses the Valais Alps between Martigny, Switzerland and Aosta, Italy*Little St Bernard Pass lies between Mont Blanc and the Graian Alps, connecting Bourg St Maurice, France to Courmayeur, Italy...
, of which he later became prior. He decided to climb Mont Vélan, which was the most impressive peak in his region.
Horace-Bénédict de Saussure
200px|thumb|Portrait of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure Horace-Bénédict de Saussure was a Genevan aristocrat, physicist and Alpine traveller, often considered the founder of alpinism, and considered to be the first person to build a successful solar oven.-Life and work:Saussure was born in Conches,...
to describe his climb:
- "Had you been with me you would have enjoyed the most splendid spectacle of mountains and glaciers you can imagine; you would have been able to gaze on a wide circle of peaks of different heights, from Turin to the Little St. Bernard, from the St. Bernard to the Lake of Geneva, from Vevey to the St. Gothard, from the St. Gothard to Turin . . . But I cannot promise I will help you to enjoy so ravishing a view. In spite of my own intrepidity, I had too much trouble in gaining the summit of this wintry giant."
Feeling proud of his achievement he wrote a few month later to the Genevese traveller Marc Theodore Bourrit
Marc Theodore Bourrit
-Biography:Marc Theodore Bourrit came of a family which was of French origin but had taken refuge at Geneva for reasons connected with religion. His father was a watchmaker there, and he himself was educated in his native city...
:
- "The prospect from the Buet is magnificent but the Velan, which is hardly less than 100 toises lower than the highest point of Mont Blanc, would have delighted you; you would have seen the universe under your feet, the points and needles of the highest hills looking like a tumultuous sea ... I believe I ascended one of the first great peaks ever climbed in Europe."