Oliver Perry-Smith
Encyclopedia
Oliver Perry-Smith was an American rock climber, mountaineer
and skier who moved to Dresden
in 1902 to attend a technical university
.
for the first ascents of major sandstone
rock towers such as:
and first ascents of several climbing routes that are still very popular today, e. g.:
(All grades Saxon rating)
In total "he made more than 90 ascents in Saxon Switzerland, 33 of which
are rated VI or above; there were 32 first ascents, 13 solo climbs and 36
additional ones on which he led".
in 1908 he and his friend Rudolf Fehrmann
made a number of first ascents.
In the Alps "his repeated ascents include also Weisshorn
, Matterhorn
, Dent Blanche
, Zinalrothorn
, Wellenkuppe
, Obergabelhorn, Kleine Zinne".
In the year 1914 Oliver Perry-Smith returned to the US, never to visit Saxony
again.
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
and skier who moved to Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
in 1902 to attend a technical university
Dresden University of Technology
The Technische Universität Dresden is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony and one of the 10 largest universities in Germany with 36,066 students...
.
Climbs in Saxon Switzerland
He became well-known in the Sächsische SchweizSächsische Schweiz
The Sächsische Schweiz is a former district in the south of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Neighboring districts were Weißeritzkreis, the district-free city Dresden and the districts Kamenz and Bautzen. To the south it bordered the Czech Republic.- History :The district was created in 1994...
for the first ascents of major sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
rock towers such as:
- Schrammtorwächter (VI) in 1905
- Kanzelturm (VI) in 1905
- Teufelsturm (VIIb) in 1906 (at 5.8+Grade (climbing)In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
- with a shoulder stand - a very difficult rock climb)
and first ascents of several climbing routes that are still very popular today, e. g.:
- Spannagelturm Perrykante VIIb in 1906
- FalkensteinFalkenstein (Sächsische Schweiz)The Falkenstein is one of the best known climbing peaks in Saxon Switzerland.It is situated near the rocky Schrammsteine ridge southeast of the town of Bad Schandau....
Südriss (VIIa) in 1913 - Daxenstein Klavier (VIIa) in 1913
- Daxenstein Perryriss (VIIb) in 1913
(All grades Saxon rating)
In total "he made more than 90 ascents in Saxon Switzerland, 33 of which
are rated VI or above; there were 32 first ascents, 13 solo climbs and 36
additional ones on which he led".
Alps
On a trip to the AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
in 1908 he and his friend Rudolf Fehrmann
Rudolf Fehrmann
Rudolf Fehrmann , a German, was a pioneer rock climber at Elbsandsteingebirge near Dresden. He began climbing at the age of 17 and was soon at the leading edge of the fledgling sport...
made a number of first ascents.
- The most famous is the "Fehrmann Corner" (in German, Fehrmannverschneidung), V-, on Campanile Basso, SW face (also known as "Guglia di Brenta", in Brenta groupBrenta GroupThe Brenta Group is a mountain range of the Rhaetian Alps. It is located in the Italian province of Trentino.The Brenta Group is separated from the Ortler Alps in the north by the Noce valley; from the Adamello-Presanella group in the west by the Campo Carlo Magno Pass and the river Sarca; from...
in DolomitesDolomitesThe Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
, on August 28). Despite its name, this route was led by Perry-Smith (because, as explained in biographical article in AAJ 1964, "Fehrmann was the first to sign the summit book and later he was assumed by later climbers to be a leader"). - One of others of their new routes is the north face of Cima Piccola di LavaredoTre Cime di LavaredoThe Tre Cime di Lavaredo are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are probably one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps...
(in German: Kleine Zinne), Aug 15.
In the Alps "his repeated ascents include also Weisshorn
Weisshorn
The Weisshorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, in Switzerland. With its summit, it is one of the major peaks in the Alps and overtops the nearby Matterhorn by some 30 metres. It was first climbed in 1861 from Randa by John Tyndall, accompanied by the guides J.J...
, Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
, Dent Blanche
Dent Blanche
The Dent Blanche is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, lying in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. With its high summit, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps.-Naming:...
, Zinalrothorn
Zinalrothorn
The Zinalrothorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. Its name comes from the village of Zinal lying on the north side and from the German word Rothorn which means Red Peak...
, Wellenkuppe
Wellenkuppe
The Wellenkuppe is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland.-External links:*...
, Obergabelhorn, Kleine Zinne".
Skiing
Beside his achievements in climbing, he also won the Austrian championship in cross-country-skiing and ski-jumping in 1914.Other aspects
There are a number of anecdotes depicting Perry-Smith as a rather unusual character:- When people doubted his ascent of 'Perryriss', he climbed that route again and wrote in big letters 'Perry' on the rock. (it can still be read today)
- He owned a BugattiBugattiAutomobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....
race car and got in trouble with the police several times for driving fast and hazardously. - He was once arrested for getting drunk and disturbing the peace in the town of Bad Schandau.
In the year 1914 Oliver Perry-Smith returned to the US, never to visit Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
again.
Sources
- J. Monroe Thorington, Oliver Perry Smith; Profile of a Mountaineer, American Alpine JournalAmerican Alpine JournalThe American Alpine Journal is an annual magazine published by the American Alpine Club. Its mission is "to document and communicate mountain exploration."...
(AAJ) 1964, pp. 99–120 (with 14 photographs in additional plates) - J. Monroe Thorington, In Memoriam: Oliver Perry Smith (1884-1969), AAJ, 1970, pp. 218–219
External links
- pdf version of article by J. M. Thorington, Oliver Perry-Smith..., AAJ, 1964, pp. 99-120 and l Plates 77-90 (Retrieved February 27, 2011)
- pdf version of obituary by J. M. Thorington, Oliver Perry-Smith (1884-1969), AAJ, 1970, pp. 218–219 (Retrieved February 27, 2011)
- Proceedings of the Club: Secretary report for the year 1969, AAJ, 1970, pp. 224–226 (Retrieved February 27, 2011)
- Oliver Perry-Smith illustrated biography in the section The Great Pioneers of Modern Rock Climbing (Retrieved February 27, 2011)