Cervino 1901
On September 28th, 1903, the Urban Mountaineering Expedition, headed by Frank Ormiston-Smith, left Zermatt to attempt the conquest of the Matterhorn. On the 29th, the conquest was completed by the filming of the panorama from the actual summit of the mountain. The film consists of 20 scenes and illustrates the whole ascent from Zermatt through the Hornli Ridge. A copy of the film was found in Zermatt in 1953 and was was erroneously attributed to Frederick Burlingham and dated 1901. Since then, the film has been widely publicized as the first mountain film under the title of 'Cervin 1901', but this is incorrect. Ormiston previously had made 'Alpine series' (1901), 'The ascent of Mont Blanc' (1902), 'Climbing the Great Schreckhorn' (1902) and 'Ascent of the Jungfrau' (1903). The pictures and descriptions of the Charles Urban Trading 1903 film catalogue show without any doubt that 'Ascent of the Matterhorn' and 'Cervin 1901' are the same film.
Beating Heart
A friend-arranged Valentines day party turns to chaos when the line between violence and romance blurs.
Chamonix: the Mer de Glace. Descent.
Four roped men descend through the seracs of the Mer de Glace. One of them falls and has to be hoisted. The shot belongs to a collection of scenes that were presented together as a kind of travelogue film under the title of 'Voyages animés' in a diorama pavilion in the Universal Exhibition of Paris of 1900. The mountaineering scenes in this series include four scenes in the Mer de Glace and one in the Meije glacier. These five scenes, under a minute long, are the first mountaineering images ever filmed. Several of the 'Voyages animés' scenes were included in the Lumière catalog in 1901 under the title of 'À travers la France'.
Mountaineers in the Allgäu Alps
A rock climbing in the Bavarian Allgäu Alps in Germany. The camera follows two mountaineers on a climb. We see all stages of the ascent, from the screes at the foot of the mountain up to the difficult ledges that require the use of pitons and belay ropes. The mountaineers ascend from Einödsbach to the Waltenberger Haus. After they have surmounted a chimney, the mountaineers eventually reach the summit. From there, they descend with ropes.
Descent of Deep Snow Drift
1904, cinematography by Frank Ormiston-Smith.
Panorama, Descending Mt. Blanc
Released in July of 1902. Produced by William Nicholas Selig.
The Basic Principles of Skiing
Shot in 1941, this black-and-white instructional film (featuring actor Alan Ladd) serves as a veritable time capsule on the history of the sport, with advice on ski design, schussing, lacquer, wax and toe plates.
Descending a Steep Rockfaced Mountain Side
1904, cinematography by Frank Ormiston-Smith.
Ascent of the Tooth
An ascent of 'The Tooth' via the South-east Face. The film was made by Burge Bickford and Lyman Boyer. It features Jim Crooks leading Fred Beckey on a rock climbing ascent of the southeast face of The Tooth, near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. At the summit, the climbers find a brass tube with a Mountaineers register book inside. Illustrates Cascade Mountains climbing just before World War II. The leader never places any protection such as pitons or slings. The film focuses on the climbers' hand and foot work intermixed with mountain views.