Alpenstock places they use sticks tipped with iron, by leaning upon which they climb steep slopes. These are called alpine sticks, and are principally in use among the shepherds." On August 8, 1786, Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard made the first ascent of Mont Blanc. Balmat, a chamois hunter and crystal collector, had experience with high mountain travel, and Paccard had made previous attempts to climb the peak. Illustrations show Balmat carrying two separate tools (whose respective functions would later be re-assigned to the ice axe): an alpenstock (or baton), and a small axe that could be used to chop steps
Mountain Springs Summit Mountain Springs Summit Mountain Springs Summit [el. ] is a mountain pass in the Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada in the United States. The pass is on the summit of a ridge in the Spring Mountains between the Mount Charleston area and the rest of the Mojave Desert and is located on the border of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The pass connects the Pahrump Valley with the Las Vegas Valley, and it is traversed by State Route 160. The Old Spanish National Historic Trail went through the pass and along the center-south of