Florence Crauford Grove (12 March 1838 – 17 August 1902) was an English mountaineer and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, sometimes known as F. Crauford Grove. He led the first expedition to ascend the higher summit of Mount Elbrus and was at one time president of the

Alpine Club The first alpine club, the Alpine Club, based in the United Kingdom, was founded in London in 1857 as a gentlemen's club. It was once described as: :"a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering, first of all in the Alps, members of whic ...

Mountaineer

Grove became an experienced alpinist in the late 1850s and joined the Alpine Club of London soon after it was formed in 1857, later serving as its President from 1884 to 1886. He was one of the best British climbers of his day and is remembered for opposing guideless climbing during the 1870s. An article on the founders of the Alpine Club in the

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

calls him a "gentleman traveller of independent means". Because of his first name, Grove is sometimes mistakenly thought to have been a woman. His second name is Crauford.

First ascents

*12 August 1863:

Dent d'Hérens The Dent d'Hérens (4,174 m) is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, lying on the border between Italy and Switzerland. The mountain lies a few kilometres west of the Matterhorn. The Aosta hut (2,781 m) is used for the normal route. Naming The mo ...

(4,171 m) with Reginald S. Macdonald, Montagu Woodmass and William Edward Hall and guides

Melchior Anderegg Melchior Anderegg (28 March 1828 – 8 December 1914), from Zaun, Meiringen, was a Swiss mountain guide and the first ascensionist of many prominent mountains in the western Alps during the golden and silver ages of alpinism. His clients were m ...

and Peter Perren *16 August 1863: Parrotspitze (4,432 m) with the same party (Reginald S. Macdonald, Montagu Woodmass, William Edward Hall, guides Melchior Anderegg and Peter Perren) *22 August 1864: Zinalrothorn (4,221 m), with Leslie Stephen and guides Jakob Anderegg and Melchior Anderegg *28 July 1865: Aiguille de Bionnassay (4,052 m), with E. Buxton and R.Macdonald, and guides J.Cachet and M.Payne. *1874: West summit of Mount Elbrus (5,642 m), first ascent led by Grove, with Frederick Gardner, Horace Walker, their guides Peter Knubel and Ahiya Sottaiev. The west summit is forty metres higher than the east summit.

Publications

*''The Frosty Caucasus: an account of a walk through part of the Range and of an ascent of Elbruz in the summer of 1874'' (London, Longmans, Green & Co, 1875, 341 pp.) Grove's book is illustrated with six plates by Edward Whymper, from photographs by Horace Walker, and a folding map. Chapters cover the Upper Rion, the valley of the Upper Tcherek river, the Bezingi glacier and the Kotchan Tau Group (both in Kabardino-Balkaria,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...

), Tchegem and the Gorge of the Djilki-Su, Urusbieh, the first ascent of Mount Elbruz (in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay–Cherkessia), and the Nakhar Pass (in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

). ''The Frosty Caucasus'' was republished in a facsimile edition by Adamant Media Corporation in February 2002 (). The title of the book is taken from William Shakespeare's play

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...

O, who can hold a fire in his hand
By thinking on the frosty Caucasus?
Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...
, Act I, Scene 3

References

Florence Crauford Grove
at lexikon-portal.de (retrieved 6 January 2008) *A. L. Mumm, ''The Alpine Club Register'', (3 vols, 1923–28) *George Band, ''Summit: 150 years of the Alpine Club'' (2007)

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grove, Florence Crauford English mountain climbers 1838 births 1902 deaths Presidents of the Alpine Club (UK)

Mountaineer

First ascents

Publications

See also

References

Footnotes