Frederick Gardiner (1850–1919) was a British ship-owner, explorer and mountaineer. A pioneer of mountaineering without guides, he made the

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

of the

Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus; ; is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant stratovolcano rising above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. It is situated in the south ...

and carried out a large number of other climbs in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

Biography

Gardiner was born on 22 August 1850 in the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

suburbs, the son of George Neish Gardiner, a wealthy merchant and ship-owner. Frederick Gardiner made his living as a ship-owner, he married Alice Evans of Warrington in 1881 and together they had four children. He died on 28 March 1919, aged 68, leaving an estate of £56,128 (about £3.5 million in 2022).

Alpinism

Gardiner was introduced to mountaineering, in

Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

, by his father at the age of eleven, his first alpine ascent was made in 1869 when he ascended

Monte Rosa Monte Rosa (; ; ; or ; ) is a mountain massif in the eastern part of the Pennine Alps, on the border between Italy (Piedmont and Aosta Valley) and Switzerland (Valais). The highest peak of the massif, amongst several peaks of over , is the D ...

. The following year, with Lucy Walker and her father, he climbed the

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

, the first ascent by a woman and only five years after Whymper had first ascended the mountain. He made the first ascent of

with F. Crauford Grove,

Horace Walker Horace Walker (1838–1908) was an English mountaineer who made many notable first ascents, including Mount Elbrus and the Grandes Jorasses. Alpinism Born in 1838, Walker was the son of Liverpool lead merchant and mountaineer Francis Walker ( ...

and the guide of St. Niklaus in 1874 and it was also in 1874 that he first joined forces with

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

and Lawrence Pilkington, the cousins of his future wife. He regularly hired Peter Knubel as his guide, Knubel was with him on Elbrus and they had made the first ascents of

Les Rouies Les Rouies is a mountain in the French Alps. Located in the Massif des Écrins Massif des Écrins (; Écrins Massif) are a massif in the French Alps. They form the core of Écrins National Park in Hautes-Alpes and Isère.Roche Faurio together before that. Knubel was also with Gardiner on the first ascent of the west ridge of Mont Collon in 1876, the other member of the Mont Collon party was Arthur Cust who had made the first guideless ascent of the Matterhorn only two weeks beforehand. In 1878 Gardiner and the two Pilkington brothers started mountaineering without guides, Gardiner "drew up the programme and made all necessary arrangements" for their first foray which was to the

Dauphiné Alps The Dauphiné Alps () are a group of mountain ranges in Southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. Mountain ranges within the Dauphiné Alps include the Massif des Écrins in Écrins National Park, Belledonne, Le Taillefer range ...

. The first guideless ascent of the

Barre des Écrins The Barre des Écrins () is a mountain in the French Alps with a peak elevation of . It is the highest peak of the Massif des Écrins and the Dauphiné Alps and the most southerly alpine peak in Europe that is higher than 4,000 metres. It is the ...

and the first ascent of

Pointe des Arcas Pointe des Arcas is a mountain in the French Alps. Located in the Massif des Écrins Massif des Écrins (; Écrins Massif) are a massif in the French Alps. They form the core of Écrins National Park in Hautes-Alpes and Isère.Bernese Oberland The Bernese Oberland (; ; ), sometimes also known as the Bernese Highlands, is the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern. It is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context it is referred to as ''Oberland'' witho ...

and the

Pennine Alps The Pennine Alps (, , , ), sometimes referred to as the Valais Alps (which are just the Northern Swiss part of the Pennine Alps), are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Italy (the Aosta Valley and Piedmont) an ...

. 1881 was the final season they climbed together, and also the year of Gardiner's marriage. Gardiner and the two Pilkington brothers were credited as "the first to show that the amateur mountaineer could safely undertake, without professional assistance, expeditions of the very first rank". After his marriage Gardiner shared the ascent of many high alpine peaks with his wife, these included the

Wetterhorn The Wetterhorn (3,690 m) is a peak in the Swiss Alps towering above the village of Grindelwald. Formerly known as Hasle Jungfrau, it is one of three summits on a mountain named the "Wetterhörner", the highest of which is the Mittelhorn (3,70 ...

(both in summer and in winter), the

Mönch The Mönch (, German: "monk") at is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau, it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains, visible from far away. The Mönch lies on the border between the ...

, and the

Jungfrau The Jungfrau (, , , "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönc ...

. He also introduced his children to alpine mountaineering and his daughter

Kate Kate may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American author o ...

went on to become an accomplished female mountaineer, making a number of notable first ascents between 1920-1940 and climbing extensively in the New Zealand Alps and the

Rockies The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

as well as in Europe. Gardiner encountered Coolidge at La Bérarde in the

in 1879 and in 1880, when the Pilkingtons were unable to visit the alps, Gardiner and Coolidge spent a season climbing together (with Coolidge's guides the Almers). A long-standing friendship developed: Coolidge became god-father to Gardiner's youngest son and when Coolidge fell ill and had to undergo an operation in 1913 Gardiner spent much of August by his bedside in Switzerland. Each season between 1885 and 1893 they climbed in the Alps together, and Gardiner continued climbing with the Almers until 1914 after Coolidge had dropped out in 1893. After Gardiner's death, Coolidge compiled a brochure setting out Gardiner's activities over 46 alpine seasons. Gardiner served as vice-president of the

Alpine Club Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...

from 1896 to 1898 (the same period that Charles Pilkington, one of his regular alpine climbing partners, was president).

Significant ascents

*1873 – First ascent of

Les Rouies Les Rouies is a mountain in the French Alps. Located in the Massif des Écrins Massif des Écrins (; Écrins Massif) are a massif in the French Alps. They form the core of Écrins National Park in Hautes-Alpes and Isère.Christian Imboden, ''Berge: Beruf, Berufung, Schicksal. Die St. Niklauser Bergführer als Wegbereiter des internationalen Alpinismus'', Rotten Verlag, Visp, 2013 , « le guide de haute montagne » pp. 73-81, 169, 183, « premières ascensions » pp. 108-119 (19 June) *1873 – First ascent of the Roche Faurio with Thomas Cox, William Martin Pendlebury, Charles Taylor, Hans and Peter Baumann, Peter Knubel and Josef Marie Lochmatter (21 June) *1874 – First ascent of the main (western) summit of Elbrus with F. Crauford Grove, Horace Walker and Peter Knubel (28 July) *1876 – First ascent of the west ridge of Mont Collon with A. Cust, H. Knubel and Peter Knubel (3 August) *1878 – First ascent of

Pointe des Arcas Pointe des Arcas is a mountain in the French Alps. Located in the Massif des Écrins Massif des Écrins (; Écrins Massif) are a massif in the French Alps. They form the core of Écrins National Park in Hautes-Alpes and Isère.Barre des Écrins The Barre des Écrins () is a mountain in the French Alps with a peak elevation of . It is the highest peak of the Massif des Écrins and the Dauphiné Alps and the most southerly alpine peak in Europe that is higher than 4,000 metres. It is the ...

with Charles Pilkington and Lawrence Pilkington (19 July) *1879 – First guideless ascent of

La Meije La Meije is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located at the border of the Hautes-Alpes and Isère '' départements''. It overlooks the nearby village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort, well known for its off-pis ...

with Charles Pilkington and Lawrence Pilkington (25 July) *1881 – First guideless ascent of the

with Charles Pilkington and Lawrence Pilkington (30 July) *1881 – First guideless ascent of the

Finsteraarhorn The Finsteraarhorn () is a mountain lying on the border between the cantons of Canton of Bern, Bern and Valais. It is the highest mountain of the Bernese Alps and the List of prominent mountains of Switzerland, most prominent peak of Switzerland. ...

with Charles Pilkington and Lawrence Pilkington

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Frederick 1850 births 1919 deaths English mountain climbers Ship owners People from Liverpool