Peter Sarbach (1844–1930) was a pioneer

mountain guide A mountain guide is a specially trained and experienced professional mountaineer who is certified by local authorities or mountain guide associations. They are considered to be high-level experts in mountaineering, and are hired to instruct or ...

from

St. Niklaus St. Niklaus () is a village and a municipality in the Mattertal, part of the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History St. Niklaus is first mentioned in 1233 as ''chousun''. In 1272 it was mentioned as ''ecclesia Sancti ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, near the village of

Zermatt Zermatt (, ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Visp (district), Visp in the German language, German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is cl ...

. He became notable as a guide in Switzerland, so much so that he was invited to Canada in 1987, becoming the first Swiss guide to work in the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies () or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...

and helped to establish the need for guiding skills in the area.

Mountain guide

In 1864, Peter Sarbach was a

porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., a locom ...

for Sir

Edward Whymper Edward Whymper FRSE (27 April 184016 September 1911) was an English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. Four members of his climbing party were killed during the descent. W ...

in one of his attempts to ascend 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, ...

. He later became a

in the Swiss Alps and surrounding area. The guiding skills of Peter Sarbach became well regarded. At age 53, he was invited to Canada for an 1897 first ascent expedition of Mt. Lefroy, and hence he became the first Swiss guide to work in the

Canadian legacy

The guiding skills of Peter Sarbach were commissioned, in a roundabout way, at the request of Edwin Hale Abbot, the father of Philip Stanley Abbot. Hence, together with John Norman Collie, Professor

Harold Baily Dixon Harold Baily Dixon (11 August 1852 – 18 September 1930) was a British chemist and amateur footballer who appeared for Oxford University in the 1873 FA Cup Final. Early life Born in Marylebone, London, England, he attended Westminster Scho ...

, George Percival Baker, Professor Charles Ernest Fay, and others, Peter Sarbach lead a memorial first ascent of Mt. Lefroy on 3 August 1897, exactly one year after the tragic death of his son, Philip Stanley Abbot. See Abbot Pass hut. Peter Sarbach further guided 1897 expeditions to a first ascent of Victoria Mountain, Mt. Gordon, and Mt. Sarbach (Mt. Sarbach named on his behalf). Peter Sarbach returned to his home in Switzerland in the fall of 1897, and never returned to Canada; so his prominence faded somewhat. However, the impression he left, from his 1897 expeditions, would set the pace for Swiss Mountaineering influence in Canada. His exploits confirmed the need for competent mountaineering skills and influenced the 1898 invitations to Swiss guides Edouard (Edward) Feuz Sr. and Christian Haesler Sr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarbach, Peter 1844 births 1930 deaths Swiss mountain climbers People from Visp (district) Sportspeople from Valais Mountain guides