Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860–69 · Chapter
The Death of Bennen explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Gosset recounts the tragic ascent of the Haut de Cry on February 28, 1864, during which an avalanche was triggered on a steep snowfield. Despite warnings, the party continued, and the avalanche swept them down. Bennen and Mr. B⸺ perished, while Gosset and the other guides survived after a harrowing rescue.
Themes in this chapter
Danger and Mortality
The sudden avalanche and loss of Bennen and Mr. B⸺ highlight the ever-present risk of death in alpine exploration.
Human vs. Nature
The party's struggle against the avalanche and the frozen snow demonstrates the overwhelming power of the natural environment.
Characters to notice
- J. J. Bennen
Lead guide who recognized the danger and uttered 'We are all lost' before perishing in the avalanche.
- F. Rebot
Surviving guide who helped rescue Gosset and Nance after the avalanche.
Key passages
“Bennen did not seem to like the look of the snow very much. He asked the local guides whether avalanches ever came down this couloir, to which they answered that our position was perfectly safe.”
Bennen was uneasy about the snow conditions and inquired about avalanche risk, but the local guides assured him the spot was safe.
Shows Bennen's caution and the local guides' misplaced confidence.
“An awful silence ensued; it lasted but a few seconds, and then it was broken by Bennen’s voice, ‘We are all lost.’”
After a brief, terrible silence, Bennen calmly declared their doom.
Captures the moment of realization and Bennen's fatalism.
“I was suffocating when I suddenly came to the surface again. I was on a wave of the avalanche, and saw it before me as I was carried down.”
Gosset briefly surfaced atop the moving avalanche, witnessing its destructive path.
Describes the chaotic and terrifying experience of being carried by the avalanche.