Walter Amstutz
Walter Amstutz (born December 5, 1902 in Brienzwiler ; † August 6, 1997 in Männedorf ) was a Swiss skiing and alpinism pioneer, publicist and spa director of St. Moritz .
Life
Walter Amstutz was the son of hotelier Max Joseph Amstutz and Carolina Flühmann. In 1930 he married the writer Eveline Palmer from Dorset .
From 1929 to 1938 he was the first spa director of St. Moritz, creator of the famous sun logo.
Amstutz was a skiing and alpinism pioneer with several racing successes and first ascents. He went on expeditions to Greenland , Kenya and Peru . In 1924 he was a co-founder of the Swiss Academic Ski Club , and from 1926 first editor of its yearbook Der Schneehase .
With Arnold Lunn he was the initiator of modern alpine skiing, including the first team ski race in the world in Mürren in 1925 and Kilomètre lancé in St. Moritz in 1930 . He invented the Amstutz spring (forerunner of the diagonal ski binding), the Amstutz stick and the Amstutz ski.
As a publisher, he founded the publishers Amstutz & Herdeg, then De Clivo Press. The de Clivo Foundation (Latin for Amstutz) was founded by Yvonne Elizabet Gozon in memory of her father Walter Amstutz.
Amstutz was a mountain friend of the Belgian King Albert I and founded the King Albert I Memorial Foundation in 1993 , which gives the Albert Mountain Award .
In 1984, Queen Elisabeth awarded him the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his support for Anglo-Swiss relations.
First ski runs and first ascents (selection)
- May 18, 1924: Ascent of the Eiger by ski, first descent over the Eiger Glacier . With Arnold Lunn , Willy Richardet and Fritz Amacher.
- June 1, 1924: Blüemlisalphorn north face. With Willy Richardet and Hermann Salvisberg.
- June 11, 1924: First ski descent on the Guggi route on the northern flank of the Jungfrau on skis. With Pierre von Schumacher.
- June 15, 1926: First ski ascent of the Bietschhorn over the north ridge. With Pierre von Schumacher.
- August 3, 1926: Great Fiescherhorn north pillar to the northwestern fore summit. With Pierre von Schumacher.
- July 21, 1929: Silberhorn , first descent on the northwest Silberhornweg. With Tom de Lépiney.
- June 15, 1930: Cima di Rosso north face. With Aldo Bonacossa.
Works (selection)
- Walter Amstutz: The golden book of the Engadine . Publisher Bruckmann, Munich 1936.
- Walter Amstutz: The golden book of Switzerland . Amstutz & Herdeg publishing house, Zurich 1939.
- Walter Amstutz: Who's who in graphic art: an illustrated book of reference to the world's leading graphic designers, illustrators, typographers and cartoonists . Amstutz & Herdeg Graphis Press, Zurich 1962.
literature
- Albert Eggler: Walter Amstutz 1902–1997 . In: Academic Alpine Club Bern, yearbook 1996/97.
- Raoul Imseng: Walter Amstutz 1902–1997 . In: Schneehase 36, 1997-2001.
- Daniel Anker , Marco Volken : The last pioneer . In: Bietschhorn - legacy of alpinists . AS Verlag , Zurich 2004.
- Max Trieg: Amstutz, Walter. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Swiss Academic Ski Club (SAS)
- ↑ De Clivo Foundation
- ↑ Daniel Anker et al. a .: The King Albert I Memorial Foundation. AS Verlag , Zurich 2012.
Web links
- Publications by and about Walter Amstutz in the Helveticat catalog of the Swiss National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Amstutz, Walter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss skiing and alpinism pioneer, publicist and spa director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 5, 1902 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brienzwiler |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 6, 1997 |
| Place of death | Männedorf |