Smoked Glasses, or some such device as that recommended below, will generally have to be worn above the tree-line to protect the eyes from snow-blindness. The precise nature of this complaint does not appear to be understood. It appears to be more prevalent in some countries than in others, and is not, we think, entirely a matter of intensity of light. It seems, for example, to be more dangerous in the Norwegian mountains than in Switzerland. Like frost-bite, it is insidious, and the patient frequently is not seriously inconvenienced till after the damage is done. Some people, too, are far more susceptible to it than others. Instead of smoked glass, which is liable to become dimmed by the condensation upon it of moisture, we prefer a simple oblong piece of leather, 6in. long and about 1in. broad, with two oval-shaped holes in it opposite the eyes, say, ½in. long by ⅜in. broad; a slit for the nose to hold it in position, and two pieces of string to bind it round the head.
In Derbyshire, November, ’04.
Photo by C. R. Wingfield.
The Water-bottle should be of sufficient capacity; one to hold about a litre is convenient. It should be provided with a felt covering and a tight-fitting cork. What to put into it is a matter of choice, though much alcohol is not to be recommended. Personally we have given up compounding drinks of cold tea, sugar, and wine, for the reason that they are so nice that we drink more at a time than we should. Our companions, too, look at us with such longing eyes that it is difficult to resist their dumb appeal. Such a water-bottle is soon empty. Plain sugar and water is not so nice, but is very sustaining, the sugar being very rapidly digested, and a raw egg or two adds to the value of the compound. Dried prunes, acidulated drops, and other sweetmeats will be found very pleasant on a ski tour, even though one never touches them at other times. Louis Stevenson has observed that the hungrier a man is the more he appreciates delicacies, so do not let your luncheon consist entirely of plain beef sandwiches. Remember, too, that it is better to eat little and often than largely and all at once.
Some sort of Repairing Outfit and a spare ski tip should always be taken with one. There are little light metal tips on the market made to fit over a broken ski which are very useful. The kind that fixes with a screw is best, as the other is apt to come off. If, however, one has the latter, a small screw-nail through it would keep it in place. With one of these tips, and the means of making an improvised binding with a few screw eyes and nails, a washer or two, and some straps, the runner should be able to get home easily enough wherever his ski may break. The reader must use his ingenuity in such matters, remembering always that it is impossible to execute very elaborate repairs with cold fingers.
There are other odds and ends more or less useful on tour, a description of which will be found in any dealer’s list.