[Norway] With Ski & Sledge Over Arctic Glaciers

London: J.M. Dent & Co, 1898. First Edition, First Printing. A Good Hardcover. A Good Hardcover; No Dust Jacket As Issued. Photography by E. J. Garwood (1864-1949).
Ex-library, with markings from Cardiff Public Libraries; spine relaid along back cover, extremities bumped, cloth torn; foxing, chipping, and tears throughout. 8vo. 8 inches tall; vi, [4], 235pp. with index; gravure frontispiece, 11 plates, 2 text illustrations, folding map (tape-repaired along folds), top edge gilt, others untrimmed, original cloth, stamped with gilt. First Edition, First Printing. Illustrated with photographs by E. J. Garwood.. Difficult to find in any condition.

Background Information:
An exploration of the interior of West Spitsbergen undertaken during the summers of 1896 and 1897, in the company of E. J. Garwood, whose photographs illustrate this book.

Conway and Garwood with two companions, ascended the Nordenskiold Glacier, proceeded by boat to King's Bay, from there they sledged and skied along King's Highway Glacier into the Pretender Pass - Osborne Glacier region, and eastward into James I Land.

Returning to King's Bay they sailed southward to Horn Sound and climbed Hedgehog mountain to the east. "A map is appended of Central Spitzbergen from sketch surveys made by the author in 1896 and 1897 To those meditating the use of ski or Norwegian snowshoes we can commend the practical remarks contained in chapter XI in which we are informed that skiing is as easy to learn as skating and that the artist skister can race down steep slopes at an appalling velocity leaping drops or crefts of almost incredible dimensions.

This looks dangerous but we are assured by the author that downhill the real fun begins scorching being quite permissible over Arctic glaciers."[RSGS] Companion and acting as an appendix to The First Crossing of Spitsbergen.

The appendix contains an account of Gustaf Nordenskiold's traverse from Horn Sound to Bell Sound in 1890. [RSGS].

REF: Skiing History [Online]; RSGS. 571; Neate, 102