Fritz Steuri

Fritz Steuri ( born July 25, 1879 in Grindelwald, † September 5, 1950 ) was a Swiss mountain guide and Nordic and alpine skiers. He was three times Swiss champion in endurance and in 1921 participated in the first ascent of the Eiger Mittellegigrats.

Biography

Fritz Steuri came in the early 1890s with the skiing in touch, as he watched the Englishman Gerald Fox on his skiing in Grindelwald. In 1898 he bought his first pair of skis from Grindelwald manufactory. Even before the turn of the century there were the first ski race in Grindelwald, where Fritz Steuri, the already regular ski training pursued with other locals mass. Even in his profession as a postman, he exercised from 1899 until he was a mountain guide, kept him skis valuable services. In 1902 he was one of the founding members of the ski club Grindelwald.

Fritz Steuri developed into one of the best skiers in the early days of the Swiss ski racing. Especially in endurance or alpine endurance, as then, the cross-country skiing was called, he was the best athlete at the beginning of the 20th century. Steuri won in January 1903 at the second race of the ski club Grindelwald fast mode (departure ) and was second place in both jumping and endurance. In January 1904 he won the third club races again in the fast mode. In February 1903, organized by the Ski Club won Steuri Bern « International Cup in alpine endurance " in Adelboden, in which he also emerged in 1904 (again in Adelboden ) and 1905 ( in Zweisimmen ) as the winner. From 1904 to 1906 he won three times in succession the great endurance of the Grindelwald ski race to the hiking cup of Grindelwald. When, after the founding of the Swiss Ski Federation on November 20, 1904 on 21 and 22 January 1905 in Glarus, the first Swiss Ski Championships ( " First Large ski race in Switzerland » ) took place, was Fritz Steuri Swiss champion in endurance. The 20 km long route over the Pragelpass with 560 meters and 1160 meters downhill slope he managed to be the fastest of the 32 participants in a time of 1 hour, 54 minutes and 7 seconds. The best time in the " Pragellauf " of the previous year had been nearly 38 minutes slower. In the years 1906 and 1907 in two Simmen in Davos, he was again Swiss champion continuous operation, after which the " Ski King " Fritz Steuri was asked not to attend these races in order to give other runners a chance to win.

Steuri also worked as a ski instructor from that time and also taught Hermann and Othmar Gurtner and Walter Amstutz in the alpine cycling technique and the "classical" turns telemark, Christiania and stem turns. In 1926, was president of the ski club Steuri Grindelwald and even in the 1930s, he headed ski lessons.

Aside from skiing, Fritz Steuri was also a renowned mountain guide. He earned in 1905 his guide Patent and had previously been numerous summits, such as Virgin, Eiger, Wetterhorn Finstaarhorn and climbed. Steuri worked for 45 years as a mountain guide, mainly around Grindelwald and in the Valais and Grisons Alps. On September 10, 1921 him with the Japanese Yuko Maki and the other leaders Fritz Amatter and Samuel Brawand succeeded in the first ascent of the Eiger Mittellegigrats the rise. In the descent of the ridge had been committed in 1885 for the first time. Shortly before, he had ascended with Maki and Brawand the Dufour peak, the Matterhorn and the Aletschhorn. Subsequently Steuri led many Japanese on Alpine summits, including Prince Chichibu Yasuhito, which in September 1926, he ascended among other things, the Wetterhorn, the Finstaarhorn, Schreckhorn, the Matterhorn, the summit of Monte Rosa and other mountains along with other guides. On May 26, 1926 Steuri, Chichibu, Walter Amstutz, Arnold Lunn and two more the Grindelwald Grünhorn had first climbed on skis. Other famous clients Steuris counted the writer Konrad Falke, he had passed through the Jungfrau region in September, 1907. This resulted Falkes 1909 published book In the Wake of the Virgin. From about 1930, as a young woman Steuri specialized guide. He worked as one of the " Jochführer " that guides the ever stayed after the construction of the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch and led from there tourists to the surrounding peaks, and brought it so in his life to 1139 ascents of the Virgin - part twice in a day. Some time was Steuri Hüttenwirt the Konkordiahütte and chairman of the Grindelwald mountain rescue.

Fritz Steuri had four sons, of whom the elder three also known mountain guide were: Fritz junior (1908-1953), Hermann (1909-2001), Hans (1911-1975) and Rudolf ( 1913-1987 ). Fritz junior and Hermann also achieved numerous successes in ski racing, Rudolf was initially also a ski instructor, but then in regional policy operates.

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