William Auguste Cooldige

The Reverend Coolidge played a significant role in the development of Alpine mountaineering. Often accompanied by his aunt, Miss Meta Brevoort, sometimes by his dog Tschingel, and almost always by guide Christian Almer, Coolidge spent thirty-three years in the Alps without missing a single season, carrying out campaigns from one end of the range to the other. He climbed some 2,500 summits, often for the first time, including Piz Badile and the central peak of Meije.