Adolphus Warburton Moore (1841–1887) (known generally as A. W. Moore) was a British

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

Life

The son of Major John Arthur Moore and Sophia Stewart Yates, Moore was an India Office official from 1858 to 1887, holding the role of Assistant Secretary, Political Department from 1875 to 1885. He was also private secretary to

Lord Randolph Churchill Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British statesman. Churchill was a Tory radical and coined the term 'Tory democracy'. He inspired a generation of party managers, created the National Union of ...

Alpinism

Moore made a first ascent during his first visit to the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

in 1862 and immediately became a central figure in the

golden age of alpinism The golden age of alpinism was the decade in mountaineering between Alfred Wills's ascent of the Wetterhorn in 1854 and Edward Whymper's ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, during which many major peaks in the Alps saw their first ascents. Prom ...

. Moore's first ascents include: * * * * * * This last route, the Brenva Spur, was the first to be climbed on the remote southern side of

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...

and exceeded in difficulty anything that had thus far been attempted on the mountain. Moore's description of the Brenva ascent is, according to Claire Engel, 'amongst the finest Alpine tales in existence'. Moore went to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

with

Douglas Freshfield Douglas William Freshfield (27 April 1845 – 9 February 1934) was a British lawyer, mountaineer and author, who edited the ''Alpine Journal ''from 1872 to 1880. He was an active member of the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club and ...

, Charles Comyns Tucker and the guide

François Devouassoud François Devouassoud (September 1831 – 1905) was a French mountain guide who made many first ascents in the Alps, notably as guide to Douglas William Freshfield, who claimed that Devouassoud "was the first Alpine guide to carry his ice-axe to t ...

in 1868, making the first ascent by a non-native of

Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus ( rus, links=no, Эльбрус, r=Elbrus, p=ɪlʲˈbrus; kbd, Ӏуащхьэмахуэ, 'uaşhəmaxuə; krc, Минги тау, Mingi Taw) is the highest and most prominent peak in Russia and Europe. It is situated in the we ...

(the lower of the two summits), the highest mountain in the Caucasus, and the first ascent of

Kazbek Mount Kazbek or Mount Kazbegi is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus, located on the Russian-Georgian border - in Russia's North Ossetia region and Georgia's Kazbegi District. At 5,034 m (16,515 ft) high, i ...

with the same party.

Commemoration

Both Pic Moore and Col Moore on the Brenva face side of Mont Blanc are named after him. According to

F. S. Smythe Francis Sydney Smythe, better known as Frank Smythe or F. S. Smythe (6 July 1900 – 27 June 1949), was an English mountaineer, author, photographer and botanist. He is best remembered for his mountaineering in the Alps as well as in the Himal ...

, who together with

Thomas Graham Brown Thomas Graham Brown FRS (usually known as T. Graham Brown; 27 March 1882 – 28 October 1965) was a Scottish mountaineer and physiologist, most famous for finding three new routes up the east face of Mont Blanc. Life and academic work Graham B ...

gave the col its name during their first ascent of the Brenva face by the "Sentinelle Rouge" route in 1927, "The ordinary Brenva route he Brenva Spurbegins with the ascent of a little gap, which we named Col Moore in honour of the first conqueror of the Brenva route, A. W. Moore, situated between the foot of the Brenva ridge and a miniature peak now known as the Pic Moore."F. S. Smythe, ''The Adventures of a Mountaineer'', London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1940, p. 115

References

Bibliography

Moore, A. W., ''The Alps In 1864: A Private Journal'', London: Basil Blackwell, 1939 (originally printed in 1867 for private circulation) {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Adolphus Warburton English mountain climbers British mountain climbers 1841 births 1887 deaths British civil servants