[Deathwatch] Ulrich Inderbinen, Swiss mountain guide, 103

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Ulrich Inderbinen, Guide in the Alps for Seven Decades, Dies at 103

GENEVA, June 16 - Ulrich Inderbinen, a Swiss mountain guide who made
his last ascent of the Matterhorn at 90, died on Monday in Zermatt. He
was 103.

Called King of the Alps by admiring foreign tourists, Mr. Inderbinen
died in his sleep at home, according to a family announcement in the
daily newspaper Walliser Bote of Brig.

Mr. Inderbinen stopped work only at the age of 95. Even in his 90's, he
regularly climbed peaks of more than 13,200 feet, and estimated that he
had stood on the summit of the Matterhorn, which he called "the most
beautiful mountain in the world," at least 370 times. "I have never
felt bored," he once said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"That is, unless my clients walk too slowly."

Mr. Inderbinen was born into a family of nine children on Dec. 3, 1900,
and spent most of his childhood tending animals in the mountains above
Zermatt, which was still an impoverished farming community rather than
a top international resort.

He made his first ascent of the 14,700-foot Matterhorn in September
1921 with his younger sister, who wore the traditional long skirt and
nailed boots. He got his first job as a mountain guide four years
later.

"Mr. Inderbinen showed himself thoroughly safe and reliable, so I hope
to climb with him more frequently," wrote his first customer, a German
doctor, in comments that were subsequently echoed by hundreds of other
climbers.

In his 70-year career Mr. Inderbinen took time off only once, when he
was grounded for 10 days with a shoulder injury after slipping on an
icy path. He had his first dental appointment when he was 74. He never
needed glasses.

Mr. Inderbinen once said that one of the best periods of his life came
after his 80th birthday, when he started competing in skiing races for
fun. He always won, as he was the only competitor in his age category.

He was given a pair of skis for his 90th birthday, a gift he put to
regular use, and a mountain-climbing ice ax when he turned 95.

Despite his international reputation, Mr. Inderbinen remained modest.
Foreign television crews wanting to interview him found he was a man of
few words. He rarely took vacations and never saw the sea. He never
owned a car or bicycle.

"I am the only person in Zermatt without a telephone," he would say,
proudly. Clients wanting to make contact with him knew they could meet
him in Zermatt's church square in the early evening.

He remained under the spell of the Matterhorn, Switzerland's most
famous landmark.

"It's simply a fascinating mountain," he said, "which was as appealing
to me on my last climb as it was on my first."

If anyone asked him of any regrets, he would reply that his family
vetoed his plans to visit Tanzania and climb Kilimanjaro at 92. "I've
really no idea why they were all against it," he said.

He was once asked by a journalist if he was afraid of dying. "Not
really," he replied. "When I look at the death notices in the paper I
scarcely see anyone of my own age."