Christian Almer

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Christian Almer (29 March 1826, Grindelwald – 17 May 1898, Grindelwald) was a Swiss mountain guide and the first ascentionist of many prominent mountains in the western Alps during and after the golden age of alpinism.

Together with Melchior Anderegg he is considered as one of the legendary guides of his generation, and his services were sought by the leading alpinists of the day such as Edward Whymper, W. A. B. Coolidge, A. W. Moore, Leslie Stephen and Gottlieb Samuel Studer.

Almer gave his dog Tschingel to the 17-year-old Coolidge after a failed attempt on the Eiger.

I do not clearly recollect hearing of Tschingel till July 11, 1868. That month Almer had for the first time become guide to my aunt, the late Miss Brevoort, and myself. On July 8 we all three made our first high climb together (the Wetterhorn) and on July 11 started from Little Scheidegg for the ascent of the Eiger. But the rocks (as often) were glazed, and we had to retreat. This disappointed me bitterly, for I was not quite eighteen years of age [...] Almer sympathised much with me, and so, as we were walking down that afternoon to Grindelwald, tried to comfort me by promising to give me his dog Tschingel, as one of her sons, Bello by name, was now able to act as watchdog ...^[1]

In 1846 he married Margaritha Kaufmann, and their son Ulrich Almer (8 May 1849 – 4 September 1940) was a well-known guide in his own right.