Charles Perryman Newsreels - Mt Rainier Winter Ascent (1922) Home
Digitization of this film was made possible by a grant from the Brunhilde Wislicenus Fund of The Mountaineers Foundation.This film documents the February 1922 first winter ascent of Mt Rainier by Jean and Jacques Landry, Jacques Bergues and newsreel cameraman Charles Perryman. In 2003, Perryman's grandson Steve Turner contacted Lowell Skoog about this film by e-mail after reading about Perryman's climb in the Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project. This led to an eight-year effort by Skoog to acquire the Perryman newsreel films from Turner for The Mountaineers. The project was completed in October 2011.
This is a truly historic film. It is one of the earliest motion pictures taken on the summit of Mount Rainier, and perhaps the oldest still in existence. It shows the first winter ascent of any significant peak in Washington state, and the highest no less. The Mountaineers wish to thank Steve Turner and his family for this one-of-a-kind gift to Northwest mountaineering community.
Notes about this historic ascent can be found at Alpenglow.org. The newsreel film includes the following captions:
(Film notes and video clip by Lowell Skoog.)
- Extra! Selznick cameraman climbs Mt. Rainier in dead of winter.
- Cameraman Perryman leads three Swiss alpinists in great climb.
- Rainier was never before climbed in winter.
- A sea of clouds far below them!
- Where one misstep means sure death.
- Ten hours at this!
- The eternal snows of the summit.
- And they left "Old Glory" there.