1931 Gino Watkins & Alfred Stephenson Schweizerland Alps Reconnaissance & Mount Forel Attempt
In May 1931, British Arctic explorer Gino Watkins and chief surveyor Alfred Stephenson ventured into the unexplored Schweizerland Alps to attempt Mount Forel (3,383 m). Navigating steep outlet glaciers and granite walls, the pair climbed to within 130 metres of the summit ice dome before impassable crevasses and soft snow forced a prudent retreat.
Mountain Safety & Conditions Disclaimer: High-altitude climbing, glacial travel, and technical ascents entail severe objective risks including avalanches, serac collapses, rapid weather collapse, and altitude illness. Historical route descriptions and summit claims on Mountanity reflect documented archival sources and must not be used as live operational safety assessments. Local regulations, permits, and physical glacial topography change continuously.
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Official Expedition Narrative & Archival Record
Following the dramatic rescue of Augustine Courtauld from the Greenland ice sheet, Gino Watkins turned his focus to alpine mountaineering in the coastal ranges. Standing north of Sermilik Fjord was Mount Forel (3,383 m), named in 1912 by Alfred de Quervain and celebrated as the most imposing glaciated horn in the Schweizerland Alps. In late May 1931, Watkins, accompanied by surveyor Alfred Stephenson, departed on dog sleds to penetrate the glacier valleys flanking Mount Forel. Ascending through complex crevassed icefalls, the climbers established a high snow bivouac beneath the mountain's Northeast Ridge. Kicking steps up 40-degree snow ramps in brilliant sub-zero weather, Watkins and Stephenson reached an altitude of approximately 3,250 metres—just below the crowning ice dome. Blocked by a gaping bergschrund and unstable wet snow slopes deteriorating under the early summer sun, the pair prudently halted, achieving the highest mountaineering altitude in Greenland up to that time and laying the groundwork for the 1938 Swiss first ascent.
Documented Team Composition
- Henry George 'Gino' Watkins (Leader & Climber, UK)
- Alfred Stephenson (Surveyor & Climber, UK)
Key Statistics & Topographic Figures
- Peak Attempted
- Mount Forel (3,383 m)
- Altitude Attained
- 3,250 metres (10,660 ft)
- Climbers
- Gino Watkins and Alfred Stephenson
- Mountain Range
- Schweizerland Alps
- Style
- Lightweight Alpine Dog-Sled Expedition
Archival Primary Source Quotations
“Mount Forel stood like a white citadel above the granite needles of Schweizerland, challenging any climber with its frozen dome.”
Defined Alpine Terminology & Concepts
- Ice Dome
- A rounded, convex carapace of perpetual glacial ice capping a mountain summit, characteristic of Mount Forel.
- Bergschrund
- A deep crevasse formed where moving glacial ice separates from the stationary ice apron of a steep mountain headwall.
Frequently Asked Questions: 1931 Gino Watkins & Alfred Stephenson Schweizerland Alps Reconnaissance & Mount Forel Attempt
What mountain was attempted during the 1931 Watkins alpine expedition?
Gino Watkins and Alfred Stephenson attempted Mount Forel (3,383 m), the highest peak in the Schweizerland Alps of East Greenland.
How high did Watkins and Stephenson climb on Mount Forel in 1931?
They reached approximately 3,250 metres on the Northeast Ridge, just 130 metres below the crowning summit ice dome, before retreating due to bergschrund crevasses.
Who eventually completed the first ascent of Mount Forel?
Swiss mountaineer André Roch and his team completed the maiden first ascent of Mount Forel on August 10, 1938.
Ascent Route & Topography
Northeast Ridge & Summit Ice Dome of Mount Forel
The Northeast Ridge of Mount Forel ascends glaciated slopes from the Schweizerland plateau before tackling the steep, crevassed approach to the mountain's prominent summit ice dome. First reconnoitred by Gino Watkins and Alfred Stephenson in 1931 and climbed to the apex by André Roch's Swiss expedition in 1938, this route combines alpine glacier route-finding with 45-degree ice climbing over the final rim to reach the top. Climbers face ferocious coastal Greenland storms and complex crevasse fields.
Target Objective Peak
Mount Forel
Mount Forel is a magnificent glaciated dome summit standing at 3,383 metres (11,099 ft) in the Schweizerland Alps of East Greenland, just north of the Arctic Circle. It is the highest mountain in Greenland outside the Watkins Range. Named in 1912 by Swiss explorer Alfred de Quervain in honor of limnologist François-Alphonse Forel, the mountain was famously explored by Gino Watkins and Alfred Stephenson in 1931, before being conquered on its first ascent by André Roch's Swiss expedition in 1938. The peak is renowned for its perpetual summit ice dome and sweeping views across the Sermilik fjord and coastal glacier systems.
Featured Expedition Climber
Gino Watkins
Henry George 'Gino' Watkins was born on January 29, 1907, in London, England. Educated at Lancing College and Trinity College, Cambridge, Watkins developed an early passion for mountaineering and polar survival under the mentorship of polar veteran James Wordie. Possessing extraordinary leadership qualities, personal charm, and an instinctive mastery of indigenous Inuit hunting techniques, Watkins organized and led his first Arctic expedition to Edgeøya, Svalbard, in 1927 at just twenty years of age. In 1930, Watkins conceived and directed the ambitious British Arctic Air Route Expedition (BAARE) to East Greenland. Supported by the Royal Geographical Society, the expedition aimed to survey the feasibility of a transatlantic air route linking Britain to Canada via the Arctic ice sheet. Operating from a coastal base near Ammassalik, Watkins utilized two de Havilland Gipsy Moth biplanes, dog-sled teams, and Inuit kayaks. Flying reconnaissance missions deep over King Christian IX Land, Watkins discovered an immense, uncharted mountain range protruding through the inland ice—later officially designated the Watkins Range, containing the highest summits in the entire Arctic. In 1931, Watkins, alongside surveyor Alfred Stephenson, mounted a bold attempt to climb Mount Forel (3,383 m) in the Schweizerland Alps, reaching the high ice dome before being turned back by crevasses. In August 1932, while leading the East Greenland Expedition at Lake Fjord to continue meteorological surveys for Pan American Airways, Watkins went hunting alone in his seal-skin kayak. His empty kayak and clothing were found floating among sea ice; his body was never recovered. Watkins died on August 20, 1932, at age 25, mourned worldwide as one of Britain's most gifted and inspiring polar leaders.
Associated Historical Chronicles & Stories
Storming the Schweizerland: The 1931 Mount Forel Attempt
Gino Watkins and Alfred Stephenson push high into the unexplored Schweizerland Alps to make the first alpine assault on Mount Forel.
Documented Sources & Archival Citations
- The British Arctic Air Route Expedition: The Journey to Mount Forel(The Geographical Journal / H. G. Watkins)
Supporting claim: Firsthand official narrative of the Mount Forel climb attempt
Accessed/Documented: 1932