ABSTRACT
The alpine hotel was a valuable source of information concerning the development of tourism in Switzerland and the Alps. The development of alpine resorts further allowed British tourists to fashion themselves as this new breed of adventurer. The social capital associated by the mid-nineteenth century with the new sport of alpinism helps explain why travellers insisted on jotting down even the smallest climbing achievements in Zermatt's guest books, which went from being purely practical and informative tools to instruments of self-creation. The British dominated both the climbing scene and alpine tourism more generally –a reality proven by the guest books. The guest books and registers that have not been lost are nowadays scattered among hotels, museums, archives, and private collections, which considerably impedes their potential usefulness for research and makes them a largely unexploited resource. The enthusiasm for mountaineering flourished in Victorian society among climbers eager to conquer summits, as well as among holidaymakers looking for Continental adventure.
