Xavier Mertz, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Xavier Mertz

Antarctic explorer, mountaineer and skier

Date of Birth: 06-Oct-1882

Place of Birth: Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland

Date of Death: 08-Jan-1913

Profession: alpine skier, mountaineer, explorer

Nationality: Switzerland

Zodiac Sign: Libra


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About Xavier Mertz

  • Xavier Guillaume Mertz (6 October 1882 – 8 January 1913) was a Swiss polar explorer, mountaineer, and skier who took part in the Far Eastern Party, a 1912–1913 component of the Australasian Antarctic expedition, which claimed his life.
  • Mertz Glacier on the George V Coast in East Antarctica is named after him. While a student, Mertz became active as a skier, competing in national competitions, and as a mountaineer, climbing many of the highest peaks in the Alps.
  • In early 1911, Mertz was hired by geologist and explorer Douglas Mawson for his Antarctic expedition.
  • He was initially employed as a ski instructor, but in Antarctica, Mertz instead joined Belgrave Edward Ninnis in the care of the expedition's Greenland huskies. In the summer of 1912–1913, Mertz and Ninnis were chosen by Mawson to accompany him on the Far Eastern Party, using the dogs to push rapidly from the expedition's base in Adélie Land towards Victoria Land.
  • After Ninnis and a sledge carrying most of the food disappeared down a crevasse, 311 miles (501 km) from the expedition's main hut, Mertz and Mawson headed back west, gradually using the dogs to supplement their remaining food stocks. About 100 miles (160 km) from safety, Mertz died, leaving Mawson to carry on alone.
  • The cause of Mertz's death has never been firmly established; the commonly purported theory is hypervitaminosis A—an excessive intake of vitamin A—from consuming the livers of the Huskies.
  • Other theories suggest he may have died from a combination of malnutrition, cold exposure, and psychological stresses.

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