The White Ladies of the Glaciers

No Alpine spirit is more famous or more feared than the Dames Blanches, the White Ladies who appear throughout the range. Unlike their lowland cousins who haunt bridges and crossroads, Alpine White Ladies are creatures of ice and storm, beautiful beyond human comprehension and deadly as avalanches.

The Dancers of Mont Blanc

On nights when the full moon illuminates the glaciers of Mont Blanc, climbers report seeing figures dancing on the ice. These White Ladies appear as women in flowing white gowns that never touch the ground, their hair streaming like snow-banners in winds unfelt by mortals. They dance in complex patterns that some claim map the glacier's hidden crevasses—follow their steps exactly, and you'll cross safely. Deviate, and the ice swallows you.

Jacques Balmat, the first to summit Mont Blanc in 1786, left a lesser-known account: "Near the summit, exhausted and snow-blind, I saw them. Three women, white as the snow, dancing where no human could stand without crampons. They beckoned me to join their dance. My companion saw nothing but held me back when I moved toward them. Where they danced, we later found a crevasse that would have swallowed us both. Were they warning or luring? I'll never know, but I left an offering at the summit—my mother's silver cross. Let others think I gave thanks to God. I know who truly guided us."

The Bride of the Matterhorn

The Matterhorn, that perfect pyramid of stone, has its own White Lady—the Bride who waits for her lover's return. Legend says she was betrothed to a guide who attempted the first ascent. When he fell, she threw herself from the same face, but the mountain caught her spirit, condemning her to wait eternally for his return.

She appears to solo climbers, especially those attempting the mountain for glory rather than love of climbing. Sometimes she helps, showing handholds invisible from below. Sometimes she hinders, creating phantom rockfalls or whiting out clear weather. The inconsistency isn't caprice—she judges each climber's heart. Those who climb from pure ambition she torments; those who climb from passion she aids.

Swiss guides from Zermatt maintain traditions: - Never climb the Matterhorn on the anniversary of the first tragedy (July 14) - Leave white flowers at the Hörnli Hut before attempting the summit - If you see her, speak of love—your own or another's—to prove your heart's purity - Never photograph her; cameras malfunction, and those who try face seven years of climbing misfortune

The Mer de Glace Guardian

Above Chamonix, the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) glacier has its own White Lady, older than the others, perhaps predating the ice itself. She doesn't dance but walks the glacier's length, measuring its retreat with steps that leave no mark. Unlike other White Ladies who appear young and beautiful, she ages with the glacier's retreat—guides in the 19th century described a mature woman; now witnesses speak of an ancient crone.

She tests those who would profit from the mountains: - Hotel owners who overcharge face mysterious cancellations - Guides who take unsafe risks find their clients uncommonly clumsy - Developers who would overdevelop lose permits to bureaucratic tangles - But those who respect the mountains' limits find unexpected success

Her message is clear: the mountains give, but not infinitely. Take too much, and she withdraws her protection.