 In 1866 he worked to install a new wooden refuge for climbers attempting to climb Mont Blanc via the Grand Mulets route.In 1892 he was at the forefront of a campaign to stop the construction of the Montenvers Railway (from Chamonix to Montenvers) near the Mer de Glace.He argued that it would not attract tourists to the town, but would adversely affect the town's economy by taking trade away from the mule owners and porters who had previously taken visitors and their belongings up the mountain path.