 Xavier Mertz was born in Basel , the son of Emile Mertz , who owned a large engineering firm in the city . With the aim of working in the family business , which manufactured textile machinery , Mertz attended the University of Bern , where he studied patent law . While in Bern , he became active as a mountaineer and skier . Mertz competed in several national competitions ; in 1906 he was third in the Swiss cross @-@ country skiing championship , and second in the German championship . In 1908 , he won the Swiss ski jumping championship , with a distance of 31 metres ( 102 ft ) . As a mountaineer , he was particularly prolific in the Alps ; he climbed Mont Blanc — the highest peak in the range — and claimed several first ascents of other mountains . After he attained his degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Bern , Mertz studied science at the University of Lausanne ; he specialised in glacier and mountain formations , for which he received his second doctorate . 
