The Southwestern Mountaineers. 1956 was a year of growth for the Southwestern Mountaineers, of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Composed primarily of students, professional, and military personnel from Las Cruces, White Sands, and Fort Bliss, the group has grown to a total of approximately 30 members.

While most of the rock climbing activity has taken place on the granitic spires of the Organ Mountains, which overlook the vast Tularosa basin of southern New Mexico, the club has roamed far afield for its major accomplishments of the year. Summer months saw club members make four ascents of Shiprock. During the Christmas holidays, ascents were made on Pico de Orizaba and Popocatepetl, in Mexico.

Mountaineering activity has not been limited to rock climbing. Three times in the past year, club members have participated in mountain rescue operations in the Organ Mountains. Two inexperienced climbers, who had suffered serious injuries in the nigged Organs, were carried to points where helicopters from the White Sands Proving Grounds were able to pick them up and transfer them to medical aid. A third rescue saw club members remove an unconscious teen-age boy from a mine shaft into which he had fallen. As a result of club rescue activities, a close cooperation exists among the authorities of White Sands Proving Grounds, the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Department, and the Southwestern Mountaineers.

Ronald A. Hahn