North America, United States, Alaska, Mount Vancouver, Border Peak

Publication Year: 1969.

Mount Vancouver, Border Peak. The Osaka-Fu Mountaineering Association expedition was ied by Nobuo Kuwahara and made up of Yasuhiro Sawada, Tokuji Kawada, Yoshikazu Nishikawa, Suichi Ueda, Toshiaki Miyamoto, Yoshio Mizuta, Masaru Shibata, Masaichi Kimura and Kanji Shimizu. On May 28 all were flown to the Seward Glacier where Base Camp was established at 6000 feet. On the 29th and 30th Camps I and II were established at 6900 and 10,175 feet. It took two days to prepare the route to Camp III (12,200 feet) in a snow cave. Camp IV was another snow cave at 13,000 feet. On June 9 Shibata and Kimura climbed a knife edge to the second rock peak and a col, where they made Camp V, also a snow cave at 14,000 feet. On June 10 the two summit climbers reached the south peak of Mount Vancouver (15,700 feet), “Good Neighbor Peak,” at 11:30 after a six-hour climb. They slept at Camp V and returned on the 11th to Camp II. Meanwhile on June 10 an avalanche occurred 150 feet below Camp II and carried Sawada, Nishikawa and Miyamoto down. Kuwabara remained fixed to the rope. A search of several days did not reveal Sadawa’s body, but the other two were found under the snow. The climb of the southwest ridge was a new route and the second ascent of the south peak.

Ichiro Yoshizawa, Japanese Alpine Club and A.A.C.