Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, California, Sierra Nevada, Fresno Dome, Blue Connection

Fresno Dome, Blue Connection. This one-pitch route starts 50 feet to the right of Torn and Frayed and involves an easy ramp followed by a tricky face move and ending with an unprotected water groove. Jack Forsythe and I made the first ascent in Ju...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Africa, Belgian Congo, Ruwenzori

Ruwenzori: A group of Belgians under the leadership of Count Xavier de Grunne, with mountaineering and scientific aims, has left for the exploration of this range, and will approach the mountains from the Belgian Congo on the practically unknown w...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Nepal, Yalung Kang, Southwest Face Attempt

Kangchenjunga Attempt. The highly experienced Italian climber, Sergio Martini, managed to reach 8200 meters on the southwest face of Kangchenjunga on October 11. He and two Nepalese helpers became too exhausted to continue after a month’s effort.E...


Club Activities AAJ
The Mountaineers

Peaks in the San Juan Region, Central Andes. There are many first ascents and new routes to be made in this region. Cordillera de la Brea: This ridge had had only one previous ascent made by Juan Pablo Milana in 1987. At the beginning of 1993, Mar...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Argentina, Cerro Catedral Group

Cerro Catedral Group. Two more climbs of extreme difficulty were made in the Catedral group near Bariloche, both new routes. In March Anselmo Weber and Carlos Bottazzi climbed the Torre "La Vieja” shortly before Weber and Teodoro Sifuentes climbed...


Accident Reports ANAM
Colorado, Boulder Mountain Park

Colorado, Boulder Mountain Park. Dan Franks and Guy Jenks, both 18 and University of Colorado students, began climbing the Third Flatiron about noon on December 2nd. The weather was sunny and warm, but a major winter storm had been predicted for l...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Antarctica, Mont Ross, Kerguelen Island

Mont Ross, Kerguelen Island. In the Indian Ocean at about 50° S. latitude, halfway between Australia and Africa, lies storm-buffeted Kerguelen Island. Its high point, Mont Ross, is only 6070 feet high, but it is heavily glaciated and where the roc...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Wyoming, Table Mountain, Central East Buttress

Table Mountain, Central East Buttress. On September 7, Fred Beckey, Yvon Chouinard, and Ken Weeks ascended the gully separating the north from the central buttress only a short distance before turning left on a small ledge onto the central face. T...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Washington-Cascade Mountains, Crystal Creek Tower, South Face Stuart Range

Crystal Creek Tower, South Face Stuart Range. On July 4 Shari Kearney, Steve Mitchell and I climbed a clean, short wall on the tower’s south face. Obvious jam-cracks led up the center of the face. NCCS II, F8.Alan Kearney


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Wyoming—Tetons, Fourteen-Hour Pinnacle, Southeast Couloir

Fourteen-Hour Pinnacle, Southeast Couloir. An apparently easier but more dangerous route to this summit was found on August 5 by Dennis Menhet and Alan Rubin; no direct aid was used. After scrambling up about one third of the gully to the left of ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Afghanistan, Mir Samir

Mir Samir. Mir Samir (19,059 feet) was climbed on July 8 by Shuichi Tani, Junichi Chiba and Nobuki Togashi. This Chiba University expedition was led by Toshitaka Chuhma. Shinichi Konuki also took part.Ichiro Yoshizawa, Japanese Alpine Club


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Utah, Climbs in Canyonlands National Park

Climbs in Canyonlands National Park. Jeff Achey and I free-climbed the last aid route on Moses, a 500-foot sandstone tower in Taylory Canyon. Ironically, the route, though 5.11, was the easiest of the three routes on the tower. In the spring Charl...


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Inadequate Belay, Inadequate Protection, Inexperience, Alberta, Rocky Mountains, Mount Freshfield

FALL ON ROCK, INADEQUATE BELAY, INADEQUATE PROTECTION, INEXPERIENCEAlberta, Rocky Mountains, Mount FreshfieldOn September 14, 1981, a party of four left Niverville Meadows to climb Mount Freshfield.They gained the summit via the south ridge and be...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Chilean Patagonia, Torres del Diablo and The Bader Valley, Various Ascents

Torres del Diablo and The Bader Valley, Various Ascents. On January 18, John Merriam, Dylan Taylor, Darrel Gschwendtner and I teamed up with Mark Slovak and Robert Bodrogi to visit the Torres del Diablo (a.k.a. Grupo La Paz). Five hours south of P...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Peru, Cordillera Blanca, Paron Valley, La Esfinge, Dion's Dihedral

La Esfinge, Dion’s Dihedral. On June 23, after two weeks of effort, Larry Dolecki and I climbed to the 5325-meter summit of La Esfinge, completing the first ascent of a big wall aid route on the mountain’s east face. La Esfinge is a beautiful alpi...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Nepal, Kangchungtse (Makalu II)

Kangchungtse (Makalu II). All members of an eight-man expedition climbed Kangchungtse’s east ridge from the north col. Base Camp was established on September 8 and Camp IV at 24,475 feet on October 8. On October 9 a Swiss and an American reached t...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Canada, Rocky Mountains of Canada, Cathedral Pass

Cathedral Pass. As a better route, superseding the Dennis and Duchesnay route from Field to Lake O’Hara, Cathedral Pass (8800 ft.) crosses between Mt. Stephen and the Cathedral massif. It is reached on the railroad side by a 3-mile walk or ride to...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Himalayas, Nanga Parbat

Nanga Parbat. The German expedition of this last year, composed of W. Merkl, leader; Peter Aschenbrenner; F. Bechtold ; A. Drexel ; P. Müllritter; W. Welzenbach; U. Wieland; W. Bernard, doctor ; H. Hieronimus ; and E. Schneider as climbers made a ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Oceania, Irian Jaya, Puncak Trikora, 1987

Puncak Trikora, 1987. On August 16, 1987, Günter and Werner Hönlinger and I made the first ascent of Puncak Trikora (4765 meters, 15,633 feet) by its west ridge.Wolfgang Axt, Österreichischer Alpenverein


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Darkness, New York, Shawangunks

FALL ON ROCK, DARKNESSNew York, ShawangunksOn October 20,1985, a man (35) had finished climbing late in the evening. He unroped and was going to relieve himself when he took a fatal fall to the ground from the top of Skytop Cliff. (Source: Tom Sch...