FALL ON ROCK, ROPE PULLS THROUGH BELAY DEVICENorth Carolina, Hawksbill Mountain, Linville Gorge WildernessOn September 20, AG (26) and AA (30) were climbing at the “Fischesser Wall,”a little known sport climbing area on the upper wall of Hawksbill...
Desert Rock: A Climber’s Guide to the Canyon Country of the American Southwest Desert. Eric Bjørnstad. Chockstone Press, Denver, 1988. 453 pages, black-and-white photographs, topos, maps. $25.00 (paper). Those who have climbed in the American des...
Beka Brakai Chhok, attempt; Wahine (5,820m), first ascent. In June and July 2007, Lydia Bradey and I attempted the first ascent of Beka Brakai Chhok (6,940m) in the Batura massif. Arriving in Pakistan in early June, we spent four days walking into...
Tibet, tips on organizing a climbing trip. All peaks over 5,500 meters in Tibet officially require a climbing permit, which be issued by the Chinese Tibetan Mountaineering Association. CTMA is the government organization authorized to oversee moun...
After Thin AirThe legacy of the 1996 Mount Everest tragedyby Michael ChesslerYou already know the names of the mountain and the climbers. Climbing mania like this had never happened before. It started with what was supposed to be a routine guided ...
FALL ON ROCK, NO HARD HATCalifornia, Yosemite Valley, El CapitanOn August 16, about noon, Brian Biega (23) was leading the 6th pitch of the Salathe Wall, belayed by Andreas Zegers (24). Their goal was to make Mammoth Terrace in two hours. They had...
On January 24 a party of three had begun the first of pitch Ice Nine, a water ice Grade 6 route. One climber was leading, one was belaying from behind the curtain of the first pitch and the third climber was sitting on her pack watching the leader...
Annapurna I, south face, new route attempt. Ueli Steck of Switzerland wanted to complete a route on Annapurna I’s vast south face that had been started in the autumn of 1992 by French climbers Pierre Beghin and Jean-Christophe Lafaille. These two ...
Aguja Guillaumet, North Face. On December 8, 1996, Luca Maspes (Italy) soloed the complete northwest pillar (400 meters, 6 A1).
Colorado National Monument, Various Ascents. Over the Edge Spire was climbed by its west face via Child’s Play (II 5.8+R) by Jon Burnham and Bill Duncan. The east face was climbed by Mike Colacino, Scott Evens, and Matt Simpson via One Toke Over t...
Dartmouth Mountaineering Club. 1992 was an excellent year for the education and incorporation of new members into the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club. The winter was not spent entirely by the fireside: the club sponsored two educational trips, accli...
Mt. Herman Buhl, New Route, Previously Unreported. Carl Oswald and his brother climbed a wicked new route up a sub-peak called “Mt. Herman Buhl” in the Chugach Mountains in November of 1997, with difficulties up to WI6 R. Further details are lacki...
Pico Micarí, Southeast Face, Sierra de la Culata. With sisters Clara and Consuelo Torre, I set out to climb the interesting southeast rock face of Pico Micarí or Bartolo (4441 meters, 14,570 feet), located in the central district of the Sierra de ...
Monda Kangri (6,425m), West Peak (6,292m), first ascents. Two Japanese parties have visited the Monda Kangri massif. The second party, consisting mainly of Hida Mountaineering Club members, made the first ascent of its main peak in 2007. The first...
The Tusk, West Ridge. The view of the Florence Range from the abandoned lodge at Ben-My-Chree on Tagish Lake is dominated by a sharp pointed peak with twin summits known locally as the Tusk. The summit of the Tusk is easily attained by a steep tal...
SLIP ON SNOW-INVOLUNTARY GLISSADE, INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT, NO HARD HAT, INEXPERIENCEColorado, Hagues PeakOn March 16, 1982, six members of Explorer Post #104 went into the Lawn Lake area (about 5½ miles from the trail head) to camp and hike in the M...
Huacratanca Traverse, Cordillera Urubamba. David Nicholson and I traversed the two peaks of Huacratanca from August 3 to 9. We went up the southwest glacier and up the west ridge. The northwest summit has been given as about 5200 meters and the ea...
Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park. On 7 July Edwin W. Speth (26) and Tomm Peterson were climbing the second pitch on the Jensen Ridge on Symmetry Spire. Speth was leading. He had gone slightly off route and was about 75 feet above the belay posit...
Gasherbrum II. Our expedition had two climbers, Tiziano Zünd and me, and was accompanied by three friends, Lorenza Cattaneo, Angelo Zanetti, all Swiss, and Frenchman Claude Belli. After a 14-day approach from Skardu, we set up Base Camp on July 3 ...
Cordillera Raura, Various New Routes. Our team was composed of Germans Dieter Ruelker, Joerg Stingl, Axel Jahn, Jan Lettke, and me as leader. After three weeks of classic ice climbs in the Cordillera Blanca (the Simpson Spur on Ranrapalca, the Wes...