Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, India—Garhwal, Bhagirathi II Tragedy

Bhagirathi II Tragedy. Dariusz Kubik, Marek Raganowicz, Jan Nowak, Miroslaw Dasal and I as leader hoped to ascend alpine-style the still unclimbed 1200-high west face of Bhagirathi II (6512 meters, 21,364 feet) in ten or twelve days. The lower par...


In Memoriam AAJ
Paul Van Anda, d.1982

PAUL VAN ANDAPaul Van Anda, an American Alpine Club member since 1933, died on January 21, 1982 in Salt Lake City. He was an estate and corporation lawyer who lived in Upper Nyack, New York. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard Coll...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Africa, Madagascar, Tsaranoro Be, New Routes

Tsaranoro Be, new routes. The prominent series of corners that form the right side of the Yellow Pillar left of Gondwanaland was climbed in May by South Africans, Alard Hüfner, Mike Mason, and Matthew Munting. This “classic” line had been attempte...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Afghanistan, Shah-I-Anjuman

Shah-i-Anjuman. An expedition from the Iwate Medical University Alpine Club, led by Yukata Yasui, made the second ascent of Shah-i- Anjuman (19,772 feet) on July 28 by a new route. The summiters were Toshinori Takahashi, Tomoaki Fujioka, Hitohiro ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Pakistan, Karun Koh Attempt

Karun Koh Attempt. Towering over the mountains around it at 7350 metres (24,115 feet), Karun Koh lies north of the main Karakoram chain. It is only open to joint expeditions. It had been attempted only once, by an Austrian expedition led by Robert...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Canada, Canadian Arctic, Nunavut, Climbs in Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island

Climbs in Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island. Matt Walsh and I spent a month in Auyuittuq National Park and except for the walk up the Weasel valley, we traveled on cross-country skis. We did a lot of ski touring because the weather was often ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Pakistan, Nanga Parbat

Nanga Parbat. Our expedition was composed of Hitoshi Tamada, Masanori Sato and me as leader and Base Camp Manager Miss Kyoko Miyoshi. Our route was the 1962 German route on the Diamir Face. We established Base Camp, Camps I, II, III and IV at 3900...


Accident Reports ANAM
Bad Weather, Exposure, Hypothermia, Inadequate Equipment, California, Lamarck Col

BAD WEATHER, EXPOSURE, HYPOTHERMIA, INADEQUATE EQUIPMENTCalifornia, Lamarck ColThis account is a classic description of how hiking in the higher elevations far from the road head can turn into a mountaineering experience requiring the knowledge an...


Accident Reports ANAM
Protection Came Out — Fall on Rock, California, Yosemite Valley, Cookie Cliff

PROTECTION CAME OUT—FALL ON ROCKCalifornia, Yosemite Valley, Cookie CliffOn July 14, Darko Dular (33), of Zagreb, Croatia, received fatal injuries in a fall on the Hardd climbing route at Cookie Cliff.Hardd is a two-pitch free climb, rated 5.11b, ...


Feature Article AAJ
Eroica, Mount Hunter

Eroica, Mount HunterRoy Ruddle, Alpine Climbing GroupWHEN JONATHAN PRESTON AND I met for the first time at an Alpine Club symposium in North Wales in November 1988, we were both very keen to visit Alaska. Our friendship and mutual trust were cemen...


Feature Article AAJ
Untapped Potential, Exploring the Chinese Central Tien Shan

Untapped PotentialExploring the Chinese Central Tien Shan.Paul Knott and Bruce NormandFor several years each of us had noticed that the range of high mountains in the Central Tien Shan is much more extensive than its two famous peaks, Pik Pobeda (...


Accident Reports ANAM
Alberta, Mt. Blane

Alberta, Mt. Blane. On August 26, Dieter Raubach (23) and Gordon Crocker (29) were attempting a new route on the west face of Mt. Blane (9,600 ft.). The weather and climbing conditions were excellent. At about 9300 ft. Raubach ascended a 30-ft. ve...


Accident Reports ANAM
Frostbite, Inadequate Equipment, Alaska, Mt. McKinley

FROSTBITE, INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT Alaska, Mt. McKinleyOn March 17, 1980, Ron Gregg and Ernie Shiwanov (26) left Park Headquarters to ski to Wonder Lake and the Muldrow Glacier. They planned to climb Pioneer Ridge and to use Taylor Spur for their app...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Argentina, Aconcagua, Solo Ascent of South Face and Hang Glider Descent

Aconcagua, Solo Ascent of South Face and Hang-Glider Descent. Two separate French expeditions were active on Aconcagua in February. Ivan Ghirardini soloed the south face, reaching the summit on February 3 after four days of climbing. On the summit...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Nepal, Upper Dolpo, Mahalangur Himal—Makalu Section, Makalu, Winter Attempts

Makalu, winter attempts. Five of the six 8,000m peaks still to be climbed in winter lie in the Pakistan Karakoram. The sixth, Makalu (8,485m) lies in eastern Nepal. Two teams were on the mountain together this winter. One was the tried and tested ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, India, Sikkim Himalaya, Northern Sikkim, Various Ascents

Northern Sikkim, Various Ascents. Only one expedition gained permission to climb in Sikkim during 1996. After prolonged, extensive and persistent negotiation, an eight-man Anglo-American group led by Doug Scott became the first western mountaineer...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Alaska, Ruth Gorge, Mt. Huntington, West Face, Attempt

Mt. Huntington, West Face, Attempt. After flying over 1,200 miles of seamless clouds, Brad Grohusky and I were assured that the rumors of a particularly wet season in Alaska were true. The clouds looked just as permanent from below as the Talkeetn...


Book Reviews AAJ
Snow & Spire: Flights to Winter in the North Cascade Range, Mountain

Snow & Spire: Flights to Winter in the North Cascade Range. John Scurlock. Silt, CO: Wolverine Publishing. Many color photographs. 192 pages. Hardcover. $59.95.Mountain. Sandy Hill. New York: Rizzoli. 2011. 352 pages. Many color and B&W ph...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Montana, Castle Mountains

Castle Mountains. On June 7, Keith Brunckhorst and I climbed the west hanging buttress on the Stone Pillar behind the Stone Pillar Ranch. The first pitch was up a 5.10a slab now protected by two bolts to gain a 70-foot finger to hand crack. The se...


In Memoriam AAJ
Robert G. Allison, 1928-2007

Robert G. Allison 1928–2007Bob Allison died April 22, at the age of 78, after a long struggle with cancer. He was serving at the time of his death as chair of the AAC’s Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch Committee. He had previously served for many years...