Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Inadequate Protection, Inadequate Belay, Exceeding Abilities, California, Yosemite Valley, Bishops Terrace

FALL ON ROCK, INADEQUATE PROTECTION, INADEQUATE RELAY,EXCEEDING ABILITIESCalifornia, Yosemite Valley, Bishops TerraceKeith Kramer (22) was planning on climbing Bishops Terrace with a new climbing partner who had little to no experience. Kramer did...


Feature Article AAJ
East Face of Fitz Roy

East Face of Fitz RoyMiguel Angel Gallego, Club Montañero de Murcia, SpainAT THE SOUTHERN tip of the American continent, the moutains of southern Patagonia offer climbers some of the greatest possibilities for adventure in the whole world. In my o...


Book Reviews AAJ
The Wildest Dream: The Biography of George Mallory

The Wildest Dream: The Biography of George Mallory. Peter and Leni Gillman. Seattle: Mountaineers Books, 2000. 329 pages. $27.95.Since the discovery of George Mallory’s body in 1999 high on the flanks of Mt. Everest, a firestorm of media has refue...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, India, Himachal Pradesh, Miyar Valley, Point JAMES, East Face; Nazomi Peak, Southeast Face; Triple Crown, Southwest Ridge from the West

Point JAMES, east face; Nazomi Peak, southeast face; Triple Crown, southwest ridge from the west. Natasha Sebire and I spent five weeks in the Miyar during August and September. From the standard base camp below Castle Peak, we concentrated our ef...


Accident Tables ANAM
Reported Mountaineering Accidents, Table I

Number of Accidents ReportedTotal Number of Persons InvolvedInjuredKilledYearUSA-CAN.USA-CAN.USA-CAN.USA-CAN.195115221131952313517131953242712121954314131819553439286195646725413195745532818195832392311195942— 256— 231— 019— 2196047— 464— 1237— 81...


Accident Reports ANAM
Hypothermia, Dehydration, Weather, Alaska, Mount McKinley

HYPOTHERMIA, DEHYDRATION, WEATHER Alaska, Mount McKinleyOn May 18,1994, Paul Laeremans (39) and Ingrid Baeyens (38) of the German AMICAL expedition, along with other members of their expedition, began descending the West Buttress route from 14,300...


Feature Article AAJ
Avalanche Fatalities in Himalayan Mountaineering

Avalanche Fatalities in Himalayan MountaineeringDavid M. McClungIntroduction. Avalanches are probably the greatest single cause of fatalities in Himalayan mountaineering and the avalanches as well as the fatal accidents they cause have their own d...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Greenland, Mount Forel

Mount Forel. The second Greenland expedition of Nihon University was led by Hiroshi Nakajima. They traveled from Angmagssalik to Kungmiut, the innermost village of the fjord, and then on to Sioralik. After a sledge trip of 25 days, they arrived at...


Accident Reports ANAM
Faulty Use of Crampon—Fall on Snow, Alaska, Mount McKinley

FAULTY USE OF CRAMPON—FALL ON SNOW Alaska, Mount McKinleyThe Spanish expedition “Lleida McKinley ’96” had eleven climbers in the group, including Juanjo Garra (32). They began their ascent of the West Buttress on May 19. On June 1 at 1300, while a...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Nepal, Khumbu Region, Mahalangur Himal, Everest, Uncommon Events on Standard Routes

Everest, uncommon events on standard routes. In the spring a Greek expedition sent one climbing team to the north side and another to the south to carry to the top their flags of the 2004 Greek Summer Olympic Games. They were the first Greek exped...


In Memoriam AAJ
Elizabeth Cowles Partridge, 1902-1977

ELIZABETH COWLES PARTRIDGEQuite likely her many friends have quite different memories of Betsy, for she was exuberant in her enjoyment of many things. Mountains were her consuming passion—but only one of several. People really interested her the m...


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Failure to Follow Route, Failure to Test Hold, Inadequate Protection – New York, Adirondacks

FALL ON ROCK, FAILURE TO FOLLOW ROUTE, FAILURE TO TEST HOLD, INADEQUATE PROTECTION—New York, Adirondacks,Wallface Mountain. On August 13, a group of six climbers from Rochester, New York, and three from New York City attempted different routes on ...


Feature Article AAJ
The Western Chugach Range, Alaska

The Western Chugach Range, AlaskaJ. Vincent HoemanThe eastern boundary of the Chugach Range has not yet been properly defined, but the western limit is definite, and at this extremity the city of Anchorage flourishes between the arms of Cook Inlet...


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow — Unable to Self-Arrest, Faulty Use of Crampons, Wyoming, Gannet Peak

FALL ON SNOW – UNABLE TO SELF-ARREST, FAULTY USE OF CRAMPONSWyoming, Gannet PeakOn August 10 about 1300, the Sublette County Sheriff’s dispatch center received a call from a party of five on the summit ridge of Gannet Peak (13,804 feet). The party...


In Memoriam AAJ
Norman F. Rohn, 1919-1989

NORMAN F. ROHN1919-1989I first teamed up with Norm Rohn during a Sierra Club trip to the Palisades over Labor Day in 1974. We climbed the rib between the two Underhill Couloirs and proceeded to the base of the impressive summit block of Thunderbol...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Canada, Canadian Arctic, Asgard, Baffin Island

Asgard, Baffin Island. The Auyuittuq National Park guide states that one could be excused for not wishing to return if the “summers” of 1972 or 1974 had been experienced. Quite naturally then, Les Ellison and I concluded that if the daily 1978 sto...


In Memoriam AAJ
Raymond David Caughron, 1943-2002

Raymond David Caughron 1943-2002I first met RD Caughron some 30 years ago, and knew him as a climbing and skiing companion, raconteur, advocate for Yosemite, and leading spirit of the AAC among other roles. But perhaps his greatest role was as a f...


Feature Article AAJ
The Sword and Cuerno North, Paine Mountains, Chile

The Sword and Cuerno Norte, Paine Mountains, ChileRichard D. Hoare, Cambridge University Mountaineering ClubON the evening of December 5, 1971 the South African Patagonian Expedition finally arrived at Pudeto, the end of the road, the last house b...


In Memoriam AAJ
Arthur Hinton Read, 1922-1961

ARTHUR HINTON READ 1922-1961For those of us who have had the opportunity to know and to climb with Arthur Read, the tragic news of his death in an avalanche in Scotland brought shock little less than that his bereaved family suffered. Arthur becam...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Alaska, Ruth Gorge, Mt. Johnson, East Buttress, Attempt

Mt. Johnson, East Buttress, Attempt. Flying into the Ruth Glacier, it’s hard not to notice the sweeping expanse of rock that forms the east buttress of Mt. Johnson. A strong team composed of Jim McCarthy, Yvon Chouinard, Henry Barber and several o...