Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Dharamsura, Northwest Face, Second Ascent; Papsura, South Face Direct India, Himachal Pradesh, Kullu Valley

AFTER LEADING the first Korean Way project in 2016, climbing the south face of Gangapurna (AAJ 2017), I led a second expedition with the concept of fostering a younger generation of Korean climbers, developing their skills and experience. I was jo...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Kim Chang-ho


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Pirrit Hills: The First Technical Climbs Antarctica, Pirrit Hills

IN JANUARY 2018 a team of five from the elite Groupe Militaire de Haute Montagne (GMHM) visited the Pirrit Hills, an isolated group of sharp granite peaks, around 13km in length, sitting on the icecap around 160km south of the Antarctic Logistics ...

| Keywords
| Published 2018 | Author Damien Gildea


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Ulvetanna, Stetind, Fenris, and Many Other Peaks Antarctica, Queen Maud Land, Orvin Fjella

From December 1–17 our team of seven climbers, ranging in age from mid-20s to mid-50s and comprising Jimmy Chin, Savannah Cummins, Pablo Durana, Alex Honnold, Anna Pfaff, Cedar Wright, and me, visited the Fenris Kjeften (Wolf's Jaw) in the mountai...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Conrad Anker


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Inugsuarmiut Fjord, Plan B Tower Greenland, East Greenland

It was 1998 when I first landed in Greenland. Little did I know it would be the beginning of a long love affair with grand rock walls and towers, majestic polar bears, giant diamond-like icebergs, unique Inuit friends, and an endless list of wonde...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Mike Libecki


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Tara Tower, The Source Canada, Northwest Territories, Cirque of the Unclimbables

THE TRIP STARTED as a 10-year-old dream of Luke Holloway's, one of my longest climbing partners: Boat the Little Nahanni and South Nahanni rivers to Brintnell Creek, hike into the Cirque of the Unclimbables, then boat the Nahanni for another 100 m...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author David Allfrey


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Tsaranoro Be, Lalan'i Mpanjaka Madagascar, Andringitra Mountains, Tsaranoro Massif

More than two decades ago, Bernd Arnold and friends traveled to Madagascar in search of big cliffs. They had hardly any information, only an illusory description of rocks from a missionary. In the Tsaranoro Valley, the party found impressive walls...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Tobaias Wolf


In Memoriam AAJ
Frederick O. Johnson, 1927 – 2017

Frederick O. Johnson died on November 1 in his Berkeley, California, home of heart failure, following dinner with his wife of 67 years. A fourth-generation Californian, Fred was born in Los Angeles and was a longtime resident of Berkeley. During h...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author The Editors


In Memoriam AAJ
Paul B. Crews, 1917 – 2017

Paul Beatty Crews, pioneer Alaskan climber and founder in 1958 of the Mountaineering Club of Alaska (MCA), died in Anchorage on July 20. He was just 18 days shy of his 100th birthday. He had led an active, exciting, and inquiring life, and as a na...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Tom Meacham


In Memoriam AAJ
Fred Beckey Remembered

Fred Beckey had three favorite subjects that he enjoyed talking about: challenging mountains, the weather, and the pursuit of women. His photographic memory of mountains and challenging new routes was amazing. His obsession with climbing made him ...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Alex Bertulis


In Memoriam AAJ
Fred Beckey, 1923 – 2017

In July 1938 the north face of the Eiger was finally climbed, after many attempts and multiple fatalities. It was Europe’s greatest prize in climbing at the time and a widely celebrated ascent. During the same period, a similar race was taking pla...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Colin Haley


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Tetleh Kangri, First Ascent via Northwest Face India, Zanskar

In September, Juan Diego Amador and David Pérez (Spain) made the first ascent of Tetleh Kangri (6,025m altimeter reading; 33°12'45"N, 76°51'20"E), toward the head of the Tetleh Nala, one of the three main offshoots of the Raru Valley. The peak had...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cordón Cochrane, Cerro Cremilda Chile, Northern Patagonia, Aysén Region

In December 2015, Marissa Bieger and Marcelo Mascareño made the first known ascent of Cerro Cremilda (1,980m), the northern point of a chain of rocky spires northwest of Monte San Lorenzo. They approached via old horse trails, following the river ...

| Keywords
| Published 2015


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South Avellano Tower, East Face Chile, Northern Patagonia, Aysén Region

British climbers Ruth Bevan, John Crook, John McCune, Will Sim, and Paul Swall spent several weeks in the Avellano Towers, north of Lago General Carrera, in early 2018. The climbers made several first ascents, notably the east face of South Avella...

| Keywords
| Published 2018


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Climbing Potential on the North Patagonian Icefield Chile, Northern Patagonia, Aysén Region

The North Patagonian Icefield has enormous potential for exploration and mountaineering. The area can be divided in three zones: The northern section is mostly within the basin of the San Rafael Glacier and is dominated by Monte San Valentin (4,03...

| Keywords
| Published N/A | Author Camilo Rada


Accident Reports ANAM
Crevasse Fall – Climbing Unroped Alaska, Alaska Range, Denali

At 2:40 p.m. on May 26, Alpine Ascents International (AAI) guide Stuart Robertson reported that a climber on an independent team had fallen into a crevasse while traveling unroped at 8,300 feet on Denali’s West Buttress Route. Robertson and fellow...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Denali Mountaineering Rangers


Editorials And Prefaces ANAM
Preventing Lowering Accidents

I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY if every reader of this book would make a simple three-step pledge. Doing so might save a few lives. A few of your own lives.This year’s edition reports a worrying leap in the number of accidents while lowering or preparing t...

| Keywords
| Published N/A | Author Dougald MacDonald


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Papsura, West Face, Variation and First Ski Descent of Peak India, Himalchal Pradesh, Kullu Valley

In May, Americans Chris Figenshau, Jim Morrison, and Hilaree O’Neill climbed a variation start to the 1991 New Zealand route up the west face couloir on Papsura (6,461m) and then skied back down it, completing the first ski descent of the mountain...

| Keywords
| Published 2017


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Uli Biaho Gallery, Mountain Medicine and Sandwasser & Kasnudeln Pakistan, Karakoram, Baltoro Muztagh

In 2016, Johannes Steidl and I were in the Baltoro, our first expedition to Pakistan. During our stay we repeated all but the last few pitches of Sadu Masu (450, 6c) on Sadu Peak, PM Route (250m, 5.10+) on Little Trango (with a variant start to av...

| Keywords
| Published 2016 | Author Vittorio Messini


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Trango Tower, Southwest Face, Claire de Lune with New Start Pakistan, Karakoram, Baltoro Muztagh

Alexei Kurochkin, Konstantin Markevitch, and Dmitry Skotnikov (all from Russia) established a direct start to the Swiss route Claire de Lune on the southwest face of Trango Tower (6,250m), adding around 600m of difficult climbing.In 1999, Gabriel ...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Link Sar, East Face, Attempt Pakistan, Karakoram, Masherbrum Mountains

Steve Swenson, Chris Wright, and I spent the summer close to the junction of the Kaberi and Kondus glaciers, near the border with India. While ultimately unsuccessful in our goal of climbing the east face of Link Sar (7,041m) due to bad weather, h...

| Keywords
| Published 2017 | Author Graham Zimmerman