Namcha Barwa. Japanese and Chinese climbers reconnoitered Namcha Barwa, the world’s highest unclimbed peak, in November and December, 1990 and reached 6900 meters on Naipun. A Sino-Japanese attempt in the autumn of 1991 reached 7460 meters, but un...
Mount Formidable, West Face. On September 6, Stim Bullitt and I made the first ascent of the west face of this picturesque but remote mountain in the North Cascades. We found the rock sounder and the climbing more enjoyable here than on the north ...
New Climbs in the Northern PicketsW. B. Spickard, M.D.Tucked away in the northern part of the western rampart of the Cascades, between Mount Shuksan and Ross Lake in the state of Washington, is some of the wildest, ruggedest, and least visited cou...
Trimukhi Parbat. A 12-member Indian Army team, led by Major Bhajan Singh Bisht, approached the Jadhganga valley via Uttarkashi and Bhairon Ghati. They first climbed Nandi (5795 meters, 19,012 feet), and then Trimukhi Parbat East (6280 meters, 20,6...
The Mountaineers. The core climbing programs of The Mountaineers proceed with the same popularity as ever. These programs place high value in having a “stewardship” requirement and promoting a leave-no-trace ethic. Participants have many opportuni...
Hainablak East Tower, Attempt. (This account clarifies an inaccurate report from last year’s volume; see 1998 AAJ, pp. 321-322.) On our three-man, four-week Karakoram big wall expedition, we attempted the unclimbed 1400-meter northeast face of Hai...
FALL ON ROCKWest Virginia, Seneca Rocks, West FaceOn August 20, Kel Young was leading “The Prune” at Seneca Rocks. He had placed protection above the small ledge which is just below the finish of the second pitch. After a couple of moves, he fell,...
Ausangate, Southeast Ridge 1980. With Peruvian Erasmo Aparicio, I made a new route on Ausangate, the southeast ridge. This 500-meter- high snow and ice ridge and face averaged 50° We belayed in the upper portion because of bad snow and ice conditi...
Considered too blank and featureless for climbing, the massive south face of the Drip Buttress remained untouched for years. Bruce Anderson and I took it to task over a three-day extended push in the early summer of 1992, establishing Degrees of F...
FALL ON SNOW—FAULTY USE OF CRAMPONSOregon, Mount Hood, South SideOn April 4, a climber (32) was glissading below Crater Rock when his crampons snagged on hard snow, resulting in a fractured tibia. (Source: Jeff Sheetz, Portland Mountain Rescue)(Ed...
Everest Summer Attempt. Nick Banks and then Iain Peter from the UK led five Britons, a New Zealander, an Australian and a Dane on the North Col route of Everest. The leader, one member and three Sherpas reached a high point of 8200 meters on July ...
Voyager Rock, Space Probe. This is the first dome east of the southern portion of Courtright Reservoir. A multi-crowned pine below the south face is near the start of the route Alan Swanson and I climbed. After a short third-class section, we clim...
Washington, Mox Peak. On August 20, Warren B. Spickard (43), R. Duke Watson, and Phil E. Sharpe were descending after the second ascent of Mox Peak. They were on a moderately steep pitch. Watson had a solidsitting hip belay on Spickard as he climb...
Dhaulagiri I and Annapurna I, Solo Ascents. For two months, I made a trip into loneliness as I lived in deep contact with the mountains with no other communication than with my small team (sirdar, cook) in Base Camp. It was a trip with adrenaline....
Perdition Peak, Northeast Rib. The most dramatic line on Backbone ridge, this spine shoots arrow-straight from the Perdition Glacier to the summit of Perdition Peak. My wife, Stephanie Subak, and I climbed it on July 14. We took the Sibley Creek a...
British Columbia, Coast Range, Tantalus Range, Mt. Alpha. Four climbers were descending a 100-foot snow slope at 6,500 feet ending in talus during an Alpine Club of Canada trip 4 August. Three completed standing glissades unroped in the soft snow....
FALL ON ROCK, LACK OF CONCENTRATION, NO HARD HATOntario, Bon Echo Provincial ParkAt approximately 4 p.m. on August 1, 1982, Robert Jones (41) was leading the third pitch on One Pine Route. He was roped in with four other climbers. He slipped on th...
FALL ON ROCK, INADEQUATE PROTECTION, NO HARD HATArkansas, Sam's ThroneOn March 10, a climber (36) was looking at a climb from the top of a route, but he was not tied in. He fell 50 to 60 feet and suffered major head injuries, fractures, and other ...
Mount Whitney. This long route, The Hairline, ascends between the Great Book and the Direct East Face. It starts with 5.10 face climbing (bolt protected) to attain cracks which don’t quite reach the ground. It crosses the East Face route just belo...
Disteghil Sar, Attempt and Tragedy. It was reported that two Britons and a New Zealander died in an avalanche high on the 25,869-foot Disteghil Sar in August. A Pakistani official in the northern town of Gilgit said the climbers, whom he identifie...