Accident Reports ANAM
Ice Avalanche, British Columbia, Coast Mountains, Slesse Mountains

ICE AVALANCHEBritish Columbia, Coast Mountains, Slesse MountainEric Dirksen (24) and Seph Fraden (24) were approaching Slesse’s northeast buttress about 3 p.m. on August 1, 1980. The weather was hot and the route passes under a hanging glacier fro...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Antarctica, Mount Viets and 4811, Ascents

Mount Viets and 4811, Ascents. French alpininsts Erik Decamp and Catherine Destivelle made two first ascents in Antarctica. A full account of their climbs appears earlier in this journal.


Club Activities AAJ
A.A.C., New York Section

New York Section. The beginning of any new decade brings with it a moment of reflection and analysis. During the 2000’s the New York Section Alpine Club Community almost doubled in size. Perhaps more important than membership growth, however, was ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Alaska, Alaska Range, Denali, First Double Amputee to Summit

Denali, First Double Amputee to Summit. Korean climber Kim Hong Bin became the first double amputee to summit Denali, which he did via the West Buttress route. Bin had lost both hands to frostbite on a 1991 Denali accident.Denali National Park Rep...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Bolivia, Illamptu

Illampu. Our five-man expedition climbed Illampu (6362 meters, 20,873 feet) by the 1964 Yugoslavian route up the west ridge. Only Jan Häusler and I reached the summit on June 18. This was the first Norwegian ascent of the peak.Terje Kleiven, Norsk...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Bolivia, Illimani

Illimani. We two made access through the village of Mina Urania by a long moraine which rises directly to the southwest face of Illimani. Our first attempt was in the middle of the face which we climbed in very difficult gullies, hoping to reach a...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Canada, Yukon Territory, St. Elias Range, Mt. Kennedy, Northwest Face

Mt. Kennedy, northwest face. As a two-man team, Jon Bracey and I wanted a challenging mixed objective we could attempt alpine style, and the northwest face of Mt. Kennedy fit the bill perfectly. In 1996 Jack Tackle and Jack Roberts climbed their P...


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Climbing Unroped — Washington, Lundin Peak

FALL ON ROCK, CLIMBING UNROPEDWashington, Lundin PeakOn May 9, 1982, Agris Moruss (40) fell 450 meters to his death. He was leading a student party of ten from the Boeing Alpine Club, with two other instructors, to the summit of Lundin Peak. He wa...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Italian Expedition to Tibet and Pakistan to Conduct Further Observations on the Altitude of Mount Everest and K2

Italian Expedition to Tibet and Pakistan to Conduct Further Observations on the Altitude of Mount Everest and K2. (Professor Ardito Desio, who organized and was in overall charge of the group that undertook the new measurements, has kindly supplie...


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Climbing Alone, Placed No Protection — California, Yosemite Valley

FALL ON ROCK, CLIMBING ALONE, PLACED NO PROTECTIONCalifornia, Yosemite ValleyOn August 17, 1984, a climber named Ernie Milan described the following accident to park rangers.About 1200 on August 17, 1984, Milan was with a partner at the base of Lo...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Chile, Southern Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, Seasons Overview and a Note on Permits

Torres del Paine, Season Overview and a Note on Permits. The weather this season was the worst since at least 1996. From October to late March, we had maybe ten days of good weather for climbing. But March was excellent: we had more nice days in t...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
United States, Washington—Cascade Mountains, Lexington Spire, East Face, Right Side, "Tooth and Claw"

Lexington Spire, East Face, Right Side, “Tooth and Claw.” This seven-pitch route ascends slabs, roofs and discontinuous systems to the right of the standard east-face route. On June 24, Dave Tower and I scrambled to the highest ledge at the base o...


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded, Weather, Inadequate Clothing, Food, and Equipment, California, Yosemite Valley, Higher Cathedral Rock

STRANDED, WEATHER, INADEQUATE CLOTHING, FOOD, AND EQUIPMENTCalifornia, Yosemite Valley, Higher Cathedral RockOn May 15, Christopher Simmons (26) and Emily Craft (28) became benighted on the eleventh pitch of the North East Buttress route on Higher...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Greenland, East Greenland, North Lemon Mountains, First Ascent of The Spear and Others

North Lemon Mountains, first ascent of The Spear and others. As our drop-off point was not a suitable base for climbing in the Lemon Mountains, Geoff Cohen and I left for the Frederiks-borg Glacier 19 miles away. Two days’ of travel were needed to...


In Memoriam AAJ
Merl Lavoy, 1886-1953

MERL LAVOY1886-1953It was in the spring of 1910 that Herschel Parker and I first met Merl LaVoy. We were in Seattle completing the final arrangements for our 1910 Mt. McKinley trip when he volunteered to join us as expedition photographer. One loo...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Canada, Nunavut, Canadian Arctic, Breidablik, Asgard and Other Peaks, Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island

Breidablik, Asgard and Other Peaks, Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island. Our German Alpine Club (DAV) Training Expedition was active on Baffin Island from June 30 to August 18. We established our Base Camp on the southeast bank of the Weasel River...


Accident Reports ANAM
New Hampshire, Mt. Washington

New Hampshire, Mt. Washington. On 27 January Robert Ellenberg (19), C. Neale Yoder (25), and Scott Stevens (19), apparently were descending Huntington Ravine between Central and Damnation Gullys. The reason for the fall was not known, but it is pr...


Accident Reports ANAM
Shoulder Dislocation, Alberta, Rocky Mountains, Mount Throne

SHOULDER DISLOCATION Alberta, Rocky Mountains, Mount ThroneOn August 24, 1988, five climbers were short-roping on moderate terrain on an intermediate rock climb as part of a warden service training climb. Just below the summit ridge, while one of ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Peru, Cordillera Vilcanota, Various Ascents

Various ascents. Our expedition included Stanko Mihev, Franc and Janeta Pusnik, Samo Rupreht, Matjaz Prislan, Marko Anzelak, Igor Plesivcnik, Peter Naglia, Peter Jeromel, and me as leader. We started from Malma on June 30, with 20 horses for the 1...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Wyoming, Tetons, West Ridge of the Middle Teton

West Ridge of the Middle Teton. The long west ridge of the Middle Teton was ascended for the first time on August 4, 1955, by William Buckingham and Mary Lou Nohr. From the south fork of Cascade Canyon we followed a broad couloir into the lower en...