Accident Tables ANAM
Reported Mountaineering Accidents, Table III

TABLE IIINumbers Refer to Persons Directly Involved1951-74 USA1959-74 CAN.1975 USA1975 CAN.TerrainRock128510559Snow66810147Ice11River500Unknown1020Ascent or DescentAscent97712074Descent8477928Unknown13085Immediate CauseFall or slip on rock7315542S...


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow, Unstable Snow Conditions, Inadequate Protection, Fatigue, Varying Levels of Experience, Alaska, Mount Hunter

FALL ON SNOW, UNSTABLE SNOW CONDITIONS, INADEQUATE PROTECTION, FATIGUE, VARYING LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE Alaska, Mount HunterOn June 8, 1994, Patti Saurman (31), Chris Walburgh (28), David Saurman (30), and Don Sharaf (28) flew to the Southeast Fork o...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Tibet, Himalaya, Shimokangri, First Ascent

Shimokangri, first ascent. The Alpine Club of POSCO (the largest steel mill in Korea) made the first ascent of Shimokangri (7,204m) on September 29. An expedition of eight climbers, led by Li In Oei, put five on top: Nam Yong Mo (climbing leader),...


Accident Reports ANAM
Appendicitis, Alaska, Mount McKinley, Muldrow Glacier

APPENDICITISAlaska, Mount McKinley, Muldrow GlacierOn June 19 at 2345, a National Outdoor Leadership School expedition requested a helicopter to evacuate a sick student located at 7,200 feet on the Muldrow Glacier.At 0900 that day, Tilney felt nau...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Nepal, Khumbu Region, Mahalangur South, Kusum Kanguru (6,367m), South Ridge

Kusum Kanguru (6,367m), south ridge, new route attempt. From the 10th of November until the 21st of November Young Chet and I from Alaska attempted to climb the “Dream Pillar” [see Venables’ note to follow] on the south ridge of Kusum Kanguru. We ...


In Memoriam AAJ
Glenn Leland Converse, 1937-1977

GLENN LELAND CONVERSE1937-1974Occasionally there is an individual whose presence is so strongly felt among his associates that his death is simply incomprehensible. Such a person was Glenn Leland Converse. After the avalanche on Nevado Huandoy whi...


Feature Article AAJ
The Problem of the Wilderness

The Problem of the WildernessRobert MarshallIT IS appalling to reflect how much useless energy has been ex- pended in arguments which would have been inconceivable had the terminology been defined. In order to avoid such futile controversy I shall...


Feature Article AAJ
The Czechoslovakian Exchange

The Czechoslovakian ExchangeMark WilfordBEING A SELF-CONFESSED sandstone and adrenaline addict, I’m continually looking for my next fix. Having such traits, a visit to the spawning grounds of my obsession would be quite a treat. That is, as long a...


Feature Article AAJ
The UIAA Climbing Classification System

The UIAA Climbing Classification SystemFritz WiessnerInterest and activity in all phases of mountaineering increased tremendously in nearly all countries following the last world war and in recent years the interchange of information and increasin...


Feature Article AAJ
Mixed Messages, Is Hard M-Sport-Climbing Influencing High-Standard Alpinism?

Mixed MessagesIs hard M-sport-climbing influencing high-standard alpinism?Edited by David DornianIn 2002 the American Alpine Journal published a thought piece written by Raphael Slawinski. Raphael's thesis was that the enjoyable pastime created by...


Book Reviews AAJ
Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season, High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed

Dark Summit: the True Story of Everest’s Most Controversial Season. Nick Heil. New York: Henry Holt, 2008. 271 pages. $26.00.High Crimes: the Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed.Michael Kodas. NY: Hyperion, 2008. 357pages. $24.95.The 2006 season th...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Greenland, Suikarsuak Tower, South Greenland, 1977

Suikarsuak Tower, South Greenland, 1977. The Suiksarsuak Tower is about 3300 feet tall with its principal weakness a 2000-foot dihedral on the northwest face. Our group on the first half of the expedition planned to attempt this, while a second on...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Alaska, Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, Kayak Ski Mountaineering in Glacier Bay

Kayak Ski Mountaineering in Glacier Bay. I left the Salmon River at Gustavus in a single kayak on May 12 with a full load of food, fuel, water, and ski mountaineering gear. My skis and ski poles were mounted on deck in a homemade waterproof bag. T...


Feature Article AAJ
Some Kind of Monster Could this Yukon route be the longest ice climb in North America?

Adjacent to Mt. Logan in the Yukon’s remote St. Elias Range, Mt. McArthur is to Logan as Mt. Hunter is to Denali: a beauty of a mountain dwarfed by the heaping mass of a neighbor and often overlooked as a result. McArthur sees what might, at best,...

| Published 2005 | Author Joe Josephson


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Greenland, Peaks above Knud Rasmussen Glacier, East Greenland

Peaks above Knud Rasmussen Glacier, East Greenland. On July 10 Douglas C. Anderson, leader, William Jeffrey, Andrea Mountain, Dick Peart, Bob Dunken, Ian Carr, Noel Williams and I* flew to Kulusak. From there we traveled by boat to Angmagssalik to...


Feature Article AAJ
August in the Arrigetch

August in the ArrigetchDavid S. RobertsCLIMBING ARTICLES, obviously, should notbe written in the off-season. During the sedentary winters that most of us climbers lead, a fermentation sets in in the vats of our memories. Last summer’s expedition, ...


Book Reviews AAJ
Postcards from The Trailer Park

Postcards From The Trailer Park. Cameron Burns. New York: The Lyons Press. 2004. Paperback. 279 pages.When I received Cameron Burns’ book for review, I thought, “Piece of cake. It’s 30+ short articles/stories/vignettes/essays about climbing. I can...


In Memoriam AAJ
Stephen H. Hart, 1908-1993

STEPHEN H. HART1908-1993Stephen Harding Hart, who made several first Colorado ascents—Lone Eagle and Crestone Needle—in his teens and climbed many 14,000ers later with his teen-aged sons, died on November 7 in his sleep.Hart is known as one of two...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, California—Sierra Nevada, Clyde Minaret, South Face

Clyde Minaret, South Face. In June, Chuck Wilts, John Evans, Dick Long and I made the first ascent of this exceptional route, by far the finest in the Minaret area. The face is over 1100 feet high and involves class 5 climbing on each of eleven 15...


Accident Reports ANAM
Alaska, Mount McKinley

Alaska, Mount McKinley—On May 14, at approximately 6:00 a.m., John Day (51), Peter Schoening (33), Jim Whittaker (31), and his brother Louis (31) arrived in Anchorage, intending to climb Mt. McKinley by the West Buttress Route, the standard route ...