Annapurna I traverse. Unquestionably the best climb of the season was the Annapurna I traverse by Jean-Christophe Lafaille and Alberto Inurrategi. They were members of a six-man expedition jointly led by Inurrategi and Ed Viesturs. They had no She...
In early July I arrived in Kabul alone and took a chartered flight to Bamiyan Province. Here I hired a 4×4 and local guide/translator and drove to the Koh-e-Baba Mountains, a western extension of the Hindu Kush 170km west of Kabul. I had photos ...
Bandar Punchh I. Seven male trainees of the Nehru Institute, led by its principal Colonel L.P. Sharma, climbed Bandar Punchh I (20,720 feet) by a new route on May 16. Five girls from the NIM climbed to the summit on June 19 by the normal route.Kam...
May 6, 1999, 4:27 a.m. It has been 17 hours since the violent wind started its attack. I can’t sleep. I lie on the frozen sea ice. So far I have fixed three pitches in between storms. I can’t concentrate on this novel. I can’t even hear the bell...
Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park (1)—On May 30, 1956 Patrick Dwyer (17) fell while climbing on the North Face of Hallett Peak. He fell free for nearly 200 feet, landed on a snow field and slid another 200 feet, stopping against a tree. Hitti...
The Ascent of Mount OwenFritiof M. FryxellONE naturally associates Mt. Owen with the adjacent Grand Teton for their summits are scarcely half a mile apart. Historically, also, these two highest of the Teton peaks are no less intimately related. Th...
FALLING ROCK – FALL ON ROCK, INADEQUATE PROTECTION, FAILURE TO TURN BACKWyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Death Canyon, Caveat EmptorOn August 29, Brian Huff (23) was leading the second pitch of Caveat Emptor and established an anchor at the top...
Memphis Mountaineers, Inc. In 1987, the Memphis Mountaineers enjoyed a productive year. The total membership of 55 included 35 regular members residing in the Memphis, Tennessee area, seven honorary members, and 13 associate members scattered thro...
Shingu Charpa, north ridge, attempt. Huge controversy has surrounded the claim by three Ukrainians to have made the coveted first ascent of the formidably long north ridge of Shingu Charpa (a.k.a. Great Tower, 5,600m). Igor Chaplinsky, Andrey Rodi...
On June 26, 1992, at 1145, Roland Fleck (59) was leading the “Flake Pitch” on the regular Guides’ Wall route belayed by partner Wes Mostaert. This pitch is about 500 feet off the ground and is considered to be 5.7 in difficulty. After clipping i...
LAURA EVANS1949-2000As I approached the summit of Mt. Aconcagua, Laura Evans raised her arms to the sky. She had arrived. She was there—at the top. Her face shone, she had fulfilled her dream. That image will be with me forever. I was awed. Awed t...
LOSS OF CONTROL ON GLISSADE – FALL INTO CREVASSE/MOAT, INEXPERIENCEWashington, North Cascades, Aasgard PassOn July 3 about 0:30 a.m., Julia Rutherford (2) was glissading down the Colchuck Lake side of Aasgard Pass with three other people: her boyf...
Ecuador: Tierras Atlas.Jorge Anhalzer. Imprenta Mariscal, Quito, 1987. 154 pages, 120 color photographs, 1 sketchmap. Hardbound.Frontera Superior de Colombia.José F. Machado et al. Banco de Occidente, Bogotá, 1987. 183 pages, 146 color photographs...
Fear and Loathing. In early September, Dan Stih, Paul Reinshagen and I climbed a new 400- meter route in Oak Creek Canyon, just north of Sedona, Arizona. The wall is located just behind Christopher’s Tower, high in Counterfeiter Canyon. The line, ...
Halletts Peak, Direct Second Buttress. In June of 1963 Tex Bossier and I completed this new route, which lies between the Jackson-Johnson and the Kor-Benneson routes. We first climbed a steep crack and then traversed right for 40 feet to a belay. ...
Canadian Rockies North FacesAssiniboine and Edith CavellChristopher A. G. JonesThe mystery of life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.—Van Der LeeuwThe Fourth of July is a thin time for climbers in Yosemite, for with it...
Wizards of Rock: A History of Free Climbing in America. Pat Ament. Berkeley: Wilderness Press, 2002. 381 pages. Paperback. $24.95.Pat Ament has always been an artist, whether he is focusing on chess, music, the martial arts, writing, or climbing. ...
Up and Down Great Trango TowerGoing light on a stormy new route and harrowing descent in Pakistan.Gabo CmÁrik and Dodo KopoldDodo Kopold: An ascent of Great Trango Tower meant more to me than all the routes I had done before. It was a big dream, a...
Pachyung Ham (6,529m), Gang Dzong Kang (6,123m), first ascents. The Kansai Section of the Japanese Alpine Club (JAC) sent an academic and mountaineering expedition to West Tibet in 2004 in commemoration of the JAC’s 100th anniversary, which comes ...
Twenty years ago, when I first hiked up the Torre Valley, the steep towers of the Cerro Torre massif loomed as if they were the cathedrals of a foreign religion. They looked distant, cold, and unattainable. Initially, merely hiking up the glacier ...