Yulong Shan Attempt. Imposing as it may appear from the Yunnan town of Lijiang, Yulong Shan (Jade Dragon Peak) presents no special technical challenge to explain its 50-year virginity and rebuff of four attempts. Only the weather guards it. So far...

FALL ON SNOW, PLACED NO PROTECTION/BELAY, EXCEEDING ABILITIESColorado, Rocky Mountain National Park, Longs PeakOn August 2, 1991, at 0630, Judy Swales (41) and partner Randy Moss were climbing snow on Lamb’s Slide on Longs Peak. As the pair got cl...

Gemini Bridges Trail. Eight miles north of Moab and up the popular four-wheel drive/mountain bike Gemini Bridges Trail, Matt Laggis, Keith Reynolds, and Bill Russell climbed the virgin Pinky Tower at 5.10-. Left of the tower, a short route, Ewe Wh...

Chau Chau Kang Nilda. Indians Amit Chatterjee, leader, Krishnendu Chat- terjee, Samaresh Saha and Miss Sutapa Sarkar left the roadhead at Langja and arrived at Base Camp at 5060 meters on August 4. They set up a high camp at 5275 meters on August ...

Attempt of Lhotse-Lhotse Shar Traverse. Jean Troillet and I established ourselves in Everest Base Camp on August 26. It was not until September 20 that our third member, Ruedi Homberger could join us at Base Camp and that kept him from doing more ...

Ulamertorssuaq, Südtiroler Profil. It was reported the Tyroleans Christoph Hainz and Claus Obrist put up a 27-pitch line on Ulamertorssuaq (1829 m) in July called Südtiroler Profil. The line, which lies to the right of Moby Dick, went entirely fre...

Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See (New York: Penguin Putnam; softcover, $14) is Erik Weihenmayers memoir describing his remarkable climbs, culminating with his successful ascent of Everest.

FALL ON ROCK, HANDHOLD PULLEDAlberta, Mount Laurie (Yamnuska)On September 17, C.H. and C.S. were climbing “Grillmair Chimney” (5.5) onMount Laurie. C.S. was leading the fourth pitch when he pulled out a rock the size of a microwave. He fell approx...

Sherpa Everest ExpeditionPeter AthansON MAY 8, THREE MEMBERS of the 1991 Sherpa Everest Expedition attained the wind-scoured summit of Mount Everest or Sagarmatha, the peak’s Nepalese name. I accompanied the trio of Sherpa mountaineers. Just one y...

Gurkarpo Ri, first known ascent. Paulo Grobel organized two commercial expeditions for Nepal’s post-monsoon season. On October 2 Grobel, two Sherpa companions, and five French clients reached the summit of Saribung (6,328m) in the Damodar Himal. T...

Sawtooth Outing of the Iowa Mountaineers. The Iowa Mountaineers of the State University of Iowa spent three weeks of August 1947 in the Sawtooth Range of Idaho. Sixty-four members participated. Base camp was on Little Redfish Lake, and high camps ...

Operation Everest IICharles S. Houston, M.D.UNFORTUNATELY SOON AFTER they left the summit and began the climb to 30,000 feet, one of the doctors collapsed; though he was quickly revived, it seemed wise to discontinue the ascent and the group turne...

P 18,500, above Thalo Glacier, Hindu Raj, Chitral. From the roadhead at Balim, Rich Davies, Rob Thomas, Steve Wrigley, Maggie Worth, Mike Morphen and I as leader walked for three days to arrive at our 12,000-foot Base Camp on Bashkargolo Chat (lak...

The Ndoto MountainsThere is a lot more to the Ndotos than the great Poi. Welcome to the lesser~known crags of Kenya s largest climbing area.Marnix BuonajutiThe Ndotos are a remote cluster of mountains in the deserts of northern Kenya. Getting ther...

Charles Snead Houston 1913–2009The wise old guru and mentor for so many of us died peacefully in his Vermont home on September 27. He was 96, the last of the Harvard Mountaineering Club Five, with Terris Moore, H. Adams Carter, Bradford Washburn, ...

Washburn In The AAJA legacy for mountaineers.Bradford Washburn’s photographs first appeared in the American Alpine Journal in 1934 (from Mt. Crillon), and they have graced nearly every edition since. His written contributions to the AAJ spanned mo...

Taku Towers, Ascents. In June, 2000, Stefan Ricci and I flew to the south side of the Taku Towers, which are located about 15 miles north of Juneau. During our stay, we managed to climb the magnificent South Ridge of the South Tower (seven pitches...

Everest Calling: Ascent of the Dark Side: The Mallory-Irvine Ridge. Lorna Siggins. Mainstream Publishing Company, Edinburgh, Scotland. 1994. 191 pages, color and black-and-white photographs. £14.99.Everest books tend to emphasize one of several th...

LOOSE ROCK CAME OFF – FAILURE TO TEST HOLDSWashington, North Cascades National Park, Sahale PeakOn June 19, a party of Everett Mountaineers selected a non-standard route up the West Face of Sahale Peak. They were within 50 feet of the 8000-foot su...

Under Pressure on the Devil’s ThumbMark BebiePut all thine eggs in one basket, and—watch that basket.—Mark TwainNUMEROUS SNOW-AND-ICE PEAKS come to mind in the 1000-mile chain of summits that make up the “panhandle” of southeast Alaska. One rock p...