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...
Woman on the Rocks: The Mountaineering Letters of Ruth Dyar Mendenhall. Edited by Valerie Mendenhall Cohen. Bishop, CA: Spotted Dog Press, 2006.352 pages. $18.95.In 1937 two young cousins joined the Sierra Club, and so, apparently, began a lifelon...
Mt. Nevermore, The Perfect Storm. After a four-day snowy wait in Talkeetna, Paul Roderick of TAT flew Dai Lampard, Stuart McAleese, and me onto the Tatina Glacier in the Kitchatna Spires around April 27. It was Stuart’s and my third trip in three ...
FALL ON ROCK, PLACED NO PROTECTIONNew York, ShawangunksA woman (30) fell ten meters off her belay ledge on Wrist (5.6) and hurt her wrist! (Source: Brad Snyder)AnalysisSometimes safety precautions are overlooked on apparently easy routes. (Source:...
INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT, FALL ON SNOW, ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESSAlaska, Mount McKinleyOn May 15, 1984, the six man Tegernseer Denali Expedition from West Germany flew into the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier to begin their climb of the West Butt...
FALL ON ROCK, INADEQUATE PROTECTION, NO HARD HATCalifornia, Yosemite Valley, Lower Cathedral RockOn May 21, Chris Hampson (2 8) and Sibylle Hechtel (52) teamed up to climb Overhang Bypass on Lower Cathedral Rock. The route is approximately six pit...
FALL ON SNOW, UNABLE TO SELF-ARRESTWyoming, TetonsThe Koven route on Mount Owen is one of the most popular due to its easy access from the Teton Glacier. From the glacier, the route climbs over moderate terrain to the Koven Couloir, a narrow 45- t...
Jiazi Attempt, Sichuan. Applications to attempt Namcha Barwa and Minya Konka (Gongga Shan) having been declined by the Chinese Mountaineering Association, Jiazi in the Daxue Shan was accepted as an alternative. Jiazi is the same as Djaze and as Ru...
Southern Cordillera Quimsa Cruz, Various Activity. The idea of a possible expedition to visit the southern region of the Quimsa Cruz was first proposed in September, 1999, following Sue Savege’s successful trip to the northern region. Having limit...
SLIP ON SNOW, FALL INTO BERGSCHRUND, CLIMBING UNROPED British Columbia, Selkirk Mountains, Mount ThorOn August 10, 1986, a party of two left camp to attempt a new route on the southeast face of Mount Thor. After a rock climb estimated at 5.7 and 5...
Makalu Attempt. The 1987 Franco-American Makalu Expedition consisted of Michel Fauquet, leader; Americans Michael Crosset, Fred Phinney, Barry Rosenbaum, Jay Sieger and me; Canadian Bill Clifford; and French Denis Pivot, Annie Pivot and Christian ...
FALL ON ROCKOregon, Mount JeffersonOn August 3, 1984, Keith Repetto (28) and William Evans (age unknown) fell over 150 meters to their deaths while descending the north ridge of Mount Jefferson. They were last heard from at 1700 on that date when ...
Long Ago on Mount CookConrad KainTHE climbing season in New Zealand is from November to April. Mt. Cook (12,349 feet), in the Southern Alps, has the reputation of making its own weather. In the season 1915-16 I made four attempts to climb the moun...
The Catapult, Jokers and Fools; Marching Men, Tin Drum and Toy Soldier. June found John Catto and me working together in India, trying to film bull sharks in the Ganges river. During an evening of cruising river channels and drinking extra-strong ...
Moab Area. On the Merrimac Butte, 200 feet left of its prow, Stuart and Bret Ruckman established The Albatross (I, 5.11c). There have been at least six new lines climbed on the butte that are still to be documented. Jim Dunn and Betsy McKittrick c...
JAMES F. BONNER 1910-1996James F. Bonner, an AAC member since 1948, passed away on September 13, 1996, at the age of 86. He earned his Bachelor of Art degree in chemistry and mathematics from the University of Utah in 1931. He completed his Doctor...
ACUTE ABDOMINAL PAINAlaska, Denali National Park, Mount McKinley, West ButtressAlan Arnette (50) registered with the National Park Service as a client with an Alaska Mountaineering School guided expedition (AMS-11) on June 12. Following an unevent...
On November 2, Slovenian Tomaž Humar reached the high point of his climb on the south face of Dhaulagiri I. Behind him lay an audacious seven-day ascent on a steep 4000-meter face that was documented on both film and the internet. He was exhausted...
Ascents East of Mount McKinley. Late in June Ken Laufer and I, both seasonal rangers in McKinley National Park, made the third ascent of Peak 8620. (First ascent by Adams Carter and party in 1957; see A.A.J., 1958, 11:1, p. 91. Second ascent by Ge...