Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Peru, Cordillera Blanca, Hualcán, Southwest Ridge

Hualcán, Southwest ridge. J. Curry Slaymaker and David Ciochetti made the first ascent of the southwest ridge of Hualcán (20,096 feet) on July 7. A camp was established at 17,000 feet above Laguna Cochca, where a third member of the group, Dan Lan...


In Memoriam AAJ
Talcott Miner Banks, 1905-1983

TALCOTT MINER BANKS1905-1983Talcott Banks was perhaps better known as a sportsman and a devotee of the musical arts than as a mountaineer. He was bom in Englewood, New Jersey, June 23, 1905. After three years at Hotchkiss he attended Williams Coll...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Nepal, Mt Everest, Russian Attempt

Mt. Everest, Russian attempt. Two Sherpas who have arrived in Kathmandu report details on the Russian Everest attempt. After being flown to Lhasa in mid-October, 1952, aided by local porters, the expedition took longer in its approach than they ha...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Nepal, Dhaulagiri, Post-Monsoon Northeast Ridge Ascents and Attempts

Dhaulagiri, Post-Monsoon Northeast Ridge Ascents and Attempts. A party of five Spaniards to the normal northeast ridge was led by Xavier González. On October 2, Jordi Corominas completed the 51st ascent of the peak. Japanese under the leadership o...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Pakistan, Karakoram, Trango Group, Shipton Spire, New Routes and  Attempts

Shipton Spire, new routes and attempts. The expedition of the Slovak Mountaineering Union was in Pakistan from July 17 to September 8. Our main goal was to climb Shipton Spire and some surrounding peaks. The expedition had 10 members: leader Igor ...


Accident Reports ANAM
Falling Ice — Gave Way, Fall on Ice, Climbing Unroped, Utah, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Great White Icicle

FALLING ICE – GAVE WAY, FALL ON ICE, CLIMBING UNROPEDUtah, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Great White IcicleOn December 31, Gene Rawson (37), a solo ice climber, was near the top of the final pitch of the Great White Icicle. Rawson was waiting for anot...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Idaho, The Prow, Steamboat Rocks

The Prow, Steamboat Rocks. Steamboat Rocks are a large group of quartzite buttresses, ten miles from Kingston on the Coeur d’Alene River. At least six of them are over 500 feet high. The south-facing apron of the first buttress provided possibly t...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Canada, Yukon Territory, St. Elias Mountains, Various Ascents in the Waddington Range

Various Ascents in the Waddington Range. May can be pretty fine in the Coast Mountains, but it can also be pretty darn bad. Last May was the finest ever, and an unusually large number of climbing parties happened to be on hand to enjoy the fruits....


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, New Hampshire, Cathedral Ledge, Recompense

FALL ON ROCKNew Hampshire, Cathedral Ledge, RecompenseOn June 18, Mark Gallagher (48) was climbing Recompense when he fell, hit a ledge, and suffered a compound fracture of his lower left leg. Gallagher said he had climbed Recompense several times...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Pakistan, Langar, 1974

Langar, 1974. In A.A.J., 1975 on page 216 we reported that Italians had climbed Langar but details were lacking. On August 5, 1974 Sergio De Infanti, Mario Qualizza and Aldo Scalettaris reached the summit of Wala Peak 193, which lies just north of...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Afghanistan, Hindu Kush

Hindu Kush. A small German expedition, led by Harald Biller and composed of his wife Alma, Theo Stöckinger and Hans Vogel, traveled by road from Europe to the Panshir valley in the Hindu Kush, north of Kabul. Continuing from the end of the road on...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Washington, Cascade Mountains, Mount Booker, Northeast Face

Mount Booker, Northeast Face. Unless you have climbed in Washington’s Cascade Pass area you have undoubtedly never heard of Mount Booker as it is greatly overshadowed in height by its neighboring peaks and the only routes on it had previously been...


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded, Inadequate Clothing and Equipment, Exceeding Abilities, California, Yosemite Valley National Park, Fairview Dome

STRANDED, INADEQUATE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT, EXCEEDING ABILITIESCalifornia, Yosemite Valley National Park, Fairview DomeOn August 20, 1994, at 2100, climber Ray Pichette reported to Tuolumne Meadows rangers that he had passed a slow party of two o...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, California, Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point Apron, Hoser's Highway

Glacier Point Apron, Hoser’s Highway. Eric Sanford, Greg Davis, Scott Woodruff and I on April 20 put up a new route on Glacier Point Apron, starting between Patio and Goodrich Pinnacle. We followed the obvious water groove to the Oasis. Ten pitche...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, India, Himachal Pradesh, Kinnaur, Naufragi

Kinnaur, Naufragi. From August 15 to September 8 I soloed a big wall south of the Kinnaur-Kailash Range. The wall lies roughly northeast of Sangla in the Baspa Valley, on the southern flanks of Raldang (5,499m). Before I left for India, the only i...

| Published N/A


Accident Reports ANAM
Washington, Cashmere Crags

Washington, Cashmere Crags—On May 31, Ray Riggs (52) a member of the Mountaineers and a veteran climber slipped and fell to his death while descending the steep rocky cliffs above Nada Lake in the Cashmere Crags. He was a member of a six man party...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Peru—Cordillera Huayhuash, Sarapo

Sarapo. The Japanese Yamanoko (Children of the Mountains) Alpine Club expedition made the second ascent of Sarapo (20,155 feet) on July 6. (First ascent by Austrians Bachmann and Lugmayer in 1954.) Takayuki Musha and Hiroshi Nakatsubo made the asc...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Tibet, Everest Ascent and Tragedy

Everest Ascent and Tragedy. There is no restriction on the numbers of members an expedition may have on the Tibetan side of Everest. A commercial British party organized by Out There Trekking led by Jonathan Tinker consisted of 19 climbing members...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Alaska, Talkeetna Range

Talkeetna Range. The year’s noteworthy climbs in this accessible range began on March 3 when my wife Grace and I with Dub Bludworth made the first ascent of Eska Mountain (5680 feet) by its southwest ridge. On July 6 Bob Spurr did better than on t...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Nepal, Mount Everest, Pre-monsoon

Mount Everest, Pre-monsoon. No clients and just one Sherpa summitted from the two commercial expeditions on the Nepalese side. The only other team from Nepal saw two members and three Sherpas summit. Kami Rita Sherpa plunged to his death while cli...