Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Western China, Kaxkar Attempt

Kaxkar Attempt. A 9-member Japanese expedition tried unsuccessfully to climb Kaxkar (6347 meters, 20,824 feet), which lies 15 kilometers south of what the Chinese call Tomur and the Soviets Pik Pobedy. They got to 5200 meters on the southeast side.


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Pakistan, Purian Sar

Purian Sar. Shinichi Hotta led the Kyoto Karakoram Club expedition to Purian Sar, after waiting for 20 days for a flight from Rawalpindi to Gilgit. They traveled through Imit and Bilhanz, to Base Camp at Bad Swat at 12,175 feet, which they reached...


Accident Reports ANAM
Back Strain, Alaska, Mount McKinley, West Buttress

BACK STRAINAlaska, Mount McKinley, West ButtressOn May 11, Robert Gray of the “CFS” party twisted his back at the 14,200 foot camp on the West Buttress of Mt. McKinley. Gray’s condition deteriorated over the next several days, and by the 13th he c...


Book Reviews AAJ
My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus

My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus, By A.F. Mummery. 5 South Union Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts, 01843: Quarterman Publications, 1974. 360 pages, 31 illustrations. Price: $15.00.This reprint of Mummery’s famous book is an unabridged republicati...


Notes AAJ
The American Alpine Club, 2007-2008

The American Alpine Club is larger than ever, with more than 8,000 members, and has embarked on a broad range of new initiatives alongside its vital traditional programs, which include the 79th year of the American Alpine Journal.In early 2008 the...


In Memoriam AAJ
Andrew James Gilmour, 1871-1941

ANDREW JAMES GILMOUR1871-1941As the years slip by and one’s erstwhile climbing companions pass over the Great Divide, it becomes increasingly difficult to pen one’s final tribute of respect and affection. A deepening sense of bereavement saddens t...


Feature Article AAJ
Stikine Icecap Ascents

Stikine Icecap AscentsJames Balog, UnaffiliatedTHERE IS A MAGIC time on an expedition, months, maybe years, before you even set foot on a mountain. It is one of the finest times of the whole adventure: the night when, as you lay in bed with your h...


Feature Article AAJ
Holy Baffman!

Holy Baffman!Speed climbing Mt. Asgard’s Scott and Porter routes, Baffin Island.Cedar WrightThree thousand feet and over 24 hours up the north face of Mt. Asgard on the second ascent of Charlie Porters visionary wall route, tears were streaming fr...


Feature Article AAJ
Snow Avalanche Activity, Upper Kahiltna Glacier

Snow Avalanche Activity, Upper Kahiltna GlacierAlfred C. Pinchak, Case Institute of TechnologyIntroduction. The avalanche observations described in this work were obtained by members of the 1968 Smith-Nash Mount McKinley Expedition as they approac...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, India, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Dibang Valley, Retracing Bailey and Morshead's Journey to the Yonggap La

Dibang Valley, retracing Bailey and Morshead’s journey to the Yonggap La. Few trekkers and explorers have been deep into the Arunachal valleys, due to difficulties and restrictions. The Dibang Valley in eastern Arunachal Pradesh is deep and thickl...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Washington, Cascade Mountains, Mount Adams, Mazama Glacier Icefall

Mount Adams, Mazama Glacier Icefall. Just south of Battlement Ridge on the east face of this 12,207-foot peak, the Summit Glacier breaks off into two distinct icefalls. The icefall nearest to the ridge is that of the Klickitat Glacier. Farther sou...


Feature Article AAJ
Thalay Sagar–Northeast Buttress

Thalay Sagar— Northeast ButtressMichael KennedyANOTHER WAVE of spindrift washed over the darkened tent. Raw from the thin cold air, my throat tickled, contracted; swallowing, I tried not to breath too hard, but to no avail. Tentative at first, the...


Accident Reports ANAM
Loose Block Pulled Off — Fall on Rock, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Middle Teton

LOOSE BLOCK PULLED OFF – FALL ON ROCKWyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Middle TetonOn August 9, a party of three was intending to climb the Buckingham Ridge on the Middle Teton. They were ascending the fourth-class approach slabs, unroped, when ...


Book Reviews AAJ
Himalayan Assignment

Himalayan Assignment, by F. Van Wyck Mason. 282 pages, with sketch map end-paper. Garden City, N. Y.: Doubleday and Co., 1952. Price, $3.00.This is a lurid tale of a political mission to darkest Jonkhar (between Nepal and Tibet) by a strong, silen...


In Memoriam AAJ
William E. "Smoke" Blanchard, 1915-1989

WILLIAM E. “SMOKE” BLANCHARD1915-1989It was a windy spring evening in the Owens Valley when James Wilson came striding toward me with that look, the “you never want to see” look, on his face. Smoke had been fatally injured in an automobile acciden...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Alaska, Denali National Park, The Moose's Tooth, South Face, Shaken, Not Stirred

The Moose’s Tooth, South Face, Shaken, Not Stirred. Jim Donini and I did a new route on the south face of the Moose’s Tooth at the end of May, an ice route that heads directly to Englishman’s Col. 50 Classic Climbs of North America has a good phot...


Club Activities AAJ
A.A.C., New England Section

AAC, New England Section. Our Section continues to grow, and in 2002 membership increased to 510 from 486 in 2001. Eighty people attended our Seventh Annual New England Section black tie event. We brought our Henderson Film Fund to $4,000, enough ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Sulamar (5,380m), North Buttress China, Xinjiang, Tien Shan, Xuelian Range

From mid-August to mid-September Mike Morrison, Paul Ramsden, Rob Smith, and I visited the north side of the Xuelian Range. This area had been visited twice before by mountaineering trips, both led by Bruce Normand; it is where Bruce, Jed Br...

| Published 2010 | Author Mick Fowler


Accident Reports ANAM
Bad Weather, Hypothermia, No Experience, Washington, Mt. Rainer

BAD WEATHER, HYPOTHERMIA, NO EXPERIENCE Washington, Mt. RainierCraig Hixon (28), who spent two nights on Mt. Rainier wrapped in a sleeping bag and a torn tent and without shoes, was found alive and well about 7:30 a.m. on Monday, July 2.“Somebody ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Peru, Cordillera Blanca, Huandoy Sur, Attempt on South Face and Second Ascent of West Ridge

Huandoy Sur, Attempt on South Face and Second Ascent of West Ridge. Our expedition was composed of Gerardo Watzl, leader, his wife Jacqueline, Aldo Sánchez, Eduardo Vivaldi, Altamira, Carlos Perri, J. Corradi, Rafael Suárez and me. We set up Base ...