Nun-KunBERNARD PIERREThe Nun, 23,410 feet high, is the culmination of the Nun-Kun massif about 60 miles as the crow flies from Srinagar, capital of Kashmir. It was first scaled 28 August 1953 by an expedition consisting of Mrs. Claude Kogan, Mr. M...
FALL ON ROCK – MISJUDGED PENDULUMCalifornia, Yosemite Valley, El CapitanOn June 28, Mario (42), Peter (30), and Gilbert (40), all from Austria, were in their second day on the Nose (34 pitches, VI 5.11 A2), and preparing to make the King Swing—the...
Zion, various ascents. On the southeast face of West Temple, from March 19-21, Bryan Bird, Brody and Jared Greer, and I put up The Big Lebowski (21 pitches, 5.10 Cl). The route is characterized by clean crack climbing and lots of ledges. It ascend...
ALTITUDE SICKNESS, FALL ON SNOW, FROSTBITE, INEXPERIENCEAlaska, Mount McKinleyOn April 26, 1982, the ten-member Denali 101 Expedition flew from Talkeetna to the Kahiltna Base Camp to climb the West Buttress route on Mount McKinley. The expedition ...
Ketil, West Face, New Route. From July 13-23, Eduardo Alonso (Spain) and I established a new route, Anissa (VI ED 6b+ obl. A3, 1200m), on the west face of Ketil (2010m). The west face of Ketil can be divided into three parts: a 400-meter roof sect...
Mini-Mini Moonflower, Bacon and Eggs. On the evening of May 17 Eamonn Walsh and I began climbing Denali’s Isis Face. We completed the 7,200' face in just under 48 hours, for the route’s fourth ascent, and descended the South Buttress directly to K...
Making Climate an AllyWeldon F. HealdA NEIGHBOR of ours, a white-haired, retired colonel, asked my wife early in the war, “What is your husband doing in the army ?”“He’s in the Climatology Section of the Quartermaster Corps,” she said.“Climatology...
The Mountain World, 1958/59, edited for the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research by Othmar Gurtner and Marcel Kurz; English version by Malcolm Barnes, New York, Harper & Brothers, 1958, 208 pages text, 68 pages illustrations including double-s...
Storms of Silence. Joe Simpson. The Mountaineers: Seattle, 1996. Color, and black-and-white photographs, 240 pages. $19.95.Joe Simpson’s third book is an account of three expeditions: one to Gangchempo in the Langtang region of Nepal, where he ret...
The English engineer reminds me of one of my schoolmasters. We’ve spread a map of Huayna Potosi in front of him, and asked if the water-gathering aqueducts on the western flanks are passable on foot. Yes, he is positive, adamant. His pink index fi...
Everest attempt. Raging winds brought progress on our four-man attempt on the south pillar of Everest to a standstill as the jet stream lowered prematurely. Despite our 70-day vigil at 5500 meters and over, the outrageous winds never abated and th...
Pucahirca Oeste, attempt. In late June John Miller and I set out for the Pucahirca group, assisted by a Mountain Fellowship Grant from the AAC. After acclimatizing in the Ishinca Valley, we were unable to establish a new line on the north face of ...
RAPPEL FAILURE, INADEQUATE PROTECTION, FALL INTO CRE VASSEWashington, Mount ShuksanOn August 25, 1984, Richard Michelson (48) fell into a crevasse while descending Hell’s Highway on Mouont Shuksan when an anchor pulled out. He had three companions...
Gangapurna Attempt. After the leader, American Scott Woolums, had to drop out sick on the approach march and one Briton left the team at Base Camp, co-leader Sandy Allan, Swiss Toni Spirig and Canadian Paul Teare were the entire team. With heavy s...
The Western Hajar are a range of limestone mountains of varying rock quality. The main walls rise up to 1000 meters and, with respect to technical rock climbing, have been subject to very little exploration. On the southwest edge of the range, ove...
Cochamó, Pared de Paz, Nueva Perspectiva and Joe’s Pocket Monkey; Pared de Profetas, En la Senda de Gigantes. With the gracious support of a Mountain Fellowship Grant from the AAC, I organized a team—Benjamin Deering, Jonathon Estep, Chris Harknes...
Siula Grande, Los Rapidos. On July 3 Marjan Kovac and Pavle Kozjek (both from Slovenia) and Aritza Monasterio (Spanish Basque living in Peru) climbed a new route on the northeast face of Siula Grande (Los Rapidos, 1000m, ED, 90° [crux]/55°–70° [av...
Alpiniste, Est-ce Toi? by Alain de Chatellus. 174 pages, 15 illustrations. Paris and Grenoble: B. Arthaud, 1953. Collection Sempervivum. Price, 690 frs.M. de Chatellus’ subject is that always fascinating one, the psychology of the mountaineer. Mor...
FALLING ROCKS–PULLED LOOSE BY CLIMBING ROPESColorado, Rocky Mountain National Park, The DiamondAround 2 p.m. on August 7, two climbers (ages unknown) retreated from the Dunn-Westbay (V 5.10 C3). One of the duo was rappelling to Green Pillar Ledge,...
Valley of the Gods, Southeast Utah. Driving south from Mexican Hat, you get fleeting glimpses of thin sandstone towers to the west before the highway bends its way toward the Arizona border. An arrow on a wooden sign points down a dusty road to th...