Club Activities AAJ
The Mazamas

The Mazamas. We Mazamas of Portland, Oregon, sat down to our 97th Annual Banquet in November at the Lloyd Center Red Lion Hotel, an event attended by about 400 of our 2,700 members.Although we are a local outdoor club, we nevertheless have members...


Book Reviews AAJ
The Stonemasters: California Rock Climbers in the Seventies

The Stonemasters: California Rock Climbers In the Seventies. Dean Fidelman, John Long, and others. T. Adler Books/ Stonemaster Press, 2009. Many photographs. 196 pages. Hardcover. $60.00.“We made this book square, like a block of granite,” said De...


Club Activities AAJ
A.A.C., Sierra Nevada Section

A.A.C., Sierra Nevada Section. The continued high level of member involvement made 1992 an important year for the Sierra Nevada Section. Section members have made ascents of mountains from South American traditional summits, i.e. Aconcagua, to new...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Gurla Mandhata (Naimona'nyi, 7,694m), First Traverse Asia, Tibet, Himalaya, Nalakankar Himal

For some years Kazuya Hiraide and I tried to visit Gurla Mandhata. We knew about ascents from the northwest, facing the holy mountain of Kailash, but never found any information about the south side. We also never received replies from the CTMA to...

| Published N/A | Author Kei Taniguchi


Accident Reports ANAM
Loss of Control — Voluntary Glissade, Climbing Alone, No Hard Hat, Wyoming, Wind River Canyon, Dinwoody Pass

LOSS OF CONTROL—VOLUNTARY GLISSADE, CLIMBING ALONE,NO HARD HATWyoming, Wind River Canyon, Dinwoody PassOn September 1, Steve Fleming (45) was unable to self-arrest while descending from Dinwoody Pass. In a report he submitted, he stated that the s...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Tibet, Himalaya, Pts. 6,473 ("Free Asia, Tibet") and 6,063 ("Bochánek"), Possibly First Ascents

Pts. 6,473m (“Free Tibet”) and 6,063m (“Bochánek”), possible first ascents. Zdenek Cervenka, Cestmír Lukeš, and Irene Oehninger from the Czech Republic climbed two peaks close to the end of the long chain of mountains that runs northwest from Xixa...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, California, Yosemite Valley, Free Climbing

Free climbing. Yosemite 2002 was the setting for what I can only call a dream season. In the spring Jake Whittaker and I freed the Psychedelic Wall on Sentinel Rock—solid 5.12. This route was first ascended by Boche and Hennek in 1966. Memorable s...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, Tibet, Himalaya, Everest, Exotica

Everest, exotica. Centuries ago European theologians debated the question of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. The modern equivalent might be how many climbers can stand on the summit of Everest. We may soon find out, as the numbers ...


Accident Tables ANAM
General Information, Table I

Tables indicating some of the results of the first effort to gather statistical information on the activities of organized mountain rescue groups in North America follow. Twenty units reported, or about 60% of the known mountain rescue groups on t...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Alaska, Alaska Range, East Kahiltna Peak, Homage to Pat

East Kahiltna Peak, Homage to Pat. On May 4, Jonny Blitz, Carl Tobin, Vince Anderson, and I pitched a small base camp on the East Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, below the southeast face of East Kahiltna Peak (13,440'). Weather was good, so the next...


Accident Reports ANAM
Failure of Nuts, Rockfall, Climbing Alone — California, Yosemite Valley

FAILURE OF NUTS, ROCKFALL, CLIMBING ALONECalifornia, Yosemite ValleyOn August 13, 1982, David Mital (27) was climbing Tangerine Trip on El Capitan when this accident occurred. In a statement following his rescue, he reported the following. He thou...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South America, Argentina—Central Andes, Mercedario, Southwest Face

Mercedario, Southwest Face. The approach of an Italian expedition from Gorizia up the Rio Colorado began on January 13. Base Camp was set up at 12,510 feet still ten miles from the peak. Camps were established at 14,775, 17,725, and 19,675 feet. A...


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Indoor Climbing Wall—No Protection, Minnesota, Duluth, Vertical Endeavors Climbing Gym

FALL ON INDOOR CLIMBING WALL-NO PROTECTIONMinnesota, Duluth, Vertical Endeavors Climbing GymTom Upham (27) was climbing the wall with friends about 9:00 p.m. when the accident occurred in the Bananaz Family Entertainment Complex.Upham said, during...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, United States, Alaska, Denali National Park, Broken Tooth, East Couloir to Summit Ridge (New Bail)

Broken Tooth, east couloir to summit ridge (new bail). In early May, after our Ruth trip [see above], Eamonn Walsh and I arrived on the Coffee Glacier to investigate an unclimbed couloir on the east face of the Broken Tooth. Climbers had eyed this...


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow—Inadequate Protection, Haste, Alaska, Mount McKinley, West Buttress

FALL ON SNOW–INADEQUATE PROTECTION, HASTEAlaska, Mount McKinley, West ButtressThis incident happened in May while we were descending the fixed lines of the West Buttress. We happened to be the only roped team (as well as our other two climbing par...


Feature Article AAJ
Alpine Invasion Routes from Italy

Alpine Invasion Routes from ItalyJ. Monroe ThoringtonTHE Alps form the arc of Italy’s northern frontier from the sea at Ventimiglia to the head of the Adriatic. Milan is the hub for passes leading from the Po headwaters to France; Verona is the ke...


Editorials And Prefaces ANAM
Accidents in North American Mountaineering, Fortieth Annual Report of the Safety Committee of The American Alpine Club and The Alpine Club of Canada

This is the fortieth issue of Accidents in North American Mountaineering and the tenth that has been edited and published jointly by The American Alpine Club and The Alpine Club of Canada.Canada: In 1986, there were ten fatal accidents involving f...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North America, Canada, Coast Mountains, Mt. Gilbert, West Pillar

Mt. Gilbert, west pillar. Mt. Gilbert (10,225') is an impressive granite peak that lies 90 km southeast of Mt. Waddington, deep in Canada’s Coast Mountains. Although it is the closest 10,000-foot peak to Vancouver, it is one of the most difficult ...


Notes AAJ
Cosmic Rays and Mountain Operations

COSMIC RAYS AND MOUNTAIN OPERATIONSSince about the year 1900 it has been known that even the most carefully insulated electroscope would slowly lose its charge. This effect was thought to be due to ionizing radiation from ubiquitous traces in the ...


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Asia, China, Bogda Tien Shan

Bogda, Tien Shan. Our expedition with general leader Iwao Nakai climbed Bogda (5445 meters, 17,864 feet), the highest of the eastern Tien Shan, on June 9 and 10. All nine climbing members, K. Miyagawa, M. Nakazima, T. Fujibayashi, E. Ohno, S. Yama...