Hunter Creek, Various Ascents. The winter of 1995-1996, with its initial snow drought and extremely cold temperatures, stimulated a modern Alaskan gold rush of new ice climbs in south-central Alaska. Areas that would have been high in avalanche da...
Altai Mountains. The ascent of Belukha (5,500 m.). the highest summit of the Altai, was first attempted before the Great War. A Soviet expedition in 1932 also failed to reach the top. In 1933 the highest or East Peak was reached by a large party c...
Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Disappointment Peak—Eric Mendelsohn (20) and Neil H. Drake (19) had completed an ascent of Disappointment Peak and were in the process of descending to Amphitheater Lake when Mendelsohn stepped onto a snowfield ...
FALL, NO PROTECTION—California, Yosemite Valley, Tiny Tim. Mark Thompson (18) was climbing as leader on Tiny Tim. The belayer tied on one bolt and belay line running through a second bolt—both bolts being approximately 65 feet off the ground. Bela...
The effect of SARS in 2003. The outbreak of the SARS virus played havoc with many expeditions visiting China in the pre-monsoon season. On April 25 the Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region announced that it was closing its borders to both Chi...
Roh-Weht Attempt, Konka Lehsumgongba Range, Sichuan. On May 6, Steve Thomson and I came within three rope-lengths of the summit of Roh-Weht (5464 meters, 17,927 feet) in the Konka Lehsumgangba Range in Dao Chun County, Sichuan. Our attempt by the ...
White Chuck Mountain, West Face. On September 20, Jerry Som- merman, Jamie Wild and I completed a new route on the west face of White Chuck Mountain. From the bottom of the rock toe on the west face, directly beneath the summit, we climbed up gras...
Chaukhamba II Attempt. Koreans Kim Woong-Sik and three others attempted virgin Chaukhamba II (7068 meters, 23,190 feet), approaching for the first time from the Gangotri Glacier. They established Camps I, II and III at 4700, 5000 and 6200 meters b...
Cerro Piergiorgio, Pepe Rayo. Cerro Piergiorgio is a huge granite monolith at the northern end of the Torre Valle that boasts a 3,000-foot northwest face, visible only from the Patagonian ice cap. In early February, 1996, Andrea Sarchi, Mauro Gira...
Tristin’s Tower, Airport Tower, Ascents. Tristin’s Tower in the Lockhart Basin area of Canyonlands was climbed by John Burnham and Bill Duncan. Bret Ruckman and Marco Corncchione made the first free ascent of Airport Tower via Wind Shear (5.12a/b)...
AAC, Central Rockies Section. On February 14-17 the Fifth Annual Cody Ice Festival was held in the Shoshone River Valley southwest of Cody, Wyoming. CRS Chair Greg Sievers and AAC Board Member Charlie Mace were on hand to support the popular activ...
Makalu Attempt. Nine Austrian climbers led by Arthur Haid failed to climb the normal route. They reached Camp II at 23,000 feet on September 22. Then came a great storm with much snow and avalanching. After that, the winds defeated all further att...
On May 18, Rob Jones and his Super Cub deposited Fred Beckey, Ryan Hokanson, and I among the many other erratics on a small glacier in the Revelation Mountains, at the southwestern end of the Alaska Range. With good weather and perfect snow condit...
Cartensz Pyramid. On April 22, Glenn Porzak, Chris Pizzo, Chris Kopczynski, Gerry Roach, Dave Graber, Wayne Hutchens and I flew to Biak, an island off the mainland, and then to the town of Nabire on the north coast. A 1½-hour charter flight took u...
Climber's Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Mr. M. P. Bridgland, formerly of the Dominion Land Survey of Canada and a member of our Club since 1903, has sent the editor a complete list of his many ascents, indicating changes in the guidebook...
Mount Sneffels, North Face, Winter Ascent. Kitty Calhoun and I climbed the north face of Mount Sneffels during a period of good weather in the second week of January. The approach was made up Blaine Basin. We ascended the eastern couloir of the no...
FALL ON ROCK, FAILURE OF NUTSWisconsin, Devil’s Lake State ParkOn October 10, 1980, Jeffrey Gathman fell 25-30 feet to the bottom of east bluff when the protection he had placed pulled out. He was descending the cliff at the time. (Source: T. Mill...
RAPPEL ERROR – WEBBING ANCHOR NOT TIED, FALL ON ROCKNew York, Mohonk Preserve, ShawangunksOn October 14, Scott Ruit (29) fell about 80 feet to his death while attempting to rappel from Birdland. He set up an extended anchor using webbing, weighted...
First Ascents in the Romanzof Mountains, Eastern Brooks Range. The first climbing done by members of the IGY McCall Glacier Project was a 1700-foot scramble up the south slope of nearby “Mount MacVicar” on May 20, 1957 by the late Dr. Richard C. H...
Bublimotin (a.k.a. Lady's Finger), Southwest Face. Members Yasushi Yamanoi (leader), Daisaku Nakagaki, and Taeko Nagao arrived at the foot of southwest face on August 12, 1995, with great baggage, after a long and dangerous approach. We started to...