Julliard Mountain Club. The Julliard Mountain Club, founded in the blackened depths of Manhattan’s upper west side in 1965 by Dobbs Hartshorne, began its activities with weekend rock climbs at Ragged Mountain in Connecticut. In the next four years members expanded their activities to the Rockies, Tetons, Pacific Northwest, Sierra Nevada, and Yosemite Valley. Now (1971) the club is in its seventh year, and members have added the Swiss and Italian Alps and the Argentine and Bolivian Andes to their repertoire.

In Bolivia in 1969 Hartshorne and Curt Saville, after several readings, performed a first ascent of Aniversario Peak (ca. 17,250 feet) which had been named and then lost by the Club Andino Boliviano. Also in this same Acero Marca range located just south of Huayna Potosí, two other first ascents were made and the peaks christened Julliard I and Julliard II, both over 17,000 feet. In April 1970, this valley became the site of the first mountain refuge in Bolivia, constructed by Saville and a local climbing club. Unfortunately, the “Julliard Mountain Hut” was dismantled and carried off by the local indians during the off season. Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, club secretary Eric Stern trekked in Nepal, paying homage to the Himalayas.

In 1970 Hartshorne and Saville carried the club flag bearing the motto Allegro ma non Troppo to Aconcagua, summit of the western hemisphere. Later, in Bolivia, Hartshorne participated in the first ascent of the 4000-foot west face of Huayna Potosí; Saville led the first ascent of the north ridge; and Hartshorne, Stern, and Robbie Merfeld (club musical director) teamed up to make the second ascent of the southwest ridge. One can truly say that this mountain has been climbed by the Julliard Mountain Club.

The winter ascent of Mount Katahdin by the entire club (less Jon Deak, who had prior obligations with the New York Philharmonic) and accompanied by guest artists marked the beginning of the new year. Future plans include expeditions to Alaska, Colombia, and Japan.

This small but active club has never hesitated to think big, and although plans for an Everest expedition have bogged down for the moment, it’s Avanti, Sempre Avanti.

Dobbs Hartshorne, President