202 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL still filled the talused gully and made the route possible. Generally the rock of the region is very rotten. BARRYALLANNELSON, GenevaSpurLimited

“Soarks,” Flatirons. and I climbed a new route on the ridge just south of the Third Flatiron. It is an overhanging pinnacle sur- rounded at the base by poison ivy. The climb was done on July 4 and originally called “Sparks.” A report in Mountain misprinted the name and the name stuck. NCCS I, FlO. -hIOMAS Hmoms

CANADA

Yukon Territorg Kluarte National Park, St. Elias Mountains. activity has again increased in the Park. There were 20 expeditions with 87 climbers spending 2099 man-days in the Kluane area. There was a new route climbed on and possibly a new route on Mount St. Elias. (See above.) There were ten expeditions to Mount Logan of which seven were successful. The King Trench route was climbed by Steven Hughes, Nelson Walker, Harry J. Calvin and William John Hawkins; by Canadians Normand Lapierre, Denis Gravel, Gerard Vincent, Regis Richard, Jacques Olek and Gilbert Rioux; and by Japanese Ken Kanazawa, Joji Nakamura, Takumi Iki, Hiroichi Asakami and Fumihiro Uno. The east ridge was climbed by John A. Rehmer, Harry 0. Johnson III, Jim Royce and Steven Gregory Strain; and by Jon W. Jones, Chic Scott, Trevor Jones and Don Chandler. Matthew Maytag and Dale Sturtz were killed while their party was attempting the Warbler Ridge of Mount Logan. They were believed to be the first fatalities on the mountain. Mark Davis, Brian McCullough, Philip Jones Edwards and Daniel K. Saunders unsuccessfully attempted a new route, the northwest ridge of Mount St. Elias. Jim Logan, Barry Sparks, Terry Stump and Ralph Randall Trover were unsuccessful in their attempt on Hummingbird Ridge. John Lauchlin, Robert Mitchell, Jim Elzinga and Phil Hein did not succeed on the south-southwest ridge. Czechs Milan Hofmann, Miroslav Jania, Milan Pahit, Hynek Spurn9 and Marie VlEek failed to climb Steele and Lucania. Roger Griffith% Robb Preston McLaren, Jeff Creed and Chris Harris did not manage to climb the east ridge of Mount Vancouver. David Mention, Seymour House, Jack Tackle and James B. Davis, Jr. failed on the north ridge of Mount Kennedy. LLOYD FREESE,Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS 203

Mount Logan Tragedy, Warbler Ridge. All six of us were setting up the evening of July 7 on a large and apparently secure cornice at 14,000 feet on the south-southeast ridge of Logan, the next ridge east of Hummingbird Ridge. The entire ridge was corniced and we were hoping to have only one camp on it before the summit plateau. Three separate members of our party had inspected the cornice at two different times before they deemed it safe. We had all been pitching camp for 40 minutes when a section gave way underneath three of us, Dale Sturtz, Matt Maytag and me. I fortunately landed on a steep ledge some 500 feet below, suffering a sprained left ankle. Dale and Matt must have rolled off, falling to the Seward Glacier, 4000 feet below. Their bodies were never recovered. We also lost most of our gear, leaving four of us with one sleeping bag, two packs, a few parkas, one stove and one pot. We had food and fuel cached further down the ridge. We also had our personal climbing gear, one rope and enough group equipment to make our descent possible. Dave Conley and Andy Campbell rappelled and down-climbed to where I sat and took me back to the crest of the ridge, where Chip Woodland had prepared hot drinks for us. We began our descent to the snow cave at 12,500 feet. We had lost our radio and tents and knew we must descend to our 6000-foot Base Camp. The descent via our ascent route took over a week, but under very bad conditions. The weather re- mained good, but the melt-out was so severe that we hardly recognized our route. It made the climbing very dicey. We got to Base Camp on the 17th and sat for 12 days more. We stretched four days’ food over eight and went hungry the last four. We were well past our return date, but the weather stayed poor, hampering rescue. A pilot of the Arctic In- stitute spotted our SOS on the 29th and we were rescued the same day, 22 days after the accident. ROBERTDONOHO

Mount Logan. A scientific expedition led by D.P. Jones and me op- erated out of a geodesic dome shelter erected on the northwest wl in July. The work is connected with a proposed ice core drilling operation in 1979. See Canadian AIpine JournaZ 1979 for more details. The King Trench route was used for the ascent which took 15 days. On July 16, A.R. Jones, R.W. Orvig and D. Verrall climbed the West Peak (5915 m) returning to the Co1 (5360 m) the same day. On July 18, I was flown off the plateau in the Arctic Institute’s HelioCourier and the rest of the party were flown out of the Trench on July 28. GERALDHOLDSWORTH,

Mount Logan, East Ridge. Chic Scott, Trevor Jones, Don Chandler and I spent 23 days on Mount Logan. We reached the Past Peak on June 20 after an alpine-style ascent of the ten-mile-long east ridge. Much time 204 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL was spent in storms, including seven out of the eight days we were above 16,000 feet. JON W. JONES

Mount Queen Mary, West Ridge. On July 30 Yoshihito Watanabe, Akiro Endo and I were landed at 6000 feet on the Hubbard Glacier, south- west of Mount King George. We started the next day up the southwest ridge but and dangerous snow conditions just below the co1 on the ridge turned us back. We went to the height of land between the Hubbard and Seward Glaciers and tried the mountain from there. After establishing Camp I, we had bad weather and gave up. On August 9 we placed a second Base Camp northwest of Mount Queen Mary. We re- connoitered the north side for two days but crevasses turned us back. We then attempted the west ridge. On August 12 we left Camp I at four A.M., climbed loose snow, steep rock and ice, an ice and finally deep snow to reach the summit at two P.M. The next day we began the walk out and reached the Highway via the Kaskawulsh Glacier on August 19. SHIGERUKODAMA, Waseda University Alpine Club, Japan

Peaks at Head of Kuskawulsh Glacier. We climbed a peak east of Pinnacle Peak on the adjoining east ridge. The route was from the north on mixed snow, ice and broken rock on a ridge which led directly to the summit (c. 9600 feet). We descended via the co1 between our peak and Pinnacle Peak. David Casco, Penny McBride, Nancy MacPherson and I made the climb on July 1. HECTORMACKENZIE, Yukon Territory,

Peaks North of Pinnacle Peak. On July 14 Jean Therison, Patrick Taglianut, my wife Yvette and I were set down by plane at the head of the south arm of the Kaskawulsh Glacier, hoping to climb Pinnacle Peak. A confusion of dates prevented that but we did climb two easy peaks due north of Pinnacle Peak between the south arm and Stairway Glacier, P 10,500 and P 11,000, on July 16 and 17. We then walked down the Kaskawulsh to Kluane Lake. GUY JUPIN, Club Alpin Frarqais

McGee Spire, Tombstone Range. In early August Dave Craft, Al DeMaria, Claude Suhl and I made a brief visit to the McGee Lake region, east and north of Dawson City. On August 5, Suhl and I climbed the spire which stands west of Mount McGee, Following a short chimney system on the west face, we encountered some moderate (F7) climbing on bad granite. We found no evidence of a prior ascent. DEAN RAW PLATE 63 Photo by Rmua Lorend 206 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL

Northwest Territories--Logan Mountains Bustle Tower, Southeast Face, Mount Sir Harrison Smith, North Buttress, Tathagata Tower, East Face, Crescent Peak, South Ridge, Logan Mountains’, 1977. During our stay in the Logan Mountains, we made the following first ascents: Bustle Tower, 2000 feet, via the southeast face2 on July 6 and 7, 1977 by Jacques Collaer, Jacques Ramouillet, Renzo Lorenzi, UIAA VI to VI+, Al (We climbed the great dihedrals, avoiding the last overhanging, left-leaning one by traversing to the right to join exit gullies two rope-lengths from the top.) ; Crescent Peak via the prin- cipal south ridge on July 14 by Alain Grignard, Lorenzi (We climbed to- ward a triangular red spot on the ridge. We ascended the first 350-foot tower by a dihedral on the left side of the ridge and turned the second 150-foot tower on the left of the ridge.) ; Mount Sir Harrison Smith, 2300 feet, via the north buttress on July 14 to 17 by Jean Michel Haupens, Philippe Godart, IJIAA VI to VI+, A3 (They climbed a mossy dihedral and traversed up and left to a square niche (first bivouac). Above the niche they kept right of the crack with poor protection to a bivouac on a tiny shelf. From the second bivouac they followed the great chimney which becomes a couloir with ice and unstable blocks of rock. At the co1 between the tower and the summit they continued along the ridge, pen- duluming finally back to a dihedral; Tathagata Tower via the east face on July 18 and 19 by Callaer, Lorenzi, Dr. Francis WarzBe, UIAA V, A2. An attempt on the Lotus Flower Tower was stopped 500 feet from the summit by bad weather. RENZO LORENZI, Club Alpin Beige

Canadian Coast Range Mount Monarch, South Ridge, 1977. I made solo the first ascent of this obscure route, the south ridge, on the beautiful peak which dominates the southern Tweedsmuir area. On August 14 Fred Beckey and I were flown to Success Lake and made an airdrop on the Page-Monarch col. By nightfall we had moved to camp in a lovely meadow near the edge of the Telchako Glacier. Tuesday was spent hiking up the glacier to the

1 This Belgian Party was referred to, in not too complimentary terms for their lack of proper conservation practices, on page 547 of AdJ., 1978. Renzo Lorenzi, an Italian living in Belgium objects to the statements, saying “We made it a point of honor to try to leave thg fewest possible traces of our stay (with the possible exception of the new seaplane dock). May I point out that before our departure we spent an entire day collecting trash (not only ours) in Tombstone Meadow, burning and then burying it.” 2 The Belgian route was clearly different from the Austrian route shown on Plate 60 on page 546 of A.A.I., 1978, which rises directly to the summit. The Belgian route is to the left, halfway to the ridgeline in the photo, and ends on the flat foresummit. CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS e 207

edge of the Monarch Icefield and up the western of the two tributary glaciers which flow north from Page Peak. We climbed over the north ridge of Page and dropped onto the saddle from which we could climb to the foot of the icefall on the northwest side of Monarch and collect the drop, before making camp. Next morning, while Fred tried to appease a demon headache, I hiked over to the shoulder of Page to look at the route. The angle looked less than photos or the view from the plane had indicated, about 30”, but the ridge was broken midway by a great gendarme which didn’t protrude above the ridge but was defined by two deep notches. The 300-foot-deep upper one overhung spectacularly. With three days’ food, the next day we made the hot, unpleasant traverse to the south co1 over loose talus and soft snow. Fred nursed his headache while I scrambled 800 feet up the ridge. Though it had looked loose from the col, the rock was good, making for easy climbing. I descended to bivouac with Fred. We climbed slowly up to the first notch, following a small gully which splits the ridge and worked left on a ledge system which took us into the bottom of the notch. Two pitches of moderate fifth class up a chimney in the center of the uphill side of the notch and a short walk up low-angle slabs atop the gendarme brought us to the second notch, which looked horrible. It overhung dizzily. I lowered the g-mm rope to see if a crossing was feasible; it touched the opposite side of the chasm a good 100 feet down. Fred decided that he wasn’t feeling up to this kind of madness with his headache. He would wait for me while I tried it solo. The landing on the far side was surprisingly easy when vague ledges became obvious from close up. I secured the rope and traversed right to the chimney. I jtimared back up the rappel rope and assembled my gear. The rappel back into the notch was complicated by the fact that my safety Jtimar grabbed about 30 feet from the top and cost me an hour’s arm- burning struggle. I took the climbing rope and rack and soloed an easy line up the left side of the chimney to a comfortable ledge, where I se- cured the rope, rappelled down for my pack and with a self-belay re- climbed the to bivouac on the ledge, The next morning, August 19, 1977, I climbed a bit of easy third class to the top of the notch and hiked up a long, broad ridge of talus toward the summit block. A last little notch was easily crossed and complicated but easy rock put me on the summit just before noon. D. DENNIS MULLEN, UnafiZiated Mount Slesse, East Buttress, 1977. John Stoddard and I climbed this new route from August 5 to 8, 1977. We drove to the gate of the En- sawquatch Creek road and hiked about three miles to where the North- east Slesse Glacier drainage creek crosses the road. On Saturday we hiked up the steep foot of the east buttress, crossed the bottom of the middle glacier basin (between the east and southeast buttresses) and climbed onto the buttress proper at about one-third height via some 208 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL bulging ledges and a pair of slightly bushy dihedrals. Broken climbing brought us to the junction of the buttress and the left side of the great east face. I worked up to the left, resorting to bathooks and small nuts to reach a belay at the top of a 20-foot vertical chimney. Above, after a leader fall, I stormed back to the highest point in cracks and replaced the which had held me though its sling was half cut. After a blank sec- tion, cracks led to an easier left-leaning dihedral, which led in turn to a long ledge on which we bivouacked. The next morning we finished the headwall with a long F9, Al pitch straight up from our bivouac and got to the edge of a small snowpatch. Three more pitches up to the left from the snowpatch brought us to the upper snow patch. The dark, large- crystaled rock changed to a beautiful medium-grained granite. From the upper snowpatch we did a couple of short fourth-class pitches of low angle. John led a lovely F7 pitch up an a&e. I had a long, poorly pro- tected lead over rounded ledges, a thin 40-foot traverse and a 60-foot dihedral. John stemmed over me on the last lead to the ridge, working around and over big, loose chockstones. We picked our way up the ridge toward the main summit to a nice bivouac site. The next morning we continued along the ridge for three pitches of fifth class and one of fourth to the summit. NCCS V, F9, A3. D. DENNIS MULLEN, Unafitiated

Bugaboos South Hawser Tower, East Face, The Big Hose Route. On the right side of the east face lies a thin, straight couloir, almost a chimney, that provides an unbroken line of very steep water ice from the ‘schrund to within 80 feet of the summit. This hose makes a fine alpine ice route that goes to a distinct summit, and though not extreme, it is difficult enough not to bore winter waterfall climbers: a lot of 70° to 80” ice, as well as a short crux bulge of dead vertical, inch-thick ice. I climbed this route alone on June 29 in three to four hours, ‘schrund to summit. Where the ice hose ends, I encountered moderate rock and rotten snow mush- rooms before I reached the top. I freaked out and jury-rigged a 30-foot loop of my rappel rope through some nuts to protect myself over the summit snow mushrooms, but climbed the entire ice hose below free, un- roped, and unprotected. JONATHANKRAKAUER

Canadian Rockies Mount Edith Cavell, North Face, Two New Routes. July 21 was ’s big day on Edith Cavell. There was a pair from Boulder who did the classic Jones-Faint-Chouinard route on the same day as our two parties made new routes. Harry Kent and I were the team on the CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS 209

“McKeith Spur,” named for Bugs McKeith, who had just been killed on Mount Assiniboine. Our route was to the right of the classic route. Jon Krakauer, Mark Hesse and Joe Hladock did their new route starting at the upper lefthand comer of the Angel Glacier, ending at the east sum- mit. Both teams started at midnight and climbed the center ice tongue of the Angel Glacier by headlamp. This was a quick way to the upper glacier, but it was the technical ice-climbing crux and slightly dangerous. We had seracs collapse on both sides. After we got to the Angel Glacier plateau at four A.M., we went our separate ways. Harry and I sat for an hour, looking for a logical line. We were scared, principally because it was so warm. We could see an ugly rockfall scar to the left of our climb which had happened the day before. Our route was protected by a buttress of rock a third of the way up the face. From there an obvious spur led to the last 300 feet of the climb, a steep ice slope to the top. The on the lower third was excellent, mostly 5.4 with two 5.7 pitches that were well protected. We did 300-foot pitches on a 9mm rope. Once on the spur the climbing was 5.0 with some 50’ to 60” ice. We arrived on top at four P.M. and were back in camp at eleven P.M. (NCCS V, F7.) The other new route was done to a great extent unroped. They stayed in shallow gullies, following ice most of the way. They put the rope on in the upper face when a large rock hit Joe nearly causing him a fatal fall. They continued on to the summit and bivouacked on the way down. They had to endure one of the worst electrical storms ever, which lasted some four hours. (NCCS V.) LARRYBRUCE, Elk Mountain Climbing Club

Edith Cave& North Face Irmdirect. In mid-July, Mark Hesse, Joe Hladick, and I put up a new route on this 4000-foot roadside face. Leav- ing our car sometime after midnight, we climbed directly and anxiously up the very active icefall of the lower Angel Glacier. We moved unroped until the icefall’s final two pitches, which involved some sections of vertical and overhanging serac climbing (done free). From the upper Angel Glacier’s eastern comer we contrived a line that is steeper than, and well to the right of, the upper Chouinard-Faint-Jones route. We were on steep blue ice for all but 150 feet of the mountain. We broke through the dif- ficult, rotten summit cornice 300 feet west of the east summit after taking a distinctive ice couloir (up to 75’) up the right margin of the east sum- mit’s rock pyramid. We topped out at dusk in the face of a violent elec- trical storm. We did the entire upper wall unroped except for one lead over a low rock band and the final six leads. JOHNKRAKAUER

Mount Alan Campbell, Frigate Mountain and Other Peaks, Freshfield Group. On July 22 Jack Cade, Geoff Dougherty, David Henley, Ron 210 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL

Parker, Ernst Salzgeber and I helicoptered to a campsite some three kilometers east of the summit of Mount Alan Campbell. The following day, Ernst and I led two ropes, alternating the route finding, from a co1 some two kilometers west along the ridge plateau and final a&e to the peak of this previously unclimbed mountain. Our descent was via the snow of the southeast face and south buttress. There was no great tech- nical difficulty involved; however, any other routes on this peak will most certainly involve a great deal more objective danger as well as technical skill. We remained roped throughout because of the extremely frail con- dition of all hand and footholds on this peak. On July 24, first ascents were also made of two lesser unnamed peaks, one lying five kilometers to the west of Mount Alan Campbell and one five kilometers southwest. The following day saw the entire party move camp five kilometers west- ward, taking time out for the first ascent of a 9100-foot peak en route. The 26th was our most strenuous day, involving some difficult route- finding up a continuous cliff band to reach the glacier lying east of Frigate Mountain, of which we also made the first ascent in that afternoon. We continued on to reach a campsite in the headwaters of Goodfellow Creek at dusk. On the 27th we traversed westward through the parklands of Goodfellow Creek and then down into the dismal reaches of a north tributary to the Bluewater in which we found ample alder and devil’s club to dispel the illusion that such blessings are found only in the Interior Ranges. However, by late in the day, we had regained timberline some three kilometers south of Felucca Mountain. On our last day, we climbed it, making a circuit with an approach from the west to the south ridge and descent by the southeast face, thence back to camp. Finally, we exited the mountains on July 29 via Clearwater Creek, reaching the horrendous bum area of 1971 and a vehicle we had spotted in that vicinity. WILLIAM L. PUTNAM

Canadian Arctic Broad Peak, Sam Ford Fiord, Bafin Island. In April Steve Trafton, Martin Waller, Brad Albro, Lynn Buchanan, Jim Shedd and I traveled to Clyde River via Montreal, Frobisher Bay, and Broughton Island. After meeting with the Innuit Settlement Council in Clyde River, we traveled with local hunters by snowmobile and komitik (sled) to Swiss Bay on Sam Ford Fiord. From Swiss Bay we manhauled a sledge with a month’s supplies to the foot of the glacier flowing from the Broad Peak area. After two days of plodding through deep, soft snow we camped below of Broad Peak at 1300 feet. From there on April 20 Trafton, Buchanan and I made the first ascent of Broad Peak (6150 feet) via the south ridge. The route was repeated on April 21 by Waller, Albro and Shedd. A three-day storm then pinned us down in camp at 2200 feet CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS 211 I

below Broad Peak’s southwest face. On April 25 we attempted the ascent of an unclimbed peak south of Broad Peak. This climb was cut short when a major windslab avalance struck us and swept us from the face. This great slide had a shear line more than 1000 feet across and flowed at a depth up to 15 feet. No serious injuries were sustained, but we learned about avalanches in the far north. Very little snow falls in the Arctic. The small amount deposited blows around a great deal during the frequent, violent winter storms, causing dangerous lee-slope condi- tions. Even very light snowfall does not mean low avalanche danger. We had under one inch of snow during our 72-hour storm. Slab conditions seem to be the rule. Slight temperature gradients in late winter do not encourage the metamorphising of snow structures and so avalanche con- ditions tend to prevail long after a storm has ended. A later attempt on Walrus Peak was halted by delicate snowslab conditions. We spent the remainder of our three weeks’ stay ski touring. Climbers going into this or other remote locations should check with native (Innuit) town or settlement councils before departing for the field. Many areas (primarily approach routes) include important hunting grounds. With this in mind it seems only proper to check with locals before possibly disturbing wild game in hunting zones. ALLAN ERFUNGTON

Mount Thor, West Face, Diagonal Buttress, Weasel Valley, , Bafin Island. The diagonal buttress on the west face of angles upward to the north shoulder, forming the left retaining wall for a dike of red hematite. After reading ’s remarks in Big Wall Climbing about the west face of Mount Thor looking “exceedingly bare of good crack lines” and probably requiring “siege climbing and perhaps resorting to the detested drill,” we were surprised to find such a natural-looking line. In August Steve Amter, Rick Cronk and I climbed with a light rack which proved more than adequate for all the climbing except two aid pitches in the middle of the route. These strenuous, awkward, overhanging pitches took us a-day-and-a-half to negotiate, but perhaps a better equipped party would find them easier. The rest of the route (26 pitches, 3000 feet), save one beautiful dihedral at the top, was enjoyable , most of the pitches varying from F5 to F8. The rock was of good quality reminiscent of the Tetons. The three of us spent 72 hours on the route, though a faster party of two might cut this time considerably. NCCS VI, F9, A4. RONALDH. SACKS

Killabuk, Ozymandias, Owl Pillar, Enosiagit, Cumberland Peninsula, Bafin Island. Ten members of the Etchachan Club spent PLATE 64 Photo by Ronald H. Sacks MOUNT THOR’s West Face, Bafiin Island. The difficult aid pitches are between the bivouacs (marked X). CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS 213

July in the Cumberland Mountains. Despite a late spring and “the worst weather in 20 years,” we managed to do some climbing between pro- longed periods of bad weather. We climbed the following. Killabuk: Ian Dalley, Mike Freeman, Guy Muhlemann, John Moreland and Dave Nichols on July 7 climbed the east face, taking a line slightly left of the Hennek-Scott route to the obvious snow bay. Here they climbed the headwall on the left. 3500 feet. Mostly F6 and F7 with one pitch on the headwall of F8. Ozymandias (Ref 240060): We spent ten days camped below the magnificent twin buttresses of Ozymandias on the bend of Owl Valley. The formidable right buttress seemed to offer only one line of weakness, the left edge. A foray on the first 300 feet confirmed that bolts and a certain amount of aid would be required. We found evidence of a previous attempt on this tremendous line. On July 14 and 18 Nichols and I climbed the more slabby left buttress on two separate days, taking a line towards the left flank. We ascended 1500 feet of sustained slabs (F6 to F8) to a large platform below the headwall, which we climbed by a prominent open groove, which turned out to be relatively straight- forward. The left and right buttresses are flanked by two subsidiary buttresses, the Left and Right Arms. John and Alison Higham climbed the Left Arm (1500 feet, F6) on July 14; Muhlemann, Moreland, Free- man and J. Higham took the obvious right-hand chimney to reach the crest and climbed the Right Arm on July 18. 2000 feet. F7. Peak X (Ref 150110, c. 6600 feet) : This, the highest point between the Highway Glacier and Owl Valley was climbed by Dalley and Freeman on July 14. The ascent was made via the large glacier left of Ozymandias and the easy east ridge. Owl Pillar (Ref 180980) : We thus named the prominent spur topped by a lOOO-foot pillar, situated about three miles down from and on the same side of Owl Valley as the Rundle Glacier. The Pillar was climbed to within 200 feet of its snowcap before a storm forced a retreat. The lower spur was mostly scrambling but the pillar provided excellent free climbing up to F9. Enosiagit (Ref 995010): During our last week in the area, Freeman, Steve Bateson, Bill McKerrow and I camped in this magnificent setting with the west faces of Friga and Asgard and the south face of Loki all within a few miles. The poor weather caused us frustration, but one day we climbed the isolated peak northeast of Loki by a southwest spur (the third spur from the left), which led directly to the summit. 4000 feet. Not sustained but some pitches of F6 and F7. GREGORYSTRANGE, Etchachan Mountaineering Club, Aberdeen, Scotland

Weasel Valley, Bafin Island. Our seven-man expedition was active in the Weasel Valley during July and August. Climbing throughout the night of July 27 to 28 Rob Little and I made the first ascent of an impres- 214 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL sive rock peak, “Point Roscoe” * (4000+ feet; Reference 916,712) via its steep north ridge (UIAA V+, A2). On the 28th Pete Moffat, Chris Ross, Niel Bielby and Allan Reid climbed a fine straightforward snow peak, “Tarsuinn” (5500 feet; 023,779). Ross, Moffat and Bielby climbed “Kalouk” (012,733) and “Herald Peak” (010,715), both about 5000 feet, on the 31st. On August 1 Rob Graham and I clambered up two minor hills, “Dwarf” (3000+ feet; 918,722) and “Rubble Peak” (5000 feet; 933,731) by the south face of the “Fang,” a yellow buttress at the end of the ridge. “Nuvoolik” (5000+ feet: 010,694) was ascended by Bielby, Moffat and Ross on August 2. Moving up the valley, Rob Graham and I scaled a satellite peak of Odin by the great gully and north ridge, which we called “Balrog” (4500 feet; 905,812). In the Tinfoil Ridge area Bielby, Moffat and Ross ascended two big peaks, “Trodigal” (6000+ feet: 930,880) by its southwest rib and “Runival” (5500+ feet; 935,866) by its southwest ridge. On the way back down the valley, Reid, Moffat and I made the first recorded ascent of the great mountain mass “Ganu Mar” (SSOO+ feet; 869,818). Tony Simpson suffered a gashed head and skull fracture when hit by a falling rock and had to be evacuated, the Canadian Coast Guard kindly providing a helicopter for the final stage of the trip to Pangnirtung. GRAHAME. LITTLE, Scottish Mountaineering Club

Asgard, East Face, Bafin Island. Ian Parsons and I repeated the 1972 route on the east face of Asgard. We climbed the 4000-foot face on July 16 to 18 in very variable weather. We were forced to bivouac in bad weather below the start of the face, which was guarded by danger- ous avalanche slopes. We climbed 1500 feet of superb cracks and slabs (F8 and F9) till another storm swept in. The next day we resumed climbing on very sound granite. The summit cracks were ferocious, especially two off-width FlO cracks, which we climbed free since we carried a minimum of gear. We reached the summit snows at midnight to a glorious setting sun and a magnificent panorama of Baffin Island’s mountains. We completed the difficult descent of the Swiss route on dangerous unconsolidated snow minutes before appalling weather closed in for five continuous days. JAMESFOTHERINGHAM, Carlisle Mountaineering Club, England

Kingnait Fiord, Cumberland Peninsula, Bafjin Island. On July 21 Daniel Cauthom, Michael Friedman, Ben Dobbins and 11 left Pangnirtung

* The namesin quotation marks were given by the expedition and have been suggestedto the Canadian authorities. 1 Recipient of an Mountaineering Fellowship Grant. CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS 215 in a 24-foot freighter canoe bound for the head of Kingnait Fiord, some 80 miles distant. We spent 35 days in the mountains and icefields north- west of the fiordhead, engaged in some very enjoyable alpine-style rock climbing. We made the following first ascentsa: Ningio Peak (c. 5500 feet, MJ 2876) via Broadway (west) ridge, Class 3 on August 3 by Friedman, Dobbin; Allianaituq Peak (6100 feet, MJ 2678) via east ice face and south ridge, NCCS III, F6, Al, 6 hours on August 3 by Cau- thorn, Speer; Muqtahk Peak (6090 feet, MJ 2482) via south rib, NCCS II, F7 on August 7 by whole party; Nuqturhaliq Peak (c. 5500 feet, MJ 2281) via southeast buttress, NCCS III, F7, 5 hours on August 9 by whole party: Jonah (5600 feet; northwest summit of Muqtahk, MJ 2382) via southwest apron, NCCS III, F8, 5 hours on August 10 by whole party; Wildflowers Peak (5780 feet, MJ 3279) via south buttress, NCCS III, F6 5 hours on August 16 by whole party; Upiqjua Pillar (6450 feet, MJ 2674) on August 17 via two routes: via east face, NCCS IV, F7, Al in 8 hours by Friedman, Dobbin and via southeast couloir and west ridge, NCCS III, F8 (with Scottish III ice) in 6 hours by Speer, Cauthom. We made the following second ascents: Nanoq Mountain (6600 feet, MJ 2579) via east glacier and south pillar (new route) NCCS III, F7 in six hours on August 8 by whole party; and P 5600 via east ridge (new route, MJ 2772), NCCS II, F7 on August 15 by whole party. We were the first to attempt technical routes in the region and climbed almost every local summit. We are submitting these unofficial names to Ottawa for approval. We took photos and bearings of peaks in the near distance which give considerable promise for future expeditions. We made good use of ski travel on the icefields and capitalized on the few sunny days of the summer. We were picked up by a Fish and Wildlife Service boat on August 24. PETERA. SPEER

King&t Fiord, Buffin Island. Our expedition of seven climbers arrived at Pangnirtung on July 2.5 and after seven hours on July 27 arrived by boat at the head of Kingnait Fiord. The region had been explored in 1972 and 1973 by Dr. G. Cochran’s expeditions (A.A.J., 1974, pages 160-l ) . They had been the only ones there before 1978 when both a party and ours were again in the region. We ascended the valley to the northwest of the head of the fiord. It took five days to get our gear to Base Camp at 2500 feet at the confluence of two glaciers. We climbed 15 new routes, made three traverses and climbed nine peaks for the first time. In 29 days, nine were splendid, ten cloudy and ten

2 Grid referenceson 26-I appear after the altitude. THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL

rainy. We made the following ascents: Arvikl (5100 feet) via north face to both north and south summits on August 3 by B. Constans, L. Gimbert, D. , G. and M. Romain and J. Wiedmer; Allianaituqz (6100 feet,

1 First ascent. 2 New route. CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS 217 second ascent) via southeast ridge on excellent granite and traverse to Nanuq (third ascent) both on August 17 by Constans, Gimbert, G. and M. Romain; Qilagulal (5100 feet) via northeast face on August 1.5 by Constans, Gimbert, G. and M. Romain, descent via west couloir; Tuktu2 (5700 feet, second ascent) via north hanging glacier on August 7 by Constans, Gimbert, a magnificent ice climb up to 55O; Ukaliql (5650 feet) via central east couloir, which lies south of the big spur, on August 7 by G. and M. Romain and via east face in a succession of couloirs leading to the south ridge and traverse 2 to Tuktu and Qilagula on August 7 by Millet, Wiedmer; Tiriaql (5800 feet) via east buttress, a fine mixed route with very difficult rock, and traverse to Dome and descent via northeast spur of Dome on August 16 by Millet, Wiedmer; Ekalul (5200 feet) north and south summits on August 4 by G. and M. Romain and on August 8 by Millet, C. Voidey; Qujlalu* (5300 feet) via west rock ridge on August 16 by Constans, Gimbert; Kalugautl (5600 feet) via west face, a fine rock climb, on August 8 by Constans, Gimbert; Amaruql (5700 feet) via east buttress on August 10 by Constans, Gimbert; Kitaka2 (5750 feet, second ascent) via southwest rock face on August 10 by Millet, G. and M. Romain, Wiedner. The Eskimo names are not yet official. GERARD ROMAIN, Club Alpin Fraqais

Consolation Peak and P 5500, Pangnirtung Pass Area. In early May, Dave Shoemaker, Rick West, John Mallery and I spent nine days climbing in the Pangnirtung Pass region of Auyuittuq National Park. Travel into the pass from Pangnirtung was made by snow-machines, but due to an early thaw, we were unable to ski-doo past Windy Lake. We hiked further up the pass and put Base Camp near Mount Thor. During our stay two peaks were ascended. On May 6, Shoemaker, Mallery and I reached the south summit on Consolation Peak (6100 feet; two miles west of Thor). Our route went up a 4000-foot snow gully, shaped like an hourglass, then up a 1500-foot ridge to our high point. The climbing was no harder than F6 and the granite excellent for . The summit of P 5500, about three miles northeast of Thor, was reached by John Mallery and me on May 9, after a quick 12-hour push from Base Camp. Our route of 12 pitches of F4 to F8 led up the south ridge. MICHAEL PELCHAT,Randolph Mountain Club

P c. 4000, Pangnirtung Fiord. In August Brian Carey, Nancy Van Deren and I made the first ascent of a 4000-foot peak five miles south of Overlord Peak and two miles from the east shore of Pangnirtung Fiord. We climbed a snow-filled couloir on the west face of the peak, which is part of a cirque wall. ERIC D. ROSENPELD 218 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL

Asgard, Bafin Island. The Auyuittuq National Park guide states that one could be excused for not wishing to return if the “summers” of 1972 or 1974 had been experienced. Quite naturally then, Les Ellison and I concluded that if the daily 1978 storms were perfectly normal, than ‘72 and ‘74 must have been really bad. Only later did we discover that 1978’s weather was the worst in memory.1 In fact, the far north had all sorts of nasty surprises for us. Les’ flight out of Chicago was delayed by- you guessed it--b& weather, while mine developed engine trouble . . . in midair. Our separate journeys up the ice on Pangnirtung Fiord were even more memorable, what with IO-foot gaps to bridge and vast melt- water lakes to ford (Ever see a Ski-doo swim through 10 inches of water?). On the other hand, the slog up the interminable Weasel Valley was only punctuated by the brief entertainment provided by Les when he fell through the ice along the river with his 133-lb. pack. The climbing was considerably better, however, for we only got caught in three storms on two climbs. Anticipating a quick trip up the 4000-foot Scott-Hennek route on the east face of Killibuck (since the sun was out), we merrily set out on July 12 in EBs and quickly joined a snowstorm at the foot of the final lOOO-foot headwall. For the next half day we traversed left around the mountain, wandering up and down wet friction slabs in the murky fog, telling jokes, and having a grand time! Asgard, at least, was an improve- ment. Our initial step was to set up an Advanced Base Camp on the Caribou Glacier in the pouring rain. Then, a deceptive clearing trend invited us to the foot of the south face of the south summit just in time for the daily cirrus clouds to appear. Another stormbound day in the tent and clearing trend saw us at the foot of the face again . . . along with more cirrus clouds! Since neither of us felt like snowshoeing back to the soggy tent, and it was getting late in the mouth (July 17)) we figured we might as well climb the fool thing. Our route followed a prominent band of rotten basalt dikes and chimneys (not unlike the north face of the ) to a broad series of dirty ledges 1500 feet below the summit. There, we cowered for 10 hours while storm No. 1 enveloped us from the southeast. But it was all worth it, for the following day “dawned” magnificently clear-and it was to be our summit day. Superb 5.6-5.8 chimney and on the right side of the face allowed the use of EBs all the way, although we switched to sterner stuff for the treacherous descent (a steep snowfield) and, per Murphy’s Law, another approaching storm. And what a storm-50 hours of steady rain! But the frosting on the cake was the march out, for despite the fact that it was late July, the ice in the fiord was still there, impassable to both Ski-doo and canoe. There were lighter moments, however, and they can be perhaps best exemplified by our discovery that one of the visiting English climbers, a dentist, had forgotten his toothbrush! KENNETH E. NICHOLS CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS 219

Stewart Valley Correction. In A.A.J., 1978 on page 553 part of the location was omitted. It should have read “70’ 45’ N, 71” 30’ E.”

Ellesmere-Bowman Island. Bowman Island, with its striking 1870- foot rock tower, lies in the middle of Makinson Inlet, a large fiord in the east coast of , roughly 800 miles from the North Pole. My previous expedition in August 1976 (see C.A.J. and A.A.J., 1977) made a reconnaissance of the area. We had climbed a number of peaks southwest of the island, but were unable to reach Bowman itself with our Avon inflatable boats because of heavy ice. In May 1978, I returned with another combined U.S.-Canadian expedition, this time equipped for ski mountaineering: U.S. group: G.V.B. Cochran, Caroline Cochran, P. Cor- nell, W. Graham, P. Rogers, and H. Schriebl; Canada group: K. Ingold, S. Rosenbaum, and E. Wballey. We covered the 100 miles from settlement to Base Camp with sledges and snowmobiles, aided by local Eskimos. Base Camp was on sea ice in a tributary of Makinson Inlet, five miles southeast of the island. Five first ascents of shore peaks (including P 2100) and several other excursions were made by various members of the party on skis via glacier routes. The Canadian group made a first ascent of P 4250, probably the highest summit in the “Thorn- dikes,” east of the Makinson Inlet tributary fiord: the highest summit on the west side (3900+ feet) had been climbed by our U.S. group in 1976. As for Bowman Island, the easier east summit was climbed first during a reconnaissance. The highest point, Bowman Peak (P 1870) our main objective, was climbed on May 17 by Graham, Ingold, Schriebl and Whalley under difficult conditions of snow-covered rock and wind. Peak altitudes refer to NTS Craig Harbour Sheet #49SW and 49SE, 1: 500,000 Aero ed, except for Bowman Peak, which as a result of recent Canadian government surveys has been revised from its former 1500 feet. For de- tails see Canadian Alpine Journal, 1979. Scientific work included mechan- ical strain measurements in arctic sea ice. GEORGEVAN B. COCHRAN

GREENLAND Apostelens Tommelfinger and Other Peaks, Lindenows Fjord, South Greenland. The High Mountain Military Group Expedition was com- posed of Colonel Dr. J. Sarrat-Boumet, Major J.P. Peeters, Captain M. Rabet, Lieutenant A. Es&e, Chief Adjutant A. Rey, Adjutants H. Aug- areils, R. Duprb and M. Grohens, Sergeant P. Martinez, Corporals P. Mailly and Muller, and me as leader. We were helicoptered on June 8 to Stendalen on the north shore of Lindenows Fjord, just south of the Apostelens Tommelfinger. On reconnaissance on June 10 Esteve, Muller and I climbed P 1360 (4462 feet) via its east couloir and southeast ridge.