[CMCEmail] AAJ March 2012 Newsletter

[CMCEmail@Californiamountaineer.com]

 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=ad3e5f0a4c&e=49344561f0> AAJ Online - click to display images


 The American Alpine Journal Newsletter, March 2012



 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=5452187d86&e=49344561f0>  2011 AAJ cover <http://gallery.mailchimp.com/60afa02764806293a37aacfda/files/AAJ_frontcover_aaj2011.jpg>  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=5452187d86&e=49344561f0> Mountain books (and a couple of features).

As an annual, the AAJ is strictly about the events that transpired in the previous year. This includes books, where we only review those that were published during a single cycle around the sun. Fortunately, the books themselves are much wider ranging, taking us back decades, sometimes centuries.

Personally, I revel in the AAJ's reviews. Often the writers are every bit as insightful as the authors they're reviewing. They provide some of the best reading in the AAJ.

Since 1996 these reviews have been edited by David Stevenson, now the director of the MFA program at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. In this newsletter we'll highlight a tiny sampling of the reviews published between 2009 and 2011, which we've just uploaded to the AAJ website. The main point isn't to showcase these particular books, but to remind you of all the books we've reviewed these last years—you'll browse past a huge variety on the way to those listed below.

We've also recently uploaded the final two feature articles from the 2011 AAJ, shown just above the reviews.

As usual, I remind you to please send in your new-route reports. The how, where, and why is all spelled out in the column to the right == <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=2dfdc7a15d&e=49344561f0> >>
 
To view recent uploads to the Climbs & Expeditions reports, click on "New <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=7a0da54876&e=49344561f0> " and scroll down. Or go to "Reports <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=24dc2f16e8&e=49344561f0> " and search by region.

Cheers,
John Harlin III
Editor

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India: Vasuki Parbat, The Serpent King


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=55d9dc568d&e=49344561f0> Vasuki
By Malcolm Bass

Feature article: The first ascent of the west face of Vasuki Parbat, India.

I really wanted this one. So far, the great mountains of Asia had largely defeated me. Six big trips over 18 years had produced two summits and plenty of abseiling practice. In the last few years I had begun to question the investment, to consider giving up long trips to the Himalaya and Karakoram in favor of Scotland, Alaska, and the Alps. But a question kept reappearing: “Do you want to walk away a failure?”...  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=b29e80af7d&e=49344561f0> (read more)
Photo: The west face of Vasuki Parbat. Satyabrata Dam

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China: A Journey to West Sichuan


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=ee25fb25d4&e=49344561f0> Genyen massif

By Tamotsu Nakamura, AAC Honorary Member

Feature article: A return to the Shaluli Shan reveals troublesome changes in the mostly unclimbed peaks of the Litang Plateau.

After a fascinating visit to the eccentric collection of Christian churches in the upper Salween basin of northwest Yunnan, we headed to the Litang Plateau. Things went wrong very quickly. First, hostile Tibetans blocked us from entering one southern valley. Then, we could not organize a caravan across the Litang Plateau. This seems to be the paradox of development in Tibet and West China: the frontiers are becoming less accessible....  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=f4a13696a7&e=49344561f0> (read more)
Photo: The Genyen massif. Tamotsu Nakamura

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Book Review: Desert Towers: Fat Cat Summits and Kitty Litter Rock

 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=b92a1aadd4&e=49344561f0> Desert Towers


By Steve “Crusher” Bartlett. Reviewed by David Harris 

As climbers craving a fix, we accept almost any writing if we cannot get to the rock. A few sexy pictures and a few words about grunting up 5.hard, and we set literary standards aside. But once in a long time something is published that not only gives us our fix when the weather keeps us indoors, but actually has literary or historical or visual merit. Crusher Bartlett’s Desert Towers comes as close to that ideal as any climbing book I can think of....  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=625e52558a&e=49344561f0> (read more)

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Book Review: One Mountain Thousand Summits, The Untold Story of Tragedy and True Heroism on K2


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=9d6203b634&e=49344561f0> Thousand Summits

By Freddie Wilkinson. Reviewed by Charlie Mace

Why would anyone write another book on K2? We certainly don’t need another pompous rehashing full of self-aggrandizement. Let me say right away, then, that this is a fantastic book. Freddie Wilkinson takes on an audacious objective and creates a truly engaging work. This book is in the top five of books written about K2, and is the best book I’ve seen about the current state of 8,000m climbing.....  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=e8d1f6b27f&e=49344561f0> (read more)

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Book Review: Ron Fawcett Rock Athlete


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=17e97507bd&e=49344561f0> Ron Fawcett

By Ron Fawcett, with Ed Douglas. Reviewed by James Lucas

Strawberries, Lord of the Flies, The Cad. These routes are synonymous with bold standard-pushing and with Ron Fawcett in the 1970s and early 80s. In this autobiography, Fawcett depicts his beginnings as a cad making the first ascent of England’s Mulatto Wall to his years working in the entertainment industry. Along the way, Fawcett pioneered the life of a professional climber….  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=5cfecb7da1&e=49344561f0> (read more)

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Book Review: Early Days In the Range of Light: Encounters With Legendary Mountaineers


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=b2ac56e3e8&e=49344561f0> Range of Light
By Daniel Arnold. Reviewed by John P. O’Grady 

When it comes to mountaineering literature, California’s Sierra Nevada is perhaps the most storied of North American ranges. Not that other mountains lack narratives, but the Sierra seems to have attracted more than its share of gifted chroniclers, among them Clarence King, John Muir, and Francis Farquhar. Now add to this illustrious company the name of Daniel Arnold....  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=437bef7972&e=49344561f0> (read more)

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Book Review: The Stonemasters: California Rock Climbers In the Seventies


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=2a469fe64c&e=49344561f0> Stone Masters

By Dean Fidelman, John Long, and others. Reviewed by Doug Robinson

“We made this book square, like a block of granite,” said Dean Fidelman, the photographer. That’s how much he and John Long, the writer, wanted it to reflect the experience of being a Stonemaster. It’s exciting how well their big volume succeeds, by diving deep into the legend to locate the sparks that set a few high school kids so on fire they ignited a generation. The story is vivid, thanks to the penetrating writing of their chief spokesman, John Long....  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=c6c17782be&e=49344561f0> (read more)

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Book Review: Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes 


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=bd0a0a46a3&e=49344561f0> Fallen Giants

By Maurice Isserman & Stewart Weaver. Reviewed by John Thackray

When two professional historians venture into our domain, one might hope for something a little different from the stuff written by climbers. But this is a conventional narrative and an old-fashioned history of great men and their greatest hits, heavy on nostalgia for the glory days of Himalayan climbing....  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=c2e413f8c8&e=49344561f0> (read more)



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Book Review: First Ascent: Pioneering Mountain Climbs


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=4893400982&e=49344561f0> first ascent

By Stephen Venables. Reviewed by Steve Roper

In this lavish coffee-table book we read about the first ascent of Mont Blanc, the tragedy on the Matterhorn, the epics on the Eiger’s north face. Sound familiar? How about the struggles up Annapurna and Everest? Yes, these legendary climbs are old hat to most members of our club, weaned as we are by the fine writers of yesteryear. But young readers, innocent of mountaineering’s engaging history, will be fascinated by this book. I hope it inspires kids to heave the earbuds and head for the hills....  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=00cd4e1b23&e=49344561f0> (read more)

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Book Review: Through a Land of Extremes: The Littledales of Central Asia


 <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=25608ba5c2&e=49344561f0> Littledales

By Elizabeth and Nicholas Clinch. Reviewed by David Stevenson

Never heard of the Littledales?  Neither had anyone else. They were apparently indifferent to whether anyone heard of them or not; they left no public writings and very little else. Elizabeth and Nick Clinch practically extrapolated the whole story from the Littledale’s fox terrier’s silver collar, which resides in the Royal Geographical Society archives. If you wonder what the collar is doing there, you’re beginning to think like the Clinches. The Littledales, a married couple—St. George and Teresa—made three major journeys through Central Asia between 1890 and 1895....  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=fb65cf7bbe&e=49344561f0> (read more)

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A lot more reports are online! <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=a1610f18c9&e=49344561f0>  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=a1610f18c9&e=49344561f0> Pico Polaco <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=a1610f18c9&e=49344561f0> 

Click the “New <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=5d900bcb02&e=49344561f0> ” button at aaj.AmericanAlpineClub.org <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=a7de7c9e5f&e=49344561f0>  and scroll down to see which reports are from your favorite part of the world.



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Please Submit Your New Routes to the AAJ!

If you have climbed or attempted a new mountain or big wall route, please report it to us soon after your success (or glorious failure). While the printed American Alpine Journal only comes out once a year (in July or August), the AAJ Online publishes all year round. Your report will later be published in the famous annual book for the permanent record-and you will receive a copy as a token of our appreciation.

The AAJ strives to be complete-to publish ALL the big new routes-but we can only do this with your help. Please have mercy on your poor editors and send us your report early so that we can keep the world up to date in a timely fashion. The complete Submissions Guidelines are available  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=8edfdd2b21&e=49344561f0> here, including specific contact names and email addresses. But you can always reach us at  <mailto:aaj at americanalpineclub.org?subject=new%20route> aaj at americanalpineclub.org.

A big THANKS! from your editors,
Kelly Cordes
Lindsay Griffin
John Harlin III 


What we publish:

The AAJ tries to be the world's "journal of record" for documenting significant new climbs. We seek reports on all new long routes worldwide ("long" typically means a full day or more on the climb itself). We sometimes report a repeat ascent if the peak or route has not been climbed in many years; if there have been major changes in conditions on the mountain; if the style is new (example: first free ascent); if the ascent was exceptionally fast; if it was the first winter ascent (but only of major routes); or if the report supplies vital information for future climbers. We do not publish reports on first "national" ascents (for example, the first American or Italian or Japanese ascent). We also don't cover first women's ascents, handicapped climbs, or other special recognitions. Sometimes, however, we break our own "rules."

How to write a report:

Reports for the Climbs & Expedition section of the AAJ are typically 250-500 words long. The prime goals are to document history and to provide information that helps future climbers in this region, but we enjoy a good story, too! Here is a simple way to remember what should be included in the report: tell the story of your trip ... very briefly!

Be sure to include:

What?-name of peak and route.
Where?-exactly where is it? Country, mountain range, route line.
When?-dates of the expedition.
Who?-names of climbers.
Why?-why did this climb interest
How hard?-difficulty of the climb, using whichever grading system you prefer.

For photo guidelines and more, please click  <http://americanalpineclub.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=60afa02764806293a37aacfda&id=8c7b36e33f&e=49344561f0> here.

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