1994 Winter - The Harvard Mountaineering Club

Harvard Mountaineering Club
Harvard University 4 University Hall Cambridge. MA 02138 USA
Fortunatus et ille deos
qui novit agrestis.
President
Treasurer
Librarian
Journal Editor
Equipment Czar
Josh Swidler '94
Michael Liflik '96
Chris Rodning '94
Anurew Noymer '94
Steve Brown G4
(617)493- 2497
(617)493- 2959
(617)493- 3409
(617)492-6069
(617)247-8468
Notes from Cambridge, Winter 1994
Loo/ring forward lo my future resembles my Joo/ring a/ a dis/an/ mountain/rom a plain. J'!Jough /he mountain is
delil1lle. 1/s shape is abslrad I cannot Jrnow 1/s adual forms un!J! I ma/re my ascent. un!J! I reac!J 1/s pealr. /hope
never lo Jose sigh/ of my mountain. never lo become insens1!ive lo /he impressions of majes(y 1! has on my soul I
hope never to overloo/r the !Jie ever present in nature wh1!e passing on my way.
llelh Jlessmore :91
'Yedi!alion"
CLIMBING
Winter trips have headed north the While Mountains frequenlly. including beginner trips. Rock gym buffs are mourning the
recent fire at the Somervill Rock Gym. Plans are in the works for spring break trips. which will lake place from 26 March-3
April...
WINTER BANQUET
This year's Winter Banquet will be held on Thursday. 24 February. 1994. The featured speal<er will be Jeff Lowe. Perhaps he
needs no introduction. but please see the allached biography ... His address. one stop on an extended lecture lour. is title
"Every Climber Has a Vision." As always. we will gather at the HMC office in the back of Claverly Hall on the corner of Linden
and Mount Auburn Streets at 5PM. Feel free to arrive anytime after 5PM. and feel free to tap on our window onto the
sidewalk on Linden Street to be let inside the front door. At 6PM we will go to dinner at John Harvard's Brew House. which is
located at 33 Dunster Street two blocks from Claverly Hall towards Harvard Square. Members (and significant others) are
welcome to come to the reception and to dinner. The general public is welcome to attend the slide presentation to be held
a\. 8PM al Emerson 105 in Harvard Yard. All guests will be charged $5 for admission to the presentation. If at all possible.
members should RSVP for dinner (just show up for the show) by c~lling Chris at (617)493-3409. This will alow us to make
reservations at the restaurant. Spread the word, and help us mal<e this event a memorable chapter of the rich history of
the HMC ...
JOURNAL
After a series of fils and starts, l!arvard Jlounlaineering 2/is underway. All contributors should have received a notice from
the editor. lf you have submitted a piece and have not been contacted by Andrew Noymer. or would just like to greet him.
phone him at (617)492- 6069
·
All articles are welcome; they need not be expedition reports. Any member who wishes to include a short update on their
climbing and related travels is encouraged to submit a short note. which will be published in a section of climbing notes. We
are also looking for photographs to include in the journal as halflones. Photographs may accompany an article; they may
also represent some of your better climbing snapshots not necessarily part of a piece of writing. Black and while prints will
reproduce the best. but we can handle transparencies or color prints. For transparencies. the original will reproduce beller
than a duplicate copy. All photographic material will be returned .
New full - length articles will be considered. but beware the Ides of March. ·Unfortunately. we cannot accept any submissions
afler 15 March . 1994. To ensure that we can layout the entire journal before the vernal equinox. any new material longer
than 500 words must be accompanied by a Mac or MS- DOS disk; we can accept either 3.5 or 5.25 inch disks. Please send a
printout with your disk. and indicate which word processor was used.
Journal correspondence should be addressed lo: Andrew Noymer. 24 Prescott Street #8. Cambridge. MA 02138. (617)492-6069.
LIBRARY
The librarian has an idea of improving map collections and short notes on different mountain ranges. Please send any hints
and any information that would be useful. This idea is in lls brainstorming stage. Donations of books. maps. guides. and
photographs are always welcome and will be noted.
If any member has climbed in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. or has information on alpine travel in Morocco. contact
Andrew Noymer specifically. Otherwise. send letters .and oU1er sluff to the HMC address at University Hall...
ACTIVITIES
Recent club activities include farewells lo departing members. weekly dinner meetings al Adams House. regular weekly
meetings on Thursdays at 8PM allhe office in Claverly Hall. and frequent climbing trips.
EQUIPMENT
All donations of equipment are welcome and will be put lo good use. especially in outfitting new climbers. Current inventory
is prelly good; il would benefit especially from a few retired lead ropes lhal we can use as lop ropes. Donations of
equipment will be recognized with a club shirt (provided it is a fair exchange. of course).
MEMBERSHIP
Keep your membership current. Dues are $10 per year. and $100 for a lifetime membership. These dues help defray costs of
mailings and other aspects of running an organization. Note that lifetime dues could possibly be increased in the near
future.
Af f!Je end of f!Je da_y as I was fairing down f!Je anc!Jor at f!Je fop of f!Je ice climbs at t.be Jilume In franconia .Holc!J.
As I always do. I gazed lor a w!Jile lhroug!J the silent woods towards I!Je subtle !Jorizon at dusk. lf!IIle hilang bac/r fo
the road!Jearl, I remembered that I had come to the woods lo dear m_y hear/, and I remembered !hal t.be ansl#'er lo
man_y questions lie !JJdden somewhere between the open s/r_y above the tips of the tallest trees and t.be rushing
stream carving Its wa_y lheough a !Jillside. II was a lrul_y refreshing moment, and I coul on!_y loo/r beside me fo see
those line /o/Jrs w!Jo !Jar/ come along i#'II!J me to rediscover something we might !Jave Jrnown from somew!Jere before.
and a peace on!_y found in the mountains.
C!Jns l?odlllng V.f
personaljournal
POINTS TO REMEMBER:
Send journal articles. sketches, photos. poems.
Winter Banquet, 24 February, 1994.
Teeth to the wind.
1/HC Jlewsleller. lfJiller JfJfJ/ 2
Jeff Lowe
Born September 9, 1950 in Ogden, Utah, Jeff Lowe is a member of a creative and prolific family. Lowe
Alpine Systems, founded by brothers, Mike and Greg, has designed and produced cutting-edge climbing
equipment and backpacking gear since the late 1960's. Developers of the internal-frame pack, Lowe Alpine
Systems was the innovator of such quintessential items as Footfangs, Snargs and R.A.T.S. From his
consulting and design work for Lowe Alpine Systems, Lowe and then-wife, Janie Hannigan, went on to form
Latok, a company that specialized in extreme outerwear. Lowe's interest in equipment design continues to
this day, and he currently designs and consults for outdoor equipment companies including Lafuma, Stubai,
La Sportiva, Petzl, Marmot, and Hard Corps.
At the age of seven, Lowe's father, Ralph, took him up the Grand Teton-and a climber was born. With their
own little bouldering area in the backyard, Lowe and his brothers, along with their cousin George, began
honing the skills that would lead him to over thirty years of extraordinary ascents on rock. ice and snow.
With more than 500 first ascents to his credit, Lowe is,.0 ne 0f ~ he leading alpinists in the movement toward
light and fast climbs of the most technically difficult routes in the highest mountains. He is also considered
to be America's premiere ice climber, with pioneering ascents of some of the world's most classic ice
testpieces.
In keeping with his personal vision of the beauty and diversity rof climbing, Lowe was the first American to
bring World Cup competitive sport climbing to the States. Because of his efforts, the climbing wall at
Snowbird Lodge in Snowbird, Utah has, for six years, been host to America' s National Sport Climbing
Championships.
Lowe has been featured on USA Today, Good Morning America, I1te Merv Griffin Show, ABC's Wide World
of Sports and ESPN, has starred in many commercials and documentary films and has been profiled in Sports
Illustrated, People, Rocky Mountain Magazine, Moulllain, Rock & lee, Fromier Maga zine, Men's Journal
and Outside Magazine, as well as many foreign publications. He is the author of numerous articles, as well as
two books, Tlze lee Experience and Climbing (in conjunction with Ron Fawcett, Paul Nunn and Alan
Rouse). Lowe is currently touring with his slide show, Every Climber Has A Vision. A book by the same
title is scheduled to be published in 1994.
Representative Climbs:
.
Mid "60s to mid "70s- over 300 first a~cents on granite. quartzite and limestone near Ogden and Salt Lake City, in Provo C'...anyon. l ;tah
and at City of Rocks, Idaho.
t%9- Seventh ascent of the Salathe Wall (VI5.9 A3), and the West Face of Sentinel Rock (V 5.9 A:!). Yosemite. California
1970- Fourth ascent of the North American Wall (VI 5.8 A4). Yosemite, California, first ascent of the North face of mt. Temple (V
5.8 AI5), Canadian Rockies, and lirst ascent of the North Face of Angel's Landing (V 5.9 A3), Zion, Utah.
1971 - First ascent of the Ramp Route, Mount Kitchener (V 5.9 Al3), C'.anadian Rockies, and first ascent of The Toad (VI 5.9 .-\.3).
Zion, Utah.
197:!- First winter ascent of the West Face, Grand Teton (V 5.8 Al3), Wyoming, and first ascent of Moonlight Buttress (V 5.9 ..\.3).
Zion. Utah.
1973- First ascent of the East Face of Keeler Needle (VI 5.10 A3), California Sierras.
1974- First ascent of Bridal veil Falls (III W16), Telluride, Colorado, and lirst ascent of the north Face of Peak 19, Russian Pamirs.
Also manv solo ice routes in Scotland.
1975 -First ascent of the Grand Central Couloir of Mountain Kitchener (V 5.9 AI5), Canadian Rockies.
1976- First ascent of the Keystone Green Steps (III \VIS}, and new route on Denali, Alaska
1977 - First winter ascent of Longs Peak's Diamond route, Dl (V 5 .9 A2), Rocky Mountain National Park. Colorado.
1978- Nearly completed attempt on the North Ridge of Latok (VII 5.9 A 1 AI5), Pakistan, and first solo ascent of Bridal veil Falls.
Telluride, Colorndo.
1979 - First solo ascent and and second ascent of the Southwest Ridge of the South Face of Ama Dablam (VI .\15), Nepal . .\rna
Dablam. 1980 - First ascent of Seamstress Comer, Ames Wall (IV 5.11d S), Telluride, Colorado. and first ascent of Icarus (IV
5.11ctd), Lumpy Ridge. Colorado.
1981 -First solo ascent of Asteroid Alley (IV WI6), Canadian Rockies, and American Medical Research Expedition to ::V1L EveresL
1982- First ascent (winter) of the North Face of Kwangde (VI AI5), Nepal.
1983- First solo a~cent of the North Buttress of Putscanturpa Norte (VI 5.10 Al3) and fjrst alpine-style ascent (second overall ascent__
of the West Pillar of Taulliraju (VI Al6), Peru, and first solo and first winter ascent of the French Pillar of Pumori (VI 5.9 .\14),
Nepal.
1984- First ascent of Risley Business, Chiefshead (IV 5.11+ S), Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
1985- Nearly completed first solo ascent of the South Face of Trapecio (V WI6), Peru, and free ascent of.the Direct Bonatti Route on
Grand Capucin (5.12a), the Alps.
·
1986 - First ascent of the North Ridge of the East Peak of Kangtega (Vl AI6), Nepal, and the Walker Spur of the Grandes Jorasses in
winter conditions (late Oct.), the Alps.
1987 - First ascent of New Music, Lumpy Ridge (III 5.llc/d S), Estes Park, Colorado, and first ascent of Birdbrain Boulevard (IV WI
5 or 6), Ouray, Colorado.
1988- Solo ascent of the Super Couloir Direct, Mont Blanc (V W16). the Alps.
1989- First ascent (winter) of the North Face ofTaweche (Vll 5.11. AI6 A:!). Nepal.
1990- Second free ascent of the Yugoslavian Route on Nameless Tower (VI. 5.1:!3). Pakistan.
1991- First solo winter ascent of Metanoia, Eiger North Face (VII 5.10 WI6 AS}, the Alps.
1992 -First free ascent of Wind, Sand and Stars (V 5.12c), Zion, Utah.
1993- Solo attempt on West Face of Makalu, Nepal.