The Sawtooth Country of Idaho by Gary M Smith

This article was published in the April 1967 edition of the long defunct Summit Magazine. Perhaps the most interesting information in the article is the author’s recounting of his interview of early Sawtooth surveyor, Arval Anderson. Summit Magazine published by was founded in November, 1955 by Jene Crenshaw and Helen Kilness. They published the monthly magazine from mid-1955 until 1989 when they … Continue reading

Neil McAvoy 1933 – 2012

Neil McAvoy of Kellogg, Idaho was an active technical climber and guide in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also member of the Spokane Mountaineers and an early contributor to the book. His exploits on the Selkirk Range’s Lions Head’s two summits are briefly recounted on Page 38 of the book and are set out below in more detail. The … Continue reading

FIFTY YEARS OF SAWTOOTH CLIMBING 1934-1984 By Dave Bingham

The Elephants Perch from Braxon Peak

When Robert and Miriam Underhill first gazed from the top of Galena Summit in Idaho’s Sawtooth Wilderness, before them stretched a wild mountain panorama never before seen by mountaineers. It was 1934 and in those days the road past the future site of Sun Valley to the summit was little more than a rutted sheep wagon track. Approaching the remote … Continue reading

Chimney Rock Off-Belay Magazine 1972

Off Belay Magazine was THE climbing magazine of its day. The following article had an extensive discussion of Chimney Rock [Off-Belay Dec. 1972 Vol. No 6.]. Ron Klimkow (1936-2012), the author, was a professor in the Music Department at the University of Idaho and an accomplished climber. … Continue reading

Off Belay Magazine —The Sawtooth Issue 1975

Off Belay Magazine was THE climbing magazine of its day. The following articles contained the most extensive discussion of the Sawtooth Range yet published in 1975. Special thanks to Ray Brooks for providing the scans. (Click on the scans to enlarge) … Continue reading

Castle Peak and Molybdenum

Castle Peak from Peak 10405.

In the 1960s, the American Smelting and Refining Company was preparing to develop an open pit molybdenum mine on the North Side of Castle Peak. The remnants of the company’s extensive mining camp are still standing below the peak. There is a good summary of the dispute on the Boulder White Clouds Council’s website: The Battle for Castle Peak. This … Continue reading