1975 Fatality on El Capitan

El Capitan from Alice Lake.

[Editor’s note: This August 6, 1975 article by UPI was published in the Idaho Statesman. No other details are known.]     Climber, 24, Dies After 70-Foot Fall United Press International -A mountain climber from North Carolina died in a Boise hospital Tuesday from injuries he suffered in a fall Sunday on El Capitan in the Sawtooth Wilderness. A hospital … Continue reading

The First Winter Ascent of the Finger of Fate by Jacques Bordeleau

Detail summit photo, First Winter Ascent, March 19, 1973. L to R > James Christopher Hecht, Harry Bowren, Gordon K. Williams, Joe Fox.

The first winter ascent of the Finger of Fate was made on March 19, 1973 by James Christopher Hecht, Harry Bowron, Gordon K. Williams and Joe Fox. I was part of the support team which also included Art Troutner and John Platt. I took the color photos. I developed the black and white photos that were shot by the ascent … 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

The First Winter Ascent of Mount Regan

The following newspaper article covers the first Winter ascent of Mount Regan. Joe Leonard has written an extensive account of this climb. See The Lost and Wandering to read Joe’s account which is an excerpt from his  2016 memoir The Son of Madam of the Mustang Ranch. Read more about Joe in the Contributors Section of this website. Click on the … Continue reading

A Sawtooth Range Glacier

This article from the Idaho Statesman was published on August 1, 1926. In 2018, we know that there are no active glaciers in Idaho. Pettit Lake is the only landmark mentioned in the article, so it is safe to assume that the glacier was located west of the lake. Based on the distance and size measurements set forth in the … Continue reading

Iowa Mountaineers

Photo courtesy of the Iowamountaineers.blogspot.

The Iowa Mountaineers climbing club was a major player in the in early Sawtooth Range exploration. The club was founded by John and Ede Ebert in 1940, as the University of Iowa Mountaineering Club. The club later incorporated as a not-for-profit Iowa corporation and became a major force in sponsoring climber education and expeditions throughout the world. Schwartz Pinnacle, Harriets … Continue reading