The Alpine Journal 2015 – Volume 119

Volume 119

The Alpine Journal is the oldest publication of its kind, created as a record
of mountain exploration across the globe and has maintained that tradition
this year.

This, the 152nd publication of the Alpine Journal, takes you on a selection of
significant first ascents of 2014, from Antarctica to Greenland, Europe to
High Asia; on adventures in rock climbing, mountaineering and exploration of
the high mountains of the continents. The volume includes the first ascent of
Gasherbrum V, exploration of a hard-to-reach granite cirque in Alaska, hard
climbing on unexplored cliffs of Greenland only reachable by sailboat, and
descriptions of still-unclimbed peaks in Tibet and South America. Area notes
from local experts in mountainous regions around the world give inspiration as
well as the recent developments.

History and science are, as always, well attended and include the history of
mountain guiding in the Golden Age of mountaineering; new light on what might
have happened on K2’s first ascent; stereographic photography in the Victorian
era, and the prevalence of algae in the mountains.

To celebrate the first ascent of the Matterhorn, Robin Campbell has curated
and discussed a collection of early drawings of the mountain. Roger Birnstingl
gives us previously untranslated letters from the scandalised Italians on the
race for the first ascent of the Cervino; Ian Smith tells us about Whymper in
the aftermath of the first ascent; John Cleare goes back 50 years in his story
of the centenary ascent with the BBC.

The editorial team this year is Susan Jensen and Ed Douglas. Ed is a writer,
editor and climber. A past winner of the Boardman Tasker Award, he is the
author of eight books on mountaineering, travel and adventure, including the
first full-length biography of Tenzing Norgay and recently published
Statement: The Ben Moon story. Susan is a climber and statistician with a
passion for Scottish winter and expeditions; she is one of the few British
females to have a first ascent of a Himalayan 7000m peak. Susan was previously
editor of the Fell and Rock Journal and works with the production team of the
Scottish Mountaineering Club climbers› guides