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K2 1938: The First American Karakoram Expedition

Guidebook XI

Rewind the Climb: The North Face of North Twin

Photos Courtesy of the George Lowe Collection

First Ascent by George Lowe and Chris Jones

By Grey Satterfield

Fifty years ago, George Lowe and Chris Jones plunged deep into the Canadian Rockies in search of an adventure. They had read in the 1966 American Alpine Journal of a “mountain wall which acts like a strong drug on the mind.” This wall was the north face of Twin Tower (more often referred to as the north face of North Twin), and Lowe and Jones’ adventure turned into one of the proudest ascents in the history of alpinism…

To this day, their route has yet to see a full second ascent. The north face was finally climbed again by a different route 11 years later. In 50 years, only five teams have started at the bottom of the north face and made the summit. Every climber returned with a story more harrowing than the next.

Dive in as Grey Satterfield revisits this historic ascent, and uncovers truths that helps us reflect on modern climbing:

Grant Spotlight: The Cornerstone Grant

PC: Grey Satterfield

In this article, writer Holly You Tung Chen captures the energy and effort that goes into sustainably developing a new bouldering area. Thanks to the AAC’s Cornerstone Grant, the Carolinas Climber’s Coalition was able to build trails and develop a parking lot for the McKinney Gap and Weaver Knob boulders. Dive in to hear about the process of discovering the boulders, sending and first ascents, and marshaling resources to responsibly open access to climbers everywhere.

Pull Focus: Behind the Scenes with Sophi Rutherford

Sophi Rutherford in action during the making of Dear Mother. PC: Cody Kaemmerlan.

Sophi Rutherford is the recipient of the first ever Pull Focus Grant, a grant that provides historically underserved outdoor filmmakers the opportunity to intern with a premier photo/video production studio, Louder Than Eleven, and advance their careers in this notoriously competitive space. Through this paid internship, she served as the assistant director on the upcoming film Dear Mother, a transracial adoption story, following the climber Cody Kaemmerlan as he grapples with his identity and ultimately travels to Korea to meet his birth parents. In this profile on Sophi, Holly Yu Tung Chen uncovers Sophi’s artistic philosophy, the importance of telling transracial adoption stories, and the pull to hide behind a camera. Dive in to get a glimpse at the process behind making Dear Mother, and get to know Sophi Rutherford as an emerging filmmaker.

In Dear Mother, climber and transracial Asian-American, Cody Kaemmerlen, searches for connection with his birth parents after a near-death fall leaves him shaken and grasping for answers.

Learn More

The Pull Focus Grant

Emerging Filmmaker: Sophi Rutherford

Film Subject: Cody Kaemmerlan

Writer: Holly Yu Tung Chen

Louder Than Eleven

Climb United

The Pull Focus Grant Was Made Possible By: