Recording 'mountain adventure' is the primary raison d'etre of the 'Alpine Journal' and this 113th volume has it in abundance. A bolt of lightening stuns climbers on a new route in the Cordillera Huayhuash; Kenton Kool and Nick Bullock struggle on the icy north face of Kalanka; Mike Cocker and friends end a spot of exploration in the Cordillera Carabaya besieged in their hotel as troops put down a riot; and in Kygyzstan, Dave Pickford dices with Aku Su granite and aggressive officialdom.

 

Mick Fowler opens a special section on 'Pure Alpinism' with an account of his and Paul Ramsden's first ascent of Manamcho, Tibet, and Russian Valery Babanov contributes a vivid essay describing the stand-out climb of 2007 - his six-day, alpine-style ascent of the west pillar of Jannu.

 

Artist/alpinist Andy Parkin takes pastels and piolet in search of challenges in Nepal. Rowan Huntley's fine work appears throughout this AJ and Julian Cooper tells of the 'painter's khora' that resulted in his acclaimed series of canvases on Mount Kailas.

 

With more illustrations than ever before, this journal also recalls the gatherings and expeditions that marked the AC's 150th anniversary, recalls the extraordinary life of Sir Edmund Hillary, and takes a careful look at the effects on the mountain environment of retreating glaciers and visitor pressures.