In 1957 Warren Harding, over the course of 45 days, led the first ascent of El Capitan. With over 3,000 feet of sheer granite, ‘El Cap’ is regarded (arguably) as the finest rock climb on the planet. Its significance, and Yosemite’s incredible access to quality rock, helped to establish the park as an epicenter for climbers. Today, climbers from around the world journey to Yosemite to marvel at El Cap and enjoy the outstanding recreational opportunities.
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed (1860 – 1934) was a British pioneer of mountaineering in a time when it was almost unheard of for a woman to climb mountains. She moved to Switzerland, where she climbed mountains in her skirt. She wrote seven books on mountain climbing and over her lifetime climbed twenty peaks that no one had climbed before. As Mrs Aubrey Le Blond she made at least 10 films of alpine activities in the Engadine Valley of Switzerland.
Five mountaineer guides posed with all their equipment for the climb to the summit of Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, ca. 1925.
Five mountaineer guides posed with all their equipment for the climb to the summit of Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, ca. 1925. :: Rainier National Park Mountain-Glacier Wonderland Photograph Album