Archival Reprint: Filson Japan Lookbook

Per yesterday's entry, I'm reprinting a few of my favorite views from the strangely compelling, Filson Japan lookbook, "The Ballad of Portraits". I love the stylized presentation of the figures who look like colorized, plasticized transplants from a 19th century daguerreotype (if Dodge Sportsmans appeared in daguerreotypes). Since most web image content disappears from view or gets redistributed away from its original source, I wanted to archive a copy for myself for future reference. It's a shame we cannot mail away for a print copy.

Archival Alpinists

We love these hand tinted magic lantern slides by alpinist Thomas B. Moffat. Taken in the 1930s, they document the Alpine Club of Canada's ascent of several mountains in the Canadian Rockies. There's a refreshing lack of technical clothing, high tech gear and off road vehicles in these photographs. Vests, ponchos, pipes and caps finish climbing ensembles that would not look out of place on a city street. Proof that you don't need dedicated equipment to enjoy the great outdoors.

Thomas B. Moffat lantern slides courtesy Glenbow Museum

Squamish in the 1970s

Some shots from a crusty Canadian climber thread on supertopo.

Found via the always magnificent AAPC.

Shopping from the Past: Yak Works Catalog

Here's a shopping opportunity for vintage climbing packs and apparel from Seattle based Yak Works. AC reader Alan Wenker was kind enough to supply me with these original scans. Alan is interested in vintage backpacking apparel from 60s and 70s. Like Archival, Alan wants to see as many of these original catalogs made available for general viewing. So many have disappeared from view. Where else can you see evidence of lost products like Scottish Polarwear, Norse net shirts, Gore-tex cycling chaps and Swaledale mountain shirts from the Lake District?

Alan's vintage yakpak

Archival Trip Report: Denali, 1959

In 1959, four young men made the first ascent of Denali (Mt. McKinley) via the West Rib.

"Pete Sinclair, a fine rock climber from the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club."

Photos used with the permission of the American Alpine Club.

Shopping From the Desert: Layton Kor

Growing up as a library hound and a rock climber, I read a lot of dusty books about climbing from the 1960s and 1970s. There were always a lot of references to Layton Kor, the giant of a man climbing the sandiest towers that Utah has to offer. The famous Kor-Ingalls route on Castleton Tower is one of a series of brilliant FAs that Kor accomplished in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

This kind of climbing never did it for me - the crumbling choss of the Cascades was bad enough, and I mostly stuck to cleaned-up areas like Smith.



Away from the mud, he also made a long list of FAs in Colorado - Long's Peak, Eldorado Canyon, Black Canyon, and so on.

Mr Kor is in trouble of the kidney kind. Please consider donating to the fund to get some new kidneys to Layton and get him back out on the rock. (Most images taken from laytonkorclimbing.com)