As I continue to dig through Lewis Clark's negatives, it occurred to me that I haven't seen all that many earlier climbing photos though I reckon that some time spent at the Bancroft might be productive. Is anyone out there aware of any pre-1931 FA photos from their reading or research?


Jules Eichorn & Glen Dawson, Eichorn Pinnacle First Ascent, July 24, 1931.

As you dig, could you please create an album here on SummitPost? I'm sure I'm not the only one fascinated by old climbing photos.

I have a few shots posted here but you'll find a lot more here:
http://www.thehighsierra.org
Here's my latest find from the 1936 High Trip box, only partly explored. This is Virginia Adams on the slopes of Mt Williamson looking toward Mt Tyndall.

Beautiful stuff, thanks for sharing.

Thanks so much for putting these photos up on the internet. They are fascinating!

Here is a link with some pretty great stuff. Some photos aren't labeled and I know you are interested in "first ascents" but this page might direct you to other pages or a contact for more info.

http://www.thehighsierra.org/palisades_climbing_school.htm

I absolutely love those old photos. They often have a luminous quality that's missing with many, modern digital photos and are a wonderful glimpse in the sport's early history. They also remind me that many of the climbers back then, despite the basic gear and relatively "easy" climbs they put up (at least compared to today's numbers), were often fast and competent climbers. These pics are a great testament to their studliness.

Scanning this material is pretty tedious and after a long day at work, I only have the energy for a few at a time. More here from the 1936 High Trip. I still wanna know if there are any California first ascent photos previous to Eichorn Pinnacle out there.