Cameron's Climbing Page
Cameron's Climbing Page

Left: Chiu Liang Kuo at Illumination Rock, Mt. Hood, Winter 1992. (photo by me). Right: That's me trying to untangle an unholy mess of rope on El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, Winter 1997 (photo by Chiu Liang Kuo).
Welcome to my climbing pages; here you'll find a variety of climbing pictures, trip reports and some good advice for beginning alpinists; you may also be interested in my online book. Although I don't have a lot of time to climb at the moment (2002), over the next few years I'm going to arrange for alpine climbing to once again be a prominent part of my life. I'm mainly interested in alpine climbing, particularly in winter. There & then, the challenges, for me, are greatest. I can still smell and taste the snow of a bone-chilling winter night, high on an alpine face...I can still hear the squeak of my tools as they work into hard neve...and the horrendous, gut-wrenching thunder of an ice avalance...For the past few years, however, most of that has been memories, as I've been heavily involved in two expeditions (sailing on a raft in the Pacific, and trying to cross the Vatnajokull Ice Cap alone in winter) as well as working on my doctorate in archaeology...and teaching at Portland State University...Still, I get out on occasion, and this winter I'm planning on some back-country walls in NE Wyoming with my friend McRee. Until I make climbing a prominent part of my life again, these pages are a sort of scrapbook of some of the great and crazy times I've had with my friends in the mountains. I hope you'll enjoy some of the stories; at least some are good for a laugh! I have had moderate success in the mountains. I've written about some of the most important climbs, but I still need to take the time to describe the most important ones; some time, when I have the time...When we fail, my long-time climbing partner Chiu says 'we are successful in that we are still alive'. In fact, 'Still alive' has become a mantra of ours during bad storms and other 'situations' in the mountains. If you're beginning, be careful out there, wear your helmet, and remember, people get killed and crippled on alpine routes all the time; don't be paranoid, but take it seriously. The slightest error can cast you into disaster.
STORIES

Colorado Fall 99
El Capitan Winter Fiasco!
Bugaboo Weather Reject
Adventure on The Squamish Buttress
Zero Percent Chance of Precipitation
Devil's Thumb Expedition 1995
Alone On Steel Cliff, Winter 1996
16 Hours, 27 Minutes
65 Pitches at Red Rocks, Nevada
The North Face of Mt. Hood (again)
Avalanche 1992: 'I Just Wait For Die'
Learning Lessons on Rainier
A Poor Belay
We Actually Go to Smith Rock
Wet Granite at Tahquitz

 PICTURES

Tim Greene on Tahquitz, 1986
Me on Tahquitz in Winter
Me at Squamish, Winter 96
Tim Greene at Mission Gorge, 1984
North Face of Hood, 1995
Alpine Genius McRee Anderson
Vertical meltwater shaft, Alaska
Dave Kain on a bolt ladder @ Smith
Chiu Liang Kuo emerges from a crevasse.
Chiu and I stranded in Alaksa
North side of Hood
Freeing snagged line, El Cap
Me on the Prow, Yosemite
I ascend an Epinephrine chimney
Alpine Master Jamie Anderson
Solo aid climbing in England
Jamie and I atop Epinephrine
Climbing funding job, 1996
Chiu on Liberty Bell
Friends at Red Rocks
Chiu on the Royal Arches, Yosemite
It collapsed an hour later.
Chiu on Liberty Bell Roof
Alone on Steel Cliff
El Cap retreat, Winter 97
Waiting for the plane, Alaska

 MY BOOK

Technical Alpine Climbing for Two-Person Teams

 TIPS & BETA

Alpine Pack & Gear Harness
A Better Bivouac
The Alpine Belly
Rock Climbing in Plastic Boots
Expedition Sled Tips
Tips for Climbing Swiftly
Surviving the Epics
Eiger North Face Route Description
A Note on Risk

 MISCELLANEOUS
In re-formatting my page, I lost the hit-counter. It was around 15,700 hits today (07 February 2002). If I can find a new, easy-to-install counter, I might take the time to put it here...otherwise, well, otherwise, I won't bother.
Click here to go to My Home Page.