John Roskelley
Encyclopedia
John Roskelley is a noted mountain climber and author from Spokane, Washington
, and is known for his first ascents and notable ascents of 7000 and 8000 meter peaks in Nepal
, India
, and Pakistan
.
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, and is known for his first ascents and notable ascents of 7000 and 8000 meter peaks in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Notable ascents
- 1973 Northeast Ridge DhaulagiriDhaulagiriDhaulagiri is Earth's seventh highest mountain at ; one of fourteen over eight thousand metres. Dhaulagiri was first climbed May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian expedition....
, Nepal. Third ascent of peak. Summit reached with Louis ReichardtLouis ReichardtLouis Reichardt is a noted American mountaineer, the first American to summit both Everest and K2. He is also a Professor of Physiology and Biochemistry/Biophysics at UCSF, where he studies neuroscience. The character of Harold Jameson, U.C.S.F...
and Nawang Samden, May 12, 1973. - 1976 Northwest Face Nanda DeviNanda DeviNanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country ; owing to this geography it was the highest known mountain in the world until computations on Dhaulagiri by western surveyors in 1808...
, Pakistan. New route and fifth ascent of peak. Summit reached by Roskelley, Louis ReichardtLouis ReichardtLouis Reichardt is a noted American mountaineer, the first American to summit both Everest and K2. He is also a Professor of Physiology and Biochemistry/Biophysics at UCSF, where he studies neuroscience. The character of Harold Jameson, U.C.S.F...
and Jim States on September 1, 1976. Roskelley chronicled the climb in "Nanda Devi; the Tragic Expedition". - 1977 First Ascent of Great Trango TowerTrango TowersThe Trango Towers are a group of dramatic granite spires located on the north side of the Baltoro Glacier, in Baltistan, a district of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan . They are part of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram range. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and...
with Galen RowellGalen RowellGalen Avery Rowell was a noted wilderness photographer and climber. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972.-Early life and education:...
, Dennis Hennek, Kim Schmitz and Jim Morrissey. - 1978 Northeast Ridge/East Face and Abruzzi Ridge K2K2K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. New route and third ascent of peak. Summit reached by Louis ReichardtLouis ReichardtLouis Reichardt is a noted American mountaineer, the first American to summit both Everest and K2. He is also a Professor of Physiology and Biochemistry/Biophysics at UCSF, where he studies neuroscience. The character of Harold Jameson, U.C.S.F...
and Jim WickwireJim WickwireJim Wickwire is a retired attorney in Seattle, Washington, most famous as the first American to reach the top of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, and then for surviving the night in the open just below the summit....
on September 6, 1978; Roskelley and Rick RidgewayRick RidgewayRick Ridgeway is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, author, photographer and environmentalist, of outdoor adventure related projects from Ojai, California. Ridgeway has achieved many adventures in his life including being a member of the first American team to summit K2...
reached the summit the next day. This was the first ascent of K2 by a team from the USA. - 1979 West Face Gaurishankar, Rolwaling Himalaya, Nepal. FA of Route and peak, with SherpaSherpa peopleThe Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from the Kham region in eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years.The initial mountainous migration from Tibet was a search for beyul...
Dorje, summitting on May 8, 1979. - 1979 East Face (VII F8 A4Grade (climbing)In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
) Uli BiahoUli BiahoUli Biaho is a peak near Trango Towers and Baltoro Glacier in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It consists of two main peaks, Uli Biaho Tower ; and Uli Biaho Peak , which as of 2006 was unclimbed.Uli Biaho Tower was climbed alpine-style via the direct East Face by John Roskelley et al...
, KarakorumKarakorumKarakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, and of the Northern Yuan in the 14-15th century. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the Övörkhangai Province of Mongolia, near today's town of Kharkhorin, and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu monastery...
, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. FA of route and peak with Ron KaukRon KaukRon Kauk is an American rock climber and Yosemite Camp 4 regular.Kauk began spending summers in Yosemite in 1974. In 1975, he made the first free ascent of the east face of Washington Column with John Long and John Bachar, renaming the route Astroman...
, Bill Forrest and Kim Schmitz. - 1989 Northeast Face Tawoche, Nepal. First ascent of route by Jeff LoweJeff Lowe (climber)Jeff Lowe is an American alpinist from Ogden, Utah. He is known for his visionary climbs and first ascents established in the US and Canadian Rockies, Alps and Himalayas. He is a proponent of the "Alpine style" philosophy of climbing, where small teams travel fast with minimal gear...
and John Roskelley, reaching the summit on February 13, 1989. Climb chronicled in "Last Days" by John Roskelley (see Writings).