1966 Nicholas Clinch American Antarctic Expedition Historic First Ascent of Mount Vinson

United States🏔️ 2 Peaks

Barry Corbet

Barry Corbet was born on November 27, 1936, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he became one of the star alpine guides for Exum Mountain Guides on the Grand Teton. Renowned for his extraordinary strength, humor, and technical rock and ice mastery, Corbet spotted a terrifying, near-vertical ski slot off the top of Rendezvous Mountain in 1960, remarking that someday someone would ski it—a run now internationally famous as *Corbet's Couloir*. In 1963, Corbet served as a key lead climber on the legendary American Mount Everest Expedition. On the unclimbed West Ridge, Corbet carried heavy loads and forged the technical route through the rock cruxes up to 8,300 metres, enabling Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld to complete the historic first traverse of Everest. In late 1966, Corbet joined Nicholas Clinch's American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition. On December 18, 1966, Corbet was on the four-man lead rope that reached the summit of Mount Vinson (4,892 m). Seeking a far greater technical challenge, Corbet teamed up with John Evans on January 6, 1967, to attempt the terrifying, unclimbed 2,000-metre Northwest Face of Mount Tyree (4,852 m). Climbing for 22 continuous hours in temperatures of -35°C, Corbet and Evans conquered the vertical rock pitches and blue ice gullies to stand upon Antarctica's most difficult summit. In 1968, Corbet survived a devastating helicopter crash in the Colorado Rockies that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Refusing to surrender his adventuring spirit, Corbet became a pioneering filmmaker, wheelchair athlete, and editor of *New Mobility* magazine, advocating passionately for disability rights. He passed away on December 18, 2004—exactly thirty-eight years to the day after summiting Mount Vinson.

United States🏔️ 2 Peaks

John Evans

John P. Evans was born in 1939 in Minnesota and developed into one of the most accomplished all-around technical climbers in North America during the 1960s. A standout member of the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club, Evans mastered extreme granite climbing in the Bugaboos and Canadian Rockies before joining the 1966–1967 American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition organized by Nicholas Clinch. On December 18, 1966, Evans roped up with Clinch, Barry Corbet, and Peter Anderson to make the maiden first ascent of Mount Vinson (4,892 m), the continental roof of Antarctica. Not content with climbing the glaciated ramps of Vinson, Evans and Corbet fixed their sights on the terrifying, dark granite obelisk of Mount Tyree (4,852 m). On January 6, 1967, starting from an advance camp on the Patton Glacier, Evans and Corbet tackled the 2,000-metre Northwest Face in alpine style. Evans led severe technical rock pitches (5.8) wearing heavy gloves and plastic boots on frozen, brittle granite, overcoming vertical chimneys choked with blue ice. After twenty-two continuous hours of non-stop climbing in -35°C polar cold, the pair safely reached the summit and descended without fixed ropes. In recognition of his legendary contributions, the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names named Evans Peak (3,950 m) in the Sentinel Range in his honour.

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Nicholas Clinch

Nicholas Bayard Clinch III was born on November 9, 1930, in Evanston, Illinois. Raised in Dallas, Texas, Clinch attended the New Mexico Military Institute before graduating from Stanford University in 1951, where he earned a law degree and discovered high-angle rock climbing with the Stanford Alpine Club in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. Possessing a rare genius for expedition diplomacy, fundraising, and organizational logistics, Clinch resolved in the late 1950s to organize an all-American assault in the high Karakoram. In 1958, Clinch organized and led the historic American Karakoram Expedition that placed Pete Schoening and Andy Kauffman atop Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak, 8,080 m) on July 5, 1958—the only maiden first ascent of an 8,000-metre peak ever achieved by an American team. In 1960, Clinch returned to Pakistan to lead the first ascent of Masherbrum (7,821 m). In late 1966, Clinch spearheaded his greatest logistical masterpiece: the joint American Alpine Club, National Geographic Society, and US Navy American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition. Transported into the unexplored Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains via ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft, Clinch led a ten-man team in sub-zero polar temperatures. On December 18, 1966, Clinch, Barry Corbet, John Evans, and Peter Anderson summited Mount Vinson (4,892 m), claiming the summit of Antarctica. Over the ensuing weeks, his expedition conquered Mount Tyree (4,852 m), Mount Shinn (4,660 m), and Mount Gardner (4,587 m) without a single serious injury. Clinch served as President of the American Alpine Club (1968–1970) and executive director of the Sierra Club Foundation (1970–1981). In 2006, the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names designated Clinch Peak near Mount Vinson in his honour. He passed away on June 15, 2016, at age 85, revered as one of the towering statesmen of 20th-century world exploration.

United States🏔️ 1 Peak

Peter Anderson

J. Peter Anderson was born in the United States and educated in geology and polar glaciology. Working with the Institute of Polar Studies at Ohio State University and the United States Antarctic Research Program (USARP), Anderson conducted extensive seismic and ice-coring research across Queen Maud Land and Marie Byrd Land in the early 1960s. Recognizing that an Antarctic mountaineering expedition required rigorous polar scientific capabilities to secure US Navy logistical flight support, expedition leader Nicholas Clinch invited Anderson to serve as chief scientist on the 1966–1967 American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition. Anderson proved to be as robust an alpine climber as he was a meticulous scientist. On December 18, 1966, Anderson stood atop Mount Vinson (4,892 m) alongside Clinch, Corbet, and Evans, helping plant the flags of the twelve Antarctic Treaty nations on the continental summit. Over the following weeks, Anderson recorded barometric elevations, studied ice temperatures, and participated in the first ascent of Mount Shinn (4,660 m). In recognition of his polar scientific and exploratory achievements, the US Board on Geographic Names named Anderson Peak (4,254 m) in the Sentinel Range in his honour.