History of the Army Alpine Association

Year

Highlights

1975

Royal Australian Engineer Himalayan Expedition

first overseas adventurous training activity by the Australian Army

led by General Peter Gration AC, OBE (Retd)

trek to Everest Base Camp and ascent of nearby minor peak of Kala Pattar (5545m)

Army Alpine Association formed / reactivated

1980

Ball's Pyramid Expedition

ascent of a 562m volcanic plug island in the Tasman Sea (20 km SE of Lord Howe Island)


GauriShankar (TseringmaPeak) Expedition, Nepal

first ascent of TseringmaPeak

seven climbers summit

1981

Ganesh IV (7052m) Expedition, Nepal

first major Himalayan expedition by AAA

attempt on peak abandoned after avalanche in which LT Dave Sloane is killed

1982

Mt McKinley /Denali (6194m), Alaska

four climbers summit

1983

Nilgir North (7061m) Expedition, Nepal, AnnapurnaRange

eight climbers summit

third ascent of a 7000m peak by an Australian team

expedition includes a trekking party which undertakes the Annapurna Circuit - inclusion of a trekking party is to become a standard feature of AAA expeditions.

1984

TentPeak (5663m) Expedition, Nepal, AnnapurnaRange

three climbers summit

first Australian ascent

1985

PisangPeak (6187m) and Chulu West (6419m)

1986

BroadPeak (8047m) Expedition, Pakistan

12th highest summit in the world

first Australian ascent

eight climbers summit

first ascent of an 8000m peak by AAA

1987

Mt McKinley / Denali (6194m), Alaska

six climbers summit

1988

Australian Bicentennial Everest Expedition

second Australian ascent of Mt Everest (8848m)

first Australian ascent by the south-west route

three climbers summit

first ascent by SW route without Sherpa support above BC

1989-90

Aconcagua (6959m), Argentina

highest mountain in South America

first South American expedition by AAA

1991

Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m), Tanzania

highest mountain in Africa

first African expedition by AAA

Exercise Kedernath

joint Indian / Australian trekking and mountaineering expedition in the Garwal region of the Indian Himalaya

PuncakJayawijaya Expedition, Papua Indonesia

two summit Cartensz Pyramid (4884m)

highest point in Oceania

third Australian ascent

1993

Dhaulagiri (8167m), Nepal

7th highest summit in the world

ascent not achieved

1994

Mt Elbrus (5642m) Russia, Caucasus

highest peak in Europe

ten summit

one climber summits both peaks

KwandgeRi (6187m), Nepal

three summit

1995

NandaDevi Expedition

joint expedition with Indian Army

two Australians summit east peak (7400m)

1995-96

Aconcagua (6959m), Argentina

five summit

1996

Exercise High Suroruv, Pamirs expedition

first major Australian expedition to Tajikistan (former soviet republic to north of Afghanistan)

seven summit PikEvgeniaKorzhenevskaya (7105m)

four summit Peak of Four (6500m)

two summit PikVorobjov (5500m)

Exercise Ghondogoro, Pakistan

180km trek including climb to Ghondogoro pass (5700m)

Exercise Big Wall, Yosemite NP, California

big wall aid climbing exercise

1996-97

ExerciseIslandPeak (6189m) Nepal

1997

Aconcagua (6959m), Argentina

five summit

Dhaulagiri (8167m), Nepal

7th highest summit in the world

three summit

first Australian ascent

1997-98

Mt McKinley / Denali (6194m), Alaska

1998

Exercise Prezhevalsky, Kyrgyzstan

trekking expedition

1999

Shishapangma (8046m), Tibet

13th highest summit in world

seventeen reach central summit without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support

1999-2000

MawsonPeak (2745m), Heard Island

four summit

2000

ChoOyu (8201m), Nepal

6th highest summit in world

three summit

Exercise Big Wall, Yosemite NP, California

big wall aid climbing exercise

tragically, Sapper Andrew Morrison is killed during the ascent of the South Face of Washington Column

2001

Mt Everest (8848m), Nepal

one climber summits

tragically, three members of the trekking party are killed in a freak landslide