Modern American Mountaineering

The Dartmouth Mountaineering Club brought college climbing to North America. Founded in 1936 by one of America's foremost mountaineers, Jack Durrance '39, the club created the nation's first college climbing school. Hundreds of students and dozens of renowned American mountaineers made their debut in the school.

Durrance himself was the first to climb some of the hardest routes in America in the 1930s and '40s, including the Grand Teton's North Face, West Ridge, and West Face.

Durrance (left) and colleagues on K2.