Mount Breitenbach, at 12,140 feet is Idaho’s fifth-highest summit and is located in the Lost River Range in Central Idaho. Thanks to the efforts of the Idaho climbing pioneer Lyman Dye, Mount Breitenbach was named for John Edgar (Jake) Breitenbach. Breitenbach was killed by a collapsing ice wall in the Khumbu Ice Fall on March 23, 1963 while climbing with … Continue reading
Editor’s Note: Sawtooth Mountaineering was Boise’s first climbing shop. It was founded by Lou and Frank Florence. The shop was an important link between many of Idaho’s premier climbers and the development of Idaho’s technical climbing scene. Bob Boyles (quoted on Page 23 of the book) noted the shop’s importance as a hub for local climbers, stating “The thirty or … Continue reading
Harrison “H” Hilbert was the first director of the Idaho State University Outdoor Program. He was an active Idaho climber for many years and was part of the first Winter ascent of Castle Peak discussed on Pages 22-23 of the book. He was responsible for bringing British mountaineer and ice climber Bill March to Idaho. Read more about Hilbert at this … Continue reading
Bill March was a British mountaineer and ice climber who, along with Rick Albano, is credited with the first Winter ascents of Leatherman Peak and White Cap Peak in 1975. He came to Idaho at the request of his friend Harrison “H” Hilbert and was associated with the Idaho State University Outdoor Program in the 1970s. The American Alpine Club has a … Continue reading
Lou Florence served in Africa and Italy in WWII. He moved to Boise with his family in 1972. He and his son Frank started Sawtooth Mountaineering, Boise’s first dedicated climbing and Nordic ski shop. An avid hiker and scrambler himself, Lou used Sawtooth Mountaineering as a venue through which to promote outdoor recreation. Throughout the 1970s, the shop offered introductory rock … Continue reading