Skip to content

THIRTY BELOW: The Forgotten Story of the Denali Damsels

General News
1 1 164 1
  • In this episode of the AAC podcast, we have adventure writer Cassidy Randall on to talk about her new book, "Thirty Below." Thirty Below is the gripping story of the Denali Damsels–a group of female adventurers who achieved the first all-women’s ascent of Denali, also known as Mt. McKinley, the tallest peak in North America.
    Everyone told the “Denali Damsels,” that it couldn’t be done, that women were incapable of climbing mountains on their own. It was 1970. Men had walked on the moon; but women still had not stood on the highest points on Earth. But these six women were unwilling to be limited. They pushed past barriers in society at large, the climbing world, and their own bodies.
    Following vibrant mountaineers with a lot of personality, like the stubborn Grace Hoemann and the brilliant chemist Arlene Blum, this book tells a rich tale of a community's set of limiting beliefs, and the women who dared to prove them wrong, despite disaster and risk on the expedition.
    In the episode, Cassidy and the AAC dive into some of the experiences of these women that pushed them to achieve more and more in their mountaineering careers, the challenges of archival research, and capturing a climbing story that is too often forgotten.

    Buy the Book

    Learn More About Cassidy Randall

    Learn More About Arlene Blum


Suggested topics


  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    55 Views
    GrippedG
    The Swiss duo repeated test-piece routes and opened bold new mixed lines during their historic trip The post Remembering Ueli Steck and Simon Anthamatten’s Epic Visit to the Rockies appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/profiles/remembering-ueli-steck-and-simon-anthamattens-epic-visit-to-the-rockies/
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    81 Views
    American Alpine ClubA
    Russ Clune is a climbing lifer. He came up climbing at the Gunks, traveled around the world to climb with friends and legends like Wolfgang Gullich, and would help establish the iconic Gunks 5.13 Vandals, alongside Jeff Gruenberg, Lynn Hill, and Hugh Herr. He also shares about sending Mantronix, his hardest climb ever, “back when 5.14 was hard.” These days, he’s a keeper of stories from the Gunks and across the world, and has a running record of Gunks climbing history in his head. On this episode, we meander through stories from Russ’s many climbing travels, explore Gunks toproping ethics and the often forgotten tactic of yo-yo climbing, and set the record straight on some of the most iconic cutting edge Gunks ascents from the 70s and 80s. If you believe conversations like this matter, a donation to the AAC helps us continue sharing stories, insights, and education for the entire climbing community. Donate today! Get Russ Clune’s Book Learn More About Gunks History https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/12/4/setting-the-climbing-record-straight-with-gunks-legend-russ-clune
  • Don’t break your rope

    Videos climbing hownot2
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    39 Views
    HowNOT2H
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcDa2wESs7o
  • How Thin is Too Thin

    Videos climbing hownot2
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    66 Views
    HowNOT2H
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6P1MISwrr8
  • Lead finals | Chamonix 2025

    Videos climbing ifsc
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    90 Views
    IFSCI
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJnnnymFx9Y
  • 2 Votes
    1 Posts
    128 Views
    UK ClimbingU
    Norwegian climber Mari Augusta Salvesen has made the first female ascent of The Zone (E9 6c) at Curbar in the Peak District. First climbed by John Arran in 1998, the 15-metre blank and bold line to the left of the classic The Peapod (HVS 5b) has attracted only 10 ascents in 27 years and relies on skyhooks for protect... https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=777527
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    148 Views
    IFSCI
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl09ht0aOkU
  • Trad Pro Amity Warme Talks Trying Hard

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    204 Views
    GrippedG
    She's one of the best climbers in the world right now when it comes to big wall free climbing The post Trad Pro Amity Warme Talks Trying Hard appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/trad-pro-amity-warme-talks-trying-hard/