James "Jim" Donini (born July 23, 1943) is an American rock climber and alpinist, noted for a long history of cutting-edge climbs in Alaska and Patagonia. He was president of the
American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 26,000 members. The club is housed in the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden, Colorado.
Through its members, the AAC advocates for American climbers d ...
from 2006 to 2009, and a 1999 recipient of the AAC's Robert and Miriam Underhill Award.
Donini first began climbing in the 1960s while serving with the United States
Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, is a branch of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).
The core missionset of Special Forces ...
.
In 1978 Donini along with George Lowe spent 26 days climbing Latok's unclimbed North Ridge, which Donini has described as the "''most awe inspiring and beautiful mountain cathedral on the planet''".
Notable climbs
* 1976 ''
Torre Egger
Torre Egger is one of the peaks in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America, located between Argentina and Chile,From Rodrigo Jordan, "Cerro Torre", in ''World Mountaineering'', Audrey Salkeld, editor, Bulfinch Press, , p. 156: Cerro Tor ...
'' - First Ascent - with John Bragg, and Jay Wilson from the United States, by climbing first to the col between the Egger and
Cerro Torre
Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located on the border dividing Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). At , the peak is the highest of a four mountai ...
, the Col of Conquest, and then up the ridge to the peak. The ascent was hampered by bad weather and took from December 1975 to February 22, 1976 when the 3-person team summitted.
* 1978 ''North Ridge'' on
Latok I,
Karakorum Range,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. Attempt with
Michael Kennedy,
George Lowe
George Edward Lowe (November 10, 1957 – March 2, 2025) was an American voice actor and comedian whose voice roles included Space Ghost on the animated series ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' and its spin-off, '' Cartoon Planet''. He continued ...
and
Jeff Lowe (climber)
Jeff Lowe (September 13, 1950 - August 24, 2018) was an American alpinist from Ogden, Utah who was known for his visionary climbs and first ascents established in the Rocky Mountains, US and Canadian Rockies, Alps and Himalayas.
He was a propon ...
(all USA).
* 1991 ''Cobra Pillar'' on the east face of
Mount Barrille
Mount Barrille is a mountain summit located in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve, in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated 2,650 feet above the Ruth Glacier at the gateway to the Don Sheldon Amphitheater, or The Great G ...
,
Ruth Gorge,
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, mountain range in the Southcentral Alaska, southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoard on G ...
, Alaska, USA (VI 5.10+ A3 WI5? 2300m) FA with Jack Tackle (USA), June 5–10, 1991.
* 1991 ''Viper Ridge'', south spur of southeast ridge to ridge,
Mount Foraker
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest.
Mount or Mounts may also refer to:
Places
* Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England
* Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...
,
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, mountain range in the Southcentral Alaska, southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoard on G ...
, Alaska USA. FA with Jack Tackle (USA), June 11–17, 1991.
*2000 ''Lightning Spur'', south face Thunder Mountain,
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, mountain range in the Southcentral Alaska, southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoard on G ...
, Alaska USA. FA with
John Bragg John Bragg may refer to:
* John Bragg (politician) (1806–1878), United States politician
* John Bragg (businessman) (born 1940), Canadian businessman
* John Bragg (climber), United States rock climber and alpine climber
* Johnny Bragg (1925� ...
(USA).
See also
''Survival is not Assured: The Life of Climber Jim Donini'' by Geoff Powter, 2024. Mountaineers Books.
ISBN 9781680515374
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donini, Jim
Living people
1943 births
Sportspeople from Philadelphia
American mountain climbers