The Mountaineers - Ascent of Mt Cruiser

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This film is silent, in color, with a running time around 8 minutes. The film depicts a climb of the South Corner of Mt Cruiser in the Olympic Mountains, probably in the early 1940s. The film begins with views of the peak taken with a telephoto lens from a nearby summit. All scenes are photographed from this vantage point, so there are no true closeups of the climbers.

A party of four arrives at the start of the technical climbing. They rope up in two teams and begin climbing the first pitch, which ascends the left side of the Southeast Face. The first leader reaches a belay on the crest of the South Corner and brings his second up. The second leader follows close behind the lead rope team. The brightness and contrast in this portion of the film vary, with the closeup shots rather dark.

The lead rope team climbs along the South Corner to the summit in two short leads, using unanchored sitting belays. All the climbers are shown on the summit in a telephoto shot. The two rope teams downclimb along the South Corner to the top of the first pitch, then rig a double-rope rappel back to the base. Two men are shown making a Dulfer rappel. The film ends.

(Digital transfer of this film was made possible by a donation from Olympic Mountain Rescue. Film notes and video clip by Lowell Skoog.)