JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton residents and climbers have forged a long history in the Himalayas, particularly on Mt. Everest throughout the years.
From the Wyoming mountains to the world’s tallest, they have carried their skills, grit, and passion, leaving a lasting imprint on high-altitude exploration.
Join History Jackson Hole Thursday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. for a free Beers and Banter program highlighting Teton to Himalaya connections and personal stories from guest panelists Brot Coburn, Dave Dornan and Peter Pilafian.
The program will begin with a 20-minute presentation by Coburn on the first American ascent of Everest in 1963, via the South Col and the West Ridge. The panelists will recount Teton climbers’ forays onto other Himalayan peaks, as well.
Coburn’s book, The Vast Unknown: America’s First Ascent of Everest, will be available for purchase and a signing will follow the program. The program is free and open to the public. Early arrival suggested; limited seating.
Beverages are available for a donation. Many thanks to event sponsor Pirate Ship!
Brot Coburn
Brot Coburn, of Wilson, Wyoming, is a Visiting Assistant Professor for Colorado College, and has worked with the U.N., World Bank and World Wildlife Fund on conservation and development projects in Nepal and South Asia for more than two of the past five decades. He lived for three years in the Mt. Everest region. He has written or edited nine books, including two New York Times bestsellers relating to Mt. Everest.
Dave Dornan
Dave was born and raised in Jackson Hole, and his family were early homesteaders. He knew many of the Teton climbers from the 1930s, and was part of the Golden Age of American rock climbing, in the 1960s. Professionally, he served as director of women’s health for the State of Michigan.
Dave first climbed the Grand Teton in 1953, and established nine new routes in the Tetons, including the South Buttress Right and the Direct No Escape Buttress on Mt Moran, the NW Chimney on the Grand Teton, and the Wedge on Buck. He guided for Exum Mountaineering for seven years, spent two years as a National Park Ranger, and helped create the American Alpine Club Climbers’ Ranch. Dave made early ascents of some of the major walls in Yosemite Valley, and made the second ascent of the West Buttress route of Denali in 1958. In the Everest area in 1963, he made the first ascent of Kangtega, and came within a few feet of the first ascent of Taweche, as a member of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Schoolhouse Expedition.
Peter Pilafian
Peter is about as “local” as you can find, but his work as a cinematographer, director, producer, and sound engineer have taken him around the world. He’s been awarded two Emmys and two Cine Golden Eagles, and was on the Oscar-winning cinematography team for A River Runs Through It, and other movies and shows, including “Survivor,” and as a cameraman for the 2002 and 2004 Olympics.
After graduating from Goddard College in 1963, Peter was with CBS as part of the American Bicentennial Everest Expedition, and saved the life of a falling team member. The terrain around Everest remains one of his favorite places, and he has twice returned to Everest for climbing and filmmaking.
Peter is is the producer-director of Someday Somebody Will Ski That, which won the People’s Choice Award at the 2006 Barry Corbet Film Festival. He is on the board of directors for The Alpinist Film Festival, and has been performing with The Chamber Orchestra as a violinist. His motto: “A little danger makes life interesting.”
