Introduction

You’ve never seen his tracks, caught his scent, or heard him howl in the night.

But we have.

Numerous American Alpine Club members—from Reinhold Messner to Norman Dyhrenfurth—have, over the past 70 years, been involved in the hunt for the Yeti. Old American Alpine Journals contain detailed records of Yeti expeditions. And the AAC Library has stacks upon stacks of Yeti books that range from academic to outlandish (see Resources sidebars throughout this exhibit).

“I believe in the yeti. I have seen his tracks, heard his yelping call, listened to first-hand experiences of local people… Indeed, why should he not exist?”
—Lord John Hunt, 1954

When we first stumbled upon some of this mythical material, we couldn’t help but keep digging in. Within is a brief climbers’ history of the Yeti by AAC editor Erik Rieger. We hope it captures your imagination and inspires you to spend a little more time in Yeti habitat.