H. Adams Carter facts for kids
Hubert Adams "Ad" Carter (born June 6, 1914 – died April 1, 1995) was an amazing American mountain climber. He was also a language teacher and worked as the editor for the American Alpine Journal for 35 years. This journal is a famous magazine about climbing.
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Ad Carter's Life and Adventures
Ad Carter was born in Newton, Massachusetts in 1914. He started climbing mountains very early. When he was just five years old, he climbed Mount Washington in New Hampshire. This mountain is about 1,917 meters (6,288 feet) tall.
He went to Milton Academy and then to Harvard College. He finished college in 1936.
Early Mountain Expeditions
Ad Carter loved exploring. In 1934, he joined Bradford Washburn on an expedition to Alaska. They were the first people to climb Mount Crillon, which is 3,879 meters (12,726 feet) high.
Two years later, in 1936, he was part of a team that climbed Nanda Devi in India. This mountain is huge, standing at 7,816 meters (25,643 feet). It was the highest mountain ever climbed at that time. It held this record until 1950.
Skiing and World War II
Ad Carter was also a talented skier. He joined the United States Ski Team. He competed in big skiing events like the Alpine World Skiing Championships in 1937. He also skied in the Panamerican championships in 1938.
During World War II, Ad Carter helped his country in a special way. He helped create and train the 10th Mountain Division. This was a special group of soldiers trained for fighting in mountains and cold weather.
Because he knew many languages, Ad Carter translated important documents. He translated from German, French, Spanish, and Italian. These translations helped the Army write its first manuals on mountain warfare. He also helped develop new equipment for mountain soldiers. Ad Carter even questioned German and Japanese prisoners of war. In 1945, he received a special award for his important work during the war.
Teaching and Later Expeditions
After the war, Ad Carter earned a master's degree in 1947. He then went back to Milton Academy to teach. He taught French, German, and Spanish until he retired in 1979.
He also started the school's Ski and Mountaineering Club. Today, this club is called the H. Adams Carter Outdoor Program. He often took students on trips to the White Mountains. He used his second home in Jefferson, New Hampshire as a base camp for these adventures.
From 1960 to 1995, Ad Carter was the editor of the American Alpine Journal. Under his leadership, the journal became one of the most important records of mountaineering around the world.
He continued to go on mountain expeditions himself.
- In 1956, he helped survey Ojos del Salado, a mountain that is 6,893 meters (22,615 feet) high.
- He also made several trips to the Cordillera Blanca in Peru.
- In 1976, he went back to Nanda Devi for a second expedition. He co-led this trip with Louis Reichardt and Willi Unsoeld.
Because of his long work as editor, Ad Carter became a very important person in recording the history of mountain climbing.
Notable Climbs
- 1934: East Ridge above the Plateau, Mount Crillon, Fairweather Range, Alaska, USA. This was the first time anyone climbed this peak. He did it with Bradford Washburn on July 19, 1934.
