Nowadays, 5.14a ascents don't typically make the news—unless, of course, they're made by 10-year-olds. Brooke Raboutou, daughter of Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou, recently climbed her first 5.14a with God's Own Stone in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky.
This makes her the youngest female, and likely the youngest American, to send this grade. Team ABC, a youth climbing team based in Boulder and coached by Robyn, was there to witness the ascent. Brooke took only five tries over two days to make the redpoint.
Last spring, Brooke climbed Swingline (5.13d), also at the Red, along with Snooker (5.13a) and Skin Boat (5.13a). A couple months later, she redpointed Esaú directa and Bad Attitude (5.13c), in Spain and France, respectively.
Brooke climbing Bad Attitude (8a+/13c) in France | Age 10 | Summer 2011
The same day, in Tetto di Sarre, Italy, Tito Traversa had just as successful a day as Brooke. The 10-year-old Italian climber climbed his first 5.14a with Sarsifal. Tito redpointed the first half of the line, Lovely Cali (5.13d), last year, and climbed the first half of the extension into Sarsifal. This year, he linked the entire climb. (Watch Tito on Lovely Cali below.)
In 2011, Tito climbed seven 5.13d's in France and Italy.
These ascents come on the heels of 10-year-old Ashima Shiraishi's groundbreaking ascent of Crown of Aragorn (V13), in Hueco Tanks Texas—she is the youngest person ever to climb the grade, and one of very few females to climb a confirmed V13.
]]>2012-05-03Frankenjura Climbing Festival 25th to 28th May 2012
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1209
Four days of rock!
To this day, the legendary climbing festival of 1981 in Konstein influences the sport of rock climbing. A follow-up to this classic event, the Marmot Frankenjura Climbing Festival, is now planned for Pentecost weekend, May 25th to the 28th, in northern Frankenjura.
The four-day festival for all rock enthusiasts, offers highlights of the current vertical spirit of the times in a mix of high performance sports, party atmosphere, and information. The central meeting place for this event is the campground on the meadows around Betzenstein, a charming town next to the rocks. Here, there will be breakfast food, information booths, and an expo area with trendy clothing and bargain offers. And in Betzenstein's outdoor swimming pool an outdoor climbing wall will be erected directly over the water, on which Deep Water Soloing fans can try out throughout the festival.
The festival consists of several main events: A few kilometers away from
Betzenstein, in Auerbach, will be the location for high performance sports events. Here, on Whit Saturday, the DAV will host the 2012 German Youth
Championships and on Sunday the German Boulder Cup with the best boulderers 1/3 from Germany. In between, on Saturday evening, there will be a climbers party at the Betzenstein outdoor swimming pool.
On Monday, the last day of the climbing festival, the organizers will close a
three-kilometer stretch of road through the wildly beautiful upper Pegnitz valley for a car free outdoor day. On the festival promenade, meet aspiring and diehard outdoor sport fans for a sporty gathering and for culinary and musical
delights.
Throughout the entire festival, workshops on climbing, nature conservation, and outdoor sports will be available. The entire climbing festival is subject – at home with the climbing spirit – to the premise of sustainable use of nature. Thus a shuttle service will be available, which enables festival-goers to reach all events and all "FranksPfalz" communities with public transportation.
Information and detailed program of events for Marmot Frankenjura Climbing Festival are available online on the festival website.
www.kletterfestival.com]]>2012-04-30Lama Solos New Route in Tyrol
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1205
The routeline of Badlands (6a A1 WI4 M5, 700m) as climbed by David Lama on the last day of March. Lama had planned on climbing a different route, but recent snowfall and a feeling of uncertainty caused him to reconsider.
[Photo] David Lama
On March 31 David Lama onsight soloed a new route, Badlands (6a A1 WI4 M5, 700m), in the Valser Valley of the Tyrol region in western Austria. Fresh off the Patagonian season, Lama returned to Europe where he followed up a new route on the north face of Slovenia's Loska Stena with this solo in his home country.
Lama originally hiked up the Valser Valley with the intention of climbing the north face of Schrammacher (3411m). However, the typically easy approach became a 4.5 hour slog through knee-deep snow. Upon reaching Schrammacher's north face Lama felt uncertain about his planned climb. "If I climb alone I always need to feel completely in control. Otherwise I don't even bother setting off." Surveying the area for a consolation climb, he spotted a potential line connecting the gray stone and snowfields on the face between the Sagwand (3227m) and Hohe Kirche(2634m).
Lama in the midst of Badlands. Over the course of the climb Lama switched between free solo rock, self-belayed mixed, aid and ice techniques.
[Photo] David Lama
Badlands begins with a short granite slab where Lama found a hard, brittle layer of thin ice. From there an easy snowfield leads to the base of a 250m wall. Again not wanting to be to risky, Lama searched for the easiest line up the wall.
A few large flakes proved to be rather easy climbing, for Lama, as he moved into the first of two corners. Some aid climbing and some crack climbing brought him through the first 50m section (6a A1) to a pendulum traverse.
After the pendulum and a pitch of mixed climbing (M5) Lama reached the best section of the climb. He recounts, "In the upper half of the crux section, where you have to climb on some pretty thin maybe 80 degree to 85 degree ice. For me this was the highlight of the whole route." Lama was particularly impressed with this sections because, "this kind of climbing is quite rare in the Valsertal (Valser valley)." Two more mixed pitches (M4) and some moderate snow slopes lead to the summit.
Twelve hours after setting out, Lama found himself back in the parking lot, having spent about five hours on the route itself. "The climb was great, some parts of the route really reminded me of climbing in Chamonix." For Lama's full trip report see his blog, here.]]>2012-04-11UK/USA/Belgian Team Add Venezuela Mega Route
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1204
The route is now named Kids With Guns and goes at a grade of 5.13a, A3, E6 6c.
The team with their new route Kids With Guns in the background
George Ullrich / Venezuela Team 2012
George Ullrich has written a full report on his blog:
"Our best estimate is that the 500 metre wall overhangs almost by one hundred metres. The route transpired to provide 21 pitches of climbing, the overwhelming majority of which were on immaculate and wildly steep Quartz-arenite (pre-Cambrian metamorphosed sandstone)...
...For the twelve days we spent on the wall there was a complete lack of the horizontal- with the exception of some unexpected but welcome ledges. Every pitch resulted in a shockingly airy abseil and a invigorating morning start swinging out 20 meters from the portaledges onto the rope to regain the previous days highpoint.
The entire route would almost uncertainly go free with some protectable but unlikely roof sections providing wild cruxes. We were happy to have established a new line on the steepest wall any of us have ever seen, in such good company and in a unique beautiful part of the world."
George Ullrich / Venezuela Team 2012]]>2012-04-022012 Piolet d'Or Nominations Announced
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1200
Six climbs by 15 alpinists—six of them American—have been nominated for the 20th edition of the Piolets d'Or, the annual prize for innovative mountaineering ascents across the world. The winners will be announced in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France, and Courmayeur, Italy, during the four-day festival starting March 21.
The jury chooses the ascents based on a list of criteria, including style of ascent, spirit of exploration, level of technical ability involved, and efficient or sparing use of resources.
The nominees:
1. Dollar Road, a new route on the central and highest part of the Pobeda Peak, Kyrgyzstan, the most northerly 7,000-meter peak in the world, by Kazakh climbers Gennady Durov and Denis Urubko. This technical alpine route won the sixth Asian Piolets d'Or last November.
2. First ascent of the second highest unclimbed mountain in the world, Saser Kangri II (7,518m), India, by Americans Mark Richey, Steve Swenson, and Freddie Wilkinson.
3. The third ascent of the west summit of K7, Pakistan, by young Slovenian climbers Nejc Marčič and Luka Stražar. The duo made the ascent in three days.
4. The last remaining unclimbed 6,000 meter peak in the Xuelian Feng, China, was climbed by Slovenian Ales Holc, Peter Juvan, and Igor Kremser in four days, in pure alpine style.
5. American alpinists Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk's ascent of Shark's Fin (6,310m) on the east pillar of Meru Central, India. This is the first time the route has been completed in its entirety since the first attempts in 1986.
6. The ascent of Torre Egger (2,850), Argentina, by Norwegian alpinists Bjørn-Eivind Årtun and Ole Lied. They climbed the southern face of the vertical tower when it was completely covered in ice. Årtun recently passed away after a fatal accident on a new route on Kjerag in Norway, along with fellow Norwegian alpinist Stein-Ivar Gravdal.
]]>2012-03-20Dani Arnold Repeats The Hurting (XI,11)
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1199
Dani Arnold on top of the Eiger 2011
visualimpact.ch | Thomas Ulrich
Swiss climber Dani Arnold has repeated The Hurting (XI,11) in Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms.
The young Swiss mountain guide shot to fame last year with his impressive speed-solo of the North Face of the Eiger in just 2 hours and 28 minutes.
He commented on his ascent of The Hurting on Planet Mountain:
"It's the hardest I've ever climbed up to now but there are certainly even harder routes out there. On routes like this the style plays an important role. And since I haven't got the same experience at placing trad gear as the local climbers I'm really proud of my ascent."
The Hurting, first climbed by Dave MacLeod back in 2005, was repeated by Andy Turner and Greg Boswell early last year.
Krali Marko boulder meeting is a climbing happening to who are gathering large number of peoples who love bouldering on the amazing "Marko Kuli" above city of Prilep and around him near Kamena Baba.
The name of meeting is typical for this region for the reason that Krali Marko (King Marko) is from the city of Prilep and as cultural and historical person he got a spot in our sport.
The city od Prilep or city of tobacco as it is know is surrounded by huge number of boulders, that are untouched. They are starting from periphery of city Prilep and going till the Mountain pick "Zlatovrv" which is 1422m high.
Although this region is with inexhaustible possibility for bouldering. At the moment there are 300 routes, who are 10% from the whole area. In the same time the approach to the first boulder problem is 5 minutes walking or 15 minutes to farest boulder problems.
Our intension is promote what we the Macedonians have on the front with the Prilep climbers, we decided to start with the promotion trough the boulder meeting. From there starting since 2008 up today, we are organizing "Krali Marko" boulder meeting, every year on the last weekend in March.
The meeting is an event with who we like to share our beauty, hugeness and the potential what the region has to offer.
On the meeting we climb together a lot of boulder problems, but there is also a challenge for climbing first ascent boulder problems (Ultimate problems challenge), for all categories. This challenge is open for every participant, doesn't matter of his climbing level.
All participants get a T-Shirt add the registration desk!
At night we have party with excellent Krali Marko beer.
Get ready and be part of this Balkan happening, to uncover the magic of Boulders in Prilep.
"Krali Marko Boulder"
International Boulder meeting
30, 31 March - 01 April 2012, Prilep, Macedonia
Program schedule:
Thursday, 29.03.2012
- Arriving of the participants and official opening.
Friday, 30.03.2012
- Introduction to Kamena Baba climbing area.
- Free choice climbing around Kamena Baba.
Saturday 31.03.2012
- Ultimate boulder climbing in male and female category.
German climber Robert Jasper has made the first ascent of one of the hardest dry tooling routes in the world. Iron Man sits at his local climbing area Eptingen in Switzerland. The route is 40 meters long, and a link-up of existing routes on this steep wall.
Jasper had originally conceived the notion of creating a huge mixed link-up on the wall, but there was no ice due to warm weather. He suggests a grade of D/M14+—dry tool/mixed—depending on conditions.
"Part of dealing with climate change and more and more unpredictable weather conditions is about being more creative," Jasper said. "[This] grade makes probably more sense than constantly flying around the world in search of ice. I look at dry tooling as the ideal winter-training, and it also makes a lot of fun."
In 1997, Jasper established Trait de lune (M8+), the first of its grade in Europe. In 2003, also at Eptingen, he climbed Batman (M12) and Superman (M13+).
Below is a video of Jasper climbing Iron Man.
]]>2012-03-06Alizée Dufraisse climbs La Reina Mora, 8c+/9a
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1195
Alizée Dufraisse on La Reina Mora, 8c+/9a, El pati sector, Siurana
Francisco Taranto Jr
Alizee Dufraisse, who climbed her first 8c+, Pati noso, not long ago, has now pushed it half a notch further by doing La Reina Mora, 8c+/9a, at Siurana.
The route is in the same sector, El Pati, as Pati noso, so it would seem this wall suits her quite well!
This was of course the first female ascent. There has, after all, not been that many female ascents at this level So few in fact that you can count the number of women who have climbed anything harder than 8c+ on one hand, even if you were to have lost a digit (or maybe even two).
La Reina Mora was originally given 8c/+ by Ramon Julian Puigblanque but has later been upgraded first by Nico Favresse who suggested 8c+ and then by Dani Andrada who thought it was at least 8c+/9a, maybe even 9a.
]]>2012-02-29Ueli Steck and Jon Griffith - Lesueur Route Free
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1194
In January of this year, Jon Griffith and Ueli Steck made the first free ascent and first single day winter ascent of the Lesueur Route on north face of Les Drus. Griffith notes that the pair climbed a variation, and not the exact summer route. He explains, "the reasons [for the variation] were two fold really - firstly the bivy site looked horrific (not enough snow) so we wanted to push on, and secondly Ueli didnt have the topo with him so just followed his nose."
The continuous bad weather over Dec and early January was starting to get me down. When it finally cleared up, it was even more frustrating as people were naturally more interested in skiing powder than going climbing. However I managed to gather together some people and had an awesome week. It started off on Pellisier Gully on the Lachenal to check out general conditions. The next day we headed off for 'Salade Mixte' on the Aiguille Verte but found it to be in terrible condition so started up a steep new line to the side of it which we didnt finish up the buttress unfortunately- still a good day out on the hill. One to finish off.
I've been planning to get on something big with Ueli Steck for a while now and it has just been a case of waiting for the weather to settle down. As soon as it was a green light he drove over from Switzerland and we set our eyes on the Lesueur route on the Drus. I've done two routes on the North side but I really wanted to do something in the dead of winter and on the actual North Face. The face just looks incredibly inhospitable and for some reason i was really keen to see what the middle of January with its cold and short days would be like on a route like this.
Not sure how long it would take we set off with a pack each with our bivy kit and planned on two days on the face.
The climb started off well and fast. We didnt leave too early as we needed to see and days are short. The start of the Pierre Allain has a few meters of delicate climbing then an easy mixed gully to the snow fields above. A few pitches of steadily harder mixed climbing, but nevertheless amazing quality brings you a good height up the route. Up past the huge white rock scar before 9am we felt good and Ueli took over his block lead which starts with a quick traversing ramp line across the face.
From here you head on up to the first crux of the route. Ueli was keen to try and free it if possible and it was pretty amazing to watch from below. I couldnt comment on the grade but it was hard enough just following trying to move as fast as possible.
A series of little runnels bring you up to the second crux. Nice climbing again here with little harder steps but great hooks when you find them. Once again the sending machine wanted to...well...send. 'I'm on a free climbing mission' he says before he takes over the lead again and fires up the second crux. Half way up though and it's a change of tact. Too hard with our packs on (we each had food and bivy kits on our backs so not the lightest of ascents) he lowered his pack to me and fired on up.
I'd just learned how to jumar properly from a friend a few days before hand which was lucky but with both packs constantly getting jammed in a series of chimneys it was pretty exhausting by the time I got to the top. One pitch of jumaring was definitely enough and back in the packs they went. In any case amazing effort by Ueli free climbing this pitch.
From here on we took a new 'variation' if you can call it that. We did a series of rising traverses out of the face and onto the ice. The reasons were two fold really- firstly the bivy site looked horrific (not enough snow) so we wanted to push on, and secondly Ueli didnt have the topo with him so just followed his nose. In any case an amazing series of traverses with some sections of heart-in-mouth exposure brought us to two short and very delicate (read no feet) traverses out on to the ice.
Taken from the Grands Montets, thanks Cedric!
Cedric Bernardi
From here on you just follow the calf busting ice runnels to the top. We arrived shortly after sunset and as we'd brought bivy kit with us we thought we may as well use it and rap back down the next morning in the light. The Breche has an awesome spot with an even better view.
The night was really really cold, as you'd probably expect, but we managed to rock out on top to ZZ Top-Blue Shoes before heading to bed. Just before sunset we packed up and headed up the Petit Dru for some much needed sunlight before rapping back down the north side.
Too cold to sleep so better get the camera out! Stitch shot under a rising sun and half moon
All in all a pretty good start to 2012. Big thumbs up to Ueli for freeing the cruxes and it felt amazing to actually do such a big route in a day in the middle of January. I think this is the first free ascent and first one day ascent in winter but credit for that goes to the Steck- but we did miss out the top few pitches by doing this 'variation'. Now for the next project....
Quick climb up to the top for some sunshine
Jon Griffith, http://www.alpineexposures.com]]>2012-02-22Alex Honnold's Big Balls in Bishop
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1192
Alex Honnold is doing what he can to blurr the border between highballing and soloing. Recently, in the Buttermilks at Bishop, California, he made the first ascent of Too Big to Flail, a ~14m "problem" on the Luminance Block.
According to Bishop Bouldering
"This line [...] involves some thin v9 [7C] face climbing at about 20 feet [6m] up, followed by the most airy hard moves at the Buttermilks to gain the top of the boulder."
Even the cool as cucumber Alex Honnold admits that he was:
"...shaking a bit up there. It's f***ing scary!"
34 pads or not, I can't help but wondering when "big balls" will be replaced by "broken bones".]]>2012-02-15Kammerlander and Romero complete collections in Antarctica
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1190
East face of Tyree in semi-profile.
Damien Gildea
Italian Hans Kammerlander and American Jordan Romero have both achieved personal dreams, Kammerlander becoming the first to climb all the second highest summits on each of the continents, while Romero became the youngest "Seven Summiteer".
In early January Kammerlander made only the fifth ascent of Tyree (4,852m) in the Sentinel Range of Antarctica, climbing in the company of Austrians Robert Miller and Christian Stangl.
Whilst it's not clear when or where the original idea of Second Seven Summits was muted, Jon Kraukauer, discussing the Seven Summits fascination in his best seller, Into Thin Air, notes that climbing the second highest peaks would provide a much greater challenge.
Kammerlander climbed K2 in 2001 but only decided to focus on the Second Seven Summits in 2009. That year he climbed Ojas del Salado in Chile (6,893m) and Kenya (5,199m). In 2010 came 5,959m Logan in the Canadian Yukon and Dych Tau (5,204m) in Russia. In 2011 it was the turn of Puncak Trikora (4,730m), the second highest peak in Australasia.
The second highest in Australasia/Oceania still seems to be a question of debate. Nggu Pulu is often quoted as the second highest summit, but it is more a subsidiary top to Carstensz Pyramid than an independent mountain. However, another school of thought suggests Puncak Mandala, a separate peak, has a higher altitude than Trikora.
Tyree was first climbed in January 1967 by Barry Corbet and John Evans via a committing traverse over Gardiner, during the American expedition that made the first ascent of the continent's highest mountain, Vinson.
The second came in 1989 when Mugs Stump made his now legendary solo ascent of the west face, totally raising the bar in Antarctic mountaineering.
In 1997 French Antoine de Choudens and Antoine Cayrel climbed the east face for the third ascent. This line was repeated not long after by Conrad Anker and Alex Lowe.
While the route Kammerlander and partners took to the summit is currently not known for certain, it is most likely to be via the great ice slope of the east face.
In 2008 and 2009 Stangl, who is also on a quest to complete the Second Seven, had tried Tyree. On the second attempt, via the French Route on the east face, he was within shouting distance of the summit when a single falling rock broke his partner's arm, causing the pair to bail.
Kammerlander has climbed 13 of the 8,000ers, but is quoted as saying he has no intention of returning to Manaslu, in order to complete the collection, because he lost friends there early in his climbing career.
Stangl's aim is now to climb the Triple Seven Summits: the first, second and third highest mountains on each continent.
Jordan Romero (born July 1996) climbed Kilimanjaro aged 10 and by the time he was 13 had climbed six of the Seven Summits. His ascent of Everest from the north in 2010 made him the youngest to have stood on top.
With the experienced American guide Scott Wollums, his father Paul, and his stepmother Karen Lundgren, Romero reached the summit of Vinson on Xmas Eve.
Romero now wants to use his profile to inspire a healthy lifestyle amongst American children with a Healthy Eating Challenge; "I've been able to push my body and mind to the summits of all these mountains, because I put good fuel in my body".
Prior to Romero summiting Vinson, the youngest person to have climbed the Seven Summits was the 16-year-old George Atkinson from the UK]]>2012-02-06Spectacular new line on Torre Egger
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1189
From left to right; Cerro Torre, Torre Egger and Cerro Standhardt from south-southeast.
Andrej Grmovsek
Talented Norwegian ice climbers Bjorn-Eivind Aartun and Ole Lied have climbed a major new route on Patagonia's Torre Egger (2,850m), forcing an outrageous series of ice pitches up the left side of the South Face overlooking the Col of Conquest.
The pair spent the first day climbing ca 600m to the Col, the pronounced notch between Egger and Cerro Torre, via Alessandro Beltrami, Rolando Garibotti and Ermanno Salvaterra's El Arca de los Vientos variations to the original 1976 American Route (6a and A1).
After a bivouac at the col, the next day they climbed seven long pitches up the 350m South Face to the summit (more or less the left skyline of Egger in the photo), surmounting the final mushroom from the east.
After an initial ropelength of M5, the pair continued up very steep rime ice, sustained at 90-95° with a section of A1, to reach the top. They then rappelled to regain their bivouac. Ice climbing in this section was graded AI6.
This is only the second time that the face above the col has been climbed.
The South Face formed the original route to the summit of Torre Egger and was climbed in 1976 by Americans John Bragg, Jim Donini and Jay Wilson
After reaching the Col of Conquest for what is now felt to be the first time, the Americans climbed the South Face of Egger, towards its right side, in 10 pitches.
The first proved to be the crux (A4), after which a section of 5.8/5.9 and A1 led to a long ice runnel and the 85° summit cornice. The team used some fixed rope and operated from a Whillans Box erected below the Col.
It was this ascent that really sparked the full controversy around Maestri's claimed first ascent of Cerro Torre via the Col of Conquest and North Face.
Following the line described by Maestri towards the Col, the Americans found masses of fixed gear in the lower section, ending at a large cache of unused equipment. Above, there was nothing.
Higher up, Maestri had described a highly difficult traverse leading to the col, on which he left fixed rope. While this traverse does indeed look hard from below, once there the Americans found it surprising easy, and there was no trace of fixed gear.
Bragg and Donini, who had begun the adventure believing Maestri's claim, completely lost faith when their own observations were entirely at odds with the Italian's story.
After many, many attempts by numerous parties, Cerro Torre's North Face was unquestionably climbed in 2005, when Beltrami, Garibotti and Salvaterra completed their 1,200m El Arca de los Vientos at 6b+ A1 AI3 and M6.]]>2012-02-13Americans and Russians add fine routes to China's Mt Grosvenor
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1188
The west face of Grosvenor. The American route climbs through the steep rock a little right of the obvious central couloir.
Bruce Normand
The elegant pyramid of 6,376m Grosvenor in the Minya Konka Range of China's Daxue Shan received its third and fourth ascents by new routes on opposite sides of the mountain.
Following widespread publication of photos by Japanese explorer Tamotsu Nakamura, Grosvenor received an attempt in 2003, when Andy Cave and Mick Fowler tried the prominent central couloir on the west face.
They failed in the narrows at half-height due to lack of ice. At the same time, Simon Nadin and Neil McAdie, who were trying a shorter route towards the right side of the face, were also unsuccessful.
However, in autumn the same year Julie-Ann Clyma and Roger Payne climbed the far right side of the face to reach the south-west ridge, which they followed, not without difficulty to make the first ascent.
Koreans tried the central couloir again in 2009, failing for the same reason as Cave and Fowler. However, in 2010 Kyle Dempster and Bruce Normand found the 1,300m couloir to be well-iced, climbed through the narrows at WI4+ and reached the summit the same day for the mountain's second ascent.
Last autumn Americans Chris Gibisch and Jeff Shapiro followed a line of steep ice smears just to the right of the central couloir, making a bivouac above half-height and a second just below the summit.
The pair had to negotiate sections of vertical rotten snow/ice, commonly referred to as "snice". These gave cruxes of AI6, which together with more conventional fare up to WI4+ and M5+ gave for a demanding outing.
From the summit the two decided to make a direct descent of the shorter east face, completing 12 abseils to a glacial bowl, where they bivouacked. Next day they slogged across to the Grosvenor-Jiazi col and abseiled the west side to glaciers, moraine, and a long trudge back to base camp.
They named their 1,300m route Black Wolves and Blue Poppies
Around a week later Dmitry Paramonov and Denis Shushko, two members of a Russian team attempting the unclimbed west face of Edgar from the Jiazi-Grosvenor col, climbed more or less directly up the east face of Grosvenor to make the fourth overall ascent.
The pair bivouacked on the summit before descending in bad weather.
Their c14-pitch (700m) new route was largely snow and ice with an average angle of 70°. It was awarded an overall Russian grade of 6A.
In the intervening week since the American descent there had been a lot of fresh snow, and the Russians never spotted any of the Americans' Abalakov anchors in the upper section, where the two lines probably coincide.]]>2012-01-31Burdet, Lama, Siegrist climb Cerro Kishtwar
http://www.verticalworld.eu/news/news.php?id=1186
West Face of White Sapphire.
Visualimpact.ch/Stefan Siegrist
Denis Burdet and Stephan Siegrist (Switzerland), David Lama (Austria) and the American climber/photographer Robert Frost have made the second ascent of India's Cerro Kishtwar.
This spectacular rock and ice peak of the Eastern Kishtwar Himalaya, in the troubled region of Kashmir, was named for its likeness to the famous Cerro Torre.
It was the goal of Mick Fowler and Mike Morrison in 1989 but they got no further than the base of the mountain.
The prominent rounded rock pillar in the centre of the North West Face was attempted capsule style in 1991 by Brendan Murphy and Andy Perkins.
After 17 days these two finally reached the North Ridge, crossed onto the North East Flank, and were only 100m below the summit, when their food, which had already been rationed, ran out.
Totally extended, and faced with what appeared to be hard climbing above, the two had no option but to retreat, having climbed 28 pitches up to Scottish 6 and A3.
Fowler returned in 1993, this time with Stephen Sustad, the pair opting for a diagonal ice ramp left of the Murphy-Perkins line, which rose to a notch on the North Ridge.
Having climbed this, they moved onto the North East Face and after a total of four days and passing the 1991 high point, they reached the top. The 1,300m route was graded ED+.
Cerro Kishtwar has two summits. Fowler and Sustad arrived at the North West Top and then made the short connecting traverse to the higher South East Summit, which has map heights of either 6,200m or 6,220m.
Since that year peaks of the Eastern Kishtwar have remained untouched, political difficulties in the Kishtwar region denying official access to foreign parties (though some have tried).
This year these problems proved to be surmountable and Burdet, Frost, Lama and Siegrist planned a new line up the West and North West Faces.
However, once on the mountain they discovered a "hidden" diagonal ice ramp curving up across the West Face to reach the upper South Ridge.
The couloir gave out onto vertical rock. Above, the ridge proved easier and after four days on the mountain they reached the South East Summit, on which their GPS gave an altitude of 6,155m. The North West Summit, which they traversed to in 15 minutes, was five metres lower.
The 1,200m route has been named Yoniverse and had difficulties of WI5 and 6a.
A few days after this ascent Burdet and Siegrist left for an unclimbed peak south of Cerro Kishtwar, on the ridge leading towards Sentinel Peak (5,950m).
Now well acclimatized, they were able to climb a narrow slanting gully on the West Face, reaching the summit the same day.
This gave climbing similar to Exocet on Patagonia's Cerro Standhart, with dry tooling, 90° ice and a difficult roof.
Although shorter (850m), this was a far more demanding climb than Cerro Kishtwar, with difficulties rated at WI6, M6 and A2.
The GPS gave an altitude of 6,040m on the North West Summit. The pair then traversed to the 5,980m South East Top before descending the South Ridge.
They have named the route La Viree des Contemporains, and the peak White Sapphire.]]>2012-01-27Dan Varian Ground-Ups E9 7b - The Dark Side
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Dan Varian repeating The Dark Side (E9 7b) Ground-Up
Mark Savage
Dan Varian has made the long-awaited second ascent of Andy Earl's The Dark Side at Back Bowden Doors, Northumberland. The steep sandstone route was first climbed by Andy Earl back in October of 2003 and is graded E9 7b.
Photographer and climber Mark Savage commented on his blog:
"It was fantastic to witness Dan's ground-up ascent. Not only was it a bit of climbing history, but he gave it everything he had. Completely inspiring. He is one of the strongest boulderers in the country, and I can pretty much say without any doubt that he is the king of highballing. I've never seen anyone so unconcerned with falling off hard moves high above poor landings."
Dan Varian at Back Bowden - Northumberland
Mark Savage
Dan commented on Twitter:
"Managed to achieve a dream and ground upped Dark Side today, bit of a special crimbo pressy to myself."
Ground-Up ascents of E9s are, well, pretty rare. We can think of Parthian Shot at Burbage, which was climbed ground-up by visiting American Kevin Jorgeson, and also James Pearson's second try ascent of Muy Caliente! in Pembroke (E9/10) but not any others. Anyone know?
We hope to have more info from Dan soon. You can check out the Beastmaker Blog here, and although Dan hasn't posted his thoughts on The Dark Side at this point, he may well soon.]]>2012-01-27Cool Climbs in Patagonia
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The Torre Group: Cerro Standhardt is the right-hand peak of the three main towers in the center. Punta Herron is the next spire to its left, between Standhardt and the taller Torre Egger. Cerro Torre is the tallest of the group, on the left.
Photo by Colin Haley
Colin Haley had a productive start to his annual Patagonia season, completing a first ascent on Cerro Standhardt and a solo ascent of Aguja Innominata.
Arriving in Chalten, Argentina, at the tail end of a good weather window, Haley warmed up by nearly soloing the south face of Cerro Pollone, a route that apparently had been unrepeated since its first ascent in 1949, despite only brief difficulties. On November 8, Haley cruised up to the summit block on Pollone, where he was stopped by rime-covered blank granite just below the top. Though he could reach up with an ice tool to within about a foot of the true summit, he decided not to risk the sketchy climbing without a proper belay.
Rope-soloing a pitch on the lower ramp of Innominata
Photo by Colin Haley
Next, Haley and Jorge Ackerman, an Argentinean friend, made a brief attempt on Torre Egger but retreated in poor conditions. After a day of rest at high camp, they headed for the north ridge of neighboring Cerro Standhardt, but high winds prompted them to switch routes and attempt the less-exposed south face of the peak, a route that was nearly climbed in 1977 by a British team but had not yet been completed to the summit.
After traversing from the Standhardt Col across the east face ramps, they started up the main corner system on the south face but had to do two big pendulums to the left when their line dead-ended. Continuing upward, they neared the top of the face, and Ackerman led the key overhanging exit chimney, with strenuous nailing on the right wall of the slot. A few aid moves and mixed climbing gained the summit mushroom, and they were on top at 9 p.m. They rappelled the Exocet route to return to their bivouac 25 hours after leaving. The two men called their route El Caracol, or "snail," referring both to their pace and to the spiraling line.
Jorge starting up the first pitch on the south face, mixed climbing up and left, with the summits of Cerro Torre and Torre Egger in the background.
Photo by Colin Haley
After a trip back to town, Haley was back in the Torre Valle, aiming for a solo attempt on Aguja Innominata (also known as Aguja Rafael). Haley followed the Anglo-American Route on the west face and south ridge, rope-soloing about half the line and free-soloing the rest. Jon Walsh had soloed the peak by a new route in 2005 after fixing two pitches the previous day.
Click here to read "Better Than Lucky," a feature interview with Haley from Climbing's August 2011 edition.
Two other climbers, Korra Pesce from Italy and Michi Lerjen from Switzerland, also have had great starts to their Patagonia season. The two climbed Cerro Torre by the tower's 1974 first ascent route on the west face. They then attempted the Torres Traverse, the link-up of Standhardt, Punta Herron, Torre Egger, and Cerro Torre first completed in January 2008. Lerjen and Pesce traversed Standhardt and Herron before bailing.
The south face of Standhardt, showing the line of El Caracol (500m, 5.9, A1+, M4). The route we took is marked (with the pendulum), as well as the route that future parties ought to take, on the crack further to the left.]]>2012-01-16Ondra Confirms Gioia at V16
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Adam Ondra on Gioia (V16).
Photo by Michele Francia
Adam Ondra has made the second ascent of Gioia in Varazze, Italy, and confirmed its V16 grade. Christian Core established the boulder problem in 2008 after spending four months working out the moves. Gioia ("Joy" in English) is 14 moves long with terrible feet, with a stand start that goes at around V12/13. Ondra had sent the stand start in January 2011 very quickly—"About 30 minutes," he says. "It is very tough to climb this stand start after having done the first part, which is high end V14 itself."
Climbing caught up with Adam Ondra for an interview after his send of Gioia (V16), a problem established by Christian Core, in Varazze, Italy.
Adam, what inspired you to try this problem?
I loved the line and the moves on numerous pictures. Christian asked me soon after having done the first ascent if I could come and tell him what I think about it and also wanted to know more about the grade. And I got there two years later and sent it almost three years later.
Adam Ondra on Gioia (V16).
Photo by Michele Francia
And what did you think of the movement?
It is a pure line, and from the first glance you can easily see that it is very HARD. The size of the holds and distances between them—it all looks impossible, but as you try it, you realize that there are just enough holds to climb. When I started trying, I was captivated; even though it is sharp, somehow I enjoyed it so much. It was pure Gioia ("joy"), even sitting on a pad below and seeing the line. And the joy was even more intensive when I managed to send it, the last possible day of this year, [right before] I am planning to switch to sport climbing again. The name fits perfectly, well done Christian!
You confirmed speculation that Gioia is V16. What are you comparing it to?
Christian initially proposed V15, but he had thought it could be very well V16 as well, in comparison to other V15s he has done in Varazze and numerous V14s he has done abroad, but he wanted play things safe. After unsuccessful tries of certain climbers, when they were unable to do single moves and only I and Daniel Woods were capable of doing the third move, it got more obvious to him that his suggestion of V15 was rather careful. I spent on this problem the same amount of time as Terranova [a V16 Ondra established in November], and I think they are both the hardest problems I have ever done, significantly harder than any V15 I have ever done. At the same time, I admit that I have not done too many of them so far. But I know that when I say that I think it is V16, I mean it with frank belief.
Can you break down the problem?
There are eight hard moves (plus five moves of topout V8/9); the hardest single move is the third one, including one of the worst holds immaginable in such overhang. But the problem is the link—to link even two moves is hard, and to link the whole thing is a question of a different level of power and mental strength, since I had only one good try a day and good portion of luck.
Adam Ondra on Gioia (V16).
Photo by Michele Francia
Did it suit your style?
The whole problem is on crimps, and especially those tiny ones I love, but the moves are long, and it is powerful. Powerful moves had not been my favorite style in the past, but this year I improved a lot in this. I also have advantage compared to Christian because I am a bit taller and in some moves I did have cut loose.
You said you only had one good try a day...
I have no clue how many times I tried this boulder problem, but in total I spent 11 days on it. One day in January, 10 days this November and December. First days, I invested a lot of time into it, just automatize the moves, doing sequences, but after couple of hours I was completely thrashed, and my skin was sore as well as my muscles. The sixth day, I started trying seriously, and I managed to fall in the last hard move. I quickly realized that I can do only one good try a day, or some more, but only one past the third move, that hardest single move. Knowing that I have only good try a day was pretty unnerving since there are so many places to make mistakes, and the problem was so much at my limit that I was forced to avoid any.
Thanks, Adam!
Christian Core originally graded the problem V15, but Ondra believes it's a solid grade harder. Other top climbers like Daniel Woods, Chris Webb Parsons, and Dai Koyamada, have tried the line to no avail.
In November, Ondra reported that he had climbed his first V16, Terranova, at a crag in the Czech Republic.
Below, a video of Core on Gioia.
]]>2012-01-09New Route on Beautiful Nepali Peak
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The Corominas-Parga line on the southwest face of Cho Polu in Nepal.
Photo courtesy of Jordi Corominas
Spanish climbers Jordi Corominas and Elena Parga have completed the probable first ascent of the southwest face of Cho Polu, a 6,695-meter (21,965') peak in the Khumbu region of Nepal. The two climbed alpine-style and spent four days round-trip on the route, which ascends a steep snow and ice face for about 3,300 feet to a col. From here, Corominas soloed the final 1,000 feet to the summit. He believes this was the third ascent of the peak.
Corominas is one of Spain's premier alpinists, with numerous first ascents, usually with small teams, from Peru to Patagonia to Asia. In 2004, climbing with a small Spanish expedition, he summited K2, solo, at midnight, to complete the second ascent of the Magic Line, or southwest pillar, first climbed in 1986.
]]>2012-01-04Gottlieb and Kellogg Make First Ascent in Fifty Hour Push
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The south face of Pangbuk Ri with Kellogg and Gottlieb's routeline.
[Photo] David Gottlieb
On November 11, David Gottlieb and Chad Kellogg made the first ascent of Nepal's Pangbuk Ri (6716m) in fifty hours, camp to camp. They reached the summit via the South Face (VI, AI5, M5,1400m) in just over twenty-six hours of climbing. Then the pair descended the face opposite the one they climbed, before hallucinating their way through a ten mile hike back to their base camp.
Planning for a long push with difficult climbing, the pair travelled lightly. They packed only down pants and jackets, a stove, water, headlamps and thirty bars for food. A nearly full moon along with a decent weather window meant they could climb through the night. As the sun warmed the face above, rock- and icefall showered them as they picked their way upwards. The danger from rockfall almost turned them back when debris from above cracked Gottlieb's helmet as he soloed up the face. Finding protection in an alcove, they roped up for a few pitches of vertical AI5 and M5 steps that led them to the upper 2,000 feet of near vertical climbing.
Chad Kellogg climbing above David Gottlieb on the first ascent of Pangbuk Ri. Gottlieb described this terrain as "typical for the ascent."
[Photo] David Gottlieb
From there, they intended to take a leftwards trending line towards the summit. But the pair were forced to the right after deciding their intended line was impassable. They found a route through snow mushrooms, rock blocks and, according to Kellogg, "whipped ice from the wet snow avalanches that shed in the afternoons. We just kept trying to unlock the keys to the problems as we came across each one. There were many vertical ice pitches capped by unconsolidated snow and ice overhangs that had to be cleaned."
Kellogg told Alpinist, "At 21,000 feet we had to make a rappel into another fluting, blindly in the dark. At the end of the rappel we recognized features that we knew from studying the route. We were in the runnel that we originally wanted to climb, but that we could not initially get into. That was a high moment when we thought that the route would finally go, eighteen hours into the climb."
Gottlieb and Kellogg on the summit of Pangbuk Ri (6716), the pair are slightly over halfway through their fifty hour push at this point.
[Photo] David Gottlieb
After twenty-two and a half hours of climbing later Gottlieb and Kellogg reached the summit ridge. They holed up in the protection of a crevasse for four sleepless hours and waited for the sun to come up. Then they continued up the ridge to the summit. The two decided to descend the face opposite the one they climbed. Kellogg says, "There were three free-hanging, full rope-length rappels off of seracs that were notable. On these sections I put in two v-threads for peace of mind in case one failed."
The descent took fourteen hours. It was longer, more difficult and more dangerous than expected. After forty hours and 3,500 feet of climbing, Kellogg experienced calf cramps from dehydration. Both climbers were physically and mentally tired, and when they reached the base of the face they still had ten miles to hike back to camp. Dehydrated and exhausted, they arrived back at the cook tent as the sun rose for the third time since they started the climb.
Gottlieb on the descent. Sometimes Kellogg put in two v-threads for extra protection.
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