Mt. Thor, Project Mayhem. On July 28 Jim Beyer soloed to the summit of Mt. Thor after completing what he calls “the hardest big wall route on the planet.” The route has five pitches of modern A5 and three pitches of A4+. By comparison, he says the hardest El Cap routes have two to four pitches of A4+ to A5. He reports: “Although I have climbed at least three routes (solo first ascents, unrepeated) with harder pitches (Cult of Suicidal, A6a, on Outlaw Spire in Canyonlands; and On a Tear and Parallel Reality, both A5+, on Sextant Spire near Shiprock), I believe Project Mayhem (A5c) is harder because it is long and continuously difficult.” Project Mayhem, he feels, “is truly a route worth dying for.” His story appears earlier in this Journal.

Mt. Asgard, Charlie Porter Route and Scott Route, fast ascents. Taking Yosemite speed- climbing tactics to Baffin Island, Jason “Singer” Smith and Cedar Wright made the second ascent of the revered Charlie Porter Route (VII 5.10+ A4) on Mt. Asgard in an incredible 38- hour push (54 hours round trip from base camp). They also repeated the Scott Route (3,500', 5.11) on Asgard in 3 hours and 56 minutes. A full story on their remarkable trip appears earlier in this journal.