Beascochea Bay, various ascents

Antarctica, Antarctic Peninsula
Author: Damien Gildea. Climb Year: N/A. Publication Year: 2013.

Three expeditions all targeted the same area of unclimbed mountains on the peninsula this season. Just south of the Waddington Bay–Argentine Islands region, Beascochea Bay is surrounded by peaks on three sides, those on the northern side being over 2,000m high. Personnel from the British Antarctic Survey were active in the area in the 1960s, but no major ascents were made. British climber Phil Wickens returned for his third season in four years, aboard Spirit of Sydney, leading a British team that made six ascents (see full report here). There were also ascents of Cape Perez, a steep-faced promontory on the southern side of Collins Bay, including one by a Brazilian team led by Joao Paulo Barbosa, traveling aboard Sauvage. This group had also planned to attempt Mt. Rio Branco but found it too difficult in the time they had left. Soon after, however, Rio Branco received its first ascent by a group aboard Podorange. This team, led by French alpinist and guide Antoine Cayrol, climbed the mountain from the north.

Damien Gildea, Australia