Standing on the summit of Odgsal I during the 2013 Indian Air Force Rongdo expedition (AAJ 2014), our attention was captured by a huge glaciated valley to the east: the Kunzang. Locals told us this had never been traversed. In 2015 we planned to e...
During September and November, Rodrigo Chabalgoity, Pablo Cuadra, Jacob Perkinson, Christian Steidle, and I, along with 17 NOLS students, completed an expedition in Jeinimeni National Reserve in the Aysén Region. On October 17, our group made the ...
In August I led a small team of Alpine Club members to the Korlomshe Tokpo, which had received only one known previous visit. In 2012, Kamikazu Sakamoto’s non-climbing expedition entered this valley but ventured no higher than 5,100m to photograph...
On March 20, Cristian Mono Gallardo, Jorge Chispa Sepulveda, Favian Zandoval, and I reached the area called La Junta in Cochamó. Our goal was to reach an area called Cerro Torrecillas, a little-known glaciated zone that I reconnoitered with aerial...
In September, Swiss alpinists Dres Abegglen, Thomas Senf, and Stephan Siegrist returned to the Kishtwar Himalaya to attempt Bhala (Spear), a Matterhorn-like peak they had seen during their 2014 expedition (AAJ 2015). Bhala lies on the western rim ...
On December 28, Josef Kristoffy, Martin Krasnansky, and I (all Slovakia) flew to South America for a five-week trip to Cochamó Valley. After getting acquainted with the area, we decided to try a new route up the impressive 700m northwest face of C...
We arrived in Dehli on July 6 and after a road trip of nearly five days reached the small town of Gulabgarh, the last section traveling along one of the most dangerous roads in the world, the “Kishtwar Killer.” We then trekked for four days via Ma...
Daniel Seeliger has noted a number of long new climbs completed in Cochamó from 2014 to early 2015 that were not previously mentioned in the AAJ. They are listed below. Find more information about the climbs, including a library of hand-drawn topo...
In August, William Newsom, Simon Ridout, and I made the probable first ascent of Kang Yatze III in central Ladakh. The expedition was hampered by heavy rain and flash floods in the Markha Valley, where many bridges were washed away. Base camp was ...
Following Kimikazu Sakamoto’s exploration of the Gompe Tokpo peaks in 2012, the Kolkata section of the Himalayan Club organized a trip to climb a virgin peak there in July 2014. With the help of four Sherpas, the team made base camp and Camp 1 on ...
Planes, buses, taxis, truck beds, boats, horses, and feet—it was an exciting and lengthy journey just to get into the Piritas Valley, and it was all worth it for the stunning landscape, impeccable granite, and remoteness of the valley. It was Ja...
Anna Pfaff, Lisa Van Sciver, and I traveled to Zanskar in late August. With only a couple photos of peaks from various articles, our knowledge of its climbing potential was limited. Accurate maps were unobtainable and Google Earth imagery was poor...
On September 16, Crystal Davis-Robbins and I made the first ascent of the south face and east flank of CB6A (5,450m). I had found a picture of this beautiful peak, yet had no idea where it was or how to get there. After arriving in Manali, we spen...
The monsoon had been weak and the mountains looked dry when we arrived at the Nandanvan base camp (4,400m) on August 21. Matteo di Zaiacomo, Luca Schiera, and I hoped to make the first ascent of the west face of Bhagirathi IV (6,193m), a rock wall...
The cliff that lured us to this corner of the Himachal Pradesh loomed nearly straight overhead. Shoshala (ca 4,700m) was first climbed a few springs ago (AAJ 2012). The 750m route, mixed with many bolts, follows a series of corners and cracks in t...
On September 4 an Indian expedition made the second ascent of Goat Peak via the complete south ridge. The 10-member expedition, under Dipankar Ghosh, had planned to attempt both Peak 6,115m and Peak 6,125m on the Indian Survey map, unaware that th...
A student team from Nippon University Alpine Club reached the col between T19 (6,162m) and T20 (6,157m), on the north side of the Gompe Tokpu. However, they were unable to ascend either ridge above the col (ca 5,600m). There is no evidence of eith...
Kakstet Kangri (6,561m) is an attractive mountain on the south bank of the Pangong Tso and is named after Kakstet village, from which it can easily be seen. It was climbed on September 3, 2001, by 11 young members of the Eighth Mountain Division o...
Rocky Mountain National Park rangers were notified by climbers that a man fell from the summit of Batman Rock to the base around 6:15 p.m. on September 19. The 24-year-old Vancouver, British Columbia, man was hiking and scouting climbing routes. H...
On November 8, my wife Becky (age 45) and I (Dave, age 35) were approaching the Angels Way route on Ridge Three in the Flatirons near Boulder. The weather forecast for the day was optimal, with highs in the lower 60s and no precipitation expected....