Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Arctic Lake Wall, Cooler than a Polar Bear's Toenails California, Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park

In August, Daniel Dunn, Rett English, and I visited Arctic Lake Wall and climbed a new route up the center, aiming for the left side of the wall’s largest roofs. We took a line to the left of Arctic Beast (700’, III 5.11c, Prince-Musiyenko, 2016) ...

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| Published 2024 | Author Matt Carpenter


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Mt. Barnard, East Rib California, Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park

I had long heard about the classic 1972 East Pillar route on Mt. Barnard’s east peak (ca 13,680’): It has a reputation for quality rock and movement, guarded by a big, brushy approach. (Its name also has a convoluted history, having been variously...

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| Published 2024 | Author Ian McEleney


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Homers Nose, Home Run and Mr. Burns California, Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park

In late May 2024, Neal Harder, Josef Maier, Brandon Thau, and I established the first free route on the south face of Homers Nose (a.k.a. Homers Brow). This was our second attempt. We started on the first two pitches of Dance of Topo-Usha (5.10 A3...

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| Published 2024 | Author Brian Prince


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Spring Lake Wall, Spring Roll California, Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park

In early August 2024, Jack Schlinkert and I set out from Mineral King to hike in to Spring Lake Wall, intending to climb one of the established routes. As we set up camp, our attention shifted to the leftmost and—as far as we knew—only unclimbed f...

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| Published 2024 | Author Thomas Sicilian


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Overlook Dome, Jacket Off California, Sierra Nevada, Golden Trout Wilderness

On November 2, Daniel Jeffcoach, Vitaliy Musiyenko, and I embarked on a nearly 30-mile approach from Monache Meadows to the Kern River region to scout some intriguing formations. We camped at the natural bridge feature near Lava Falls on Golden Tr...

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| Published 2024 | Author Brian Prince


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Castle Rocks Area: The Fortress, The Sage California, Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park

The Sage (1,060’, 10 pitches, 5.10c), seen here from the south, follows a series of corners, ramps, and chimneys up the southern aspect of the Fortress. Photo by Sam Fearer. In early August, under a full summer sun, Dave Meyer and I set out t...

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| Published 2024 | Author Sam Fearer


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Oyster Peak, Mother of Pearl Ridge California, Sierra Nevada, Western Sierra

In mid-August, David Stone and I hiked 20-plus miles from the Rancheria trailhead on the east side of Wishon Reservoir to explore Blackcap Basin and the White Divide, an obscure corner of the Sierra in the John Muir Wilderness, just outside the bo...

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| Published 2024 | Author Daniel Jeffcoach


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Kings River North Fork, Three Domes California, Sierra Nevada, Western Sierra

The many granite domes surrounding Courtright Reservoir have long been known for excellent rock and challenging friction and edging routes in a spectacular setting. Just east of this easily accessed area, if one is willing to engage in a longer an...

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| Published 2024 | Author Dave Nettle


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Mt. Goode, Tiger Lily California, Sierra Nevada, Eastern Sierra

On the north aspect of Mt. Goode (13,085’), a beautiful peak near Bishop Pass, is a narrow gray panel, orange-streaked and mottled yellow, just to the right of the classic North Buttress route. A crack runs up the center of this panel, visible fro...

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| Published 2024 | Author Cole Taylor


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Merriam Peak, Heart of Darkness California, Sierra Nevada, Eastern Sierra

After a successful trip to Royce Lakes Basin earlier in the season (see report here), Matt O’Brien and I decided to return in July with our friend Daniel Dunn to try a new route on Merriam Peak. We spied a couple of weaknesses left of the North Bu...

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| Published 2024 | Author Matt Carpenter


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Beding Go, Northwest Ridge Nepal, Rolwaling Himal

On October 13, Pasang Kidar Sherpa and I teamed up to climb the northwest ridge of Beding Go (6,125m, 27°55’34.50”N, 86°23’25.84”E), which lies on the Nepal-Tibet frontier a little east of Gaurishankar (7,134m). Pasang is one of 14 IFMGA guides fr...

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| Published 2024 | Author Danika Gilbert


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Peak 5,805, First Ascent Nepal, Rolwaling Himal

About five kilometers south of Chhopa Bamare, along the frontier ridge, is an unnamed snow summit of 5,805m (28°0’42.43”N, 86°5’7.24”E). On December 29, 2023, eight days after reaching their base camp, a Nepalese team comprising Lila Bahadur Basne...

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| Published 2023 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Chhopa Bamare, Northeast Ridge Nepal, Rolwaling Himal

Chhopa Bamare (6,109m, 28°3’32.05”N, 86°5’28.50”E) is the highest peak of the Pamali Range, a small subgroup in the northwest Rolwaling (east of the Friendship Highway between Zhangmu and Nyalam). It is a quiet area with almost no recorded climbin...

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| Published 2024 | Author Hiroyoshi Manome


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Phurbi Chhyachu, West-Southwest Ridge, Attempt Nepal, Jugal Himal

Drawn to Phurbi Chhyachu (6,637m) by its aesthetic appearance and sparse mountaineering history, Rosa Morotti and I aimed to repeat the original route on the west-southwest ridge in a light, alpine-style approach. In 1982, a large Japanese-Nepale...

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| Published 2024 | Author Tito Arosio


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Jugal I, First Ascent, via East-Southeast Face Nepal, Jugal Himal

In the spring, a joint expedition from Korea and Nepal, led by Um Hong-gil and Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa, completed the first ascent of Jugal I (6,591m, 28°10’26.73”N, 85°48’59.13”E), north of Kathmandu. The expedition marked the occasion of the golden ...

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| Published 2024 | Author Oh Young-hoon


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Ganchempo, Northwest Face, Direct Route and Traverse Nepal, Jugal Himal

Nicolas Hojac (Switzerland) and I left Kyanjin Gompa on November 15 and walked more than five hours to reach the foot of the glacier that descends west from below the northwest face of Ganchempo (6,378m). We camped there at 4,760m. The next mornin...

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| Published 2024 | Author David Goettler


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Kimshung Sar, South-Southeast Ridge Nepal, Langtang Himal

Located immediately opposite the east face of Langtang Lirung, Kimshung (a.k.a. Tsangbu Ri, 6,781m, 28°16’19.74”N, 85°33’6.47”E) has a long south-southeast ridge between the Lirung and Kimshung glaciers, with subsidiary tops. The southern and lowe...

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| Published 2024 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Phungi, First Ascent, via West Spur and South-Southwest Ridge Nepal, Peri Himal

In post-monsoon 2022, three young Japanese climbers—Goto Kisuke, Adachi Masaki, and Kagami Taichi—attempted the west spur and south-southwest ridge of Phungi (28°49’48.29”N, 84°24’0.12”E), an unclimbed 6,524m peak southeast of Ratna Chuli, on the ...

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| Published 2024 | Author Fumiya Yokomichi


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Kajin Sara, Exploration Nepal, Annapurna Himal

The Kajin Sara is a small group of peaks to the south of Kajin Sara Lake, forming a ridge extending east from Lamjung Himal (6,983m), southeast of Annapurna II. The lake and peaks were “discovered” in 2019 by a Japanese group, and the three-day tr...

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| Published 2024 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Nilgiri North, West Face and West Ridge, Attempt Nepal, Annapurna Himal

The west side of the Nilgiri massif, showing the attempted route on the west ridge. Behind, the highest point of the skyline ridge is Annapurna I. Photo by Takuya Mitoro. In the fall of 2018, Tatsuya Aoki and I attempted the north face of Nil...

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| Published 2024 | Author Takuya Mitoro