Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Monarch Mountain, Southwest Face, and Other Ascents Canada, British Columbia, Coast Mountains

ON JULY 28, Micha Rinn from Germany and I flew by helicopter to the col between Monarch Mountain and Page Mountain at the head of the Empire Way Glacier, deep in the Coast Mountains. Our objective was the pronounced spur that runs up the center ...

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| Published 2017 | Author Simon Richardson


Feature Article AAJ
Recon: The Cirque of the Unclimbables Far from unclimbable, these peaks and walls have lured climbers for more than 65 years. And there's much more to do.

"Is OK? Is OK?” The heavily accented voice crackled in the worn headset protecting my ears from the rattle-hum of the floatplane as we circled through dark clouds obscuring the peaks below. Judging from the firm grip on my knee, Spanish climber En...

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| Published N/A | Author Pat Goodman


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Danphe Shail, First Ascent by Southwest Face Nepal, Palchung Himal

Just open a map of Dolpo and look at the far top, along the Nepal-Tibet border. There are very few peaks named, but one of them is Danphe Shail (6,103m, 29°40'18.38"N, 83° 0'29.10"E). When approaching Upper Dolpo, a pointed summit can be seen from...

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| Published 2017 | Author Paulo Grobel


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Chola Shan, Chola I, South-Southeast Spur and West Ridge China, Sichuan, Chola Shan

In August, an American-Chinese team likely became the first to stand atop the highest point of the Chola Shan. There has been much confusion in the past as to what has been climbed in this group.Chola I (6,168m, 31°47'7.24"N, 99° 4'21.47"E, Google...

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| Published 2017 | Author Lindsay Griffin


In Memoriam AAJ
Robert John Secor, 1956 ­­– 2017

ROBERT JOHN SECOR, mountaineer, guidebook author, and adventurer, passed away on October 26 at the young age of 61. R.J., as he was known to all, authored four well-known climbing guidebooks: Mexico’s Volcanoes: A Climbing Guide; Aconcagua: A Clim...

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| Published 2017 | Author Steve Porcella


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Split Mountain, Isengard; Madeline Wall, Kids in the Haul Canada, British Columbia, Coast Mountains

The northeast face of Split Mountain, near Terrace, B.C.,presents an outrageous prow of granite rising out of the mist from a deep, narrow chasm. (This formation is just south of the Skeena River at 54°22'19.00"N, 128°59'37.57"W.) Nick Black, Gary...

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| Published 2016 | Author Grant Stewart


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Puño Este, Half-Cocked Argentina-Chile, Northern Patagonia, Aysén Region

In January 2016, Jim Donini and I climbed a new route on Puño Este (ca 2,050m), a peak just east of the Hielo Continental Norte in Chilean Patagonia.We base-camped at Jim’s lake house by the shores of Lago General Carrera while waiting for good we...

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| Published 2016 | Author Tad McCrea


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Trinidad Sur, Arrayan Chile, Northern Patagonia, Cochamó

In February 2017, Trevor Boley, Kyle Kent, Rhane Pfeiffer, Cooper Varney, and I established a new route on Trinidad Sur. I first spotted this line while climbing the neighboring route Alendalaca (450m, 5.12b) on Trinidad Sur on December 23, 2016. ...

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| Published 2017 | Author Clinton Leung


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cerro Kuralemu, El Camino del Puma Argentina-Chile, Northern Patagonia, Parque Nacional Puyehue

Through our constant pursuit of discovering overlooked places in our majestic backyard cordillera, Max Didier, my brother Diego Señoret, and I found a large granite wall in Chile’s Parque Nacional Puyehue (Puyehue means “stone forest”) on Google E...

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| Published 2017 | Author Juan Señoret


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cerro Mariposa, Produci Consuma Crepa Argentina-Chile, Northern Patagonia, Turbio Valley

Paolo Marazzi and I (both Ragni de Lecco members) traveled to Argentina in February with the goal of climbing Cerro Mariposa. We arrived in Bariloche on February 16. From there, local alpinist Sebastián de la Cruz helped us with logistics, as he’s...

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| Published 2017 | Author Luca Schiera


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Allinccapac II, Gabarriti, Incaccapac, and Other Ascents Peru, Cordillera Carabaya

After a fruitful trip to the Cordillera Carabaya in 2016 (see 2017 AAJ report), Aaron and Jeanne Zimmerman (USA) and I returned in June for more adventure and objectives of our daydreams. Our primary goals were two unclimbed summits, Gabarriti and...

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| Published 2017 | Author Derek Field


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Pucarashta Central, South Face Peru, Cordillera Blanca

The expedition of the Female Mountaineering Team of the Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FEDME) visited the Cordillera Blanca from June 5 to July 12. The team included Diana Calabuig, Ruth Craven, Fátima Gil, Esther Simón, and V...

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| Published 2017 | Author Sevi Bohorquez


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Lajo Dada (a.k.a. Langu Himal), Northern Glacier and West-Northwest Ridge Nepal, Shingri Himal

On October 17 three young climbers from the Tomon Alpine Club—Norifumi Fukuda, a senior student at Waseda University, and two recent graduates, Kojuro Hagihara and me—made the first ascent of Lajo Dada (6,426m, 28°32'45.33"N, 85°3'12.18"E). This p...

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| Published 2017 | Author Yudai Suzuki


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Burke Khang, South Face and Southeast Ridge Nepal, Mahalangur Himal, Khumbu Section

On May 23, 2014, as I was hunkered down in my tent at high camp on the north side of Mt. Everest, the government of Nepal opened 104 new peaks for climbing. One of them was named after me. Thus began a three-year odyssey, which some friends and fa...

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| Published 2017 | Author Bill Burke


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Barnaj I, Northeast Buttress India, Kishtwar Himalaya

Barnaj I (6,370m GPS) is a mountain that beckons to be climbed. After my 2014 attempt on the north buttress with Tim Dittmann and Jared Vilhauer, and knowing of at least one other attempt and several potential expeditions, I kept expecting to read...

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| Published 2017 | Author Seth Timpano


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Arrigetch Peaks, Xanadu, Un Pas Més Alaska, Brooks Range

Last summer I spent 53 days in the Arrigetch—36 days hauling loads and 17 days on the west face of Xanadu, where, from July 5 to 21, I completed a new route called Un Pas Més (530m, 6a A4/A4+). During this time, although I was not always completel...

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| Published 2017 | Author Sílvia Vidal


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Pik Chapaev, Saber; Pik Irbis, First Ascent via North Face Kyrgyzstan, Tien Shan, Tengri Tag

The Khan Tengri base camp (ca 4,000m) on the South Inylchek Glacier is a crossroad of both time and people. Here you can find real characters: from the mountaineering past and future; from Europeans to Africans; from alpine-style athletes to comme...

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| Published 2017 | Author Denis Urubko


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Revelation Mountains, First Ascents Alaska, Alaska Range, Revelation Mountains

CAN A PLACE be remote but accessible at the same time? Thanks to the impressive skills of our pilot, Paul Roderick, the south fork of the Fish Glacier in the Revelation Mountains turned out to be just that.Ever since Clint Helander’s feature artic...

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| Published 2017 | Author Gediminas Simutis


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
First Solo Ascent of Mt. Geikie’s North Face Canada, British Columbia, Canadian Rockies, Tonquin Valley

The 1,200-meter north face of Mt. Geikie, showing approximate lines of various ascents. Tony McLane's solo ascent is marked in red. Photo by Marc Piché I SAT BENEATH a clear, calm sky sipping coffee. The warm beverage so...

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| Published 2017 | Author Tony McLane


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Ulamertorssuaq and Nalumasortoq, New Routes Greenland, South Greenland, Tasermiut Fjord

In July 2016, Georg Hoedle, Martin Lopez Abad, and I disembarked in Tasermiut Fjord with food and provisions for one month. Our first goal was to climb War and Poetry, a 5.12c variation to the Geneva Diedre (1,000m, 6b A4, Dalphin-Piola-Probost-Wi...

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| Published 2016 | Author Carlos Molina