After consultation with Janusz Majer, who informed us that most peaks in the area were unclimbed and there was huge potential for new lines, Michał Nowicki, Maks Parys, Matej Prcin, Marco Schwidergall, and I (all Polish except for Prcin, who is Sl...
In June, I experienced one of the defining moments of my climbing life: opening a new line, in alpine style, on Spantik (7,027m). For a child from the Hunza Valley, Spantik is not only a majestic mountain but also a source of inspiration and the p...
In 2024, Boris Langenstein and I attempted the first ski descent of Nanga Parbat from its 8,125-meter summit by the south-southeast or Rupal side. We climbed the Schell Route (1976) but stopped at 7,524 meters due to poor weather and snow conditio...
Between August 18 and September 15, Jacek Czech, Przemyslaw Pawlikowski, and I, from the Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue Team (TOPR), visited the Karakoram with financial help from the Kukuczka Foundation. Our goal was the unclimbed southeast fa...
Yudai Suzuki, Hiroki Yamamoto, and I arrived in Lachit village just four days after leaving Japan. We trekked north and established base camp on the Lachit Glacier at 4,200 meters, then spent much time in reconnaissance and acclimatization. De...
At the start of July, after completing the necessary logistics in Skardu, Joseba Iztueta, Ekaitz Maiz, Ibon Mendia, and I drove in a 4x4 to the Hushe Valley. By this time, several of us were struggling with severe stomach issues, and I personally ...
Six months after Barbara “Babsi” Zangerl completed a first-try, no-falls ascent of Free Rider (VI 5.13a)—the first flash of any of El Cap’s main wall routes (see AAJ 2025)—Will Moss flashed Free Rider in a single day. Moss, age 20 at the time, had...
The north face of North Peak (12,248’) in the Sierra Nevada, showing: (left) North Couloir, the classic ice climb on the face; (center) White Noise (800’, Steep snow, M4); and (right) Far Right Extremist (600’, Steep snow, M2). Other routes are ...
Between August 18 and September 15, 2025, Jacek Czech, Przemyslaw Pawlikowski, and I, from the Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue Team (TOPR), visited the Karakoram with financial help from the Kukuczka Foundation. Our goal was the unclimbed southe...
View to the northeast from an intermediate camp (ca 5,600m) on the Biarchedi South Glacier, with (A) Serac Peak (6,710m), (B) Biarchedi I (6,810m), and (C) Biarchedi IV (6,690m). The attempted route to Biarchedi I climbed the glaciated slope dir...
Lani Chapko following pitch five of The Imperfect Bypass on Whatcom Peak. Photo by Sam Boyce When Sam Boyce and I did the first ascent of the south buttress of Whatcom Peak (7,574’, 48.85032, -121.38347) in 2022, via Castle in the Sky (2,000’...
Sam Boyce on Calcifer’s Ridge on the north side of Mt. Redoubt. Behind, a pillar of smoke rises from a day-old fire in Perry Creek. The fire and smoke became inspiration for the route’s name. Photo by Lani Chapko On a mission into the Depot C...
Marshall Trautman climbing pitch five (A2) of Mother of Exiles, shortly before he whipped and blew a Screamer. Photo by Mark Allen A long-overlooked sheer wall looms in the Washington Pass area, northeast of Wallaby Peak in the Cedar Creek ba...
The line of the first ascent of Khudopin Sar (6,458m GPS), by the south couloir and northwest ridge, in October 2025. Photo by Gaëtan Navarrete Julien Priour and I were in the Shimshal area in October. After finding very dry and unfavorable c...
The west ridge of Cherireen Sar (6,224m GPS), climbed in July 2025 to make the first ascent of the mountain. Photo by Vincent Woerle I met Lukas Woerle (Austria) in 2022 at Gasherbrum base camp. Two years later, by coincidence, we met again a...
Nick Roy on the northeast ridge of Easy Mox in January 2025. Photo by Eric Gilbertson Despite the name, Easy Mox (8,397’, 48.948747, -121.262656) is considered one of the most difficult of the Bulgers (Washington’s 100 highest peaks) to climb...
Close-up of the upper southwest face of Lincoln Peak, with the April 2025 ski route by the X Couloir marked. Photo by John Scurlock On a solo venture on April 14, I carried out what was probably the first complete ski descent of Lincoln Peak...
The nearly mile-high northeast face of Johannesburg Mountain, with the line of Route 66, likely the first new route up the face in decades. Older routes are not shown. Photo by John Scurlock I’d been curious about the hanging northeast face o...
Jurau A from the northeast, with the approximate lines of (1) Chancos y Chacras (2018) to just below the top, and (2) Kuntur (2025) to the northeast summit. Photo by Koky Castañeda Over three days in June, we climbed to the northeast top of J...
Cerro El Brujo from the west. The south ridge is the right skyline, climbed in November 2025 to the south summit (center). The ascent gained about 2,300 meters. Photo by José Antonio Mena | AndesHandbook.org Cerro El Brujo is a large massif n...