In October 2022, Wang Yongpeng and Zhang Xinyi (China) climbed a new route on the north and northeast faces of Xiao Gongga (a.k.a. Tshiburongi or Little Konka, 5,928m). The two set up camp at 4,500m, north of the peak, near the entrance to the Xi...
In August, Liu Yang, Song Yuancheng, and I made the first ascent of an unnamed peak of 5,800m at 29°48’19.10”N, 101°54’18.88”E. It is a northwestern extension of the Ueba Group, situated northeast across the Tshiburongi Glacier from Xiao Gongga (L...
The large rock peak of Yinhaizi (5,388m, 29°52'25.77"N, 101°52’12.18”E) is located due north of Xiao Gongga and Melcyr Shan, but on the opposite side of the main Riwoche Valley. From the usual trekking route along the Riwoche, the mountain is hidd...
Sejong (5,816m), seen from the northwest. (1) The 2023 route of ascent. (2) The descent route. During a reconnaissance of the northwest end of the Chola Shan Range, south of the town of Zhuqing, Fu Yongpeng noticed the unclimbed peak of Sejon...
Heading for the summit of Loinbo Kangri after a new route on the south face. Liu Junfu and Zhou Song climbed two new routes in the Loinbo Kangri massif, about 400km west of Shigatse, during a 15-day trip to Tibet in September. The massif’s ...
In mid-August, Li Bo, Zhong Wanghong, and I made first ascents of both Ama Drime I (6,669m, 28°5’9.69”N, 87°36’25.89”E) and Ama Drime East (6,580m, 28°4'56.13"N, 87°37'15.22"E). These peaks are situated on the border between Tingri County and Ding...
In mid-June, Maxim Popov and I climbed a new route in the center of the north face of Turgen (4,410m, 43.108036°N, 77.595769°E) at the far eastern end of the Ile-Alatau, around 20km east of the range’s highest peak, Talgar (4,973m). We spent two d...
In August, I guided Austrian friends Geri Mairhofer and Traudl We on a 50km journey through the central Ile-Alatau range, south of Almaty. After traveling up Ozyornoye Gorge, we walked to the Kyzylsay hut and stayed the night. The next day, August...
In August, Juho Knuuttila (Finland) rope-soloed a new route up a shallow buttress on the northeast side of Lappviktinden (1,338m), at the south end of Skjomenfjord, south of Narvik. The line likely shares the first two pitches of Café Solo (5+ Nor...
On June 23, as Waldo Etherington, Leo Houlding, and I flew into Pangnirtung (Pangniqtuuq), pure excitement surged as we gazed upon the magnificent valley we would be exploring for the next month and a half, contrasted by trepidation as we observed...
In early June, Will Kovacic and Jeremy Roulette climbed a route up the east side of Mt. Parkes (ca 2,100m), a summit on the long Crossover Ridge that runs north from Slesse Mountain. The two had been aiming to climb the North Rib of Slesse, but sn...
As the moon rose from behind a jagged ridgeline, the world exploded beyond the fading beam of my headlamp. I struggled to comprehend the scale of the mountains in front of me. From down on the Tiedemann Glacier, the monolith of Mt. Waddington rose...
“What about traversing the front side of North Mountain?” Nate Vince asked me on the porch of the Hueco Mountain Hut. With a history of world-class bouldering, Hueco Tanks does not attract many roped climbers, let alone multi-pitch trad climbers. ...
Across Canyon Creek from Camp Bird Road, above Ouray, is a forbidding wall, up to 425m high, that locals affectionately call the Dark Side. It never sees the light. Legends such as Steve House, Hayden Kennedy, Jeff Lowe, and Charlie Fowler all lef...
Given that I’d never stepped foot into Glacier Gorge, you might say my plan to rope-solo a new line up the 1,500’ northeast face of Chiefs Head (13,577’) was ambitious. Maybe, but my buddy Greg Davis, who’d established some classics on that alpine...
“It’ll be, like, 5.10 for you guys! You’ll be able to pull it off in a weekend trip, and, man, it’ll be great climbing. Totally worthwhile!” These were the words of encouragement from Estes Park legend Harry Kent when I first approached him about...
In early May, Zach Lentsch and I set our sights on a massive and unclimbed sandstone cliff near the town of Shell, just west of the Bighorn Mountains. Standing roughly 700' tall, Devils Leap is certainly the largest sandstone cliff in Wyoming, and...
Perhaps the most striking long line in the Tetons is the 1,000m north ridge of Mt. Owen (12,928’), leading into the north ridge of the Grand Teton. The only routes that compare would be climbs on the south buttress of Mt. Moran continuing to its s...
In early November, Blake Berghoff, Aidan Whitelaw, and I attempted to repeat the route Quantum Entanglement (2,100’, WI5 M4, Hoiness-Kisner-Willis, 2020) on Silver Run Peak’s (12,542’) northwest aspect. We found less ice than reported on the first...
In early August, Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell, Austin Schmitz, and I set off for a two-week base camp–style trip up East Rosebud Canyon to complete a line on Bear’s Face that Jackson, Matt, and Justin Willis had started in 2020. The road to East ...