On August 19, Colin Moorhead and I rolled out of Golden at 6 p.m. for the Bugaboos. Fifty-one hours later we returned, having completed two new multi-pitch routes.Our first line, Minotaur Direct (16 pitches, 5.11+) on Snowpatch Spire’s east face, ...
I first came to know of Pico Cão Grande early in 2015 while searching for a big wall that was unique and unknown—the dream wall, I guess. I stumbled upon the peak one evening while Googling “super hero villain lairs.” Cão Grande was listed as “the...
Enthused by the stories and photos of countryman Domen Kastelic after his first ascent of Chugimago (AAJ 2015), with American Sam Hennessey, a team of four young Slovenians— Ambroz Bajde, Blaz Kramer, Matej Mucic, and Luka Strazar—visited the Rolw...
I’ve been thinking about how to write this report so that you will not be bored. Apart from a small incident with an avalanche, everything went to plan, and we achieved our goal without epics. But I will try to stop you from falling asleep.There h...
In the spring of 2014, Italians Daniele Bernasconi, Giampaolo Corona, and Mario Panzeri attempted the north face and north-northwest pillar of Talung (7,349m). The three arrived at base camp on April 20 and began a siege-style ascent. They made ab...
In the first week of October three Sherpas, who all originate from the Rolwaling Valley, made ascents of three peaks flanking the Drolambau Glacier as a self-contained party. Dawa Gyalje Sherpa, Nima Tenji Sherpa, and Tashi Sherpa are all experien...
From October 22–26, Hansjörg Auer, Alex Blumel, and Gerry Fiegl made the first ascent of the south face of Nilgiri South (6,839m), only the second overall ascent of this mountain. Nilgiri South was climbed in 1978 by a Japanese team that approache...
Added to the permitted list in 2014, Mukot Himal (6,087m) is located in a remote and wild corner of Nepal, nestled into the flank of the rarely seen but phenomenal Dhaulagiri II. KE Adventure Travel organized three groups to attempt the peak durin...
Landing just after dawn at Simikot airstrip with all our baggage was already a great success. Our goal was to climb Ashvin (6,055m) and to explore the Limi Group, a large “blank on the map”with more than 15 peaks over 6,000m. (See AAJ 2015 story f...
On September 30, Mathieu Détrie, Julien Dusserre, Pierre Labbre, and I arrived at our 5,130m base camp below the south side of the Nangpai Gosum peaks. [All three Nangpai Gosum peaks, as designated by the Nepalese government, are still officially ...
We were a team of six students gathered from six different universities, celebrating the 110th anniversary of the Japanese Alpine Club, which supported our expedition. In 2013, I had been a member of the expedition that made the first ascent of Ja...
The southwest ridge of Dhaulagiri (8,167m) descends 3km from the summit to a point where it divides into the south-southwest ridge and southwest pillar. The south-southwest ridge and southwest ridge were climbed in 1978 by Japanese, while the stee...
It took me three years to decide whether to go for a solo attempt on Chobutse (6,686m). I grew up in the Rolwaling Valley, seeing the mountain from my home. Each time I go back it seems so close and attractive, especially the west face, which rema...
The tried and tested Basque team of Alberto Iñurrategi, Juan Vallejo, and Mikel Zabalza hoped to make the first ascent of the north face of Chamlang (7,321m). The team acclimatized on Hongu (Hongku Chuli West, 6,764m) and spent two weeks checking ...
April 25 will remain forever in our memories. We were at Manaslu base camp when the earth began to tremble, causing a national disaster. Rather than add to the confusion by attempting an untimely repatriation, we decided to remain in the mountains...
Climbing as two pairs—Fanny Schmutz and Damien Tomasi, and Fleur Fouque and Sébastien Rougegré—four French guides from the Chamonix Valley made the first alpinestyle ascent (fifth overall) of the Lagunak Ridge (south ridge) of Ama Dablam (6,814m)....
In the fall of 2015, I began exploring the expansive Wheeler Crest, repeating a few of the classic routes with friends. We became entranced with the wildness of the place—long approaches, no trails, no crowds, and just the occasional bighorn sheep...
On September 17, two female climbers in their 20s were top-roping a 5.10c route called Gueuse. One climber had just completed the route. The sun was going to set in 20 to 30 minutes. Everyone else at the crag had just left, so the two climbers wer...
I have been lucky to become friends and climbing partners with a great group of Sherpas from the Rolwaling Valley. These include Mingma Tsiri Sherpa of Ascent Himalayas (first Nepalese to summit K2), with whom I climbed Everest in 2012. One mounta...
The first repeat of the East Face Route (ED2 VI 5.9 A3+) on Mt. Slesse—first climbed in 1997 by Sean Easton and Dave Edgar—has been on the minds of local rock climbers for almost 20 years. In spite of attempts by skilled climbers, the route remain...