Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Summary, Various Routes South America, Chile, Northern Patagonia, Cochamó

Summary, various routes. It’s likely that more meters of new routes were opened in the 2012–13 climbing season than any other in Cochamó’s history. In addition to the reports that follow, three other difficult routes were established. Chan...

| Keywords first ascents, new routes
| Published 2012 | Author Daniel Seeliger


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cerro Meliquina, Southwest Face South America, Chile, Aysén Region

I had been eyeing a line on the southwest face of Cerro Meliquina (2,602m) since my 2011 trip to the peak and successful ascent of the northeast face [AAJ 2012]. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to revisit the mountain, which is located i...

| Keywords alpine
| Published 2012 | Author Max Fisher


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Gangga and Kawarori massifs, reconnaissance China, Sichuan, Shaluli Shan

With the political situation sensitive and uncertain in East Tibet, my preferred field of research, I organized a survey team from the Hengduan Mountain Club to visit the West Sichuan Highlands from late September to late October. While ther...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Tom Nakamura


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Keketuohai National Park, new routes and access China, Xinjiang, Altai

In September, Garrett Bradley, Andrew Hedesh, Aleksandra (Ola) Przybysz, Torsten Treufeld, Li Yuanliang, and I traveled to Keketuohai (local name Koktokay), where we established 30 new routes, most between two and five pitches, but some as long as...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Mike Dobie


In Memoriam AAJ
Yan Dongdong 1984–2012

Yan Dongdong, one of China’s leading alpinists, died in July in a crevasse fall while descending from a peak in the Tien Shan. Dongdong’s accident occurred while doing what he loved the most, namely putting up a technical route on a complete...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Bruce Normand


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
South Chulebos Massif, Peak ca 5,861m, ascent and tragedy China, Xinjiang, Central Tien Shan

On July 9 the internationally recognized Chinese alpinist Yan Dongdong was killed in a crevasse fall in the Central Tien Shan. Yan planned to make the first ascent of Chulebos (6,769m), the highest point of a 25-kilometer unbroken crest immedia...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Bruce Normand


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Janak (7,040m), west face Nepal, Janak Himal

Young Slovenians Nejc Marcic and Luka Strazar, who received a 2012 Piolet d’Or for their fast and minimalist first ascent of the west face of K7 West, made the second ascent of Janak via a new route up the 1,400m west face. It took them only...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Luka Strazar / Zdenka Mihelic


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Chago Ridge, south-north traverse Nepal, Mahalangur Himal, Makalu Section

From May 5-7, 2011, during an acclimatization phase as members of a mostly Slovenian expedition attempting Makalu, Steve House and Marko Prezelj traversed the entire Chago ridge from Peak 6,170m to the col before Makalu II’s northwest ridge....

| Keywords
| Published 2011 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Hunku (6,119m), possible first ascent; Chamlang (7,321m), north face, attempt Nepal, Mahalangur Himal, Khumbu Section

Post-monsoon in Nepal was frustrating, to say the least, with five weeks of the most stable weather that Nick Bullock and I have ever experienced. However, we got completely shut down on a direct line up the unclimbed north face of Chamlan...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Andy Houseman


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Peak 41 (6,648m), north face, attempt Nepal, Mahalangur Himal, Khumbu Section

In October Jack Geldard and I made an unsuccessful attempt on the north face of Peak 41, a steep snow, ice, and mixed wall that had never been tried before. We shared base camp (4,800m) in the Hongu Valley with Nick Bullock and Andy Houseman...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Rob Greenwood


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Various ascents Nepal, Mahalangur Himal, Khumbu Section

While there is no suggestion that the following routes are new, they are previously unrecorded, and took place during the past decade. Bare details are published here to assist future climbers: On Chumbi (6,859m, just south of the Tibet...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Kyashar (6,770m), south pillar, attempt Nepal, Mahalangur Himal, Khumbu Section

In October 2011 Chamonix guides Mathieu Détrie, Pierre Labbre, and Jérôme Para made a spirited attempt on the south pillar, reaching the crest by a previously unclimbed line. The three acclimatized with a three-day ascent of Mera Peak, sleeping...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Kyashar (6,770m), south pillar, Nima Line Nepal, Mahalangur Himal, Khumbu Section

In November Tatsuya Aoki, Yasuhiro Hanatani, and Hiroyoshi Manome made the long-awaited first ascent of the south pillar of Kyashar (a.k.a. Peak 43). After establishing base camp in the village of Tangnag (ca 4,300m, and only a couple of h...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Hiroshi Hagiwara / Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Lunag Group; Peak 5,777m, Awesome Show, Great Job!; Peak 5,855m, north face couloir, second ascent; Peak 6,478m, northeast face, attempt Nepal, Rolwaling Himal

Chris Wright and I read about the Lunag Massif in a feature article by Joe Puryear in AAJ 2010. Thanks to his and David Gottlieb’s photographs, we found several exciting possibilities: Our objectives would be Little Lunag (6,492m), Lunag I...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Geoff Unger


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Pt. 5,766m, west face and north ridge; Langmoche Ri (6,552m), northwest ridge Nepal, Rolwaling Himal

In November, Tino Villanueva and I (USA) spent the month making seven first ascents in Rolwaling. Five of these were water ice and mixed climbs above the main Rolwaling and Yalung valleys. We also repeated several previously established ice ...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Alan Rousseau


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Simnang Himal (6,251m), south-southeast face Nepal, Manaslu Himal

On October 23 Sergey Bublik and Mykola (Nicolay) Shymko made the first ascent of Simnang Himal via an alpine-style climb directly up the steep and difficult south-southeast face. Simnang Himal, formerly referred to as P2, lies immediately so...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Mykola Shymko


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Himjung (7,092m) Nepal, Peri Himal

Himjung (7,092m). Koreans Ahn Chi-young and Kim Chang-ho made the first ascent, via the southwest face, of one of the few remaining unclimbed 7,000ers in Nepal for which it is possible to obtain a permit. There is no known previous attempt. Aft...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Churen Himal West (7,371m), southwest face to southeast ridge, attempt Nepal, Dhaulagiri Himal

` The high and remote massif of Churen Himal has three summits: Churen Himal West, Central, and East. All are given the same height. In October an Italian expedition climbed the right side of the southwest face of Churen Himal West to reach...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Lindsay Griffin


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Gissar Range, Soming Valley, various ascents Tajikistan, Pamir

In September we made a four-day trip to Soming Valley in the central Gissar Range, just south of Iskanderkul Lake. According to the Tajik Federation of Mountaineering (FAT), all peaks west of the Belaya Pyramida–Hodzhalakan area are still virg...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author Michal Kleslo


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Peak Korzhenevskaya (7,105m), traverse via new route up west ridge Tajikistan, Pamir

Today there are at least 17 unique routes to the summit of Korzhenevskaya. Fourteen of them start from the Moskvin Glacier, two from the Mushketov Glacier, and only one from the Fortambek Glacier. The latter, the northwest ridge, is the rout...

| Keywords traverse
| Published 2012 | Author Alexey Ivanov