Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cerro Socavones, First Ascent, via West Face and Northwest Ridge Chile, Central Andes

Emil Stefani ascending the couloir on the west side of Cerro Socavones. Photo by Agustín Ferrer  On September 18, Hernán López, José Vial, and I—all members of the Club Andino Universitario—left for Cerro Socavones (3,772m, -34.4279, -70.2609...

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| Published 2025 | Author Agustín Ferrer


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cerro Steffen, West Face Chile, Southern Patagonian Icefield

The trio enjoyed superb summit views. Left to right: Paloma Farkas, Catalina Unwin, and Angelina Di Prinzio. Photo by Angie Di Prinzio Our expedition began as an improbable idea. Angelina Di Prinzio (Argentina), Catalina Unwin (Chile), and I ...

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| Published 2025 | Author Paloma Farkas


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Karambony, Tsofa Dombo Madagascar, Tsaranoro Massif

Lenore Sparks leading the eighth pitch of the 400-meter Tsofa Dombo, on Karambony. Photo by Jan Novak Say “tsofa dombo” to any Bara person native to the Tsaranoro Valley, and you will most certainly get a laugh. The phrase translates to “the ...

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| Published 2025 | Author Lenore Sparks


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Mitsinjoarivo, East Face, Famadihana Madagascar, Tsaranoro Massif

Photo-topo of the new route Famadihana on Madagascar’s Mitsinjoarivo. Photo by Hayden Jamieson In September 2025, Cedar Christensen (USA), Luan Gäumann (Switzerland), Will Sharp (USA), and I spent 25 days in Madagascar’s Tsaranoro Valley, aim...

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| Published 2025 | Author Hayden Jamieson


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Serra da Leba and Cumbira Segundo, New Routes Angola, Namibe and Cuanza Sul Provinces

Photo-topo of Doble Funge on the east face of Cunduvile at Cumbira Segundo. Photo by Bosco Bonilla A perfect mix of adventure, African culture, huge walls for opening new routes, and the social component of the Climb Angola project had kept A...

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| Published 2025 | Author Bosco Bonilla


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Kaikiawila and Ngoku, First Ascents Angola, Cuanza Sul

The new route Terra da Ginguba on Kaikiawila dome. Photo by Manu Ponce After an expedition to Angola in 2024 (AAJ 2025), we knew the best was yet to come and that we wouldn’t be long in returning. Without much effort, we assembled a team of s...

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| Published 2025 | Author Manu Ponce


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cerro Chaltén, East Pillar, First Free Ascent Argentina, Southern Patagonia

Seán Villanueva O'Driscoll free climbing the crux traverse on pitch 22 of the east pillar of Cerro Chaltén. Photo by Tasio Martín The East Pillar marks the left side of the imposing east face of Cerro Chaltén (Fitz Roy). The route that climbs...

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| Published 2026 | Author Rolando Garibotti


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
El Chaltén Summary, 2025-2026 Argentina, Southern Patagonia

In the Chaltén Massif, as has become customary, there were several major rockfall events in the 2025–26 season, some particularly large, including from Cerro Adela, El Mochito, the Filo del Hombre Sentado, Aguja de la Silla, the west side of Cerro...

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| Published 2026 | Author Rolando Garibotti


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Central Tower of Paine, Paradigm Shift Chile, Southern Patagonia, Torres del Paine

The Central (left) and North towers in the Paine group, with the line of Paradigm Shift. The route climbs 29 new pitches, then follows the 1963 Bonington-Whillans route to the summit. Photo by Trevor Anthes This project began in the Chilean s...

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| Published 2026 | Author Myles Moser


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
La Oreja, Vía de los Marpla Chile, Northern Patagonia, Turbio IV Valley

In 1999, Swiss climber Peter Luthi and Argentines Andy Casal, Marcelo Galghera, and Leo Viamonte spent two months exploring the Turbio IV Valley and started a route up the large wall of La Oreja, then unclimbed. Two years later, Casal returned wi...

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| Published 2026 | Author Marcelo Scanu


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cajón del Maipo, New Winter Routes Chile, Central Andes

In August and September, Joaco Cisternas and Nico Gutiérrez from Chile climbed two long ice and mixed routes in the Cajón del Maipo area. The first was on Cerro Punta Balcón (3,650m, -33.766485, -70.034874): Corredor Chaski (800m, WI4 M5 40°). The...

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| Published 2025 | Author Dougald MacDonald


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Cerro Hosco, First Ascent, via East Face Argentina, Central Andes

Between October 18 and 25, Lisandro Arelovich, Gervasio Fierro, and Glauco Muratti from Rosario, Argentina, made the first ascent of Cerro Hosco (5,109m, -32.9406, -69.6697), west of Mendoza. The group departed from Punta de Vacas (2,400m) and biv...

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| Published 2025 | Author Marcelo Scanu


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Nevado de Chañi, South Face, El Vuelo del Pichón Argentina, Northern Andes

Nevado de Chañi (5,896m) and the line of El Vuelo del Pichón on the south face. Earlier routes are not shown. Argentines Emilio Arciènaga and Ulises Kusnezov and Venezuelan Bernardo Baena opened a new ice route in early June on Nevado de Chañ...

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| Published 2025 | Author Marcelo Scanu


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Chameleon Wall, Mercury Miners Madagascar, Tsaranoro Massif

Dakota Walz cruises the fifth pitch of Mercury Miners (220m, 6a+) a new line on the Chameleon Wall, with a great view of Tsaranoro Be and its neighbors across the valley. Photo by Bosco Bonilla After a month of big-walling in Mozambique, Bosc...

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| Published 2025 | Author Dakota Walz


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Livingston Island, Edinburgh Hill Antarctica, South Shetland Islands

Edinburgh Hill, rising nearly 600 feet above the Drake Passage, off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The climbers ascended the orange basalt near the prow, followed by dangerous scrambling to the summit. Photo by Todd Swain In early Februa...

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| Published 2026 | Author Todd and Donette Swain


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Flatiron Butte, Two New Routes California, Sierra Nevada

Henry Feder on the fourth pitch of Endemic Species (1,200’, 5.11+) on Flatiron Butte. Photo by Mike Pond In July 2024, Henry Feder and I spent a week at Flatiron Butte in the Northern Sierra and established two new routes on the east face: Ph...

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| Published 2025 | Author Mike Pond


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Mt. Crocker, North Pillar, Giselle’s Big Advencha California, Sierra Nevada, McGee Creek

Derek Field on the face traverse at the top of pitch two (5.10) on Giselle’s Big Advencha. Photo by Vitaliy Musiyenko In the summer of 2025, on July 13, Derek Field and I completed the first ascent of Giselle’s Big Advencha (1,200’, 5.10+) on...

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| Published 2025 | Author Vitaliy Musiyenko


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Patterson Bluff, Wedding Wall/Altar, Tying the Knot California, Western Sierra

Daniel Jeffcoach casting off on pitch seven of (5.9) Tying the Knot (9 pitches, 5.12d). Photo by Brian Prince On February 28, Daniel Jeffcoach, Joe Maier, Brian Prince, Tristan Thau, and I completed Tying the Knot (9 pitches, 5.12d). The new ...

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| Published 2025 | Author Brandon Thau


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
The Grandstand, The Rainbow Bridge Wyoming, Teton Range

Leah Scott following the pitch two dihedral on The Rainbow Bridge. Photo by Zack Little In summer 2025, Noah Ronczkowski and I climbed a route on the northwest face of Mt. Owen established in 2020 by our dear friends Michael Hutchins and the ...

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| Published 2025 | Author Zack Little


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
THE MOUTH, HIGH PLAINS HOEDOWN AND THE EAST FACE Wyoming, Absaroka Range

Start of the East Face. Photo: Curtis Baird Collection In the autumn of 2021, along with Rachel and Gabe Skiera, I headed to Clarks Fork Canyon in the Absaroka Range to check out an area called the Mouth, about 25 miles north of Cody, where a...

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| Published 2025 | Author Curtis Baird