Book Reviews AAJ
The White Ladder: Triumph and Tragedy at the Dawn of Mountaineering By Daniel Light

THE WHITE LADDER: TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY AT THE DAWN OF MOUNTAINEERING By Daniel Light (W.W. Norton) Over the years, I’ve enjoyed many of the original mountaineering stories written by the explorers and athletes. I’ve also been drawn to accounts by ...

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| Published 2025 | Author Steve Swenson


Book Reviews AAJ
Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest By Melissa Arnot Reid

ENOUGH: CLIMBING TOWARD A TRUE SELF ON MOUNT EVEREST By Melissa Arnot Reid (Crown) Ten years ago, Melissa Arnot Reid, a Rainier guide who’d clocked over 100 ascents of that peak as well as five previous Everest summits, became the first American ...

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| Published 2025 | Author Alison Osius


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Pedra Riscada, East Face, Brasiliana Brazil, Minas Gerais

The new route Brasiliana (1,000m, 8a+), on the east face of Pedra Riscada. The route is now the leftmost of four lines in this sector. Photo by Rafael Gomes In early August 2025, our team of Brazilian climbers—Felipe Alvares, Vitor Barbosa, G...

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| Published 2025 | Author Rafael Gomes


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
Pedra da Fortaleza, A Resistência, Free Ascent Brazil, Espírito Santo

In September 2025, climbers Chris Deuto (USA), Ben Sotero (Brazil), Andre “Zóio” Junior (Brazil), and Dan Teitelbaum (USA) made the first free ascent of A Resistência (750m, 8a+) on Pedra da Fortaleza, a 965-meter monolith in the state of Espírito...

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| Published 2025 | Author The Editors


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

On the summit in superb weather. 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 were ...

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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