Since 2004, foreign parties attempting peaks of the Garhwal and Kumaon in the state of Uttarakhand have been required to pay double peak fees. One fee, as per normal in India, was paid to the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, the other to the gove...
After a day’s drive from Leh, Will Harris, Callum Johnson, Tom Seccombe, Dave Sharpe, and I made a six-hour walk to base camp on the west side of the Hagshu Glacier. On arrival, it was obvious conditions were extremely dry: The monsoon appeared to...
Base camp in the Lalung Valley with Chiling I (left) and II. The steep, unclimbed north face of Chiling II (in shadow) faces right. Photo by Innes Dean. In September-October 2022, Innes Dean, Alex Mathie, and I spent five weeks in the Lalung ...
Ibsti Kangri from the east face of Kang Yatze I. Photo by Simon Fraser. During the summer of 1976, I was part of a British university expedition that made ascents of the now popular trekking peak Stok Kangri as well as four neighboring peaks ...
Adad Medni from the south. The mountain’s steep hiking route climbs to (E) East Notch and then to the summit. In 2019, climbers traversed from East Notch to (S) South Notch, and one group attempted the South Pillar above the notch, while another...
A few years ago, looking at maps, I found a mountain called Blokktinden (1,035m) on the shore of Tjongsfjord. Initially I thought the steep northwest face would be a cool summer objective, but after seeing photos showing a black, wet stripe runnin...
On February 19, Juho Knuuttila and Sami Modenius climbed Finnjävel (450m, M5 R 90°), a new route up the northeast face of Breidtinden (1,001m), leading directly to the main summit. The route is to the left of the “Scottish Wall,” which holds a nu...
Senja island in northern Norway has been described as Scotland on steroids. Steep mountains with fairy-tale summits plunge straight into the sea. The maritime climate combined with Arctic Circle temperatures provide a host of winter climbing oppor...
In January and February 2023, on my sixth expedition to Queen Maud Land, I spent three weeks ski mountaineering in the western Wohlthat Mountains, climbing peaks in the Humboldt Mountains and Petermann Range. Rupert Heim (Germany) and I climbed: ...
On January 4, 2023, Penn Newhard, Todd Passey, Jon Styslinger, and I flew 150km north from the Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE) camp on the Union Glacier to the eastern side of the Sentinel Range. After evaluating the upper Ellen Glacie...
Alex Honnold on Mt. Dolence. Photo by Esteban Mena In January 2023, Sam Hennessey, Alex Honnold, Esteban “Topo” Mena, and Nate Opp ascended the last obvious unclimbed couloir on the west face of Branscomb Peak (4,520m), a subpeak of the Vinso...
It was that familiar feeling you get when you finish a big climb. That immense wash of relief that climbers all know, when you finally touch down from that last rappel, and you are once again planted on solid ground. It’s a bittersweet transition ...
Inspired by Erik Boomer and Sarah McNair-Landry’s trip to Anijaaq Fjord in 2020 (see AAJ 2021), we visited the area in August with Scottish friends Steve Kennedy and Colin “Cog” Moody. Using Skip Novak’s Pelagic sailboat, operated by Chris Kobusch...
Looking down pitch nine of MikroKozmik Variations (1,062m, VII M5 A4+) on Polar Sun Arm. Photo by Marek Raganowicz. Marek Raganowicz completed a solo ascent on the north face of Polar Sun Arm, the huge buttress extending from Polar Sun Spire ...
Skiing across the quickly melting sea ice, Erik Boomer and Sarah McNair-Landry head toward Stewart Lake. Photo by Erik Boomer. The first time I remember hearing about Baffin Island was in 2009 when I met Sarah McNair-Landry on the kite-surfin...
This year's review comes among the author’s growing awareness of the importance of respecting previous use of the land that we climb on. Whether it is appropriate to name and claim climbs will occupy more of the author’s thoughts and efforts in ye...
From May 23–27, David Allfrey, Whit Magro, and I established a new alpine big-wall route on the northwest face of Kichatna Spire (8,985’) in the Alaska Range. The Kichatna Mountains are a small clutch of exceptionally steep peaks 70 miles west ...
On August 2, Aaron Harris and I shouldered heavy packs and started the pleasant hike toward Dewar Creek Hot Springs and ultimately Wall Tower. Two days later, we were settled into one of the nicest alpine campsites we’ve had the privilege of visit...
When Brent Nixon started insisting he had an idea for what would be the longest sport route in North America, I told him to stuff it. As I looked up at the notoriously loose, convoluted architecture of Marble Canyon’s golden walls, it was obvious ...
With a sidelining injury plaguing my A and B plans for the summer, I decided to poke around close to home. For a warm-up and to test my tweaky shoulder on easier ground, I headed up to the Place Glacier with Natalie Afonina to check out a small do...