On October 4, six French alpinists—Charles Dubouloz, Damien and Fanny Tomasi, Aurélien Vaissière, Benjamin Védrines and Symon Welfringer—arrived at a 4,970m base camp in the Hongu Valley, below the north face of Chamlang (7,319m). In 2019, Véd...
On April 9, Matt Meinzer and I made the first free ascent of Witch Doctor (1,400’, IV 5.11+ R) on the southwest face of Notch Peak, after numerous earlier trips to establish the line. The route is located to the right of (and is independent of) th...
If you claim a first ascent in the Beartooths, chances are that some “Montana Hardman” already climbed the route decades ago. Nobody knows who was first because the local ethic of not reporting climbs ensures the exploits of the past are lost in o...
He Lang and Liu Yang attempted the north face of Siguniang North (Yangangzi, 5,900m) in August 2020, planning to traverse the summit and continue up the north ridge of Siguniang (6,250m). They began their ascent on August 20, and by the end of the...
The upper south face of Pik Voennyh Topografov with the line of Impromptu (2021). Photo by Anatoly Dzhuliy Pik Voennyh Topografov (Military Topographers Peak, 6,873m) is the third-highest mountain of the Tien Shan. Prior to 2021, only three r...
Expeditions to the Indian Himalaya from other countries were nonexistent during 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, from time to time, Indian nationals were allowed to travel within the country. Winter climbing on the higher peaks...
Sumdo lies on the banks of the Spiti River, has a large military base, and is an important strategic point between the districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur. To its east lie many unclimbed peaks of the Southern Zanskar Range, north and south o...
A view of all four summits of the Kang Yatze Group from Hangkar to the northwest: (A) KYI, (B) KYII, (C) KYIII, and (D) KYIV. Photo by Sonam Yangjor On August 1, Sonam Yangjor, Stanzin Wangial, and I made the first documented ascent of Kang Y...
In May 1983, Ernie Borjon, Dan McCabe, and I climbed the prominent west-facing gully that rises above the Ruth Glacier between London and Werewolf towers. [This gully was climbed again 13 years later by Manu Guy and Manu Pelissier (France), who na...
Tetnuldi (4,860m) is a beautiful peak in the Svaneti region of Georgia. The mountain’s classic route is the south ridge, and the pyramidal west face is very attractive; its white profile can be seen from many places, even from Svaneti’s administra...
We had a fantastic trip to the Caucasus in June, undoubtedly helped in our goals by some very good weather. Our primary objective was to climb the main (south) summit of Ushba (4,710m), starting from the south via the Ushba Glacier. Our group cons...
Aaron Livingston, belayed by Karl Kvashay, leading pitch 12, the crux pitch of the Skeleton Key (1,400’, 15 pitches, V 5.13a), during the first free ascent. Photo by Katy Stark Brandon Gottung and Karl Kvashay started up what would become Ske...
The route line of Hit by a Wheeler (also known as the Marvell-Wharton) on the northeast face of Wheeler Peak, Nevada. Photo by Josh Wharton In winter 2021, like many of us, I was hungry for a traditional adventure, one that didn’t involve N-...
On September 10, Steven Grunwald, 24, was reported missing by a friend. His car was found parked in the Glacier Gorge parking lot in Rocky Mountain National Park the same day. Grunwald was last seen on August 28 and his exact plans were unknown, b...
On October 29, 2020, “Big Willi” Blair Nicodemus and I made the long, bumpy 4WD drive north from the historic Cerro Gordo townsite to the road’s end at 9,800’ along the Inyo Crest. A decent trail led to the top of New York Butte in less than one m...
Sky Blue Lake Basin is a beautiful area to the west of the LeConte-Corcoran ridge. Chaz Langelier and I ventured out to the basin in June and spotted an unnamed Toblerone-shaped formation above Primrose Lake. The lower two-thirds of the peak consi...
YOU'VE TRAINED for months to send a classic overhanging sport climb. You’ve spent day after day in the gym, improving your power and endurance. You must have watched dozens of YouTube videos, dialing in that beta. When the day arrives, you crush t...
Brian Prince, Brandon Thau, and I completed a route that ascends the tallest and cleanest headwall on the Spring Lake Wall, a backcountry gem. All three of us were excited by the improbable look of the intimidating line after repeating Angels and ...
In the autumn of 2020, Ukrainian climbers climbed several probable new routes in the Aladağlar and Dedegöl mountains. On the north face of Mt. Kaldı (3,734m), they climbed two routes on the same day in October: Nikita Balabanov and Slava Polezha...
Northeast face of Vayvay. Nessuno (2012) is off-picture to the left. (1) Turkish line (1997). (2) Ceschia-Perotti Route (1986). (3) Sessizlik (2021). It’s hard to believe that in such a densely populated country, it is still possible to find ...