When in the high mountains, you might think your eyes could embrace only one beauty and focus on one goal. My eyes are restless and unfaithful, and even while acclimatizing in 2021 for an ascent of Baruntse’s west face (AAJ 2022), I was eagerly sc...
Mt. Klattasine (2,561m), left of center, is the high point of the Klattasine Ridge and was first climbed, solo, by John Clarke in 1974, following the prominent southeast gully (1). The next formation to the right now has two routes: (2) Warbird ...
On November 3, Tong Zhanghao and Wang Yongpeng completed a new route toward the left side of the west face of Jiazi (6,540m). They had both tried the route in 2022 but retreated from 5,600m. Earlier, while climbing nearby Xiao Gongga (Little Konk...
Our expedition reminded me of the beginning of the 1990s project “The Russian Way: Walls of the World.” This was not so much in terms of events but how its mood and energy resonated in my heart. As with that previous project, during which we aimed...
New rock routes have been established on the granite dome known as Bansa Hill (about 280m high, 23°21’59.19”N, 85°55’35.89”E), near the village of Tulin in eastern India. The first long routes here were climbed by Sandeep Maity and Sudipto Pal (In...
On May 13, the team of Simon Gietl (Italy), Mathieu Maynadier (France), and Roger Schäli (Switzerland) completed the first ascent of the southeast face of Meru Peak. Their route, which ended on a minor summit on the long, gently inclined ridgelin...
With an elevation of 7,708 meters, Tirich Mir is the highest peak of the Hindu Kush mountains, which straddle Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. Although the peak was first climbed in 1950 and was relatively popular among mountaineers in the 19...
Returning to base camp after eight days on Ghamubar Zom V, it felt like months since we had left. It was such a long adventure. Three years earlier, I’d learned about this huge massif in the Hindu Raj through various publications, including the A...
Embarking on a mountain expedition is akin to taking a plunge into cold water: No matter how well you prepare, it still takes your breath away. Our team from St. Petersburg chose to spend summer vacation along the Kyrgyzstan-China border. The app...
Purbung from the southeast. The first attempt on this peak in 2017 climbed the glacier and snow slopes on the right side of the southeast face to reach the east ridge before the final rocky section. The eventual ascent came from the far side. ...
The upper Angsi Glacier basin from the 5,615-meter frontier pass. On the right are Ganglung Kangri I (left, 6,256m) and II (6,182m). (The summit of the latter is not quite visible.) The 2023 route up Ganglung Kangri II climbed a hidden snow ramp...
For me, adventure in the high mountains can only be found by climbing alpine style, ideally somewhere remote and rarely visited. These were the ingredients that drew four of us to the rarely visited Salimor Khola (valley), in Far Western Nepal. A...
Chandi Himal (6,142m) seen from upper Nin Khola to the south. The 2023 ascent route finished up the right skyline ridge. Photo by Matt Powell. Kevin Bialy (USA), Jaime Iranzo (Spain), and I arrived in Kathmandu on April 29 and reached Simikot...
Ďuri Švingál and I flew to Lima on July 18, then traveled to Huaraz. Aguja Nevada I (5,840m), above Laguna Parón, was our choice for acclimatization. Then, after consultation with the mountain guides’ office in Huaraz, we chose a new destinati...
The Cordillera Venturosa is a small range of about 20 summits, with a few small glaciers, west of the Cordillera de la Viuda and east of Lima, about a four-hour drive from the city. Many of the summits are unnamed; one of the highest is Nevado Min...
On September 2, I soloed a significant variation on Rasac Oeste (ca 5,700m), starting on the southwest face. This peak is a major spur of Rasac (6,017m). I approached from Huayllapa, via the Segya Valley, and camped 300m above Laguna Caramarca (4...
In early 2023, Diego Arredondo and Camila Monsalve (Chile) started working on the first route up the north face of Cuerno Principal in Torres del Paine National Park, approaching via the Bader Valley. That season they made two attempts, the second...
In October 2022, Wang Yongpeng and Zhang Xinyi (China) climbed a new route on the north and northeast faces of Xiao Gongga (a.k.a. Tshiburongi or Little Konka, 5,928m). The two set up camp at 4,500m, north of the peak, near the entrance to the Xi...
In August, Liu Yang, Song Yuancheng, and I made the first ascent of an unnamed peak of 5,800m at 29°48’19.10”N, 101°54’18.88”E. It is a northwestern extension of the Ueba Group, situated northeast across the Tshiburongi Glacier from Xiao Gongga (L...
The large rock peak of Yinhaizi (5,388m, 29°52'25.77"N, 101°52’12.18”E) is located due north of Xiao Gongga and Melcyr Shan, but on the opposite side of the main Riwoche Valley. From the usual trekking route along the Riwoche, the mountain is hidd...