Breaking News
Jan 5, 2009 - Ondra Repeats Robi in the Sky
Adam Ondra is making a habit of climbing difficult unrepeated routes. Last year he bagged the first repeat of Alex Huber’s Open Air 9a+, a route that had remained unclimbed since its original ascent in 1996. This year Ondra turned his attention to Robi in the Ski 9a, a climb originally done by Francois Legrand in 2000. Ondra required 11 attempts before succeeding on the second ascent and feels the route is hard for the grade. More details here.
Dec 16, 2008 - Honnold Frees El Nino
Fresh from his grade-crushing trip in the UK, Alex Honnold bagged the possible eighth free ascent of El Nino VI 5.13c in Yosemite. The 30 pitch route was first climbed by Alex Huber in 1998. More details here.
Dec 11, 2008 – Climbing Fast, Key to Everest Survival
A new study by a team of Canadian, American and British researchers concluded that the mortality rate among mountaineers above Everest base camp is significantly higher than on other mountains and is a result of climbers’ compromised function due to fatigue and hypoxia. The study also found that climbers taking longer to summit or attempting to summit late in the day were at greater risk because of a combination of fatigue, cognitive impairment and cerebral edema. Pulmonary edema was a less significant contributing factor as climbers suffering for these symptoms retreated before attempting to summit. More details to follow in an upcoming issue of Gripped.
Dec 8, 2008 - McColl Strikes Gold in Montreal
The IFSC North American Climbing Championships yielded another gold medal finish for Canadian Sean McColl. This win assures McColl the title of 2009 North American champion and adds to his impressive list of national and international victories. Visiting Americans swept every other gold medal in the lead category with Tiffany Hensley winning the women’s open. Canadian men dominated the speed climbing event with John Bowles taking gold, Benoit Dubois silver and Dan Archambault bronze. More details here and here.
Men’s Results
1. Sean McColl (CAN)
2. Mauricio Herta (MEX)
3. Bret Johnston (USA)
Women’s Results
1. Tiffany Hensley (USA)
2. Paige Claassen (USA)
3. Emily Harrington (USA)
Dec 8, 2008 - Pidgeon Crushes The Egg
Thomasina Pidgeon capped a successful Squamish bouldering season this fall with an impressive send of The Egg V11. This difficult problem is notorious for its long powerful moves, which makes Pidgeon’s ascent even more inspiring – she is only 5’2”. Pidgeon’s other Squamish ticks this summer include The Back Seat V10, Lucky Charms V11 and Jim Carrey V9/10. Not content just climbing difficult boulder problems in her home area, the Pidgeon sending-train rolled into Levingworth where she quickly climbed The Coffee Cup V10, Pimp Squeak V9, and flashed both The Atomic Energy V9 and The Lonely Fishboth V9.
Dec 1, 2008 - Rockies Ice Season Update
The ice climbing season in the Canadian Rockies is off to a good start with the addition of numerous new routes and significant repeats. Examples of this recent activity include Rob Owens, Doug Scatcherd and Sylvain Riopel’s The Road Less Traveled M4+ WI3+ 60 m in Ranger Creek, Brandon Pullan and Will Meinen’s The Madhouse WI4+ 300 m at Mt. Rundle and most significantly, the likely first free ascent of Wild Thing M7 WI5 on Mt. Chephren by Jon Simms and Jon Walsh. Wild Thing was first climbed in 1987 in a three-day push by Peter Arbic, Barry Blanchard, and Ward Robinson and graded 5.10 A3 WI4. More details here, here, and here.
Dec 1, 2008 - American Gritstone Invasion
Americans Kevin Jorgeson and Alex Honnold are redefining Gritstone climbing standards. During their UK visit, the bold duo repeated, flashed, onsighted and soloed an impressive tick list of grit testpieces including The New Statesman E8 7a, The Parthian Shot E9 6c, The PromiseE10 7a, Gaia E8 6c, Meshuga E9 6c and The Groove E10 7b. The flurry of fast ascents ignited another UK debate on the accuracy E grades. More details here.
Nov 27, 2008 - Ondra Repeats Open Air
As the likely successor to the title of The World’s Best Climber, 15 year-old Adam Ondra bagged the first repeat of Alex Huber’s groundbreaking route Open Air. Originally climbed in 1996 and graded 9a (5.14d), Open Air remained unrepeated until now. Ondra believes the route is harder than any of the other six 9a (5.14d) and 9a+ (5.15a) routes he repeated this year and feels Open Air should be graded 9a+ (5.15a). More details here.
Nov 1, 2008 - Sharma Climbs Jumbo Love
With his redpoint of the massive 80 m long Clark Mountain project, Chris Sharma brings the 5.15b grade to North America. Originally equipped in 1992 by the prolific first ascentionist Randy Leavitt, the futuristic route remained unclimbed due to its difficult and sustained nature. More details here.
Oct 29, 2008 - Canadians Attend International Climbers’ Meet
On October 3-10, the American Alpine Club (AAC) hosted America’s first International Climbers’ Meet in Indian Creek, Utah. The event brought together 49 foreign climbers from 23 countries, including Canadians Jason Kruk, Sarah Hueniken and Senja Palonen. During the meet, AAC president Jim Donini made the following observations, “I feel that what I saw happen at the ICM is the future for our shrinking planet. People coming together and appreciating each other because of what they have in common not shunning each other because of cultural differences.”
June 25, 2008 - Germans Blitz Granite Wall
The strong German team of Stefan Glowacz, Robert Jasper, Klaus Fengler, Holger Heuber and Mariusz Hoffman recently completed one of the hardest big wall routes on Baffin Island. The 21 pitch, 700m long route Take the Long Way Home, includes free climbing up to 5.13c with aid sections clocking in at A4. More details here, here and here.
June 16, 2008 – McClure Makes Third Ascent of Rhapsody
Steve McClure is unstoppable this season. Having completed numerous difficult UK routes, McClure turned his attention to Rhapsody. The difficult traditionally protected 5.14 route is located in Scotland and was first climbed by Dave MacLeod and recently repeated by Sonnie Trotter. McClure made quick work of the route, bagging the third ascent in just four days after only three redpoint attempts. More details here.
June 16, 2008 - McColl Places Third in Italy
This weekend Sean McColl demonstrated the form which is earning him the title of Canada’s best climber. After last week’s respectable tenth place finish at the Vail World Cup Bouldering competition, McColl travelled to Italy and competed in the Fiera di Primiero World Cup Bouldering competition. Leading after the semifinals, McColl climbed strong and bagged third place overall. More details as they become available. Complete results here and here.
June 10, 2008 – Trotter Repeats Rhapsody
After four and a half weeks of battling hot weather and shredded skin, Canadian Sonnie Trotter bagged the second ascent of Dave MacLeod’s poorly protected, 5.14 testpiece Rhapsody. Trotter continues to climb the world’s hardest gear lines and this route adds to his impressive tick list. Trotter also discovered two obvious variations and climbed one, which he named Direquiem 5.14a R. He thinks these new variations are more natural and onsight friendly than the existing line. Rhapsody was originally given the lofty and undecipherable grade of E11 7a, but the recent spate of hard headpoints has strained the already arcane British grading system. These new headpoints have some of the UK’s top climbers suggesting E grades be used only for ground up or onsight ascents. More details here.
une 1, 2008 - Sharma Sends in Spain
Chris Sharma’s recent move to Spain has not hurt his climbing as he recently bagged the first ascent of his new project in Oliana. The route Papichulo is graded 9a+ (5.15a) and consists of four bolts of 8b (5.13d) climbing to a no hands rest followed by 45m of endurance climbing to the anchors. More details here.
May 28, 2008 – Tour De Bloc Canadian Nationals
The fifth season of Canada’s national bouldering series, the Tour De Bloc, concluded last week in Edmonton with the Canadian National Bouldering Championships. Over 100 climbers from across Canada competed for the national title, but in the end it was Sean McColl who won the men’s event while Thirza Carpenter dominated the women’s field. More details here.
May 21, 2008 - Big Day for 9a
Once considered the high point of climbing difficulty, 9a (5.14d) routes are now seeing regular ascents by elite climbers. This week, the 15-year-old Czech climber Adam Ondra, climbed the classic Wolfgang Gullich route Action Directe 9a (5.14d) bringing his total of 9a routes for the last year to eight. On the other end of the age spectrum, 37-year-old British climber Steve McClure completed the long-standing extension to Northern Exposure at Kilnsey. The currently unnamed extension is thought to weigh in at 9a/9a+ (5.14d/5.15a).
May 20, 2008 - Turgeon Strikes Gold in Alaska
On April 30, Québec based climber Max Turgeon, climbing with Americans Ben Gilmore and Freddie Wilkinson, established an impressive new route on the south face of Bat’s Ears peak. The 1000 m face was climbed in a 23 hour push and clocked in at AI4+ M5+ with moderately difficult climbing on extended sections of thin ice. Not content with a significant new summit, the trio bagged a free ascent of Moonflower Buttress AI6 M7 1300 m with Turgeon free climbing every pitch. With time remaining in the trip, Turgeon and Zoe Hart celebrated by climbing Deprivation, 95 degree AI6 1300 m to the summit of Mt Hunter in a 41 hour round trip from base camp.
May 9, 2008 – Pidgeon Soars in Bishop
Thomasina Pidgeon is widely acknowledged as Canada’s top female boulderer and her recent trip to Bishop confirms she’s worthy of this title. Travelling with her 18 month-old daughter, Pidgeon quickly dispatched Beefcake V10, the link-up Beefy Gecky V11, Water Hazard V11, La Belette V11 and the highball Integration V7.
May 1, 2008 - Swiss Success in Nepal
On April 24, the strong Swiss team of Simon Anthamatten and Ueli Steck climbed the much attempted north face of Tengkangpoche. The new route called Checkmate VI M7+ A0 2000m was climbed in a four day push in alpine style without bolts or fixed ropes. This was the team’s second attempt on the 6500m peak this season. More details here and here.
Apr 21, 2008 - Peewee Bags Third Ascent of Bushido
On April 19, crack climbing specialist Jean-Pierre Ouellet (better known as Peewee to many climbers) bagged the third ascent of Bushido 5.13+ in Moab, Utah. The route was originally climbed by Noah Bigwood in 2004 and involves strenuous laybacking over 40m of climbing. Starting with wide hands and ending in thin fingers, Bushido follows an arching roof with almost horizontally climbing for 25 m.
Oullett describes the route as “amazing super-enduro climbing and totally the opposite of my style." Oullett explains, “I suck at laybacking and wide hand cracks are usually hard for me. The thing I enjoyed the most about Bushido was improving my weaknesses. Oh God, the lactic acid burn!”
Based in Québec, Ouellet has repeated numerous difficult crack lines including La Zébrée 5.14a in Val David, Québec, Sphinx Crack 5.13c in Colorado and made the second ascent of Fiddler on the Roof 5.13d in Wyoming.Apr 2, 2008 – Success on the North Face of Mt Alberta
The committing and seldom climbed north face of Mt Alberta was repeated during March 26-28 by the talented team of Vince Anderson and Steve House. The pair encountered full winter conditions making the ascent of the 1000m route even more challenging. The new line is graded WI5+ M8 R/X and represents a major Rockies accomplishment for this season. More details.
Mar 27, 2008 – New Rockies Route Fiesta
The Rockies are currently experiencing an exceptional level of new route activity with many new ascents and significant repeats. The strong international team of Audrey Gariepy, Caroline George, Jen Olson, Ines Papert, and Jon Walsh got the party started with a 10 new routes in Icefall Brook. The climbs range from WI5 to M12 and are 60 to 600 m in length. The isolated location suggests all the climbs are first ascents. Not to be left out of all the excitement, Raphael Slawinski, Eamonn Walsh, and Ian Welsted contributed to the new route festivities with a winter ascent of the Greenwood-Jones Route on Mt Temple. The route goes at 5.9 in summer conditions but clocks in at a M6 in winter. The route was repeated 10 days later by the strong visiting team of Steve House and Roger Strong in a blistering 25 hour and 30 minute round trip blitz.
Slawinski’s new route bender however was not yet over. Teaming up with Swiss guide Pierre Darbellay, the pair launched themselves at Dogleg Couloir M7 A1 on the east face of Mt Chephren on March 22, and after climbing through difficult conditions, topped out at 6 am on March 24. More details here and here.
Mar 24, 2008 - New Alpine Route in the Pyrenees
Acknowledged as the world’s best female sport climber, Josune Bereziartu is transferring her skills to larger and more committing routes. On March 14, Bereziartu and her husband Rikar, completed a new climb on the north face of Peña Telera 2764m. Called Frenesi, the route involves difficult mixed climbing on very thin ice and rock up to M7. The pair onsighted the entire route except for the second pitch where Rikar took a factor two fall, ripping out a micro cam and two pins at the belay which left the team hanging from a single ice axe anchor. The route was climbed with no bolts and a spartan rack of cams, nuts and four ice screws.
Mar 20, 2008 – MacLeod Climbs New Winter Route
After returning from a successful climbing trip in sunny Spain, Dave MacLeod set his sites on an unfinished line on Ben Nevis in Scotland. The new route, Don’t Die of Ignorance XI 11 275m, is the most difficult winter climb in the UK and took MacLeod six tries over three year to complete. More details here.
Mar 13, 2008 - MacLeod Solos 8c Sport Route in Spain
Known for headpointing difficult trad routes, Dave MacLeod recently transferred his do-not-fall skills to the sunny sport climbs of Spain. On March 4, MacLeod soloed Darwin Dixit 8c (5.14b), a route he had originally climbed last spring. MacLeod used the climb as preparation for a difficult route on Ben Nevis he hopes to complete this season. This ascent could be the world’s most difficult rock climbing solo. More details.
Mar 6, 2008 - Rodden Climbs Women's Hardest Trad Line
After four months of work Beth Rodden redpointed Meltdown 5.14c, a new and difficult trad route in Yosemite. During the first ascent Rodden placed all the gear on lead, further raising the standard of good style for such a difficult climb. Rodden has redpointed several 5.14 and feels Meltdown is more difficult than any of her previous routes. Once the grade is confirmed, Meltdown will be the world’s most difficult female trad ascent, confirming Rodden’s position in the elite group of women climbing 5.14c.
Mar 3, 2008 – Four Day Hueco Tick List
Coming from a solid third place finish at the ABS National Bouldering Championships, Canadian Sean McColl spent last week sampling the bouldering scene in Hueco Tanks.
During his four day trip, McColl climbed The Dark Room V11, Free Willy V10/11, El Techo de los Tres B V13 and finished with a flash of Rumble in the Jungle V12. McColl is one of the few climbers capable of winning on plastic, sending hard boulder problems and climbing difficult sport routes
Feb 21, 2008 - Canadians Climbing Strong
Canadian male and female climbers climbers are having a great week with solid performances on stone and plastic.
Sean McColl set the tone with an impressive third place finish at the ABS National Bouldering Championships in Colorado. McColl, a four time Junior World Champion, is capitalizing on his international competition experience with strong results in comps and on the rock.
Representing the older climbing community, 30 year-old Mike Doyle sent the Mandala V12 during his recent stay in Bishop. Chris Sharma originally climbed the classic problem 2000 and Tony Lamiche added a V14 sit-start in 2002.
On the women’s front, Claudia Beland climbed Fern Roof V10 in Hueco Tanks. This is possibly the first female ascent of this steep boulder problem and demonstrates the continuing increase in women’s climbing standards.
Feb 13, 2008 - Canadians Rocking Patagonia
Canadians are enjoying a spectacular Patagonia climbing season of significant repeats and impressive first ascents. The strong Québec team of Sacha Friedlin and Frederic Maltais bagged a stunning new unclimbed line on the north face of Poincenot in early January. The pair climbed the 700m long Banana Wall VI 5.11a M6+ C1, in a 24-hour push with no fixed gear. The incredible face is located between the routes Crouch-Donini 5.10+ A1-2 and the Potter-Davis 5.11 C1 550m, and involves sustained climbing with almost every pitch in the 5.10 range.
Feb 1, 2008 - Rockies Unlimited Mixed Climbing Potential
William Meinen's and Brandon Pullan's recently developed Rehab Wall confirms the huge untapped possibilities for mixed and ice routes in the in the Canadian Rockies. Located at the Evan-Thomas Creek area, the cliff is one hour closer to Calgary than Haffner Creek and has no avalanche hazard. With routes ranging from moderate pure ice climbs to fully bolted technical mixed routes, the area will be popular with local and visiting climbers. More details here, here and here.
Jan 28, 2008 - Torre Traverse Finally Tamed
A strong team consisting of accomplished alpine climbers Rolando Garibotti and Colin Haley completed a significant new traverse in the Torre range. The pair began by climbing Cerro Standhardt and linked Punta Herron, Torre Egger and Cerro Torre. Italians Andrea Sarchi, Maurizio Giarolli, Elio Orlandi and Ermanno Salvaterra originally attempted the traverse in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The 36 year-old Garibotti is a veteran of Patagonian climbing with numerous impressive routes including alpine style first ascents of the North Face of Fitz Roy and the North Face of Cerro Torre. At the age of 23, Haley’s tick list consists of successfully climbs in Patagonia and North America including the first ascent of Mt. Robson's Emperor FaceVI AI5 M7. More details here and here.
Jan. 21, 2008 – Skaha Bluffs Saved
Climbers across North America are celebrating assured future access to Skaha, one of Canada’s most important climbing areas. Recently threatened with limited access, the acquisition of a 304-hectare property adjacent to the crags ensures climbers entry to the cliffs and eliminates any future parking concerns. A successful fundraising campaign spearheaded by Mountain Equipment Co-op, The Land Conservancy of British Columbia and private individuals received further financial assistance from climbing manufacturers, the BC provincial government and Nature Conservancy of Canada. Since the summer of 2007, these organizations raised the $5.25 million necessary for the land purchase. More details.
Jan 18, 2008 –Piolet d'Or Award Suspended for 2008
Organizers of the prestigious Piolet d'Or (Golden Ice Axe) award have suspended the award presentation for 2008. Conceived to recognize significant mountaineering ascents, the Piolet d'Or’s choice of winners has been an annual source of rancour in the mountaineering community. The Piolet d'Or’s cachet was also damaged when elite mountaineers criticized its negative impact on climbing’s motivation and ideals.
In 2006, the team of Ermanno Salvaterra, Rolando Garibotti and Alessandro Beltrami refused a Piolet d'Or’ nomination after Cesare Maestri claimed their climb on Cerro Torre was merely a repeat of a line he had climbed in 1959. Garibotti and his team said the award lacked “real value, which has put climbers against each other more often than uniting them.”
The unaffiliated Russian and Asian Piolet d’Or ceremonies and American Climbing magazine’s similar Golden Piton awards continue.
Jan 16, 2008 - McColl Rampage Continues
Last week, visiting Canadian climber Sean McColl, completed some unfinished business in the Bishop bouldering area. With less than ideal conditions, due to heavy snow and cold temperatures, McColl managed a first ascent of The Oracle V13, repeated Bubba Lobotomy V12 and completed the SDS start to The Mandala V14.
Jan 14, 2008 - Newfoundland Ice Adventures
The Québec team of Yan Mongrain and Louis-Philippe Ménard bagged two significant new routes on the east coast, ice climbing playground of Newfoundland. Finding the rental costs for helicopter travel to the base of the climbs prohibitively high, the pair travelled by skis with sleds to one of the many steep fjords shown on their topo maps. This exploration resulted in the major first ascents of Python Givré (Frozen Python) VI WI6+ 250m and Gadoue Sauvage (Wild Slush) VI WI5 M7 250m. The long approaches were the first real test of Ménard’s ankle since his injury during last year’s K6 North expedition. The potential for new ice climbing in Newfoundland is staggering, and will undoubtedly be explored further by committed climbers looking for new ascents.
Jan 14, 2008 - Sir Edmund Hillary Dies
The world’s most famous climber, Sir Edmund Hillary, who made the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953, died on January 11. For full obituaries please go here and here.
Jan 7, 2008 - McColl’s Mind-Blowing Bishop Ticklist
Canadian wonder-kid Sean McColl is celebrating the New Year with a successful bouldering vacation. During his stay in Bishop, McColl sent Goldfish Trombone V14, Direction V13, Xavier's Roof V12 and five other V11 boulder problems. With two more weeks left in his Bishop trip, McColl is close to completing The Mandala SDS V13.
Dec 18, 2007 - Alpinist Magazine Warehouse Fire
On December 5, 2007, the building housing the magazines and merchandise for Alpinist magazine suffered a devastating fire. The destruction of the warehouse resulted in the loss of the entire Alpinist back issue inventory as well as all existing promotional material. This difficult event occurred during the Holiday season and we wish everyone at Alpinist the best of luck in overcoming this unfortunate situation. More details here.
Dec 12, 2007 – Best in the World - Patxi Onsights 8c+
During these last two weeks, Spanish climber Patxi Usobiaga has shattered the existing benchmarks for fast ascents of difficult routes with the single day tick list of La Rambla 9a+ (5.15a) and Estado Crítico 9a (5.14d). Patxi has again crushed climbing standards by being the first person to onsight 8c+ (5.14c). The route Bizi Euskaraz is located in the Navarra region of Spain and was originally bolted in 2003 by Ekaitz Maiz. It remained an open project until now. This onsight caps a phenomenal climbing period for Patxi which includes a recent world cup win, two 9a+ routes, three 9a routes and firmly establishes him as the best sport climber in the world.
Dec 12, 2007 – Sport Climbing Now Officially Recognized by Olympics
In an effort to reach a younger audience, the IOC has officially recognized climbing as a sport. This paves the way for full Olympic future status. More details here.
Dec 3, 2007 - Fred Rouhling Climbs New Extreme Route
Renowned French climber Fred Roughling has just climbed the new mono pocket test piece Salamandre. The 32m route includes an 8A+ (V12) boulder problem at the 15m mark with 8b+ (5.14a) climbing to the anchors. To achieve the necessary strength for the small holds on the route, Roughling resorted to very specific first digit mono campus training. Roughling is hesitant to grade the climb but feels it is very difficult and in the 9a (5.14d) and harder range. Roughling has put up many difficult routes including the unrepeated Akira 9b (5.15b). More details here and here.
Nov 27, 2007 - Patxi Climbs Two 9a Routes in a Day
Most climbers would be content with redpointing a single 9a (5.14d) route in their lifetime, but not Patxi Usobiaga. This week the 27 year-old Spaniard climbed La Rambla 9a+ (5.15a) in a total of eight attempts spread over a period of a few years and during the same day redpointed Estado Crítico 9a (5.14d) on his second go. Only a handful of individuals have ever climbed 9a+ and none have succeeded in also redpointing 9a during the same day. These single day accomplishments redefine difficult rock climbing and confirm Patxi as the best sportclimber in the world. More details here.
Nov 27, 2007 - New Russian Piolet D'Or Award
Once considered the most prestigious award for mountaineering achievements, the French Piolet D'Or has been at the centre of controversy due to a recent series of questionable choices. Feeling the sting of these recent decisions, the Russian climbing community has now opted out of the established Piolet D'Or and created a new and controversial mountaineering prize. Unlike traditional climbing awards that are determined by an objective panel of judges, the Russian Piolet D'Or winners are determined in Hamburg style – a scoring process consisting of a team of judges comprised of the leaders of the nominated expeditions. The first three winners of this year’s Russian Piolet D'Or are the Russian K2 West Face expedition, the Russian ascent of Jannu’s West Ridge and the Russian Shingu Charpa Cimb. With the narrow national scope of the winners, some in the mountaineering community are wondering if you have to be Russian to qualify for these new awards. More details here and here.
Nov 22, 2007 – Probable First Canadian Woman to Climb 5.13 Trad
On Nov 11, Jasmin Caton redpointed the classic 5.13a crack line, Fallen Arches near Salt Lake City, Utah. The difficult left leaning crack was first climbed by American Steve Hong in 1985 and became well known for its sustained and technical climbing. Originally from B.C., Caton now resides in Salt Lake City and has numerous difficult routes to her credit including first ascents of big walls in the Vampire Spires and significant repeats in Yosemite. This could be the first traditional 5.13 route climbed by a Canadian woman.
Nov 19, 2007 – Doyle in Fine Form With First 5.13d Onsight
Mike Doyle is enjoying his stay at the Red River Gorge. Having climbed many of the difficult routes in the area, this weekend Doyle onsighted one of the few remaining Gorge testpieces. Swingline 5.13d is located at the Dark Side and involves sustained 5.13a climbing to a very difficult extended boulder problem.
Nov 12, 2007 - Patxi Onsights Another 8b+
Patxi Usobiaga (ESP) is redefining the notion of difficult climbing with his recent onsight of Rage the Antonio Machine in Spain 8b+ (5.14a). Usobiaga has onsighted 22 routes 8b+ or harder. You can read more about the progression of 5.14 onsighting in the December issue of Gripped. More details.
Oct 31, 2007 – Rockies Season in Full Swing
The Swiss team of Simon Anthamatten and Ueli Steck are enjoying an early start to the Rockies climbing season. During a two-week period, the pair climbed the new seven pitch route Rocket Baby M8+ WI5+ X on Mt. Patterson, repeated Riptide VI WI7 R and bagged the second ascent of Polarity VI WI 5+ on the North Face of Mt. Snowdome.
More details.
Oct 31, 2007 - Mike Doyle Pumps Up the Volume
Canadian Mike Doyle continues to impress with his recent ascent of Fifty Words for Pump 5.14c at the Red River Gorge. The route was originally bolted by Lexington local Hugh Loefler and remained a long-standing open project due to the committing moves at the difficult fourth clip. Skipping the draw could result in a ground fall, while stopping to clip the bolt stalls movement during the crux. Fifty Words for Pump was a bounty route at the recent Petzl Roc Trip and was first climbed by Mickael Fuselier (FRA) and later repeated by Dave Graham (USA). More details.
Oct 30, 2007 – Humar Solos South Face of Annapurna
On October 28, 2007, Slovenian Tomaz Humar successfully soloed the South Face of Annapurna 1 (8093m). First climbed in 1950 by the French team of Maurice Herzog, Lional Terray, Gaston Rebuffat and Louis Lachenal, Annapurna 1 did not receive a second ascent until the massive 1970 British siege expedition led by Chris Bonington. This is Humar’s first successful major climb since his controversial 2005 attempt on Nanga Parbat’s Rupal Face where he required a helicopter rescue. As the 12th highest mountain in the world Annapurna has only been summitted by 106 individuals out of 120 documented expeditions and has claimed the lives of 51 climbers. More details.
Oct 25, 2007 - Early Season Rockies Ascents
Rockies climbing is getting off to an impressive start this season with two new difficult climbs. On Sept 25, the team of Raphael Slawinski and Eamonn Walsh bagged the first ascent of the West Face of Mount Alberta V 5.10+. The face has been an obvious goal for many climbers but the challenging approach and dubious rock quality repelled previous attempts. Eighteen days later, Cory Richards, Dana Ruddy, and Ian Welsted climbed Polarity VI WI 5+, a committing new 800m ice route on the North Face of Mount Snowdome. The spectacular line ascends steep technical ice with good protection and stops just below a series of overhanging seracs. More details here and here.
Oct 19, 2007 - Is Sean McColl Canada’s Best Sport Climber?
With three 5.14b routes in a day during his trip to Rodellar, a 5.14b flash and 5.13d onsight in a day at the recent Petzl Roc Trip and now a quick repeat of the Lucifer 5.14c in the Red River Gorge, McColl is quickly shaping up as Canada’s top sport climber. Lucifer was a long standing open project originally climbed by McColl’s friend, coach and fellow Canadian Mike Doyle last fall after six weeks of work. At the time, Doyle had quickly climbed most of the established test pieces at the Red including Thanatopsis 5.14b and all of the routes in the Madness Cave. Lucifer is a nine-bolt, 100 ft line on a steep overhanging face with shallow pockets and thin edges. The routes consists of three boulder problems starting at the third bolt with a V7/8 to a quick shake, leading into a V9/10 section with a moderate rest and ending with a 13 move problem in the V9 to V11 range. McColl managed the route in two days and after four attempts.
Oct 19, 2007 - Perron Rope Solos Cap Trinité
Québec rope solo specialist Stéphane Perron has rope solo free climbed Les Grand Galais 5.13a at the 300m cliff, Cap Trinité. During the climb, Perron attempted to link the two 30m crux pitches into one rope stretching 60m pitch but was unsuccessful due to issues with his rope soloing system. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Perron managed to do the route in a day – a significant feat when considering the need to first climb, rap and clean each pitch. For Perron, this is another significant rope solo free climb in an impressive growing list, which includes the 37 pitch Free Rider 5.12d and 11 pitch Astroman 5.11c in Yosemite.
Oct 12, 2007 - McColl Raging at The Red
After a successful European trip to Rodellar (see www.gripped.com World News Oct 9, 2007), Sean McColl (CAN) returned to North America for the Red River Gorge Petzl Roc Trip. Warming up before the event, McColl flashed Thanatopsis 5.14b and onsighted White Man’s Shuffle 5.13d. Mike Doyle (CAN) assisted McColl during the flash of Thanatopsis by reviewing the moves when Daniel Woods was working the climb and them spraying beta when McColl attempted the route.
McColl had helped Doyle in a similar manner when Doyle successfully flashed Millennium 5.14a in Maple Canyon, UT a few years back. Doyle wanted to return the favour and “shouted him through the route like a sports commentator.”
More details.
Oct 10, 2007 - Pringle’s Downgrading Spree
US climber Ethan Pringle must be in incredible shape. After redpointing Realization 9a+ (5.15a), Pringle downgraded the route and suggested a grade of 9a (5.14d). Travelling to Rodellar, Pringle quickly dispatched Pata Negra 8c (5.14b) and Geminis 8c (5.14b), downgrading both routes to 8b+ (5.14a). Now we have news that he’s onsighted the two pitches of Iron Man, which was originally graded 8c (5.14b) but Pringle feels is closer to soft 8b+ (5.14a). Not content with these accomplishments, Pringle also redpointed Los Borrachus de Mascun 8c+ (5.14c) after only six attempts. More details.
Oct 9, 2007 - McColl Climbs Three 5.14b Routes in a Day
Canadian climber Sean McColl is clearly having a good time in Rodellar, Spain. Yesterday we received news that he climbed Hulk 8c (5.14b), Ali-baba 8c (5.14b) and the 40m enduro pitch Geminis 8c (5.14b). During the same trip McColl managed to also redpoint Pata Negra 8c (5.14b) and Welcome to Tijuana 8c (5.14b).
Oct 9, 2007 - K2 Alpine Ascent
On October 2, 2007, the Kazakh team of Serguey Samoilov and Denis Urubko successfully climbed the challenging North Ridge of K2. When bad weather forced the pair to abandon their initial goal of a new alpine style route on the North Face of K2, the Kazakh team channelled their energy towards the North Ridge. Climbing quickly with no supplementary oxygen, fixed ropes or pre-stocked camps, the team overcame challenging conditions and bagged the what may be the first true alpine style ascent of K2. The North Ridge has seen only a handful of ascents since it was first climbed in 1982 by a large Japanese expedition. More details here, here and here.
Oct 2, 2007 - One Hundred 5.13 Routes in One Year
IIn late 2006, Mike Doyle (CAN) set a goal to climb 100 routes of 5.13a or harder during the next 365 days. Yesterday, in-between sampling the fine climbing at the New River Gorge, Doyle contacted us with news that he’s achieved his one-year objective. His tick list, consisting of many difficult routes, includes the unrepeated Lucifer 5.14c at the Red River Gorge. Doyle is well known on the Canadian and international scene as a talented climber and coach of the successful Canadian Junior Climbing Team. Doyle celebrated his 30 birthday this September.
Sept 26, 2007 - Byron Smith Summit Lawsuit Dismissed
Last year we reported on the dispute between Byron Smith and the American Alpine Club. Smith had posted an image on his website with the caption, "Byron Smith Successful Summit, May 21, 2000 - I can't go any higher." ExWeb, a site dedicated to Himalayan climbing news, discovered the image was not Smith but rather Danish Everest climber Mads Granlien. Reviewing the new evidence resulted in The Himalayan Database, at the time run by Elizabeth Hawley and associated with the American Alpine Club, changing Smith’s claimed ascent to ‘no summit.’ This downgrading resulted in Smith suing the American Alpine Club. On August 21, 2007 the U.S. District Court in Colorado ruled the case “dismissed with prejudice,” vindicating the American Alpine Club.
Sept 24, 2007 - Spanish World Cup Plagued by Controversy
The World Championships in Aviles, Spain this weekend were dominated by the usual list of well-known competitors. Unfortunately, a series of minor accidents, some static belaying, long waits and yellow card warning for Tomas Mrazek (CZE) tarnished an otherwise entertaining event. In the men’s lead climbing competition the Spanish super duo of Ramon Julian Puigblanque and Patxi Usobiaga took first and second place while the Czeck powerhouse Thomas Mrazek finished third. On the women’s front, Angela Eiter (AUT) and Muriel Sarkany (BEL) were tied after the women’s final route requiring a super final to determine the winner. Held on the men’s final route with the addition of two holds, Eiter came out on top taking first place leaving Sarkany in second and Maja Vidmar (SLO) third. More details here and here.
Sept 19, 2007 - Strong Female Team Establishes New Line in the Karakorum
This summer, the international team of Luisa Giles (UK), Sarah Hart (CAN), and Jacqueline Hudson (CAN), established a new 900 m free rock line in the Karakorum Range of Pakistan. The new route, The Partition 5.10b, ascends the potentially unclimbed east face of a 5200 m peak, on the Choktoi Glacier. Capitalizing on numerous short stretches of good weather, the team reached the summit after three days of climbing. The route is named The Partition in honour of this year’s 60th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence.
Sept 19, 2007 - Canadian Climbs V14
With four junior World Cup wins, McColl is now transferring his competition climbing skills onto the rock with impressive results. During a recent trip to Colorado, McColl bagged the second ascent of Aslan V14 at the emerging bouldering mecca of Rocky Mountain National Park. Aslan is a power- endurance link-up of Gang Bang V8, Handicaps V9 and The Centaur V12/13. This could be the first V14 climbed by a Canadian
Sept 4, 2007 – Americans Sending in Ceuse
It appears this is the year for Americans to climb hard routes in Ceuse. Chris Sharma got the ball rolling in mid July with a new bouldery and dynamic 9a (5.14d) beside his breakthrough route Realization. About 10 days later, Dave Graham bagged the fourth ascent of Realization 9a+ (5.15a) and now we have news that Ethan Pringle has also repeated the route. Pringle’s repeat of Realization is the fifth ascent behind Sharma, Sylvain Millet, Patxi Usobiaga and Graham. More details here and here.
Aug 28, 2007 - Doyle Hits the Mark in Rifle
Canadian Mike Doyle is having a great trip at the sportclimbing drive-through known as Rifle. During his five-day visit, Doyle climbed 11 routes graded 5.13a and harder including Zulu 5.14a, four 5.13d and three 5.13c routes. Commenting on the tick list, the always humble Doyle responded, “Not exactly great on a global scale, but I figure it’s pretty good for an old guy.” Mike Doyle will be 30 this September.
Aug 27, 2007 - Squamish Prow Wall Free Ascent
Local Squamish climber Will Stanhope has completed the much-coveted first free ascent of The Prow Wall on the Chief. Stanhope, with Lucas Holtzman jugging in support, climbed the wall via Teddy Bear's Picnic 5.12d adding a few extra pitches to link the route from the bottom of the wall. Jeremy Blumel had climbed the first free ascent of Teddy Bear's Picnic as a rap route from the rim, but the entire wall had not seen a continuous free ascent. During the climb Stanhope avoided the original 5.12b third pitch and instead climbed a 5.12d variation tips corner. The difficult 5.12+ route climbs 8 pitches: 5.10, 5.10, 5.12-, 5.11+, 5.12+, 5.12+, 5.12+, 5.11+. The route has rebuffed attempts by Sonnie Trotter, Jean-Pierre Ouellet and Matt Maddaloni and is considered somewhat of a sandbag.
Aug 22, 2007 - Trotter Continues on his Path
Canadian climbing star Sonnie Trotter has just completed a difficult new line in Lake Louise, AB. Located at the Back of the Lake, The Path 5.14 R is 45m long , overhangs about 30 feet and involves four difficult 5.13 sections ending with a V10 crux and approximately 30 feet of runout climbing to the anchors. The route was originally equipped about 20 years ago but had not been climbed. After inspecting the line on rappel, Trotter discovered sufficient natural protection and decided to chop the existing bolts. The difficult crux sequence consists of a long sideways lunge to an edge the size of a broken pencil resulting in a strenuous iron cross between small holds. Trotter worked the route on top rope and lead for 10 days over a period of five weeks and feels “it's solid 5.14” and is “stoked that climbs of this nature are becoming more and more feasible.”
Aug 21, 2007 - Canadians on North Face of K6
Québec based uber-alpinists Max Turgeon and Louis-Philippe Ménard departed for Pakistan to attempt a new route on the unclimbed face of K6. The pair will arrive in Islamabad in approximately three days and we will post updates on their progress as details become available. Stay tuned.
Aug 21, 2007 - Maddaloni Makes Massive Bugaboo Link-Up
Fresh off a successful one day 37 pitch Squamish enchainment, Matt Maddolini has turned his attention to the gorgeous Bugaboo granite. In an impressive single day push, Maddaloni onsight soloed McTech Arete 5.10a, descended the Kain Route and climbed Pigeon Spire (passing his friends on the Becky Chouinard) and finished on the Krauss McCarthny route on Snow Patch Spire. More details.
Aug 21, 2007 - Manolo Masterpiece Repeated by Riccardo Scarian
Riccardo Scarian has made the third ascent of the difficult multi-pitch line Solo Per Vecchi Guerrieri 8c/9a (5.14c/d). Located in the Dolomites, the route was originally climbed by Maurizio “Manolo” Zanolla in August 2006 and follows four pitches of technical bouldery climbing. After the successful repeat, Scarian praised the quality of the climbing and the vision of the first ascentionists. "This is without a doubt one of the best routes I have ever climbed, the exposure is mind boggling, the rock is fantastic, the route is very demanding as the moves are really on-off and the pro is really run-out. Congratulations to the first ascentionist who managed to unearth an extraordinary line up this face. Definitley a route not to be missed." The route name Solo Per Vecchi Guerrieri loosely translates to For Old Warriors Only. More details.
Aug 17, 2007 - New Canadian Route on Near Latok II
Ken Glover and Jeremy Frimer completed a new line on a 5750m unclimbed peak to the southwest of Latok II. The route, The Outside Penguin V 5.10 A1, climbs a devious line of weakness up a steep buttress. The initial descent options proved to be inaccessible and the pair resorted to raping the route for 800m and downclimbing the remaining 400m to the base.
Aug 7, 2007 - La Zébrée Receives Third Ascent
The premier Québec hard crack, La Zébrée 5.14a, has just seen its third ascent by Sylvain Masse (AKA Sly) on August 5, 2007. Earlier this year, La Zébrée saw its second ascent and first redpoint ascent by Jean-Pierre Ouellet, who placed all the gear on lead. Masse worked the route with Ouellet over the last two years and his successful redpoint represents the second time La Zébrée has been climbed with the gear being placed on lead. Jeff Beaulieu first climbed the steep and powerful route in the fall of 2004.
Aug 3, 2007 - Adam Ondra Ascends the Abyss 9a
The 14 year-old climbing sensation, Adam Ondra, has redpointed the Abyss 9a (5.14d) after only three attempts. The Abyss was originally climbed in 2006 by Frenchman Alex Chabot and has seen a repeat by the talented German climber Andreas Bindhammer. Located at at Deversé in SE France, the route consists of very steep tufa climbing with no manufactured holds.
July 31, 2007 - Graham Repeats Realization 9a+
On July 30, Dave Graham repeated the standard-setting Ceuse route, Realization 9a+ (5.15a). This is the fourth ascent of the line first climbed by Chris Sharma and has seen repeats by Sylvain Millet and Patxi Usobiaga. The route was originally bolted by Jean-Christophe Lafaille during 1989-1990 and called Biographie but did not receive a free ascent. In 1995 French powerhouse, Arnaud Petit began working the route but was unable to complete the line and instead added an intermediate set of anchors at approximately the 20m mark. Sharma, after much work, eventually climbed the entire line and re-named it Realization. This re-christening has created some controversy with much of the European climbing elite. Many see Sharma’s ascent simply the completion of the line first envisioned by Jean-Christophe Lafaille originally named Biographie.
July 20, 2007 - Sharma Climbs New 9a
Chris Sharma has just climbed a new 9a (5.14d) approximately 100 feet to the right of Realization 9a+ (5.15a) at the French super-crag of Ceuse. The new line includes up to five difficult boulder problems and three dynos. More details as they become available.
July 16, 2007 - Reardon Missing and Presumed Dead
Famous American free soloist Michael Reardon had just completed a climb near the Valentia Marine Radio Station, on the island of Valentia in Ireland, when a rogue wave knocked him off balance and swept him out to sea. Reardon has been missing since Friday July 13, 2007 at 5:00 pm and an extensive search and rescue effort has been unsuccessful. A memorial will be held at Fogher Cliffs on Tuesday July 17, 2007 and all are invited to attend. More details.
July 10, 2007 - Two 9a’s in One Day
Sixteen-year-old Spanish climber Eric Lopez has climbed two 9a (5.14d) routes in the same day. Climbing in Rodellar, Lopez did Ali-Hulk 9a (5.14d) and Los Borrachos del Mascun 9a (5.14d). Rodellar is consistently the center of hard onsights and repeats and it will be interesting to see what Lopez thinks about the grades. In 2006 Lopez was crowned the Youth World Climbing Champion. More details.
July 9, 2007 - Free Route Climbing Bonanza in Lower Ruth Gorge
The two weeks between June 14 and June 29 yielded five new long rock routes for the team of Cedar Wright and Renan Ozturk in the Lower Ruth Gorge, Alaska.
Starting on the 1500 ft formation known as at The Stump, the pair added the Brown Finger 5.11R and Stump Jumper 5.11R . Both routes are 11 pitches long and involve committing climbing in the 5.10 to 5.11 range.
Wright and Ozturk then turned their attention to a smaller formation just north of their camp. The Great Transformation is a classic 50 m thin finger crack that Wright onsighted.
Finally, the pair focused their energy on the Eye Tooth, which is an El Cap size feature at the head of the valley. Wright and Ozturk completed a direct finish to the 1994 Austrian line, Dream of the Spirit of Mugs. The 8 pitch variation is called Balled of a Dead Soldier 5.10+. A final difficult new line was also added on the Central Pillar. Ozturk, Joe Puryear and Chad Kellog originally attempted the route last year, but the team was forced to retreat after incurring a hand injury during the crux. The Beeholder 5.12X involves difficult bouldery climbing with a dyno crux and committing pitches including a 5.10X pitch.
July 5, 2007 - Josune Frees Alpine 8a/8a+
Proving that she is the best and most versatile female climber in the world, Josune Bereziartu and Rikar Otegui freed the eight pitch 300 m long Super Weissmuller 8a/8a+ (5.13b/c) on the south west face of Petit Pic De Ansabere in France. The route was originally climbed ground-up and with very little fixed protection by Spanish climbers Mikel Zabalza and Unai Mendia. Bereziartu and Otegui almost succeed in onsighting the route but fell at the crux pitch, which they sent on their second go.
July 5, 2007 - Graham’s Florida Onsighting Spree
David Graham appears to be in fine climbing form with a recent onsight of Florida 8b+ (5.14a) in Rodellar, Spain. During the same trip Graham also redpointed Ali-Hulk 9a (5.14d) and onsighted two other 8b (5.13d) routes.
June 29, 2007 - Ramon on a Rampage
Spanish climber Ramón Julián Puigblanque, last week onsighted Pequena Estrella 8b+ (5.14a) in Rodellar. During the same week, Puigblanque redpointed three 8c+ (5.14c) routes and three 8c (5.14b) routes. Puigblanque is best known for the first ascent of La Rambla Direct 9a+ (5.15a).
June 29, 2007 - Kinder Sets Maple Canyon Ablaze
Joe Kinder recently flashed Millenium 5.14a in Maple Canyon, UT. Demonstrating excellent fitness, Kinder sent a total of five routes graded 5.14a including two 5.14b redpoints.
June 15, 2007 - French Champion Climbs New 9a
Newly crowned French sportclimbing champion Mickael Fuselier, completed Nice to Eat You 9a (5.14.d) in Grotte de Choranche, France. The severely overhanging route includes an all-points-off two-handed dyno and required almost one year of work to redpoint. More details.
June 11, 2007 - Yuji Onsights Second 8c (5.14b)
The Japanese master Yuji Hirayama last Saturday onsighted his second 8c (5.14b) route. Pata Negra is a 40m line in Rodeller, Spain and has been onsighted by Patxi Usobiaga and Tomáš Mrázek. During his eight day trip, Yuji onsighted one 8c (5.14b), four 8b+ (5.14a), three 8b (5.13d), eight 8a+ (5.13c) and one 8a (5.13b) for a total of 17 routes 8a (5.13b) or harder. More details.
May 29, 2007 - New 9a+ for McClure
UK climber Steve McClure yesterday climbed his new 9a+ (5.15a) project at Malham. The new route (not yet named) is an extension of Overnight Sensation 8a+ (5.13c). McClure spent 30 days working the route over a period of three years and feels it is significantly harder than anything he has climbed before. You can read more about McClure in the current Gripped e-Mag interview.
