>> December 2004 - January 2005
The
Zebra Goes Free: North America’s Hardest Crack?
For years, climbers have speculated about who would make
the first free ascent of the Zebra at Mt King in Val-David. The Zebra is
an acutely overhanging 25 m long splitter with several roofs. Peter Croft
said it was “one of the most spectacular cracks that I’ve ever
seen.” After three years of attempts, 27 year-old Québec native
Jean-François Beaulieu has managed to successfully send the 5.14a
finger-crack, using pre-placed gear.
“It’s been a long time since any Québec strongmen have
worked the route.” Beaulieu reflected. “I think many people
consider it one of North America’s hardest crack routes.”
Beaulieu, owner of Delire holds, believes linking the difficult roof section
13 m off the ground was the route’s crux. Many gifted climbers have
tried climbing the aesthetic line, among them, Québecer François
Roy and American Russ Clune.
Other impressive sends on Beaulieu’s tick list include Dark Star 5.13d
and Strict Scrutiny 5.14a at Rumney. Two weeks ago, he completed a free
ascent of the eight pitch Les Grand Galets 5.13a at Cap Trinité.
Rands First Woman to Climb
E8
On a cold, windy October day, Lisa Rands climbed
End of the Affair E8 6c (which roughly translates to a 5.13- with meager
protection) and became the first woman to climb a gritstone route graded
E8. The route, a bald run out arête at Curbar Edge first climbed by
gritstone maestro Johnny Dawes in 1986, is considered a classic and benchmark
of the grade. Rands, best known for her bouldering exploits, has been venturing
into the bold head-pointing gritstone arena for the past couple of years.
Last year, Rands redpointed White Lines to become only the second woman
to lead an E7 on gritstone.
Yuji Hirayama Onsights 5.14b
On a trip through Spain this fall, Japanese
climber Yuji Hirayama successfully onsighted White Zombie 5.14b at the Baltzola
cave in Spain. With this send Hirayama achieved the first confirmed 5.14b
onsight, his biggest goal of the year. Long a fixture at the cutting edge
of climbing, Hirayama nearly achieved the breakthrough onsight back in 1999
with his ascent of Mortal Combat. However, the route was subsequently downgraded,
due in no small part to Hirayama’s successful ascent. No such issue
should arise with White Zombie, since the grade of the route has already
been confirmed by several repeats by strong climbers. Although Hirayama’s
ascent is the first onsight of a confirmed 5.14b, Spaniard Patxi Usobiaga
had onsighted B12 5.14a/b at Laroanna, Spain, earlier this spring. The grade
of the route awaits consensus though, and it may in time prove to be the
first 5.14b onsight. Regardless of whether Hirayama’s ascent ultimately
proves to be the first or not, it is still a superb addition to a résumé
already bulging with impressive ascents.
V16 Repeated
Bleausard Julien Nadiras has ventured away from the Magic
Forest and bagged the second ascent of Mauro Calibani’s Tonino ’78
at Meschia, Italy. Nadiras, who rarely forays outside of Fountainbleau,
spent 25 days spread over four separate trips before completing the problem.
According to Nadiras, the 15 move problem was so difficult, he needed to
climb very quickly yet precisely, jumping from hold to hold with accuracy.
When questioned about the grade, Nadiras was hesitant, citing the length
of time he spent working the problem, but did think that Tonino ’78,
looks harder than Dreamtime, Fred Nicole’s benchmark V15. However
Nadiras was unsure whether the difference was significant, adding the problem
was “such a fight I cannot easily give you a judgment. I will have
to climb on that boulder again without pressure.” Meschia is on private
land and currently closed to climbing, both Calibani and Nadiras had obtained
special permission from the landowner before attempting the problem.
A Stay at the Hotel Supramonte
Slovenian climber Martina Cufar, best known as a top World
Cup competitor, has completed the first female ascent of Hotel Supramonte
5.13d in Sardinia, Italy. Originally slated to attempt the 10 pitch route
in May, Cufar was delayed first by poor weather, then by a busy competition
schedule. Incredibly, Cufar found the toughest part of climbing the route
(with two 13d pitches, a 13c and a 13a) to be the jugging involved. After
suffering a series of injuries, Cufar seems to be making a comeback of late.
In addition to redpointing Hotel Supramonte, Cufar also placed a close second
at the World Cup in Marbella in September, after more than a year away from
the podium.
Sean McColl Scores a Hat Trick
For the third straight year, Canadian Sean McColl has won
in his age group (16-17) in the World Youth Championship, held this year
at the impressive Ratho Adventure Centre in Scotland. McColl’s result
is undoubtedly the highlight of a relatively strong showing from the Canadian
team, which also included sisters Stacey Weldon of Calgary, who ended up
seventh in the girls 18-19 category, and Vikki Weldon, with eleventh in
the 16-17 group. Vancouverite Matt Johnson was the surprise of the group:
with only two years of climbing experience under his belt, Johnson finished
a highly competitive 10th in the boys 16-17
age group.
Gauthier Has a Massive 5.14 Season
After a whole season in which he was sidelined by an injured
wrist, Maxime Gauthier of Montreal, Québec trained through last winter
to regain his power, only to break his ankle bouldering in April. But by
June, Max was back on the rocks, and before the season was out, he had climbed
12 5.14s. Dodge the Lemons 13d/14a (five tries), Scrutiny 14a at Rumney,
Alphagamma 13d (four tries), Razzia 13c (three tries), le monde parfait
(four tries) and Scorecard 13d/14a at Orford were the first to fall. Maxime
also paid a visit to some older routes including Premutation 14a, which
he sent after four tries in one day. He also added a new start to that route,
naming it Petropoint and making it a little bit harder. He went on to the
crimpy Cassiope 14a (four days), then ended in a pumpy 13b extension named
Persee that weighs in at 14b.
To end his summer, Maxime visited a spot near Orford called Waterproof,
where he bagged Mosquito Attack. It had been graded 14a, but he felt was
13b. In the same area, he climbed Kneebar 14a and his ending variation,
Victory 14a. The same weekend he did Alphabeta the tougher way, called Red
Moon 14b and took six tries. Finally, he sent Steady Slobbin’ 5.14b
at Rumney after three years of attempts.
Messner Says Alpinism is Dead
In an interview published in the UK’s Sunday Observer,
Reinhold Messner, the world’s most prolific alpine climber, uttered
what could be the most sweeping statement of his career. “Mountaineering
is over and alpinism is dead,” he claimed.
Messner, the man who brought alpine style climbing to the Himalayas and
championed the abandonment of supplemental oxygen at high-altitude, has
consistently stripped alpine climbing down to its’ most basic elements
throughout his career.
His thoughts on high mountains were recorded just after the South Tyrol
celebrated his 60th birthday. He believes the willful embrace of danger
has all but disappeared in modern-day mountaineering. “High-altitude
alpinism has become tourism and show,” he claimed in the interview.
“These commercial trips to Everest are still dangerous, but the guides
and organizers tell clients not to worry, it’s all organized.”
Messner’s concern for high places has led to the opening of two mountain
museums dedicated to the people who live in the world’s mountains.
The career-climber just finished a five-year term as the European Parliamentary
representative in Verdi, Italy.
New Routes in the Karakoram
On September 22, Spanish climbers Cecilia Buil, Óscar
Pérez and Néstor Ayerbe put up a new route on Changui Tower
in Pakistan’s Hushe Valley. The team spent the better part of August
hunkered down at the base of the 1150 m route waiting for a period of good
weather to establish Light Eyes 5.10 A3 on the tower’s west face.
The three Spaniards stopped climbing at the South summit claiming their
intent was not to reach the top but only to finish the route.
Meanwhile, in early August, four Italian alpinists climbed a new route on
the south west face of Brakk Zang (4,800 m) in the Nangma Valley. The 750
m Hasta la Vista David VI A1 was named after a young Spanish climber who
died during an attempt on nearby Mt Drifika (6,447 m).
The route features chimneys, large cracks, corners and slab sections. The
team was sharing their base camp with a group of Spanish climbers attempting
a route on Drifika. The youngest member of their team, David, died after
being buried under a serac.
Prowed and Free (and Wet) in Greenland
This summer, the American team of Jared Ogden and Nathan
Martin has brought the fast and light alpine approach to the big wall climbs
of Mt Nalumasortoq in Greenland. Ogden and Martin warmed up on the 2,500
foot route Non c’e Due Senza Tre V 5.11+ on the right pillar of Nalumasortoq,
coming within 80 m of the summit before retreating due to darkness. The
pair then set to work on the central pillar, which Martin had scouted part
of the way up on a previous trip. Their efforts culminated in a one-day
free ascent of Prowed and Free V 5.12+. The climb includes five pitches
of 5.12 climbing in a row, two of which are in the 5.12+ range. With one
day left on the their trip the pair raced up the classic Moby Dick VI 5.13-
in 11 hours 56 minutes (mostly free with the occasional point of aid), a
1,000 m line up the neighboring Ulamertorssuaq, destroying the old mark
of 28 hours. And they managed all this on a 34-day trip with 28 rain days.
New Route on Belanger
This summer, Dave Marra, Dana Ruddy and Tom Schnugg established
a moderate route on the north west face of Mt Belanger in the Canadian Rockies.
Located near Fryatt Creek close to Jasper, the trio nabbed the 3119 m summit
after canoeing across the Athabasca river and a short bivy at the base of
the climb before sending the route and walking out the same day.
Best Year Ever for New Routes in the Coast
Range
The presence of the Waddington Guidebook made itself felt
dramatically, with perhaps triple the usual number of climbers entering
the range. The result was a great outburst of climbing, the likes of which
have never been seen in the Range.
Hard repeat ascents abounded: Skywalk and Kshatrya on Combatant; the Wiessner-House
and the Risse Route on Mt Waddington; Sundog on the Blade; Serra 5 (twice);
the South
Ridge of Serra 2. And in an impressive seven-day tour de force, the complete
Waddington Traverse ED+ to 5.9 to 60º 4,000 m of ascent over 10 km of travel
got its first repeat, by Mark Bunker and
Colin Haley.
There was also a frenzy of hard new rock climbing done in excellent style
and sometimes with astonishing speed. Janez Ales and Jia Condon established
two new routes on the right side of the east face of Dragonback at 5.11+.
Justin Cassels, Ari Menitove and John Simms climbed Drag Queen on the southwest
pillar of Stiletto. Five of the 13 pitches were 5.11, with a crux of 5.11d
R. Andrew Boyd and Derek Flett climbed the West Face of Dentiform six pitches
to 5.10+, then the fine West Face of The Blade 11 pitches up to 5.11.
Jeff Phillippe and Bret Sarnquist did a new route of four pitches to 5.10c
on the northeast face of Phantom Tower. They had previously made the second
ascent of the Flavelle-Lane couloir TD+ 5.8 ice to 55º 980 m on the NW Summit
of Waddington and continued to the Main Summit via the second ascent of
the very loose NW Ridge.
Chris Atkinson and Kevin McLane established Line of Fire on the NW Peak
of Combatant. This 14 pitch, stonefall threatened ice line climbs a couloir
immediately right of the Skywalk pillar, with bulges to 90º on pitches 11–14.
Four pitches of rock to 5.9 then reach the summit.
John Furneaux and Matt Maddaloni started from a ledge high on Day Trip with
a 5.12d traverse (one aid move), which was followed by a 5.12b offwidth
pitch. The 11 or 12 following pitches to the top of the Incisor took only
4.5 hours, above which Belligerence ED3 1150 m was joined. The Jawbone (11
ropelengths, but mostly climbed moving together) was crossed in five hours,
and the top of Combatant was reached via snow and rock on the southeast
face in a further two hours – total time: 11.5 hours vs eight days
on the
first ascent.
Elsewhere in the Coast Mountains, the finest route of the summer was the
ascent of Up in Smoke D+ V 5.8 snow/ice to 60º, the northeast ridge of Mt
Talchako (3,037 m), east of Ape Lake. This dramatic feature rises gently
for 400 m, then shoots up 1,000 m steeply to the summit. Ray Borbon, Drew
Brayshaw, and James Nakagami made the climb in 1H days, finding considerable
loose rock mixed with plenty of good climbing, and sections of icy snow
up high.
Chris Barner and Paul Rydeen climbed amongst the peaks at the head of Gillman
Creek. This area south of Doran Creek had only previously been visited by
John Clarke, who did several first ascents in 1974. Barner and Rydeen found
excellent rock and fine lines, including one nine pitch 5.9 that they likened
to the East Ridge of Bugaboo Spire.
Jordan Peters, Andrew Rennie and Don Serl walked into the Falls River valley
to make the third ascent of the fine 1964 National Pillar on Mt Winstone
5.8, 14 pitches. Rennie and Serl later climbed a short but enjoyable rock
route on the steep, crack-riddled granite of the southwest face of the Beehive
5.9, 5.10b, 5.8.
Closer to Vancouver, Damien Kelly and Jim Martinello climbed the complete
western spur on the Gnomon on Mount Athelstan D+ 5.10 R 9 pitches. Janez
Ales, Jia Condon and Don Serl had earlier climbed the first six pitches
of this feature, finding mostly mid-fifth class climbing with sections of
5.8/9 and infrequent-but-adequate pro. They then traversed left into Lillarete
D 5.8, which was completed to the summit of Randy Stoltmann Tower. The later
pair used no bolts, but found very sparse protection on good, solid rock.
–Don Serl
More Hard New Free Routes in the Bugaboos:
Catalonian Route Freed
The major Bugaboo news of the summer was the first free
ascent of two aid routes on the Minaret Pillar. This symmetrical cone of
granite protruding from the southwest face of South Howser Tower had been
a well-known first free ascent prize for years. In the summer of 2002, two
strong American women, Heidi Wirtz and Lizzy Scully, sent Bad Hair Day V
5.12-. However, the plumb lines –the multiple parallel crack systems
that split this formation– still remained the realm of etriers. This
summer, Yosemite guns, Nick Martino, Renan Ozturk and Cedar Wright showed
up with their sights set on a fast and free sending spree. Taking advantage
of brief dry-spells, they freed the Italian Pillar and the Southwest Pillar
routes on the Minaret. On the Italian Pillar V 5.11+ they traversed in from
the left to avoid the initial A4 pitch then launched upwards. They continued
to the summit of South Howser for a 14-hour round trip.
The Southwest Pillar V 5.12 R/X, a stunning singular crack system that typically
is wet, proved a bit sketchier. Martino and Ozturk attempted it last year
but bailed after a stressful episode with run-out, flaring cracks. This
time around, Martino and Wright went up first to scope the lower pitches
and fix a few copperheads and pins on aid. The trio returned a few days
later and dispensed with the route in 16 hours camp-to-camp. All three climbers
freed every pitch either leading or seconding without falling. They encountered
huge run-outs on 5.12 climbing in closed grooves, resulting in pitch names
like Bad Ass Crack, Pain in the Ass Crack and Squeeze the Cheeks.
The Pigeon Feathers, an attractive cluster of Rostrum-sized towers beside
the Howsers, also saw much attention. Grant Statham, Andrew Querner and
Sean Isaac climbed a six-pitch straight-in gradually widening crack, Solitary
Confinement III 5.11.
Chris Weidner and Duncan Burke from Colorado climbed a new route on Lost
Feather Pinnacle over two days. Numerous wide pitches on the lower section
lead to a stunning laser-cut dihedral that shoots to the summit. Their Back
at Bob’s IV 5.10 A2 was named in memory of Bob Enagonio who died this
spring in a crevasse fall while skiing the Bugaboo to Rogers Pass traverse.
Also on Lost Feather Pinnacle, Wright and Martino established the formation’s
first free route by using a six pitch variation to gain the upper part of
the 1995 Lost Feather route. Perhaps the most memorable pitch though, was
a hundred foot 5.9 friction slab traverse to a down jump into a gully, which
was definitely X for the follower.
Chris Geisler and Dave Edgar made the second ascent of the 1983 Catalonian
Route on the massive south face of South Howser Tower. The pair managed
to free the 20-pitch route on-sight in a day, with two RP-protected crux
5.11 pitches that Geisler described as “very spicy.” –Sean
Isaac
House Parties in the Karakoram: New Route on
K7, Solo Attempt on Rupal Face
American Steve House recently spent two months in the Charakusa
valley (the next major valley east of the Baltoro glacier) attempting new
routes on K7 and a solo on Nanga Parbat’s Rupal Face.
On July 24, House soloed K7’s southwest face in a 41-hour roundtrip,
managing the second summit in the peak’s history. The 2,700 m route
rated 5.10 M6+ A2 with 80 degree ice came a month after Slovenian Marko
Prezelj, American Steve Swenson and House put up Tasty Talking 5.10+ 500
m on the NE ridge
of Nasser Brakk.
In mid-August, House and American Bruce Miller attempted a new route on
the Rupal Face between the Messner and Polish routes. They soloed most of
the terrain, belaying a total of only nine pitches. Worsening health forced
them to retreat at 7,500 m. On August 27, after attempting a solo up the
Rupal Face, House was forced to retreat at the previous highpoint and leave
base camp with a lung infection.
Bold New Dolomite Route
The Italian team of Maurizio Zanolla and Riccardo Scarian
have authored a new route Cani Morti in the Dolomites, with both climbers
freeing the five pitch line at 5.14a late in August. This is no ordinary
multi-pitch sport route. With this climb the duo made a conscious decision
to place as few bolts as possible, and to place them on lead. In addition,
the pair chose to forgo prior toprope practice as well as other forms of
protection such as nuts and cams. Scarian explained that the unusual choice
“seemed to us to be the most honest possible: the bolts protected
us every now and then, but also indelibly demonstrated our weakness.”
The crux pitch overhangs 7 m but has only four bolts. The entire climb can
be done with only half a dozen quickdraws.
OBITUARIES
Mike Farrow,
Kevin James
We were almost all there. Gathered close at Mike’s
home in Golden, BC, we slowly passed around the photos of Mt Deltaform’s
North Face, thoughtfully made available by the park wardens. Tired faces,
blank expressions, young people somewhat aged. One after another, old friends
shuffled in through the front door, warmly greeted by smiles, hugs and tears.
Many came from just down the street, others as far as the West Coast, one
even from Europe. The strong ties that bound us together were formed during
past college days in Kamloops. We were climbers and paddlers, aspiring guides.
And, quite suddenly, we had lost two of our own.
On June 4, Mike Farrow and Kevin James died in a climbing accident while
attempting the Supercouloir Route on Mt Deltaform. For Mike and Kevin, climbing
transcended mere sport or hobby. It was self-expression; it defined their
friendships, their personas, and shaped their life goals and aspirations.
They were skillful and prudent climbers of impeccable judgment. They were
loved by many and will be long remembered.
Mountains are merely contingencies of geology. They do not deliberately
please, nor do they intentionally kill: any meaningful properties they hold
–savageness, for example, or bleakness– are invested in them
by human imagination, experience and language. In other words, mountains
are simply there, and there they remain, their physical structures shaped
gradually throughout time by geological processes and weather. Yet, for
those of us gathered at Mike’s home during the second week of June,
the meaning of the hills had somewhat changed–for some, perhaps, altered
forever. Mike and Kevin were still out there, somewhere. A small part of
me believes they’re still climbing. Climb on, dear friends.–Zac
Robinson
American Mountaineer Pete Schoening Dies
Pete Schoening, the pioneering alpinist best known for
his efforts on K2 and Hidden Peak, succumbed to cancer on September 22,
2004. He was 77.
Schoening’s name will forever be synonymous with saving the lives
of five team members on a 1953 expedition on K2. Caught in a vicious storm
at 7,802 m, the seven-member team was forced to retreat after one of the
climbers, Art Gilkey, developed blood clots in his legs. On the descent,
Schoening managed to arrest the fall of five climbers who had slipped on
a section of steep ice by jamming his ice axe behind a rock.
“When you get into something like mountain climbing,” he commented
afterwards, “I’m sure you do things automatically without giving
it a thought of how or why.”
In 1958, with climbing partner Andy Kaufmann, Schoening climbed Gasherbrum
I 8,068 m, realizing the only American first ascent of an 8,000 m peak.
Other climbing accolades include the first ascent of the highest peak in
Antarctica, Mt Vinson 4,897 m, in 1966, and the first American expedition
to the Pamirs, then a part of the Soviet Union.
Schoening displayed a love for climbing throughout his entire life, making
an unsuccessful attempt to climb Everest in 1996 at age 68.
