The AmericAn Alpine JournAl

2010

The AmericAn Alpine JournAl

2010

This page: Jack Tackle on Tangled Up in Blue, the first route on the north face of Thunder Mountain, Alaska Range. Jay Smith

Cover: Luka Lindic approaching the second bivouac on Bhagirathi II (6,512m), with Bhagirathi III (6,454m) in the background. Marko Prezelj

2 0 1 0 V o l u m e 5 2 I s s u e 8 4

c o n t e n t s

16 Reincarnation,byDenisUrubko AboldnewrouteonthesoutheastfaceofChoOyuinNepal.

25 Rejuvenation,byMarkoPrezelj AninvigoratingtrioofnewroutesinIndia’sBhagirathigroup.

34 DiscoveringWhatLiesWithin,byKyleDempster AlostmentorshowsthewayonthenorthfaceofXuelianWest,China.

42 ABitofLuck,byAndyHouseman Thealpine-stylefirstascentofChangHimal’snorthfaceinNepal.

48 AloneonAnnapurnasouth,byDodoKopold Sometimetokillinbasecampproducesaboldnewroute.

52 JoboRinjang,byJoePuryear Thealpine-stylefirstascentofalittle-knownNepalesepeak.

58 thriller,byJensHolsten FourmajorroutesintwoweeksonAlaska’sStikineIceCap.

64 catharsis,byJacktackle After28Alaskanexpeditions:thetripofalifetime.

70 ProjectVictory,byGlebsokolov AboldnewrouteonthenorthfaceofPobedainKyrgyzstan.

78 FreeMountaineering,byYanDongdong AninsidelookatmodernChinesealpinism.

87 theGoldenPeak,byKimHyung-il AnewrouteonPakistan’sSpantikraisesthebarforKoreanalpinism.

Jon Walsh following the crux pitch on a new line on the South Tower of Mt. Asgard, Baffin Island. Chris Brazeau

Ruben van Walen on the first ascent of Percolator Addicts, Cordon Granito, Chile (p. 240). Menno Boermans, www.mennoboermans.eu

C l I m b s a n d e x p e d I t I o n s

90 contiguousUnitedstates110 Alaska136 canada150 Greenland164 Mexico165 colombia,Venezuela,Guyana,Brazil170 Peru,Bolivia176 Argentina,chile193 Antarctica201 Middleeast(oman,Yemen)207 Africa(Morocco,Mali,namibia,Malawi)218 norway231 cIs:Russia,tajikistan,Kyrgyzstan253 Afghanistan258 Pakistan280 India299 nepal326 china351 tibet357 Malaysia360 AAcGrants

362 BookReviews,editedbyDavidstevensonNewbooksbyDanielArnold,JerryAuld,DeanFidelmanandJohnLong,

SteveHouse,BreeLoewen,RobertMarshall,RoyalRobbins,DavidRoberts,

andEdViesturs.

373 InMemoriam,editedbycameronM.BurnsRememberingStimsonBullitt,RiccardoCassin,JonathanCopp,MicahDash,

CharlesSneadHouston,TomažHumar,CraigLuebben,CliftonH.W.Maloney,

RobertModelJr.,andSeanPatrick.

386 clubActivities,editedbyFredericko.Johnson

391 Index

400 InternationalGradecomparisonchart

Submissionguidelines,expandedreports,additionalphotos,topos,andcomments

areavailableataaj.AmericanAlpineClub.org

Jiri Splichal and Martin Klonfar on a new variant to the original winter route on Rulten during the International Winter Meet in Lofoten, Norway. Marko Prezelj

Kate Rutherford leading out on the first ascent of 10 Pounds of Tequila (V 5.12c R), on the east face of Acopan Tepui, Venezuela. Mikey Schaefer

Industry Friends

of the

amerICan alpIneJournal

We thank the following for their generous financial support:

benefaCtor

summIt partner

patrons

The American Alpine Journal, 710 Tenth St. Suite 100, Golden, Colorado 80401Telephone: (303) 384-0110 Fax: (303) 384-0111 E-mail: aaj@AmericanAlpineClub.org

www.AmericanAlpineClub.org

ISSN: 0065-6925 ISBN: 978-1-933056-23-4 ISBN: (e-book) 978-1-933056-24-1

©2010 The American Alpine Club. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved.

Friends

of the

amerICan alpIneJournal

We thank the following for their generous financial support:

BenefactorsYvonChouinard

H.AdamsCarterAmericanAlpineJournalFund

PatronsGordonA.Benner,M.D.

AnnCarterRichardE.Hoffman,M.D.

JohnG.McCall,M.D.**InmemoryofJohnFischer,CharlieFowlerandRandallGrandstaff

JosephE.MurphyEdithOverly

VerneandMarionReadMarkA.RicheyGlennE.Porzak

SupportersWilliamA.Burd

JimEdwardsZ.WayneGriffin,Jr.JohnR.Kascenska,II

WilliamR.Kilpatrick,M.D.

Special ThanksDavidHarrah

MichaelJohnLewis,Jr.SteveSchwartz

SamuelC.Silverstein,M.D.

Approaching the summit of Mt. Sarmiento, in Chile’s Tierra del Fuego. Ralf Gantzhorn

Sunset from near the final camp on the new Korean route on Spantik, Pakistan. Kim Hyung-il Collection

The American Alpine Journal

JohnHarlinIII,Editor

senioreditorKellyCordes

AssociateeditorsLindsayGriffin

DougaldMacDonald

ArtDirectorLiliHenzler

PhotoGuruDanGambino

contributingeditorsJoeKelsey,Climbs&ExpeditionsDavidStevenson,BookReviews

CameronM.Burns,InMemoriamFrederickO.Johnson,ClubActivities

cartographerMartinGamache,AlpineMappingGuild

translatorsAdamFrench

MarinaHeuschMartinGutmannPeterJensen-Choi

ToddMillerMarinaModlinHenryPickford

EkaterinaVorotnikova

IndexersRalphFerrara,EveTallman

RegionalcontactsLowellSkoogandMattPerkins,WashingtonCascades;DrewBrayshawandDonSerl,CoastMountains,BC;

RaphaelSlawinski,CanadianRockies;AntonioGómezBohórquezandSergioRamírezCarrascal,Peru;

DanielSeeliger,Cochamó;RolandoGaribotti,Patagonia;DamienGildea,Antarctica;HarishKapadia,India;

ElizabethHawleyandRichardSalisbury,Nepal;Tsun-imichiIkedaandTamotsuNakamura,Japaneseexpedi-

tions;PeterJensen-Choi,Koreanexpeditions;AnnaPiunova,CISexpeditions;ServeiGeneral

d’InformaciódeMuntanya,Spanishexpeditions;LindsayGriffin,Earth

WithadditionalthankstoJeffBenowitz,NateBrown,TommyCaldwell,

JerCollins,SteveGruhn,MaxHasson,BlakeHerrington,ElenaLaletina,JoséLuisMendieta,BruceNormand,

ChristinePae,RogerPayne,AnnaPiunova,JoePuryear,JoeReichert,DaríoRodriguez,MikeySchaefer,JaySmith,MarkWestman

The AmericAn Alpine club

OfficiAls fOr The YeAr 2010*Directorsex-officio

AlaskaHarryHunt&JamesBradyBlueRidgeSimonCarrcascadeEddieEspinosa&RogerStrongDeepsouthChadwickHaganFrontRangeChrisPruchnic

GreatLakesBillThompsonHeartlandJeremyCollinsnewenglandNancySavickasnewYorkPhilipErardnorthernRockiesBrianCabesierranevadaTomBurch

southernAppalachianDavidThoenensouthwestJamesPinter-LucketetonsBrentonReaganWesternslopeJimDoniniWyomingDonFoote

seCtIon ChaIrs

the amerICan alpIne Journal

JohnHarlinIIIaCCIdents In north amerICan mountaIneerIng

JohnE.(Jed)Williamson

edItors

executiveDirector–PhilPowersDirectorofoperations–PennBurrisMarketingDirector–DavidMarenDevelopment&conservationDirector–DeanneBucktechnologyManager–CraigHoffmanoutreachManager–DanaRichardsonexecutiveAssistant&GrantsManager–JanetMillerMembershipcoordinator–LaurenShockey

communications&contentManager–EmilyKreisBookkeeper–CarolKotchekeventscoordinator–BrittanyGriffithLibrary&MuseumDirector–SarahWoodAssistantDirector&PreservationLibrarian–BethHellerspecialcollectionsManager–GaryLandeckRanchManager–JohnClegg

staff

honorary presIdent

WilliamLowellPutnam

honorary treasurer

Theodore(Sam)Streibert

presIdent

StevenJ.Swenson*

seCretary

GeorgeLoweIII*

VICe presIdent

CharlesB.Franks*

treasurer

JackTackle*

exeCutIVe CommIttee

terms endIng 2011CharlotteFoxAimeeBarnesDougWalkerDaveRiggs

terms endIng 2012EllenLaphamJohnR.KascenskaEricSimonsonDougColwellRoanneMillerRobBonDurant

terms endIng 2013CodyJSmithA.TravisSpitzerPeteTakedaMarkKroesePaulGagner

dIreCtors

IfyouliketheAAJ,you’lllovetheAAJOnline.Thereyou’llfindextrapanoramicphotos,topos,longerreports,andmore.SpaceintheprintedAAJisverytight,sowecan’tincludeeverything.Whenyoufindareportaboutaplaceyou’reinterestedin,besuretocheckoutaaj.AmericanAlpineClub.org;youmightfindalotmoregoodinfo.Youcanalsoleavecommentsandseecorrections.

p r e faC eAn Open Letter to Managers of Peak Fees and

Permits in the Greater Ranges.

Yourhighpeaksarebeautiful,asarethepeoplewholiveintheirvalleys.Theyattractvisitorsfromallovertheworld,whichisasourceofprideforthosewholiveinmountaincommunities.However,manyoftherulesthatapplytovisitorsarerelicsofabygoneeraandarenowstumblingblockstoclimbingintheGreaterRanges.Ifyousimplifyyourregulations,you’llmoreeasilyandeffectivelyprotecttheenvironment,supportruralcommunities,andhelpmountaineers.

Ourbiggestconcerninvolvestherequirementtochooseinadvanceapeakandevenarouteupthatpeak.Thismaybelessofanissueforabiggroupgoingtoawell-knownsummit,suchasacommercialexpedition.Butformodernclimbers—especiallytheexploratoryandnew-routeclimbersrepresentedintheAmericanAlpineJournal—thereisagreatneedforflex-ibilityinthefield.Wemayhaveseenaphotoofabeautifulpeakthatinspiredustoflyhalfwayaroundtheworldtotrytoclimbit.Butonarrivalwemightdiscoverthatsnowconditionsarebad,accessroutesaredangerous,ortherouteisunsuitedtoourskills.Also,thefeestructureshouldnotdiscourageamodernexpeditionoftwoclimbersoperatinginverylightweightstyle.Asmallgroupoffriendsclimbingtogetheristhefutureofclimbing,evenonthemostdifficultandremotemountains.

ThereisonlysomuchthatcanbeplannedbackhomeinParis,Denver,orTokyo.Rigidrules,highfees,inflexibilityregardingchangesofplans,alldiscouragevisitsbyresponsibleclimbers,andtheycanbecounter-productivebyencouragingrulebreaking.

Allpartieswouldbenefit,especiallytheruralcommunitiesthatprovidegoodsandservices,ifthepermitprocesswasmodernized.Manygoodideashavebeenfloated,andtheyallpointtowardsimplicityandflexibility.Herearekeypointsforyourconsideration:

• Ablanketfeeandpermitcouldapplytoavalleyorregion,insteadoftoaspecificpeak(i.e.giveclimbersthesamefreedomastrekkers).

• Liaisonofficers,whogenerallyhavelittletodoonsmallexpeditions,couldbereplacedbyasystemof“rangers,”whowouldfollowgood-practiceenvironmentalguidelinesforprotected-areamanagement.

• Approvedtourcompaniescouldfulfillmostoftherolescurrentlyundertakenbyliaisonofficers,andtheycoulddealwithpermitsonthespotorwithminimumwait.

Over100yearsago,thepioneersofHimalayanmountaineeringwereclimbinginsmallteams.Inthe1930’sEricShiptonwroteofhislongingto“...wanderwithasmall,self-containedpartythroughthelabyrinthofunexploredvalleys,formingplanstosuitcircumstances,climbingpeakswhentheopportunityoccurred,followingtopographicalcluesandcrossingpassesintounknowncountry.”

Thoseheadydaysofexploration,whensomuchwasopentoenterprisingtravelers,maybeover.Buttoday,ifyousimplifyyourregulations,youwillnotonlyhelpmountaineers,you’llalsofindthatclimberswillbeeasiertomanage,theenvironmentcanbebetterprotected,andhappiervisitorswillbringmorebusinesstosupportruralcommunities.

JohnHarlinIIIEditor

Biyong Village, Tibet, with the east face of an unnamed and unclimbed 6,030m peak behind. Tamotsu Nakamura

TheAmericAnAlpineclub

From the 2009 Annual Report.

Inthefaceofatougheconomy,ourclubwasabletoachieveitsoverallgoals.Withsubstantialeffort,wemetourfund-raisingtargetsandexceededourmembershipgoals.Wealsomovedforwardonmanyfronts.

Thisyear’sCraggin’ClassicwasheldinUtah’sWasatchRange.AftertwoyearsofoperatingtheCraggin’Classic,itisclearthatsmaller,morefrequentevents,operatedincooperationwithoursectionsandlocalclimbingorganizations,willbethemodelforthefuture.

OurrekindledinvolvementintheinternationalclimbingcommunitycontinuedwithanotherInternationalClimbers’MeetinIndianCreek.ThebrainchildofpastpresidentJimDonini,theICMwillmakeitswaytoYosemiteValleythisfall.Theinternationalthemecontin-uedwhenGregMortenson,authorofThreeCupsofTea,spokeatourAnnualBenefitandAwardsDinner.TheAAChelpedGregduringhisearlydaysoftryingtobuildschoolsinPakistan,andhereceivedourDavidBrowerConservationAwardin1998.Inturn,hedrewawonderfulcrowdtothedinner,and,fromafund-raisingperspective,itwasourmostsuccessfulever—grossingover$75,000,plusanadditional$15,000raisedforconservation.

Lastspring,JohnCleggcameonasthenewmanageroftheGrandTetonClimbers’Ranch.WithhelpfromRanchCommitteechairmanBillFetterhoff,thiswasagreatyearfortheRanch.Fund-raisingwasupingeneral,andthenwasmultipliedbyagrantfromtheCommunityFoun-dationofJacksonHole.

OurtrailbuildingandconservationworkinPatagoniacontinuedforasecondyearunderthededicatedleadershipofRolandoGaribotti.HiseffortshaveinspiredawayfortheAACtosupportconservationworkatlocalclimbingareasintheUnitedStates.Mod-elingoureffortaftertheCivilianConservationCorpsofthe1930s,weplantoputthemusclesofclimberstoworkrestoringandimprovingtrails,stagingareas,andsignage.Ifyouhaveneedsatyourlocalcrag,workwithyoursectionchairtobringthenewCCC—theClimberConservationCorps—toyourarea.

Wecontinuedtofocusouradvocacyeffortsonissuesofnationalprominenceoronesthatbodetosetanationalprecedent.Lastyear,weworkedsuccessfullyonpreventingfeeincreasesforclimbersinDenaliNationalPark—anissuethatIfearwewillhavetoaddressagain.Movinginto2010,ourattentionhasbeenfocusedontheMercedRiverPlaninYosemiteandtheMinnewaskaStateParkmanagementplaninNewYork.

Whilemyforecastthat2009wouldbeachallengingyearheldtrue,italsowasasuccessfulone.Thebudgetednetoperatinglossfortheclubwasslightlylessthanexpected.Kudosaredue to themarketingteamformembershipgrowththatexceededourplan.Iamproudofthemarketingandmessagingcomingoutoftheclubthesedays;wearetellingourstorybetterthanever.Underneaththat

success,however,are indicationsthatsubstantialchangesfortheclub’spro-gramsandoperationsareinorder.Ulti-mately,thebestmeasureofsuccessfortheAACisthedegreetowhichcommit-tedclimbersvoteforourrelevancewiththeirduesdollars.Ifthereare500,000committedclimbersintheU.S.,orevenonly250,000,ourmembershipof8,000-plusisatinyshare.Ourprogramsmustbeimprovedtofullydeliveronourmis-sionto“provideknowledgeandinspi-ration,conservationandadvocacy,andlogisticalsupportfortheclimbingcom-munity.”

Wearewellpositionedtomakesubstantialchanges.Ourboardhasbeenreformedintoamorenimblecommitteestructure,ourfinancialpositionissound,andweareledbyapresi-dent,SteveSwenson,whocaresdeeplythatchangeismadeinaprocessthat’sthoughtfulandappropriate.

Thiseffortbeganinanadhocfashionin2009whentheboardlaunchedthree,indepen-dentprocesses:

• WiththeITProject,theboardestablishedfundingforasubstantialoverhaulofourelectronicdeliverysystemsforinformation.

• AresearchprojectonhowtoimproveourGrantsProgramisunderway.• OurKnowledgeCommitteeisbuildingaplantorestructureourpublicationsin2011

andbeyond.SteveSwensonhasaskedthatweuseourthreeadhocplanningprocessesasinputinto

afive-yearplanduetotheboardindraftforminOctober.Initialmeetingswiththeboardindicatethatthisprocesswill,forthefirsttimeinmanyyears,callforsignificantchangestotheAAC’scoreprograms.CurrentprogramslikeourrescuebenefitandtheAAJmustbeevalu-atedandimproved.Programsandmembershipbenefitsthatarenolongerasrelevantwillbereducedoreliminated.Newprogramswillbeadded.TheboardpopulatedataskforceofactiveclimberschairedbyboardmemberPaulGagnertohelpwiththiswork.OncethedraftstrategicplanisdeliveredtotheboardofdirectorsinOctober,therewillbeacommentperiodfollowedbyrevisionsbeforeafinalplanispresentedtotheboardinFebruary2011.Yourinputisessential.

Thisyearbodestobeatleastaschallengingaslastyearwas,butIamgratefulthattheclubleadershiprecognizesthatthesetimesalsopresentopportunitiesforrealchange.Ihopeyoutakeaseriouslookathowourclubcanevolveintoacommunitythatincludesallclimbers.Sugges-tionsofanykindcanbesenttothePlanningTaskForceat:planning@americanalpineclub.org

Lastly,pleasevotewithyourdollarsforabetter,strongerAmericanAlpineClub.Asclimbersandclubmembers,weknowtheimportanceofpartnership—ofwatchingoutforoneanotherandbandingtogethertodosomethinggreat.Ifwecanpoolcontributions,andgoinonthistogether,thenthekindofsubstantialchangeourclubisseekingiswithinreach.

PhilPowersExecutiveDirectorWarming up at the AAC’s 2009 International Climbers’ Meet.

Andrew Burr

AAC member Rolo Garibotti repairing trails during a four-year AAC/Patagonia Inc. project. Doerte Pietron