The most important mountaineering and mountain news of the last week

ByTravesía Pirenaica
News

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Wednesday, 28 December 2022

  • As in the past weeks, we are going to review the latest news from the 3 expeditions in the winter Himalayas. On the one hand, Alex Txikon and his team-mates have already made their first rotation at altitude.. After the traditional puya in the CB, the team has climbed up to the C1 today. Txikon has a good feeling and says that he is feeling strong and eager. In the next few days Simone Moro will join them. This year have installed the BC at 3,700m to avoid heavy snowfalls and avalanches.which they were sent home in a hurry last year. The trade-off is the additional 1,200m of elevation gain between the BC and the summit.
  • For its part, David Goettler and Herve Barmasse continue their acclimatisation. in the Khumbu Valley. They spent Christmas Eve climbing the 6,160m Island Peak (Imja Tse). Climbing this peak in other seasons is a very popular trek. So far they have not decided what challenge they will take on this winter. Remember that they will decide if their objective will be Annapurna, Dhaulagiri or if they will go to Pakistan to try again the Rupal slope of Nanga Parbat. For both of them "the pure alpine style is unrenounceable".
  • Christmas has been different for the Cho Oyu expeditionThe most advanced, which began activity before the astronomical winter. The Sherpas have now fixed the rope to C3 (7,200m before a large plateau before the final summit area). Kristin Harila and Adriana Brownlee have reached C2 (6,700m). "We had hoped to sleep at C3, but the strong wind forced us to go back down to Base Camp." (explorersweb)Harila wrote. "We are well acclimatised, so now we just need the wind to die down for at least three days.", seeing the summit attack attempt nearby. The Team has completed acclimatisation rotations and is now awaiting a weather window to attempt to fix camp 4 and possibly camp 5 and summit.

  • Patagonia for saleCan you buy a mountain? Yes, and a whole valley. Stunned I read the news you bring us Unevenness: "Much of the Cochamó Valley auctioned off". 131,000 hectares in Chilean Patagonia that have been put up for sale at an auction in Christie's of New York. A place that has been compared by many climbers to Yosemitebecause of the enormous possibilities it offers for big wall climbing. "El Dorado of plate, fissure and kilometre-long wall seekers, discovered by climbers in 1996". Local organisations are calling for it to be declared a nature sanctuary.

  • Platform in Defence of the Mountains of Aragon has initiated this petition addressed to the Government of Aragon, to stop their plans to destroy the valley of Canal Roya as part of their mega ski project for the area. It also calls for the declaration of Rust Channel as a natural park, also including the Anayet massif, Canal de Izas and the Partacua mountain range, under the joint denomination of Parque Natural del Anayet.   

Do not destroy the Canal Roya valley for the expansion of ski resorts. – Sign the petition! https://chng.it/Cx9JPjf7 through @change_en

Wednesday, 22 December 2022

  • We start with the Winter Himalayas. And with the dialectical confrontations that are occurring. "I don't want to create controversy, but after 22 winter expeditions, I know what I'm talking about (...). Astronomical winter is the only beginning of the true winter climbing season in the northern hemisphere". (explorersweb)says Simone Moro. Simone and Álex Txikon will go for the winter on Manaslu (8,163 m) for the third consecutive year. They will not set foot on the mountain until after 21 December, otherwise they will "change the rules in their favour". This does not apply to the new attempt to open the normal route on the south slope of Cho Oyu in winter. and by Adriana Brownlee, Kristin Harila, Gelje Sherpa and Seven Summit Treks who are already on the mountain (explorersweb). And that's where all the controversy comes from. In addition, more problems for Grace Tseng, with new doubts about her Kangchenjunga summit in autumn 2021. (explorersweb). On the other hand, we follow the expedition of David Goettler and Herve Barmasse, who are training and acclimatising in the Khumbu Valley. to prepare their objective for this winter (to be determined). Remember that last year they attempted in alpine style, and in winter, the Rupal to Nanga Parbat. They will decide this year if their objective will be Annapurna, Dhaulagiri or if they will go to Pakistan to attempt again the Rupal slope of Nanga Parbat. For both of them "the pure alpine style is unrenounceable".
  • We bring you the summer adventure of Dutch UIAGM guide Roeland Van Oss, the kind we love because it is so inspiring. The 82 four-thousanders of the Alps in 72 days, including cycling. (Barrabes). The figures are: 1,300km on bike, 600km on foot and 100,000m of positive altitude gain. "He made the crossing from east to west, starting on May 25 in Bernina and finishing on August 12, Roeland climbed his last peak, in Ecrins". We invite you to enter the Barrabes article and read the last part in which Roeland tells what led him to this adventure. I think we would subscribe to 100% to those words, each to his own challenges. The question he asked himself was "Why do we climb?
  • The FEDME Safety Committee presents a accident analysis in an activity organised by a group of "friends" on social networks, who did not actually know each other in person. (Desnivel). "What could make us decide to go on an unknown trail with a group of ten people we don't know at all? What could make us put ourselves in the hands of a virtual organiser-guide who places an advert in the group? The error in the perception of risk was in this case coupled with the lack of affective bonding between the group members. Sometimes these meetings are organised without assessing the risks, and it is good to be aware of them beforehand.
  • "An Accidental Life", by Henna Taylor, wins the Grand Prix of the Mendi Film Bilbao Bizkaia 2022 (Deia). The director deals with the tragic accident, with a fall of more than 30 metres, that the American climber Quinn Brett had in 2017 and which relegated her to a wheelchair. Before the accident, Brett held the women's speed record of The Nosealso in El Capitan; and the opening of the The Colorado Route on the south face of Fitz Roy, in Patagonia. Here is the trailer of the film.
  • And we close with a reality show that arrives. And the climb is unstoppable on its way to the mainstream (sorry for the anglicisms I put here). Actor (and climber) Jason Momoa and climbing legend Chris Sharma have teamed up to produce a new film, "The Climbing of the World". reality competition film for HBO Max entitled 'The Climb'.. The show, which will premiere on 12 January 2023, will feature Momoa, Sharma and professional climber Meagan Martin supervising 10 climbers competing for a $100,000 prize and sponsorship.
  • I forgot something. Frankly, it pisses me off, it hurts me, it surprises me. We have brought this issue to this section many times, but perhaps this tweet is the best way to tell it.

Wednesday, 14 December 2022

  • I find it interesting to share here the series of articles written by Manuel Guijarro in SalyRoca telling the story of his journey from the moment he receives a notification from the Guardia Civil. His article: "Your climbing partner denounces you". (part 1 / part 2). "Experts and beginners alike. Everyone is at risk of a climbing accident. There are publications that analyse in detail the causes of real accidents. Factors that triggered them, how to avoid them and their consequences. But few focus on an aspect that is unfortunately becoming more and more topical: criminal or civil liability among one's own cordade".
  • And to close the section, we do it with the illustration of 72kilos. And you, are you rich? What do you choose?

Wednesday, 7 December 2022

  • This season's winter expeditions in the Himalayas are starting to be unveiled. Simone Moro and Álex Txikon will once again share a winter expedition to Manaslu. (8,163 m) for the third consecutive year (Desnivel). In the case of Simone Moro it will be her fifth winter attempt on the mountain. Little is known about the aspects of the expedition, perhaps the team will meet at BC. Txikon is in Nepal leading a trek to Makalu base camp and then has another trek to Everest BC scheduled. We will follow the news on this new winter attempt.
  • On the South Face of Cho Oyu this winter will be Gelje Sherpa in its third attempt to open a new route on this slope. (Desnivel). It would be his fourteenth eight-thousander. The team is completed by Kristin Harila and Adriana Brownlee.
  • Changing discipline, Omar di Felice abandons his Antarctic challenge. Mental fatigue has sapped the adventurer's morale. The start of his adventure has been more complicated than expected. A test of mental endurance that has sapped him of the energy he needed to face the challenge. The crossing of Antarctica by bicycle (1,600 km) and alone will be left for a future attempt. "After 3 days locked up in my tent, I needed to get my nose out of my tent and regain my self-confidence. The conditions were no better than the last few days, and the effort (1h30 to pitch the tent, 3 hours pushing against the wind and almost 2 hours to pitch the tent again) may seem unjustified for the 4.6 km I managed to cover, but I needed to keep the dream alive".Omar commented on his Instagram.
  • Andorra to start charging for some ski and mountain rescues (Nevasport). Until now it has been reluctant to apply the same criteria as neighbouring countries. Now, in view of the increase in the number of rescues in recent years, it will begin to charge for rescues that are considered to have been caused by "imprudence or the practice of risky sports". And they consider risky: ski mountaineering, alpine skiing, para-skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking and snow biking. 
  • And we close the section with a tweet shared by the account of "Natural Hazards, Climate Change & Environment".. In it, they make us reflect on the future of ski slopes in the Pyrenees in the context of Climate Change. Rain returns to the Pyrenees this Thursday, and may reach 2000m, degrading snow conditions in the resorts in a complicated start to the season. They wonder about the "capacity to achieve the expected objectives" of the artificial snowmaking.

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

  • We start with a unprecedented challenge on Aconcagua (Summits): from level 0 in Buenos Aires to the 6,962m summit of Aconcagua. 1200 km by bike and the ascent on foot. This is the challenge of three Italians: to do it in less than 98 hours. This adventure is part of a "series"; some of the challenges they have already completed: the crossing from Venice to the top of the Marmolada or completing the 570 km via Gonnella and climbing Mont Blanc.
  • The Bear Festival is celebrated in two Andorran and three French municipalities in the Pyrenees. "Young people disguised as bears who come from the outskirts of the villages interact with the population and imitate the abduction of young girls. This Tuesday it has been inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. (El Periódico).

Wednesday, 23 November 2022

  • We start with polar cold as the one that has arrived these days. Everything is already white in the heights of the Pyrenees, yes. Let's get down to business. I tell you on the one hand that Antonio de la Rosa will try again (remember that their previous attempt was cut short by Covid and the associated logistical problems in 2022). crossing the Antarctic by rowing, sailing and skiing, all soloFrom Cape Horn to Antarctica, crossing the almost 1,000 km of the Sickle Sea. There he will transform the Ocean Defender with a small sail to reach Elephant Island and, emulating Shackleton, he will sail 2,000km to South Georgia, where he will cross the island on his skis. If you got lost, don't worry, I'll show you a video in which he tells you about it himself:
  • And without giving up solo polar adventures, Omar di Felice wants to make history in Antarctica. He will attempt to complete the crossing Antarctica by bicycle (1,600 km) and alonealso something to do in the polar adventure (Oxygen Magazine). Last year he cycled around the Arctic for the first time, here we explain it to you. We also have a video of the challenge, dubbed the Antartica Unlimited:
  • Returning to the heights of the mountain. The Russians' insistence has culminated in the summit of Annapurna IV. (7.525 m) (Desnivel). Two members of the 14-member expedition, Sasha Eliseev and Andrei Dergachev, reached the summit without the support of Sherpas for the final attack. A classic style of expedition in which they have installed up to five high camps.
  • Now we bring you a in-depth interview with Jot Down sportThe magazine's new vertical will focus on the great stories of sport. They talk to Reinhold Messner. "If you enter a big wall there is the unknown of not knowing where you are going, where you will end up, if you can make it, if you will find the right path. It is truly an adventure. First you have to read with your eyes where to go through." "The art of great mountaineering is not to die"..
  • And we say goodbye with a video of La Sportiva that comes to us via the Oxygen Magazine "Failure: just another part of the journey".. Several top athletes reflect on the concept of failure in the world of sport. "Every success is the summit of a mountain of failures".

Wednesday, 09 November 2022

  • We kick off the section by telling you that the edition of Skimetraje after its return after the pandemic with a new approach and a new stage. New this year, the 15 short films in competition could be filmed anywhere in the world, not only in the Pyrenees. "The winning short film, White Dimension is the piece starring the rider Alex Blasco and filmed in Andorra, with which Mario Manso and Ana Gómez They manage to convey the mystique of skiing with powerful images, which in turn make us reflect on the terrible consequences of climate change". (Skimetraje)
  • Jost Kobusch will not attempt Everest this winter. (ExplorersWeb). We told you a few weeks ago that the German climber was acclimatising in the seismic mountains of Nepal and ascending Chulu West. Where he contracted dengue fever and was hospitalised. A serious disease that this autumn full of mosquitoes in the country is affecting many mountaineers. Last year, we followed Jost's projecta 3-year challenge, when he tried to reach the 8,000 metres where the runner begins. Hornbein and see how fit he is for the final assault this year. Kobusch admits the illness has been tough both physically and mentally. "I want to train, I want to do things, but... my body is still too weak," he admitted to Web Explorers. His short-term plans are to go to Alaska to continue training for his solo winter Everest project.
  • We share with you this article from Eldiario.es "Overestimating our capabilities, the main cause of the increase in the number of rescues in Aragon's mountains". From Safe Mountain a survey campaign has been carried out among practitioners of activities in the Aragonese natural environment, collecting data from more than 8340 people. These data and those of the rescues carried out give us an idea of the keys to safety in mountain environments. Some data: half of the mountaineers do not wear orientation equipment and 13% of the hikers wear urban footwear. "Rescues increased by 6.3% in the summer season, in which eleven people lost their lives".
  • You know that the Pou Brothers are regulars in this section. On this occasion has gone viral (passing through all the newscasts) a video of him performing the 1st climb of 8a/+ of 120 metres, and descend with a jump. (Barrabés). Here we are not going to be less and we also show you the video of the jump to the Strait of Mijares 😉.

Wednesday, 26 October 2022

  • Piolets d'Or 2022 for Sean Villanueva and the Georgians of Saraghrar (Desnivel). The jury awarded the Belgian climber's solo 'The Moonwalk Traverse' on Fitz Roy, the ascent of Saraghrar North West by the trio Archil Badriashvili, Baqar Gelashvili and Giorgi Tepnadze. And the special mention for Annapurna III by the Ukrainians, which according to the jury was an ascent that deserved more but the fact of using a helicopter to access the circus does not comply with some of the points of the Piolets d'Or charter. To close this article I am going to show you the video of Sean Villanueva making that impossible traverse on Fitz Roy. You already know from the videos we usually bring you here of Sean, that they are very funny.

Thursday, 13 October 2022

  • We share with you the article by Christian Pau: "Manaslu, the word "sofa" as a wild card" in Camille's MountainsThe book, in which he takes a historical tour since Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa first climbed Manaslu in 1956, and tells us the different facts and much of what has recently been said about the true and false summit of Manaslu. "The real summit of Manaslu, photographed and filmed for a documentary in 1956. Half a century later, many mountaineers who prowl around it still find it hard to find".

Wednesday, 28 September 2022

  • We kick off the section with the challenge of the 14×8000 in a single year by Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harilawho wants to emulate Nirmal Purja's record of 14. A Harila He is accompanied by Nepalese Dawa Ongju Sherpa and Pasdawa Sherpa. The three of them have now reached their 12th eight-thousander of the year with the ascent of Manaslu. (Turiski). "The ascent was difficult, but we wanted to get to the top of Manaslu at the first opportunity to avoid the crowds of climbers waiting at base camp," says Harila. Now the main hurdle they face is getting the Chinese permits to climb Shisha Pangma and Cho Oyu, their last eight-thousanders to achieve the challenge. They should do so before 2 November if they want to beat Nirmal Purja's record. We would also like to point out that, despite the spectacular nature of these feats, they have nothing to do in terms of means and "philosophy" with other great feats that we bring you in this news section every week, such as the use of supplementary oxygen.

"We are honoured to recognise with the WOP Mendi Film Foundation Award to Eduardo Martínez de Pisón. Eduardo is in love with nature and especially with the mountains. An erudite, transcendent and committed love based on the responsibility he feels towards it and in which he recognises himself. A nature that has shaped his entire life from the most accessory to the most spiritual. A territory that, being a landscape full of culture, has become his home and source of happiness and passion. Landscapes in which he has lived and which he has taught so many people to look at and see, transmitting to them his love for them. For his life of authenticity, commitment, passion, protection of our "landscapes" and for his tireless task of inspiring transmission of these values, we are thrilled and proud to award Eduardo Martínez de Pisón the WOP Foundation Prize for the defence and transmission of the social values of mountaineering.". 

  • Pyrenean legend Jean Ravier has died at the age of 88 after a long and fruitful life. (Barrabes). Couloir de Gaube, Tozal del Mallo in Ordesa, Piton Carre in the Vignemale, north face of the Grand Aiguille d'Ansabère, north spur of the Midi d'Ossau, north face of the Torre de Marboré, Pilar de la Embaradère...; every emblematic mountain in the Pyrenees has the classic of the Ravier brothers. They also took part in historically renowned Himalayan expeditions such as the 1962 Jannu expedition, with the cream of French mountaineering, including Lionel Terray.

Wednesday, 27 July 2022

  • Let's start by talking about the fruitful summer of Denis Urubko in Karakorum. First it was a 14h40' express ascent of Broad Peak from BC. Urubko had already climbed the mountain twice before. Now adds to his 25th eight-thousander with another express summit on Gasherbrum II (Desnivel). Fifth time on the G2. It took him 15h20' to reach the summit and 25 hours to return, just one eight-thousander short of Juanito Oiarzabal's record of 26 ascents of eight-thousanders without oxygen. And the summer continues for Denis who has permission to climb four eight-thousanders in the Baltoro area (Broad Peak, K2 and the two Gasherbrums). We will be following in his footsteps.
  • Edu Marín makes the second free ascent of 'Eternal flame'. at Nameless Tower (6251m) in the Trango Tower Range in Pakistan (Planet Mountain). After being very close to achieving it in the summer of 2021, now climbing with the support of his brother Álex and his father Francisco, the Catalan climber Edu Marín has achieved it after 28 days on the wall. The route set a milestone in high-altitude wall climbing when Wolfgang Gullich, Kurt Albert, Christof Stiegler and Milan Sykora opened it for the first time in 1989. Twenty years later, Alex and Thomas Huber made the first free climb with a few variants. Only two days after Marín did it, Austrian Barbara Zangerl and Italian Jacopo Larcher also repeat 'Eternal flame'. free in 6 days (Desnivel). All of them also met on the mountain in 2021.

Wednesday, 13 July 2022

"I took shelter behind a rock, inside the blizzard. Once it was over, the adrenaline hit me hard. I was only covered by a small layer of snow, without any scratches. When I rejoined the group I could see that everyone was safe, although one member had cut his knee pretty badly (he rode one of the horses to the nearest medical centre). Another had fallen off a horse and suffered some minor contusions".-Harry Shimmin

These extraordinary avalanches, as well as news such as the one with which we have opened this section (the state of the Aneto glacier), bring us face to face with the accelerating effects of global warming. Only a few days ago the collapse of a serac in the Marmolada caused eleven victims. (Desnivel). A threat that extends to other parts of both the Alps and the Pyrenees.

  • The controversy opens up: According to 8000ers research, only Ed Viesturs and Veikka Gustafsson would have completed the Fourteen without oxygen. (Desnivel). According to Eberhard Jurgalski most of the fourteen eight-thousanders would not have reached the true summit of Manaslu. With supplementary oxygen, Nirmal Purja would also have reached the 14 eight-thousanders. On the post Camille Mountains you can see a translation of the article by Eberhard Jurgalski in which he reviews the ins and outs of the investigation. And as you can see from Sebastian Alvaro's tweet, which I link to below, the "salseo" and the discrepancies with the investigation are there for all to see. According to Alvaro, "there is a debate about Manaslu, which is of interest to the commercial companies". 

Wednesday, 29 June 2022

  • Sara Alonso wins the Marathon du Mont-Blanc 2022 (Mountain Races). In Zegama she already showed that she was among the best with her deserved podium finish. This is his first win in the Golden Trail Series and puts him in the lead. Jonathan Albon was also the winner.
  • Pou brothers and Huaracino Micher Quito open 2 new routes and virgin summit in the Andes (Barrabes)opening of 'Hanan Pacha' 90º/425m and 'EMMOA' M6/75º/640m in the Urus. The trip of the brothers from Alava in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru continues to be fruitful. The Pou brothers had set their sights on this massif the previous season (2021), when in the last activity in which they climbed the Ishinca ravine, they discovered these difficult and little-travelled mountains.
  • Carros de Foc premieres documentary (diaridelaneu). La Travessa dels Refugis will be presented for the first time at the Garmin Mountain Festival in the Vall de Boí and in the Val d'Aran by UTMB. The Carros de Foc route is much more than a mountain trek. "It is an itinerary that leaves an indelible mark on anyone who dares to venture into its rugged world: an accumulation of images, sensations, landscapes and experiences, a kaleidoscope of rock, snow, wind and nature in its purest form.

Thursday, 16 June 2022

  • We begin by telling you that she other boot of Günther Messner has been found on Nanga Parbat. (Desnivel). Reinhold Messner has announced it. It was found at the foot of the Diamir glacier and corroborates Reinhold's account of the misfortune of 52 years ago, which is one of the tragic historical episodes of Himalayanism. The Messner brothers reached the summit of Nanga Parbat on 27 June 1970 by the first ascent of the Rupal slope and descended the Diamir slope. This was the first traverse of the mountain. At the base of the Diamir, Günther was buried by an avalanche.
  • The Pou brothers free climb 'Aúpa Gasteiz!' (160m 7c+), in the Quebrada de Yaca, a route above 4,000 metres altitude. (Woguclimbing). This is the culmination of a project they started in the Cordillera Blanca in 2019. "There are 160 very athletic and steep metres, spread over five pitches of rope, with difficulties maintained in the seventh grade and three pitches bordering on the eighth," explain Eneko and Iker.
  • We recommend reading the article by Jesús Sampériz and Santiago Martín: Macroprojects that threaten the Aragonese Pyrenees (elDiario). "It is hard to understand that, in this day and age, there are those who believe that sowing the landscape with cables and chairlifts is a tool for progress. It is hard to believe that going up to a cable car at the Canfranc station and from there to the Astún or Formigal stations, violating the natural values of the Canal Roya river valley (La Canal Roya), is the most appropriate way of promoting the mountain regions". 
  • And we say goodbye with this funny video 'Consequences', a mad escalating satire of the anticlecas that reaches us via Unevenness. Sean Villanueva, Nico Favresse, Cédric Lachat and Charlotte Durif star in this funny production filmed during the recent Petzl Roc Trip in Greece. Humour is never missing in Sean and Nico's videos and publications. Here is the video. "The year 2082: One day, someone marked the first mark. As a consequence of this criminal act, the Earth's temperature has risen dramatically and pollution has grown to extreme levels. The planet has become almost completely deserted, except for one small sanctuary, where life continues as it did before the first cleca."

Wednesday,1 June 2022

Norwegian Himalayan Kristin Harila continues unstoppable in her project to crown the 14 eight-thousanders in 6 months. So far he has climbed six in just one month: Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Kanchenjunga, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu (Desnivel).

The IFSC Bouldering and Speed World Cup in Salt Lake City ended with Erik Noya in seventh place, beating the Spanish record by two seconds to 5.66 seconds. María Laborda finished in the top20 while the cross was for Alberto Ginés, who had to withdraw due to physical problems (FEDME). The video of the final can be seen in full at Olympics.com.

Continuing with the records, we continue with those set this weekend by Kilian Jornet (3h36:40) and Nienke Brinkman (4h16:43) in the Zegama-Aizkorrithe race of mountain races (Noticias de Gipuzkoa). The Catalan ran more than 8 minutes faster than the record set by Angermund 5 years ago, a time that was also beaten by Magnini (3h39:31), who finished in second place.

Wednesday,18 May 2022

  • Did you know that 90% of the world's people breathe polluted air? To raise awareness of air pollution on 25 June, the Running Up For Air event will take place in digital format.. So you can participate from wherever you are. Through the challenge Running Up For Air StravaIn addition, participants can keep track of the accumulated elevation gain and connect with other runners. You can stay from 1 hour to 24 hours and support European NGOs fighting for better air quality, such as ClientEarth, Cittadini per l'Aria or German Zero. 
  • And we close the section with the documentary "Run to the source. Martin Johnson explores nature and diversity that extends beyond London in Patagonia's new documentary. It follows Johnson as he attempts to set the fastest time along the 296km Thames River Trail from the Thames Barrier in south-east London to the source of the river in the Cotswolds on 25 May, the anniversary of George Floyd's assassination. As a sportsman and a black Briton, Johnson grapples with the physical challenge as well as reflecting on the history of black people in Britain.

Wednesday, 11 May 2022

  • Carlos Soria abandons the summit attempt for the time being due to the latest snowfall and the forecast of strong winds at altitude.. Carlos Soria, Sito Carcavilla and Mikel Sherpa are already at base camp, seeing how the snowfall evolves. In the early hours of the morning of the 6th, Carlos left BC to meet Sito Carcavilla at C1, in the hope of launching an attack on the summit on the 9th. The summit will have to wait until the mountain gives way.
  • We share with you this interesting thread from Aitor Tilla on Twitter in which he talks about the "debate on the ethics of using workers in cutting-edge challenges". after the fatal accident of the Sherpa on the south face of Lhotse. As he says, something that "not so long ago was clear" and like many other things in mountaineering "has gradually been diluted". "Those mountaineers who seek honour have the job of climbing the mountain and, as Terray said, conquering the useless... even if they risk their lives. What is not acceptable is that they gamble with the lives of workers uselessly", comments Aitor.
  • In France, a great trekking route has emerged, linking 47 GR® long-distance footpaths into a single trekking route. HexaTrek is a trekking route of 3034 km connecting 14 of the most beautiful national parks and crossing France from the Vosges to the Pyrenees.. The trail runs through the highest mountainous regions of France, a country often nicknamed "l'Hexagone" because of its hexagonal shape, linking some of the most emblematic peaks, natural wonders and wildest places.
  • And to close we recommend you to watch the latest episode of "From park to parkRtve's 16-episode documentary series in which each chapter covers one of the 16 National Parks. On this occasion we are taken to the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. The highest calcareous massif in Europe, a mixture of high mountain landscapes, Atlantic forests, snow and ice. What are we going to tell you. I leave here the link to episode.

Wednesday, 04 May 2022

The skier and mountaineer from Granada, Ana Alonso, the first woman to descend the three great nortes of the Sierra Nevada on the same day. (Barrabes). Extreme ski descents to the Canuto del Veleta, North of the Mulhacén and the north face of the Alcazaba (a line previously skied by only 3 people). "We weren't afraid at any time, but they are areas where you have to be as concentrated as possible in your skiing so as not to make any mistakes.Alonso. I leave you here the video of the feat. There is no lack of moments exposed in which the tension reaches the spectator himself.

  • The short window of good weather on Annapurna was squeezed out by the Himalayas.  Thirty summits, four of them without oxygen, including those of the two rescued Giampaolo Corona and Tim Bogdanov. (Desnivel). The alarm was raised about the loss of contact from the base camp of the climber Giampaolo Corona and his two companions who were ascending without oxygen. Finally the information arrived that Tim Bogdanov and Giampaolo Corona had been evacuated from Camp 4 (6,800 m) with severe frostbite. The cause of the problems was cited as the lack of acclimatisation of the climbers without oxygen, in a planned summit attempt mainly for those who climbed with oxygen.
  • And to give you an idea of what the Annapurna summiters had to deal with, here is the video I shared with you @KrisAnnapurnaviral images of the avalanche recorded by Kasturi Deepak Savekar, a 20-year-old Indian climber, who may surprise you, but she made it to the top. after this incident. How cold-blooded to film without running away and looking for a somewhat safer place.

Wednesday, 27 April 2022

  • Climbing and descending Makalu in less than 24 hours, the challenge of Karl Egloff and Nicolás Miranda. These two regular speed climbers plan to climb Makalu in less than 24 hours. It will be a training to beat the Everest record in the next few years. You can visit listen to Karl Egloff from the BC to questions from Desnivel.
  • Japanese team Toshiyuki Yamada and Takeshi Tani climb the north face of Kangchung Nup (6,089m) for the first time. (Barrabes). "The weather and conditions were perfect. We had a wonderful experience on a beautiful wall".says Yamada. The Kangchung Nup Seismile is a historic mountain; it was first climbed on its south face (it has little in the way of vertiginousness to the north) by Sir Edmund Hillary and other members of the 1953 British Everest expedition in preparation for their acclimatisation.
  • We tell you that The Entrepyr Association, which brings together mountain refuges from all over the Pyrenees, was set up on 20 April.The first network of refuges in the Pyrenees mountain range, with the aim of promoting refuges and mountaineering as an element of sustainable development for the territory. A great joint project and a common website to centralise the bookings of the refuges of the Pyrenees. We leave you here the Entrepyr website which already has interesting resources: shelters, circuits, routes, etc.
  • To close we say goodbye with the documentary The last Tepui". by National Geographic, available at Disney+. Alex Honnold and a team of scientists and explorers go deep into the Amazon rainforest. The formations are impressive: sheer-walled plateaus up to 300m above the jungle, hanging gardens, waterfalls plunging into the abyss. Honnold and biologist Dr Bruce Means explore the Guiana highlands in search of new species. "Tepui" translates as "house of the gods" in Pemón, the native language of Guyana's Gran Sabana.

Wednesday, 20 April 2022

  • After spending the night at C3 Carlos Soria and his team descend to Base Camp on Dhaulagiri.. The weather forecasts were not good for the next few days. They arrived at base camp 8 days ago to find the mountain equipped for the earlier expeditions and a window of good weather. They decided to make a quick ascent, which would lead them to rest at C3 and make an attack on the summit, which they discarded due to the weather forecast. Once on the BC, this first foray to the heights of the mountain has undoubtedly led them to achieve a good acclimatisation for the next foray onto the mountain.
  • "We can't count on luck when we go to the mountains". (Mountain Running). Kilian Jornet has shared an avalanche incident in the Himalayas to reflect on the risks we take in the mountains. "This photo was taken inside a crevasse. I was climbing in the Himalayas a couple of years ago and an avalanche made me fall down and into a crevasse. I thought that was it. 
  • Spaniard Daniel Zaragoza approaches the peaks of the Cachi, Quewar and Llullaillaco snow-capped peaks by bicycle for his ascent. (Mountain Peaks). 1,000 kilometres by bike, mostly on dirt roads and with passes of up to 5,000 metres, in self-sufficiency and alone. The challenge, which will demand between 20 and 30 days of autonomous and solitary effort, started on Sunday 10th. "I will leave with my bike from the Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy, in the north of Argentina, loaded with all the necessary material and I will head south following the Andes mountain range and chaining the ascents of Nevado Cachi 6,380m, Nevado Quewar 6,160m and the Llullaillaco volcano 6,739m, the second highest volcano in the world".
  • And to close, we discover the youtuber Eli del Pirineu. We share with you a video with a touch of humour of a day doing the Trans-Pyrenees Crossing. "This was the scariest day of my life, it happened on My Romantic Crossing of the Pyrenees, while I was walking the High Pyrenees Route".

Wednesday, 13 April 2022

  • Sung-Taek Hong and Jorge Egocheaga return to the south face of the Lhotse. (ExplorersWeb). Already on the way to BC, one of the most interesting expeditions of the spring is underway. This is Sung-Taek Hong's seventh attempt on this south face, a dream of more than two decades that will hopefully be achieved this time. As brothers: Jorge Egocheaga has accompanied Hong on the attempts in the autumn of 2017 and spring of 2019, both of which surpassed the 8,200 m altitude, but weather complications prevented him from reaching the summit.
  • Carlos Soria and Sito Carcavilla head for the Dhaulagiri BC (Desnivel). The first summits have already been reached, so the mountain is now equipped. In the last attempts Carlos Soria and his team were forced to carry the equipment and the arduous task of opening the track. In view of this, they do not rule out an attempt in one go. "The ideal would be to spend two nights at C1 (5,600 m)," says Sito. Dhaulagiri is the penultimate eight-thousander that Carlos Soria still needs to complete the Catorce, at 83 years of age and with a knee prosthesis. The team is completed by the traumatologists who operated on him and his physiotherapist, who were surprised by how well his prosthetic knee works.
  • First black Everest team heads to the Himalayas (AdventureBlog). In Kathmandu there is already a group (Full Circle Everest Expedition) of African-American climbers who form the first black team to Everest. But their goals go far beyond setting foot on the iconic mountain. Led by veteran adventurer and mountaineer Phil Henderson, in 2013 they were part of an all-black team that went to Denali, and in 2018 they made their way to Kilimanjaro. After the first ascent of Everest it took 40 years before the first black man reached the summit. Now this group is trying to break down social barriers that, even if we don't want to recognise them today, do exist. They hope that their example will "encourage black people not only to dream big, but also simply to go outdoors".
  • Omar Di Felice completes first round-the-world Arctic bike ride. It has been more than two months in the saddle in polar temperatures (-42°C was the lowest it has ever been). "More than 4,000 km and 33,000 metres of elevation gain over ice and snow, against storms and extreme weather, living below zero". Di Felice set off on 2 February from Kamchatka (Russia) and then headed for Lapland (from Murmansk in Russia to Tromsø in Norway), the Svalbard Islands, Greenland and Iceland. From Russia he managed to leave a few days before the outbreak of war in Ukraine. The last stage, in the Arctic regions of North America, took him cycling through Whitehorse (Yukon region, Canada) and Alaska (USA) along the Dalton Highway. In total, Di Felice covered 4,000 km and 33,000 metres in altitude.

"That's it folks! I did it, round the world Arctic circumnavigation and now I'm at 66º33' North in the Arctic Circle. Again from the start on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula." -Omar Di Felice

  • And to bid you farewell we share with you the article written by Oscar Gogorza for El País, "Climbers opening routes on the planet's remote big walls". An "X-ray" of the life and adventures of Nicolas Favresse and Sean Villanueva. In 2011 they received the Piolet d'Or for their journey in Greenland in search of great walls emerging directly from the sea. The journalist meets them in Etxauri; "The van stops. Two small, dishevelled figures get out of the van. It's them, but they could be two characters from the Coen brothers' film. The Big Lebowski."

Wednesday, 6 April 2022

  • We share this interview they do from Elmundo Miquel Sánchez, 40 years as a keeper of the Ventosa i Calvell refuge in the Lleida Pyrenees. "The type of public that comes now has nothing to do with it. When I started at the refuge, only skiers and climbers came. Now mountaineers continue to come, but there are also tourists. People from the city now dare to come up here and enjoy it. And I'm delighted". 
  • Switzerland is a paradise for multi-pitch climbing. Cédric Lachat was born and raised there. Through his unique sense of humour and unbridled enthusiasm he experiences the beauty and wonder of five iconic peaks and walls: the Eiger, Gastlosen, Wendenstöcke, Lauterbrunnen and Rätikon. Swissway to heaven (Swiss way to the sky). In addition to footage of hard climbing (from 8a onwards), the openers talk about the changes in equipment and climbing over time, from traditional mountaineering to modern sport climbing. Here you can watch the documentary (subtitles available).
  • And to close we leave you a animation short film -This week we have set you a double audiovisual task. Two men climb a mountain to place a statue of the Virgin Mary at the top, and all goes well until someone's leg falls off. That's when things start to get hilarious. This animated short film is a visual marvel, and you might get a chuckle or two out of it. 

Ascension from Ascension Le Film on Vimeo.

Wednesday, 30 March 2022

"As I went on, my confidence grew. I had done all the difficult pitches and a few short sections on the rope. By the time I reached the Traverse of the Gods at 10am, I knew that time was on my side." -Laura_tiefenthaler

Wednesday, 23 March 2022

Wednesday, 16 March 2022

  • Jonatan García and Esteban 'Topo' Mena have already set up base camp at the foot of Gangapurna (7,455m).They chose the south face, in a safe place at an altitude of 4,700m. They have chosen the south face because of the danger posed by the seracs on the north face. The aim is to bring the light, fast and autonomous alpine style to the south face of the mountain, which has mixed terrain and less ice than the north face. This face was opened in 1981 by the Canadian group led by John Lauchlan, and there is another route opened by a Korean group in 2016 - the last ascent of the mountain. It is still uncertain whether they will open a new route or repeat one of the previous ones.
  • Poles Janusz Gołąb, Maciej Kimel and Michał Król have installed and secured the C1 at 5,500m on the British Route.despite the bad snow conditions. They are encountering snow and strong wind, which kept them waiting on the wall. The Polish group is immersed in the attempt of the first winter visit to the Nameless TowerOne of the great winter treasures of the Karakorum. The British Route (1000m, VI, 5.10, A2) is the original, but they have the uncertainty of not knowing what they will encounter in their winter state. They hope that the ice will provide the continuity that will allow them to ascend using only ice axes and crampons.
  • And now it's time for the vertiginous "tours", such as the one they have made Seba Pelletti, Hernan Rodriguez and Antar Machado completing the Grupo La Paz crossing. (Desnivel). Three days and two bivouacs, covering the profiles of the La Paz Group in Chilean Patagonia. The route, which has been christened 'Ayayema Wesqar', has a 1,000-metre climb and difficulties of up to 5.11 metres. And changing continents, Simon Gietl completes solo winter crossing of the Rosengarten in the Dolomites (Desnivel). The crossing is known as Catinaccio, and he has done it in three days, to complete its 17 kilometres and more than 5,000m of positive difference in altitude, in an obvious line that connects all the peaks of the massif, and that no one had ever tackled in this style.
  • And we couldn't say goodbye without talking about the curious phenomenon produced by the haze in the Pyrenees (Salt and Rock). It has not been seen in 30 years, at least not with this intensity. "Curious also how it only affects below 2400m, leaving a perfect cut-off at that altitude with clean snow above it", comments Urko Jalle, meteorologist of the Diario de Noticias de Navarra..

Wednesday, 9 March 2022

  • A search expedition finds in perfect condition the 'Endurance (Eldiario); Ernest Shackleton's ship frozen in time since it was trapped in 1915 in the ice and abandoned by its crew. Shackleton and his expedition set out in 1914 to try to get from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea, a transantarctic route via the South Pole. They had to leave the ship and use lifeboats to reach Elephant Island, where they survived by eating seals and penguins.
  • And we finish this week's section with this terrifying video, watching Leland Nisky clinging to the ice with his ice axes. when an avalanche of snow begins to fall on him. Leland was ice climbing alone. "I am grateful for the years of experience and training in stressful situations that kept me calm and allowed me to get through this bizarre situation and return home safely," Leland later commented on social media. A terrifying experience.

Wednesday, 2 March 2022

  • For months we have been following the Everest only in winter by Jost Kobusch. After a final attempt to reach a higher altitude, reaching 6,500, Jost decides to terminate the expedition (Barrabes). Remember that this is the second year of a three-year project. This winter's objective was to reach 8,000 metres where the corridor begins. Hornbein and see their conditions for the final assault next year. (You can follow the timeline of the events of your adventure here)

"If we went on holiday to the beach and it rained for 14 days, did the bad weather ruin our holiday? Or perhaps it was our wishes, dreams and hopes? Who controls our expectations? When I set off on this expedition, I was aware that the winds could hit the mountain at 250 km/h. I was also aware that the weather conditions could be very bad. I was also aware that the weather conditions could be very bad. Consequently, the expedition went as I expected it to go. OK, between you and me, it was really stormy and maybe a bit worse than I expected. But at the end of the day, I learned a lot and I am very grateful for the experience. Today I decided not to continue climbing. Continuing in these conditions doesn't make much sense." -Jost Kobusch

  • Also Grace Tseng's attempt at winter K2 with oxygen ends (Desnivel). They were at C3 waiting for a possible summit attack once the Sherpas had equipped the route to C4. Finally, they decided to descend to base camp and to end the expedition. All safe and sound. They have indicated that they will continue their climb in the summer.

Wednesday, 23 February 2022

  • Horsetail waterfall threatened by global warming (Salt and Rock) according to an IGME study. The water discharged by the Garcés spring comes mainly from the infiltration of water produced by snowmelt. The average temperature in the Pyrenees is expected to rise by up to 7.1 degrees at the end of the century, precipitation in the form of snow will be reduced and the snow cover that does form will last less time. This would reduce the recharge that ensures the survival of the Cola de Caballo waterfall.
  • Carnival comes to the Pyrenees, and it is dressed in tradition, colour and mysticism.

Wednesday, 16 February 2022

"A pinch of analysis, a pinch of commitment and a handful of motivation. Those are the ingredients needed to take advantage of this latest window with precision." -Benjamin Védrines

  • Last week, on the 9th, a massive landslide cut off the Cares river route. (Mountain Races), lo you can see in the tweet we share. The landslide occurred in the Culiembru area, about five kilometres from Poncebos, on the Asturian side of the path that leads to Cain. The route has been reopened The route is very easy for hikers, but care must be taken when walking. Landslides are very frequent in the area.

"Alberto retained the dates, he knew the places, he knew details of each protagonist, he knew the details of the first discoveries made by those first naturalists, idle aristocrats or photographers more than a century ago... and he was like that, to the point that we could say that he was the Henri Beraldi of our Pyrenees, the great chronicler of the adventure and the conquest of the peaks of Alto Aragon".

  • And finally, we would like to share with you the photo that we received via @Benasque_ on twitter, belonging to the Archive of the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya. "A colossal glacier to host the highest Pyrenean summit", the Aneto with its 3,404m. If we were to add colour to the photograph it would look like the very crevasses of Everest. A pity about the agony of the ice in the Pyrenees.

Wednesday, 09 February 2022

  • Denis Urubko tops 6mil, Kosar Gang, Pakistan (Barrabes). He has done it for a new variant and together with the Russians Anton Kravchenko, Andrey Shliapnikov and Maksim Berngard. It is Denis' return to the high mountains after his "retirement" from elite Himalayanism. The Kosar Gang is a mountain that is usually climbed in summer on its normal route, but had not been climbed in winter. What is striking is Denis' return to the media limelight after two years of "retirement", during which time he has devoted himself to his family and rock climbing. In an interview with the media Mozgásvilág Outdoor MagazineHe says there are three things that inspire him to return: "to beat Juanito Oiarzábal's record (26 times to summit eight-thousanders without O2, Denis 23 times so far); to open a new route in alpine style to an eight-thousander in the company of a woman mountaineer (so far no woman has done a new route to an eight-thousander in alpine style); to climb a summit in winter in the death zone. In the next 2 or 3 years I want to try to achieve the following goals. (via @KrisAnnapurna)"We will keep an eye out for his "comeback".

Wednesday, 02 February 2022

Tragedy on Cerro Torre: An avalanche of rock and ice reaches Tomás Aguiló and Korra Pesce on Cerro Torre, killing the latter. (Barrabes). They were hit by the avalanche after opening a new route, and were left without bivouac equipment. Korra Pesce was the most injured and unable to move, while Tomás Aguiló was able to descend a vital 300 metres to be located by a drone. A powerful rescue team made up of Italian Matteo della Bordella, Swiss Roger Schaeli, German Thomas Huber and Argentinian Roberto Treu descended him after 7 pitches of climbing and a traverse. After having exceeded their "physical and psychological limits", they had to descend bitterly, considering Korra dead.

  • In the Alps the French GMHM (Groupe Militaire de Haute Montagne): Léo Billon, Seb Ratel, Benjamin Védrines They have done it again, climb 'Directe de l'amitié' at the Grandes Jorasses (Desnivel). Remember that last week we told you that managed to overcome in alpine and in winter the Harlin Directest to the Eiger (Barrabes). Very fruitful days for this group of climbers who only have the Matterhorn left in their winter Alpine Super Trilogy. In these two itineraries they have done it by direct routes of great technical difficulty.
  • 250 days of climbing at 90 years of age: Maria Kittl (As newspaper). At the age of 90 Maria Kittl is still climbing through Austria, France, Spain and Croatia. "The first reason I climb: for my mind," she says. In her youth she was one of the first women to open Alpine routes in 1960 and 1970, together with her husband who left her in 2008 in an accident. A source of inspiration without a doubt, along with other examples such as Carlos Soria and Marcel Remy, who was still climbing at the age of 98.
  • In the Everest only in winter by Jost Kobusch last week we told you how hard Jost was struggling in his wind-tossed tent (you can see the video). He is now in the village of Lobuche waiting for this period of gale-force winds to pass. "And I'm still waiting for better weather... It occurs to me that it could probably be a while before it makes sense to go back up again."
  • Txikon and his team back on the winter ManasluAfter reaching the C1, they are motivated at the BC to face the mountains. "We have to take it one day at a time. We still have all of February ahead of us and I'm optimistic, but I don't want to overdo it. If the mountains give us a break, we're going to try. I have no doubt about that. It's been a very hard winter with a lot of snow, but we're holding on to these positive forecasts. Let's hope we have better luck in this second part of the expedition", Txikon concludes. (Oxygen).

Wednesday, 26 January 2022

  • We report on an Arctic cycling adventure. It is the Omar di Felice's challenge: the first solo round-the-world Arctic cycling trip (Oxygen). 4,000 km and 40,000 m of positive height gain to raise awareness about climate change, and to give visibility to how it is affecting this region; from Kamchatka, in Russia, to Lapland, and then from Svalbard to the islands, and even Greenland, Canada and Alaska. The adventure will start on 2 February 2022 and we will be able to follow him on his social networks. Omar is very active on Instagram (here his profile). Now as an appetizer you can see how she is preparing the challenge in this Teaser "THE ARCTIC WORLD TOUR".

"I just arrived in Courmayeur tonight and I still can't believe it. I've been dreaming of this climb for a long time. 6 days on the wall, in the shade under the wind. It is the achievement of many years (...)". -Charles Dubouloz

  • The team (with some casualties that we told you about last week) of Alex Txikon and Simone Moro remain in the village of Samagaun.waiting for his chance to climb the BC and resume the winter Manaslu adventure. Meanwhile, in the Everest only in winter by Jost Kobusch you see things like the video we share with you below. "Jost Kobusch the other day at 6000m". Cold, isn't it...
  • And to close we tell you that the National Park bans overnight camping in the Ordesa valley (Herald). Exception in the area around the Góriz hut (prior reservation and with a fee, limited to a perimeter and with a quota) and provided that the hut is fully booked. You can read the linked article for more information.

Wednesday, 12 January 2022

  • Caution: We start the section focusing on winter conditions in the Pyrenees. "Hard snow, with shady areas particularly dangerous.". The combination of various meteorological factors has turned the snowpack into a very dangerous ice rink, a "death trap". A tragic week in the Pyrenees with up to six deaths in the last week. Montaña Segura calls for cautionIce axe, crampons and helmet are essential, as well as good skills in handling them. In certain areas and at certain times it can be difficult to stop a fall even with the equipment".
  • "On a mountain as isolated as Nanga Parbat, the wind is almost always present. (...) Then the night and time stretch out... tens of minutes like hours that never end and the thought that tomorrow, in these conditions, without the fixed ropes that guarantee a safe connection to base camp, it will be harder than expected to descend. It could be a longer day than the climb, a difficult day (...) A shitty night. One of the hardest of our lives". Herve Barmasse and David Göttler reach 6,200m on the Nanga Parbat Winter Rupal. (Barrabés).
  • Alex Txikon and Simone Moro are still waiting for the winter Manaslu. As we told you last week, heavy snowfall had sent the group down to the village of Samagaun, waiting for an opportunity. "There is a huge amount of snow on the waterfall and on the two walls, and there is no sign of avalanches that have purged the area of snow, which translates into a very high risk if we were to climb up there". Stef Maginelle, Sofie Lenaerts, and Paula Strengell are out of options as they return home to see more snowfall. and the route on its foray into the high altitude camps is impracticable because of the risk (Desnivel). Oswald Rodrigo Pereira and the group of sherpas from Seven Summit Treks remain.
  • And we audiovisual lovers are in luck; after the premieres of films such as Free Solo, The Alpinist, 14 eight-thousanders, there are new ones: we are now getting via Barrabes on trailer of the documentary TORN. This film explores the intensely personal story of filmmaker Max Lowe and his father Alex, set in the vast shadow of the Tibetan Himalayas. "Alex Lowe, widely acclaimed as the greatest mountaineer of his generation, was a towering figure in the world of outdoor sports. But he was even more so to his eldest son, Max, who was just 11 years old in 1999 when Alex was buried by an avalanche along with cameraman David Bridges while attempting to ski the north face of Mount Shisha Pangma in the Tibetan Himalayas. Seventeen years after their deaths, the bodies of Lowe and Bridges were found by two climbers attempting the same route, and in the months that followed, Lowe's family travelled to the remote mountain to recover them. In the new documentary TORN, powerful and deeply moving, director Max Lowe examines the long-buried feelings it unearthed for him and his family.including his mother, Jennifer; his younger brothers, Sam and Isaac; and his stepfather, Conrad Anker, Alex's climbing partner and best friend."

Wednesday, 12 January 2022

  • Alex Txikon and Simone Moro's expedition to Manaslu in winter had a setback: an avalanche partially destroyed the base camp. The decision to descend to the village of Samagaon after heavy snowfall has brought them to safety. The Manaslu BC is currently 3 metres of snow and there is a high risk of avalanche on the mountain. In a statement Simone Moro, addressing the Polish Oswald Rodrigo Pereira and by extension the rest of the team, makes it clear that taking this decision generated controversy in the group. You can see Simone's communiqué at Barrabes article. Climbing strategies diverge on Manaslu. Simone and Alex will wait a few days to return to the mountain.
  • Jost Kobusch moves forward with his projectThe rocky wall separating the Klumbu glacier from the Lho La glacier, where the west ridge begins, has been overcome. It has descended through the Khumbu valley, via its usual base in Lobuche, to Pangboche. (explorersweb). Recall that the German mountaineer's objective is to solo climbing Everest in winter on the west ridge and combine the Yugoslavian and American routes. A three-year project with a peak next winter. This winter it should reach the base of the Hornbein Corridor at 8,000m. Let us remember that it is literally aloneHe has no support, with his BC in a small tent that he sets up every time he goes into the mountain, accessing it from a small village, Lobuche, 3 hours away. His daring winter challenge to Everest alone Reinhold Messner is not liking it very much.In an interview with the Nepali Times has criticised him, but maintains his admiration for Nirma Purja's controversial 14 eight-thousanders.

"The main feature of an expedition is waiting for good weather. In winter sometimes things get complicated. Since we arrived at base camp we have only had two sunny days with no wind, the only days when we could climb and have a look at the Schell route." -Herve Barmasse

Wednesday, 22 December 2021

  • Can you imagine 25 days of mountaineering and downhill skiing in the Pyrenees (Barrabes). Pierre Hourticq and Helias Millerioux have been travelling the mountain range with routes such as the Pic du Midi D'Ossau, the Couloir de Gaube in the Vignemale, the north face of the Taillon, the Couloir Swan to the Astazus, among others. All of them winter classics of the Pyrenees, which they then descended on their skis. Together with Victor De Le Rue they descended the Coloir de Gaube, for which they were nominated for "line of the year" this 2021 in the Mountains On Stage Film Festival. Here is the video of that adventure:

Wednesday, 15 December 2021

  • Winter Manaslu: Álex Txikon and Iñaki Álvarez are already in Kathmandu to meet with Simone Moro. (Desnivel)who have been acclimatising for days. This well-known expedition, who are returning after last year's attempt, is joined by a second expedition comprising Oswald Rodrigo Pereira and the Belgian couple Stef Maginelle and Sofie Lenaerts. Oswald Rodrigo took part in last year's winter K2 as a cameraman and partner of Magdalena Gorzkowska in her attempt without oxygen.
  • In recent days, the following were announced the winning photographs in the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2021 (SalyRoca)Red Bull's annual competition, which has been running for the past 6 years, rewards the best extreme sports photography. You can stop by for its website to take a look at the winning photographs and find out the story behind each one of them. No doubt in many of them they had to be in the moment and place, and be very "fast", to take the winning photograph:
  • "One of the most legendary moments in Yosemite climbing history unfolded not on the massive granite walls of El Capitan or Half Dome, but on the shores of Lower Merced Pass Lake, a rather obscure spot of water high in the valley that until early 1977 almost no one knew about. Things changed dramatically that winter when Camp 4 climbers heard that a plane from Mexico full of high-quality marijuana had crashed into the lake in December 1976. Can you imagine those long-haired hippies with a plane full of marijuana? No doubt the lines on the granite walls got more creative. This story is shared with us from planetmountain.comwith an excerpt from the award-winning film "The World of Films".Valley Uprising"which documents this legendary moment.

Wednesday, 8 December 2021

The Monte Perdido - Ordesa massif now has ATES cartography
CLICK on the image to access the map in pdf.
  • Sebastian Álvaro, known for 'Al fino de lo Imposible', receives WOP Award-The Walk On Project 2021 of the BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia to a professional life dedicated to defending and transmitting the values of mountaineering. (News). We are at the stage of the trivialisation of the summits," Sebastian commented. "First it was massification, then someone realised that it could be profitable and moved on to commercialisation".
  • And we close the section with the trailer of the documentary film Mendiak 1976', directed by filmmaker and climber Luis Arrieta, premiered at the BBK Mendi Film Festival Bilbao. (Touchstone). And with the story of the adventure of a group of Navarrese people who opened the way to the great summits of the world. The documentary recreates the first Navarrese ascent of a 7,000m and the subsequent rescue. The premiere brought together the surviving mountaineers of that expedition and the members of the Polish expedition that helped them.

Wednesday, 1 December 2021

  • Briançon has celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Piolet d'Or (Desnivel)The three decades and their future have been discussed. Silvia Vidal took special recognition; Yasushi Yamanoi was honoured for his mountaineering career; The main awards were collected by: Symon Welfringer and Pierrick Fine for their new route on Sani Pakkush (6,952m, Pakistani Himalaya) and Uisdean Hawthorn and Ethan Berman for the opening on Mt. Robson (3,954m, Canadian Rockies). An edition that gave importance to lower altitude activities, without forgetting their commitment and exposure.
  • And it was the Piolet d'Or that sparked one of the debates of the week within the mountaineering and climbing community. This follows an article published in the The New York Times, "A Climbing Award That May Be a Winner's Last (A climbing prize that may be the winner's last)". Does the annual prize tempt climbers to take deadly risks in the high mountains? The Times contacted some of the biggest names in mountaineering for their views, including France's Symon Welfringer, Argentina's Rolando Garibotti and even Reinhold Messner, who accepted the Piolet d'Or award in 2010. "I have always been against the idea of traditional climbing being a competition," Messner told The Times. "In general, I am not in favour of medals at all. A lifetime achievement award is a matter of respect". Opinions vary across the mountaineering community.
  • Kilian Jornet leaves the Salomon brand after 18 years to start his own personal project. "It's been a crazy journey that ends at the end of 2021. It's not about going to another existing brand but about starting a new project that I will tell you about very soon."
  • And to close we talk about the film "The 14 eight-thousanders: There is nothing impossible" which follows the Nepalese Nimsdai Purja in his 14×8000 project. It has sparked debate (by comparison) because of the commercial nature of the project, the lack of style in the ascents and the means used. I encourage you to read the thread he shares with us. @KrisAnnapurna on Twitter with a translation of an article by journalist Lasszlo Pinter (HERE TWITTER THREAD) .

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

  • We inform you that the Aranzadi science society has launched the website ".Roman road in the PyreneesThe "Roads of the Roman period", where the research and surveys carried out since 2008 in the north of Navarre on ancient roads and especially aimed at finding the roads of the Roman period, are made public. And for those who want to venture along these itineraries, it has been a trail is marked with purple and white markingsThe route runs through Artzibar/Arce Valley from north to south.
  • Where do you find a 750m horizontal crack and 8a+...? That's what they must have asked themselves Britons Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker before finding it under a bridge. (Desnivel)one of the longest on the M5 motorway in Devon. They have thus opened 'The Great RiftThey needed sixty pitches of urban climbing to do it. Tom Randall and Pete Whitakker form a team of crack fanatics who have swapped the Utah desert for the bridges next door. By the way, all captured on camera by Reel Rock, who will release the video next March.
  • The winter expeditions are warming up, and more projects are beginning to be announced. Last weeks we talked about Jost Kobusch's solo winter project on Everest and Álex Txikon and Simone Moro's project to climb Manaslu. And also, Taiwan's Grace Tseng will attempt K2 and a US expedition is seeking Nanga Parba.t (Desnivel).
  • Kilian Jornet has been in the media spotlight (even more so) lately. On this occasion he reflects on his influence on mountain sports. "Climbing Everest by the normal route is not mountaineering," says Kilian. This full interview from El País brings us closer to his discourse and way of understanding the mountain.

Wednesday, 17 November 2021

Wednesday, 10 November 2021

  • And to close we leave you another film, for lovers of climbing and the Galayos, which comes to us via Desnivel. "In the spring, in the needles of Los Galayos, the climber Samuel Gómez tries to free one of the last routes he has left to free climb: "Al rot Bridwell" 6b+/A3+. Opened on the impressive Peña del Águila wall in 1988 by Josechu Jimeno y Pérez. A challenging 120m long climb". "Al rot Bridwell" Peña del Águila. Galayos.

Wednesday, 03 November 2021

  • Alone, without oxygen and without support, Jost Kobusch back on winter Everest (Barrabes). In 2019 he managed to reach approximately 7400m altitude. He chooses the route of the west ridge and the corridor again. Hornbein. To access the ridge you have to cross the pass. Llo LaThe route is a former trade pass between Nepal and Tibet, which glacial retreat has turned into a rock wall with technical sections, which Jost will have to negotiate as the start of his challenge. He will do this by fixed ropes, the rest of the climb will be alpine style. His goal: to reach 8000m where the corridor begins. Hornbein and see their conditions in winter for the final assault.
  • Nejc Marcic and Luka Strazar climb the west face of Chobutse (6686m) (Desnivel). Three days of climbing in alpine style for these two ".Piolets d'Or". (two by Luka Strazar and one by Nejc Marcic); you can get an idea of the challenge of the undertaking. This same west side was promoted solo by Mingma G. in autumn 2015.
  • Now changing the register, we share with you this article by elDiario on the Navatason its journey from the Pyrenees to the mouth of the Ebro river. The navatas in Aragon, the beacons in Navarre and rai in the Catalan Pyrenees. "Felling the forests, unpacking the wood by removing the tree, throwing the logs loose and driving them all along the route until they reach the suspenders where to bind the logs together and build the navatas (tied log platforms)". All this in advance of an adventurous journey down the river.
  • And to close, this peculiar story if you want the best view of the New York skyline: Highest climb on the outside of a skyscraper on the planet offered (el Confidencial). 161 steps with an inclination of 45 degrees to the top of the skyscraper. 30 Hudson YardsThe 395-metre-high, 395-metre-high building is located in the heart of the American city.

Wednesday, 27 October 2021

Wednesday, 20 October 2021

Wednesday, 13 October 2021

  • Two great openings share the Piolets d'Or 2021 award (Desnivel) in the year marked by the restrictions of the Covid. Symon Welfringer and Pierrick Fine on the south face of the Sani Pakkush (6,952m), a seismic peak of the Paksitan Karakorum, and that of Uisdean Hawthorn and Ethan Berman on the Emperor Face of Mt. Robson (3,954m) in the Canadian Rockies. The edition pays tribute with special recognition for the Catalan mountaineer Sílvia Vidal for its contribution to the big wall alone.
  • If you haven't seen the images of Rustam, legless climbing up to 8,000 (eitb)we tell you about it. Russia's Rustam Nabiev becomes the first legless mountaineer to climb 8,000m. (Turiski) with his ascent of Manaslu (8,163m). Unlike other mountaineers who have amputated both legs, Nabiev does not use prostheses in his ascents, so he uses a technique in which he moves thanks to his hands; he walks with his hands. He made the ascent on 2 October together with two companions and five Sherpas. An example of self-improvement, without doubt.
  • If you are a van or motorhome enthusiast, you will already be aware of the increased restrictions in Pyrenean municipalities (Herald). Town councils such as Jaca or Sallent de Gállego modify their by-laws so that you can only park in authorised areas. Benasque has set up another car park, while other municipalities are waiting for the new regional law.
  • To say goodbye, we leave you with this documentary that comes to us via the Oxygen Magazine. Javi Guzmán climbs the "Desmond Tutu" route in Patones, in clean self-protection style for the first time. Soft rock that breaks, friends A difficult and risky challenge for only a few people.

Wednesday, 06 October 2021

  • Polish mountaineer and skier Anna Tybor has become the first woman to ski down Manaslu. (Desnivel). Together with his expedition companions the Italian UIAGM guides Marco Majori and Federico Secchi made the summit on the 29th without oxygen and arrived back at base camp on the 30th after spending the night at C4.
  • And we say goodbye by sharing the video with you.trailer of the BBC: Tom Ballard, The Last Mountainwhich comes to us via the Barrabes blog. Alison Hargreaves was the first woman to climb the 6 north faces of the Alps and Everest alone and without oxygen, one of the best female climbers of all time. Alison died on K2 when her son Tom Ballard was 6 years old. 24 years later Tom died on Nanga Parbat, he followed in his mother's footsteps to the end: at the age of 26 he repeated his mother's 6 solo alpine N-faces in the same season and in winter. In 2019, at the age of 30, he joined Daniele Nardi to attempt the winter ascent of Nanga Parbat, ending that life so parallel to that of his mother.

Wednesday, 29 September 2021

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

  • First of all, did you know that the snow has returned to the Pyrenees? The first snowfall turns some areas of the Pyrenees white (nieveyaventura). A DANA, a cold pocket at high altitude, has arrived these days to the north of the peninsula and has been the "meteorological culprit". Snowflakes could be seen descending to 2.100-2.500m.
  • We are following the Simon Gietl and Roger Schaeli's adventure in the Alps. Both are known for their activities in the great mountain ranges of the planet. Now at home they are carrying out this project they have named NORTH66 classic north faces of the Alps, skiing on the approaches, paragliding and cycling from one mountain to the other. They have climbed 'Chant Du Cygne' on the Eiger and the north face of the Matterhorn on the Schmid route. Now you can follow the outcome of their adventure in Chamonix, with the Grandes Jorasses and the Petit Dru. In the Roger Schaeli's instagram profile you have snapshots of the whole project.
  • We also have to tell you about the first three Polish firsts to virgin seismiles in Shimshal led by Adam Bielecki and Janusz Golab (Desnivel). Both are leading the expedition of the Polish Sports Himalayanism programme and are exploring the untouched 6,000 and 7,000 metre peaks of this area of the northern Karakoram.
  • And to close we talk about the project Mugak': stories of people who were part of and lived through smuggling that occurred on the Pyrenean border. A crowdfunding to carry out the filming of this documentary that will tell the stories of men and women from the border valleys of Cinco Villas, Baztán or Ultzama and how they experienced smuggling. You can support the project here (Verkami)

Wednesday, 15 September 2021

  • We begin the section at a slow but steady pace, like that of the cattle that are returning to the south these days, leaving the Pyrenees behind. "The herds of Domingo Urzainqui and Francisco Fuertes are already leaving Santa Bárbara, in the Pyrenees of Roncal, bound for the Bardenas Reales de Navarra".The The Kukula (collective for cultural dissemination). They will be sharing the day by day of the transhumant route on their social networks.
  • Two climbers die in a psicobloc sector in Cala Sa Nau (Oxygen)in Cova des Cosí (Mallorca). The cause of the accident is thought to be a rockfall as they approached the top of the cliff. The bodies were found lifeless in the water. This was communicated by the Pou brothers in their networks, who were in the area these days.
Carlos Soria is already at the Dhaulagiri base camp.. "Once again at the foot of this beautiful mountain where we have had such good times. Once again we begin to dream of stepping on that desired summit and, above all, enjoying this wonderful corner of the planet", he tells us. We leave you here the video he has shared on Youtube.

Wednesday, 8 September 2021

  • An adventure of 34 hours, 67 kilometres and 6,129 metres of elevation gain: Jonatan García climbs the 51 three-thousanders of the Maladeta-Aneto massif from Benasque (Desnivel). He has called it "Around the world", a journey of self-sufficiency. "For me it was important not to lose the ethics and the forms, which were the basis of the project," he stresses.
  • Sajid Sadpara completes Álex Txikon and Simone Moro's winter Manaslu group (elcorreo). It will be a tribute to Ali Sadpara, a climbing partner who, together with Txikon and Simone, achieved the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat and who died last winter on K2. The young Sajid will take his father's place for the new expedition. It will be Txikon's last winter expedition to an eight-thousander. "The time has come to close a cycle," says Alex, who wants to get it out of his system on his return to Manaslu.
  • And we close the section by telling you that the Aragonese Pyrenees mobilises against the practice of helibiking (elperiodicodearagon). If you're not familiar with this activity, I'll quickly put you in the picture: going up in a helicopter to come down on a bicycle. The meeting was at the summit of Punta Suelza, in Bielsa, the starting point for these "somewhat lazy" adventurers. "There are places in Aragon where this sport is expressly forbidden (...) Helibiking is incompatible with hiking and with respect for nature", says Luis Tirado, from SEO/BirdLife.

Wednesday, 28 July 2021

  • Rick Allen dies in an avalanche on K2 (Barrabes). The 68-year-old experienced Scottish mountaineer achieved great recognition in 2012 for completing the first ascent of the Mazeno ridge of Nanga Parbat with Sandy Allan, which earned them the Piolet d'Or. He was with Jordi Tosas and Stephan Keck on the southeast face of the mountain trying to open a new route in alpine style.
  • And we close the section with a question: Why are there more fires now and why are they more dangerous? (SalyRoca). "Now there are more fires due to global change, which includes such determining factors as climate change and changes in land management", says Rosa María Canals, professor of Agri-food and Rural Engineering at the UPNA.

Wednesday, 21 July 2021

  • We start the section in Peru: Eneko and Iker Pou have started their climbing trip to Peru in the best way; with a new mixed climb on the south face of Nevado Huamashraju Este (5,350 m), which has not been climbed so far. "Viva Perú Carajo!", they called it. 15 hours of freestyle and alpine activity to tackle the 600 m (M7/80°) in "a small white spider's web, on a rocky background. An elegant and audacious line (...) Vertical passages between rocks more typical of the Alps than of the Andes", which demanded the best of the Pou brothers.
  • Luis Alberto Hernando climbs up and down the Aneto in 3h38'15".(Desnivel)This is the new record for the ascent to the top of the Pyrenees from Benasque. This is the new record for the ascent to the top of the Pyrenees from Benasque. The ascent was made by the Coronas route, 2,300m of difference in altitude, which he tackled in 2h14'31". He covered a total of 37.6 kilometres.
  • Who has not been sent Google Maps on a "small road". Well, everything becomes more complicated if we use its algorithm and technology to guide us and choose a route in the mountains. Mountaineering Scotland warns of the risks of Google Maps routes in the mountains (Barrabes). Accidents on Ben Nevis have set off alarm bells. The focus is also on the excess of information and tracks posted on the internet: "Nowadays, it is all too easy to assume that information on the internet is always correct".
  • And to close we bring you some images of the Taillón Glacier that have been shared with us from Météo Pyrénées. We have written many articles about the retreat of the glaciers in the Pyrenees -just last week-, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words: glacier in 1921 versus this year.

Wednesday, 14 July 2021

  • We start with something that we had already discussed earlier, in the trail running the leap from asphalt to the mountains is getting faster and faster. "It may sound extreme, but it is all too common to see inexperienced mountain athletes plan or start alpine activities without any knowledge of the risks and dangers they face". Kilian Jornet warns against inexperience in the mountains (Barrabes). He also stresses the need to learn, "either in a mountain club, with mountain guides, with mentors". And he speaks of the need to create a "graduation system" for the routes of trail.
  • We echo the celebration of 200 years of history of the Chamonix Guide Company. They have celebrated with the world's largest rope climbing: 200 people on Mont Blanc (Desnivel). It covered 6 kilometres, crossing the French-Italian border in the Mont Blanc massif, between the Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m) and the Pointe Helbronner (3,642 m).
  • If you are going to go to Ordesa with your pet, read this first. Ordesa advises against taking dogs to Cola de Caballo to avoid incidents with cows (Herald). This measure has been taken following recent incidents between dogs and livestock grazing in the vicinity of the Cola de Caballo at this time of year. The entrances to Soaso are already marked with yellow signs advising people not to approach the area with dogs. The measure will be maintained until the end of July, which is the date when the livestock remain in the area.
  • This section of the bulletin usually brings articles on the retreat of glaciers in the Pyrenees. On this occasion we have been surprised by the forcefulness of this article: "Pyrenean glaciers have resisted other climate changes, but they will disappear with this one". (TheObjective). "It has been detected that 33 of the 52 glaciers that existed in the Pyrenees in 1850 (at the end of the Little Ice Age) have disappeared, and 20 of them have disappeared since 1984". A large part of the research focuses on the Monte Perdido glacier in the framework of the research project  EXPLORE PaleoICE.
  • And we say goodbye with this video of Garnbret and Škofic climbing. Europe's tallest chimney. It is the chimney of the Trbovlje power plant that rises 360 metres into the Slovenian sky. A different kind of climbing from the hand of Red Bull.

Wednesday, 7 July 2021

  • First ascent of the Western Dansam by Martín Elías, Jérome Sullivan, Victor Saucède and Jérémy Stagnetto (Desnivel). They reached the summit of this secondary summit of K13 (6,666 m). On the summit they found a cordino, although there was no known previous ascent, which there must have been. The open route climbs the north spur, 1,600 m technical with a maximum difficulty of M6.
  • The Mountaineering and Climbing Federation signs an agreement with the Jaca Town Council for the opening of the Mountain Office (Radio Huesca). It will be open every day in the evening (5 to 9 pm). The Office will be managed by the Federation, which will set up its technical office and accident observatory there.

Wednesday, 30 June 2021

  • Have you seen the video of the landslide on the slope of the Panticosa Spa? It happened a few days ago and was captured with a mobile phone, at the very moment that a large block of stone was hurtling down the slope with a great roar, accompanied by all kinds of materials, as if it were a river of stones. Fortunately, there was no accident. If you haven't seen it, here is the video:
  • Up for debate: Are the grades in climbing routes OK?multipitch'? (Desnivel). Belgian climber Seb Berthe, who has some of the world's hardest long routes to his credit, launches this debate and comments that in his opinion Europe's long routes are over-graded. According to him they should be graded the lengths as if they were on the ground. The climbing community has spoken out: You're not too strong, should there be a general route grading? ....
  • Sajid Sadpara, son of Ali Sadpara, and the last person to see Ali, Juan Pablo Mohr and John Snorri alive on K2 this winter, returns to K2. (Barrabes) along with Canadian Elia Saikaly, who was also part of the fateful expedition. Sajid had to turn back on the ascent because of problems on the day his father disappeared. Now, his goal is to find answers and find the bodies.
  • 214 three-thousanders in 44 days and "without comforts". (Herald); This was the adventure of Ivan Rouco and Iñigo Iruretagogoiena, as captured in the documentary "Granito Buffet. Pyrenean wanderers". The film narrates the experiences, the previous logistics of the "deposits", the style and the material used. Presented in Villanúa and the Basque Country, in autumn it will be shown in places such as Zaragoza, Segovia, Huesca and Andorra. Just watching the trailer gives you an idea of the feat, here it is:
https://youtu.be/wWz2PNM_I-Y

Wednesday, 23 June 2021

Wednesday, 16 June 2021

  • 30 km and 2630 m ascent to cover the 7 most remarkable summits around the reconstructed Angel Oloron hut: it may be the birth of the Integral de Belagua. 14h45 (according to MIDE) to reach the summits of Añelarra, Anie, Mesa de los Tres Reyes, Budogia, Ukerdi, Lapaquiza de Linzola, Lapazarra, and return to the refuge during the day. The route is being studied by the Navarre Department of the Environment. (Navarre Mountain Federation)If given the go-ahead, it will be a very demanding route for those looking for a big challenge.
  • Scott Bennett and Jordan Cannon climb the Yosemite Triple Crown(Desnivel). The three most emblematic walls of Yosemite: El Capitan, Half Dome and Mt. Watkins in succession and in less than 24 hours. The sixth team to complete this challenge in less than a day.
  • Catalan expedition to Gasherbrum led by Lluís Cortadellas (Turiski). Gasherbrum I and II without support Sherpas or oxygen. The five mountaineers are looking for their first 8,000m. A plaque in memory of Sergi Mingote accompanies them with the idea of putting it in the memorial before reaching the CB of the K2 where Sergi lost his life in his attempt of the winter K2.
  • After the "circus" of the recent season in the EverestThere is talk of a loss of ethics, of the end of Himalayanism, of a new, commercial one, of "photos" looking for notoriety in front of sponsors. Y @KrisAnnapurna another picture that perhaps we have not seen: the photo of rubbish collection.

Wednesday, 9 June 2021

  • We have recently learned that Canadian Ian Welsted and American Graham Zimmerman, both Piolet d'Or, will attempt K2 via the west ridge (Desnivel). The route has three ascents in the 80′ and 90′, with styles that used many fixed rope sections. We will find out more.

"The west ridge is impressive. It's not 'super difficult', but it is technical. If the conditions are right, it will be safe (i.e. no big seracs), and it has a direct unclimbed finish that looks very nice." -Graham Zimmerman

  • There is no one left on the mountain with a chance, the route to the Kjumbu Icefall has been dismantled. The climbing season on the Kjumbu Icefall has come to an end. Everest. The balance sheet: 534 summits and none without oxygen (Desnivel). The season has been marked by the outbreak of Covid-19.
  • The Pou's free climb the route "Jon" 8a+/8b on the Leze. "We started climbing in this school at the beginning of the 90s, as did all the generations of mountaineers from Alava before us. People like Ángel Rosen, Juan Ignacio Lorente, Juanito Oiarzabal, Adolfo Madinabeitia, Atxo Apellaniz or Antonio Miranda, among many others, have grown up among these rocks". -Eneko Pou. Check out the fabulous video of the route:

Wednesday, 2 June 2021

  • Czech mountaineers Marek Holecek and Radoslav Groh are safe and sound after their epic 80-hour descent of Baruntse (7129 m). where they suffered the onslaught of Cyclone Yass, after climbing in alpine style and establishing the first to the northwest face. Heavenly Trap' they have called the route. 10 days on the edge in this Nepalese sietemil, which has not made them lose their humour. (elcorreo)The only thing that bothers us is that there are still no flights home, (...) We will probably have to walk" - "The whole climb has been nothing compared to getting back to Kathmandu (...) The only thing that bothers us is that there are still no flights home, (...) We will probably have to walk" - "We will probably have to walk".Marek Holecek
  • We bring you the insightful article by Jose Antonio Masiá (Trekking and Adventure) about "The great circus of the eight-thousanders" (SalyRoca) in which he tells us that everything is moving very fast and how ethics are important but sustainability is essential. A connoisseur of how Himalayanism is changing, he helps us to unpack the key issues.
  • And we close with the studies published in Safe Mountain about 2020 bailouts in hiking y high mountain in the Aragonese Pyrenees. In 2020, 42% of the rescues carried out by the Guardia Civil Mountain Service were in hiking activities. In high mountains and ridges, trips and falls accounted for 56% and problems in decision making 39%.

Wednesday, 26 May 2021

  • We start the section with the tragedy at a mountain ultramarathon in China, 21 runners die in cold, wind and hail storm (elcorreo) which surprised the participants in the upper part of the route of the 100 K Huanghe Shilin Mountain Marathon and to the organisers who were not able to get everyone involved. The news has raised many questions and reflections, such as: whose responsibility is it, how can this happen in a race, etc., with which we have started this week's bulletin.

Wednesday, 20 May 2021

All home, in Nepal the pandemic is out of control. Mountaineers and tourists to fly out of Kathmandu (Turiski). An Iberia flight carrying humanitarian aid will bring them back -with ticket paid for by themselves (Twitter)This has caused a lot of controversy on social media in recent weeks. China sharing Everest summit with Nepal closes the north face of Everest (Desnivel) for fear of Covid contagions at the top.

  •  Kilian Jornet and David Göttler continue - they are continuing with their project - waiting for a window of good weather. Their challenge: Everest from the west ridge and, although they have not confirmed it, a possible subsequent attempt to climb Lhotse. They concluded the acclimatisation phase with a gallop to almost 8000 m -we told you about it last week-. Now they are resting, waiting.

"David and I are staying in Pheriche while the bad weather is in the higher mountains, doing some running in those beautiful valleys." -Kilian Jornet

  • We leave the Himalayas to talk about the Pyrenees. You will have noticed: overcrowding is here to stay. Last summer the volume of visitors to some natural areas reached its limit. And this looks set to continue beyond the pandemic, we have a need to escape to the great outdoors. The measure: regulation of access to the mountains, is what is already planned in Catalonia. (Public). "More and more natural areas in Catalonia are announcing measures to limit the volume of visitors.
  • This video of PhotoJuanma Aventura and Drone Romeo FJ of the Flower Belt in Ordesa y Monte Perdido (here you have a link with route information) has set our teeth on edge. "Vertiginous, shocking and overwhelming".

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

  • Have you seen the video of Andrzej Bargiel and Jedrek Baranowski: they climb and descend on skis -from 150 metres below the summit due to the conditions- the Laila Peak.

Wednesday, 5 May 2021

  • We start by telling you that Alex Txikon is already at Everest base camp, he will try to climb Everest in 3 weeks by the classic route on the Nepalese slope. He is accompanied by journalist Iñaki Makazaga and photographer Sendoa Elejalde. Makazaga tells us all the details and experiences that they are living in the podcast. "Touchstone.

"I can't wait to get back on thin air terrain. When @david_goettler texted me last year we didn't need many words to plan a climb together. A simple idea and a high chance of failure sums up perfectly what we're looking for over the next few weeks in the Khumbu region.

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

  • We start the news section by lamenting the murder of journalists David Beriain and Roberto Fraile in an attack in Burkina Faso (elDiario). They were there working on a documentary about poaching in the country when the patrol they were embedded in was ambushed. Telling the untold story. Beriain He directed major documentaries such as 'The Lost Army of the CIA', 'La Vida en Llamas', 'Amazonas Clandestino', 'Yasuní', 'Genocide in the Jungle', and 'Clandestino'.
  • From the Himalayas we tell you that David Göttler to possibly partner Kilian Jornet on the west ridge of the Everest and the trek to the Lhotse. To be confirmed by both. And in the Dhaulagirion its north-western edge, Horia Colibasanu, Peter Hámor and Marius Gane continue to make progress very satisfactorily (Desnivel) after having tackled the toughest part of the line and having already passed the highest point they reached on their 2019 expedition.
  • Year after year, it goes on and on. New record number of permits on Everest. We are all reminded of last season's pictures of the endless queues to get to the summit. Overcrowding and overbooking (Turiski). In response, Nepal will establish turns to go up. In addition to all this, the Covid is at ease in the CB".Four people have been evacuated due to coronavirus. and a full-blown outbreak is feared." (Desnivel)
  • And speaking of overcrowding, in Ordesa is working on a mobility plan to avoid concentrations.. They are examined "vehicle gauging and parking areas" (Herald). Some deficiencies have been detected, such as the fact that in the Pradera car park there is no reservation system and you don't know if it is full until you arrive, or the problems in areas such as Pineta or the Añisclo Canyon.
  • And finally, we would like to share with you Javi Sancho's video that has gone viral these days (You can click HERE to see it). The runner who laughs at runnersI would try to offend a group that would find it hard to catch me, but never the raners, remember that I am one of you, I love you".

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

  • We begin our weekly review of current affairs with the knowledge that Kilian Jornet will return to the Himalayas to attempt the Everest-Lhotse traverse. (Desnivel). To put it in context, this is one of the great challenges of Himalayanism. It would involve "climbing Everest on the west ridge, descending to the South Col (C4 of Everest, at about 8,000 metres), attacking Lhotse directly from there via the 2010 Urubko route, and finishing by descending the normal Lhotse route". A couple of weeks ago We told you that the American Colin O'Brady might also attempt the crossing.
  • In the Dhaulagiri All eyes are on the progress of Horia Colibasanu, Peter Hámor and Marius Gane's expedition to the virgin and kilometre-long northwest ridge. "They open with great effort the wall that gives access to the ridge." (Barrabes). They already tried it in 2019. On the other hand, Carlos Soria arrives at base camp for his new attempt to reach the summit at the age of 82.
  • One of the most recent climbing exploits in Patagonia has been the Fitz Roy Crossing solo mountaineering project carried out in February by the Belgian mountaineer Sean Villanuevachristened "Moonwalk Traverse". Patagonia shares with us the "making off" video of this great adventure.
  • And we close the section by telling you that "Google Earth gets a makeover to be more planet-conscious". (Natgeo Travel) and launches a new functionality in the tool, TimelapseThe weather emergency is a new feature of the WeatherWatch, with which you can see the evolution of the images of places and be aware of the weather emergency.

Wednesday, 14 April 2021

Wednesday, 7 April 2021

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

  • The guide to the Sentiero Italiathe longest trek in the world (Oxygen Magazine). The Sentiero Italia is the high road that runs through all the mountain ranges of Italy, the longest footpath in the world, a 7,000 km route linking the whole of the "Sardinia" and the "Sicily".Bel Paese"including the islands, through its mountain ranges. "Va' Sentiero was born from the dream of 3 boys who came together for the love of the mountains of their country".

15 MONTHS OF WALKING, DISCOVERING SENTIERO ITALIA. WALKING, DISCOVERING, SHARING: VA' SENTIERO IS MUCH MORE THAN A JOURNEY. IT IS A NEW APPROACH TO THE MOUNTAIN, THE SEED OF A CHANGE, THE FIRST STEP OF A LONG JOURNEY.

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

  • Iker Pou chains Guggen-Hell 9a+/9b. This time it was Iker who surprised us once again with a new achievement at the highest level, with the first ascent of "GUGGENHELL" in Mallorca, for which he proposes a difficulty of 9a+/b. (Youtube). In the following video you can see him pulling monodedos on an impossible route.
  • Hervé Barmasse's solo climb in the Alps is also surprising. Hervé Barmasse climbs his sixth solo ascent to the Matterhorn (Desnivel). In this article he talks about the importance of this mountain for him, the Matterhorn, and how he closes a circle with this ascent. "I don't agree with those who think that by climbing alone you despise life".

I did not undertake this climb with the presumption of bringing home a record, but with the spontaneous need to carve out my time; my fleeting moment that I picked up with both hands to live deeply through the solitary mountaineering that gives knowledge and awareness. -@hervebarmasse (Instagram)

  • Freeride: "Aymar Navarro flies at the Xtreme Verbier for a historic podium finish" (Turiski). You may have seen the images flying over the rocks on television, but if not, you will be able to see them. here it is. To learn more about Aymar's activity you can watch this tape from 2018, "South Lines".Aymar Navarro and Txema Trull's adventure across the Andes on their annual trip to the southern winter of South America in search of heart-stopping lines.
  • In the networks:

Thursday, 18 March 2021

  • "Are measures necessary to regulate road access to the mountain?" (Turiski) Xevi Guinovart analyses "why it has come to this point and why - he thinks - it should be regulated". In the last year more than ever we have needed to go out to the mountains to get some fresh air. Perhaps looking for a "safe" place without overcrowding, which we have not found. To this we must add the little respect we have for the natural environment and the fact that we want to go by car "to the end of the ends". Personally, I have found places that I did not expect to be full of cars. How can we solve this? Everyone has the right to go to the mountains, that's for sure, but with respect. Good debate.

Wednesday, 10 March 2021

  • We kick off this week's news with the news that "Nepal bans publication of Everest photos"of other persons, without official permission (Summits). Nothing should get in the way of the business of the highest summit on the planet, and last season's images of endless queues and "dung heaps" at the campsites are very negative publicity to be avoided.

This issue has been much commented on in the last week in the networks. Along with the progress in the installation of 5G antennas on the northern slope. In April last year we learned that "already (had) 5G on Everest" (Xataka). China Telecom explained that "it will allow high-quality live broadcasts and the ability to stream 4K and 360-degree video from the summit". And I wonder: What will we see this season on Everest? Spectacle where there should be none, at least in this form.

Wednesday, 03 March 2021

Wednesday, 24 February 2021

Wednesday, 17 February 2021

Wednesday, 10 February 2021

Wednesday, 03 February 2021

Thursday, 28 January 2021

Thursday, 21 January 2021