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Huge Climbs in Chinese Tien Shan
10/05/09 - A small American-Scottish expedition backed by a Lyman Spitzer Cutting-Edge Award from the American Alpine Club has completed significant climbs on the Chinese side of the Tien Shan. 10/02/09 - At the end of September another great gritstone project bit the dust courtesy of Miles Gibson who is one of the UK's strongest underground climbers. Weighing in at E9 7a this route is now one of the hardest routes on grit. 10/01/09 - Alexander and Thomas Huber have redpointed Eternal Flame (5.13a), a classic 35-pitch route to the summit of 20,508-foot Trango (“Nameless”) Tower in Pakistan. 9/30/09 - In early September Mark Givens and Joel Kauffman climbed a new moderate free route in Death Canyon within Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. 9/29/09 - Charles Houston, a pioneering American climber and altitude researcher, died at his home in Vermont on September 27. He was 96. Houston was part of the Anglo-American team that made the first ascent of 25,643-foot Nanda Devi in 1936, and he attempted K2 in 1938 and 1953. 9/28/09 - The application deadline for two of the AAC's major grant programs has been moved two months earlier, to ensure that grant winners can be notified before their expeditions are scheduled to depart in the spring. 9/24/09 - Canadian Sean McColl has redpointed the second ascent of one of Canada’s hardest rock climbs: Dreamcatcher (5.14d), established in 2005 by Chris Sharma. 9/22/09 - Ines Papert from Germany and Lisi Steurer from Austria established a new 400-meter route on Middle Huey Spire in Canada's Cirque of the Unclimbables, and then Papert returned to free-climb the line at 5.13a. 9/18/09 - Landon Wiedenmann and Paul Rachele have climbed a new mixed rock and ice route on the North Face of the Enclosure on the Grand Teton in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. 9/17/09 - Robert Jasper and Roger Schäli completed the first free ascent of the Japanese Direct on the north face of the Eiger in late August. Also in August, the Spanish climber Jordi Tosas free-soloed Le Chant du Cygne (900m, 7a/5.11d, Anker-Piola, 1992) on the far right side of the north face. 9/17/09 - Phil Gruber and Brett Nelson have completed a new free line up the Diamond on Longs Peak, linking sections of two old aid climbs with some new ground. 9/15/09 - Manfred Stuffer of Ortisei, Italy free-soloed five routes on the North Face of the Torre Orientale di Mesules, Sella, Dolomites in an astonishing 3.5 hours. 9/14/09 - Canadians Chris Brazeau and Jon Walsh enjoyed a productive summer trip to Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island, completing seven climbs or attempts in ultra-light style, including a couple of possible new routes or first free ascents. 9/11/09 - On September 5th, 2009, after two weeks of work, Mayan Smith-Gobat of New Zealand redpointed her hardest route yet, L’arcademicien (5.14b or 8c), at the world class sport crag of Céüse, France. 9/10/09 - On June 28, the Swedish climbers Erik Massih and Oskar Alexandersson grabbed the FFA of Life is Beautiful (FA: Suzuki-Yamaoka; VI- 5.9 A2+; 5.13a, 7c+), on Nalumasortoq, Tasermiut Fjord, Greenland. 9/08/09 - The Belgian team of Olivier and Nicolas Favresse, Stephane Hanssens, and Sean Villanueva completed a remarkable expedition to Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island, during which they established three new routes, nearly free-climbed a big-wall route on Mt. Asgard along with Silvia Vidal, and repeated another big-wall climb. 9/08/09 - Basque brothers Eneko and Iker Pou have completed a one-day redpoint of their 13-pitch route Orbayu (8c+/9a) on the limestone Naranjo de Bulnes formation in northern Spain. 9/04/09 - Justin Edl has climbed a 50 foot right-slanting crack climb that he’s named Home on the Range (5.14-) at Vedauwoo’s Coyote Rocks near Laramie, Wyoming. 9/04/09 - After a three-month expedition to Pakistan Canadian Louis Rousseau and Austrian Gerfried Göschl climbed a new route on Nanga Parbat and made two attempts to climb K2. 9/01/09 - A Spanish pair has climbed a new route on the northwest face of the Titan in Utah's Fisher Towers and proposed the unprecedented grade of A6+ for the crux lead. 9/01/09 - Julian Bautista took a bronze medal in his age group, and Sasha Digiulian finished just off the podium in fourth place at the World Youth Championships in Valence, France. (Updated - 9/08/09) 8/31/09 - This summer, James Litz established at least seven 5.14 routes, including General Litzenheimer (5.14c/d) and Master of the Universe (5.14d). 8/27/09 - Jay Mills and Dana Ruddy climbed the original route on the north face of Mt. Alberta in the Canadian Rockies in mid-August, making a single-push and nearly free ascent of the rarely climbed testpiece. 8/26/09 - Jamie Emerson’s B3 Bouldering blog reports that Kilian Fischhuber has sent a problem at Rocklands, South Africa, previously dubbed the Air Star Project, that likely is V14 or harder. 8/24/09 - Canadian Sean McColl finished third at a World Cup lead competition in Imst, Austria, his second top-five finish this month. |
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