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MacLeod Solos 5.14b in Spain
3/14/08 - The bold Scottish climber Dave MacLeod has soloed a 5.14b sport climb in Spain. MacLeod free-soloed Darwin Dixit (8c/5.14b) at Margalef; he had made the third ascent of the climb last spring. (New Video Added - 3/17/08) 3/13/08 - Jim Donini and Thom Engelbach have made the first ascent of the southernmost Avellano Tower, a group of remote granite spires northwest of Lago General Carrera in Chilean Patagonia. (New Photos Added - 3/17/08) 3/13/08 - Americans Toby Grohne and Jesse Huey established a striking new route on Agjua St. Exupery, a satellite peak south of Fitz Roy in Patagonia. 3/11/08 - On February 14 (Valentine’s Day), Beth Rodden made the first ascent of what’s likely Yosemite’s single hardest traditional pitch: Meltdown, a 70-foot 5.14 crack at Upper Cascade Falls. 3/11/08 - Blind mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer has climbed the 700-meter frozen waterfall Losar (VI WI5) in Nepal. 3/07/08 - Mike Anderson and Rob Pizem have added yet another desperate free climb in Zion National Park. 3/06/08 - Four Americans climbed a new route on the 900-meter south face of Jebel Misht, the enormous limestone wall in Oman, at the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. 3/06/08 - Dean Potter has completed a 40-foot sandstone roof problem near his Moab, Utah, home that he called “definitely the hardest roof crack that I know of.” 3/04/08 - A Russian climber has BASE jumped from the upper tower of Cerro Torre, making the first known flight from Patagonia’s iconic spire. 3/03/08 - Once again a phenomenally strong young European climber has climbed a hard 5.14: This time it’s Geoffray de Flaugergues from France, who redpointed La Novena Puerta (8c+/5.14c) at Santa Linya, Spain, during his February school vacation. 3/03/08 - Italian Christian Core has completed the long version of a boulder problem called Gioia at Varazze, Italy, and given it 8C (V15). 2/25/08 - Inspired by high-end winter activity in Scotland, some of the Canadian Rockies’ leading winter activists have adopted a back-to-the-future attitude this season, with a slew of new mixed routes protected with traditional gear. 2/21/08 - Frenchman Jeff Mercier, who won the international competition at the Ouray Ice Festival in January, subsequently made a trip to the remote town of Lake City to attempt Ryan Nelson and Jared Ogden’s Jedi Mind Tricks, a possible M14. 2/19/08 - Coloradan Jody Hansen sent Rumble in the Jungle (V12) at Hueco Tanks, making the first female ascent of the roof problem—and making Hansen one of the few women in the world to boulder a consensus V12. 2/19/08 - Paul Robinson and Alex Puccio won the men’s and women’s open bouldering comps at the ABS National Championships in Colorado. 2/15/08 - Americans Jimmy Haden and Mike Pennings have made the first alpine-style ascent of Royal Flush—and only the second complete ascent of the route to the summit of Fitz Roy. 2/14/08 - Switzerland’s Ueli Steck has chopped more than an hour off his own speed record for climbing the north face of the Eiger. 2/12/08 - New Hampsherites Dana “Mad Dog” Drummond and Freddie Wilkinson have done a superb three-day traverse of Aguja Guillaumet, Aguja Mermoz, and Fitz Roy by its North Pillar. 2/11/08 - Adam Ondra, the Czech wunderkind who just turned 15, celebrated his birthday and a short break from high school by climbing two 5.15a routes in a week. 2/07/08 - The massive limestone cliffs of Oman on the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula are hot this winter, with many new routes being established. 2/05/08 - James Pearson has climbed one of the “last great problems” of English gritstone, The Groove (E10 7b), at Cratcliffe. 2/04/08 - Edu Marín, one of Spain’s brightest young stars, has redpointed La Novena Enmienda (9a+/5.15a) at Santa Linya, his second 5.15 route. 2/01/08 - Every year, the American Alpine Club honors those who have advanced climbing’s frontier and made significant strides in protecting the planet’s most iconic and threatened mountain environments. 1/28/08 - Emily Harrington and Chris Sharma topped very strong fields at last weekend’s comp near Salt Lake City to be named adult national champions in lead climbing. 1/28/08 - Californian Dave Turner has reportedly completed a solo new route on the east face of Cerro Escudo, a colossal peak just to the west of the Torres del Paine in Chile. |
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