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Potter in Free Solo Heaven
9/11/06 - Dean Potter continues upping the ante this year, racking up more daring and controversial feats. Last month, Potter achieved his hardest free-solo yet, a beautiful, 40-foot overhanging crack, Heaven (5.12d/13a) in Yosemite Valley. 9/11/06 - As the summer climbing season winds down in Peru, new-route news is trickling out of the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash. 9/11/06 - A Russian expedition has climbed the remote Chinese (southern) flank of 22,549-foot Peak of the Army Topographers via its beautiful central buttress. 9/05/06 - Micah Dash and Eric DeCaria made the second ascent of Cat’s Ear Spire (17,585 feet) in the Trango area of Pakistan, climbing a 12-pitch variation to the original route on the stunning rock needle. 9/05/06 - Matthias Trottmann has completed the latest of Europe’s desperate multipitch free climbs: 6,4 Sekunden (“6.4 Seconds”), a seven-pitch 5.14a on Switzerland’s Fürenwand. 9/01/06 - Bean Bowers and Dave Nettle made an 11-hour free ascent of the 34-pitch All Along the Watchtower (VI 5.12-) on the West Face of North Howser Tower in the Bugaboos. 8/31/06 - On Thursday, August 24, 21 climbers felt the wrath of Mt. Blanc (15,774 feet), Western Europe’s highest peak. Fortunatley, all escaped alive. 8/31/06 - The Italian Maurizio “Manolo” Zanolla has free-climbed a four-pitch line in the Dolomites with a crux at the top that he estimates between 5.14b and 5.14d. 8/30/06 - Kelly Cordes and Josh Wharton experienced an “excellent failure” on the striking North Ridge of 18,373-foot Shingu Charpa in Pakistan, climbing 45 pitches to complete the ridge but failing to reach the true summit. 8/29/06 - Canada’s Sean McColl was a double winner at the Youth World Championships in Imst, Austria, last weekend, taking gold in both lead climbing and speed in his age group. 8/29/06 - Many of you may be aware the John Bachar broke his neck in a tragic vehicle accident recently. 8/24/06 - This year, as a tradition since 1986, the world-renowned Rockmaster Climbing Comp will take place in Arco, Trentino, from September 1 through 3. 8/18/06 - On monday, August 14, John Bachar, his girlfriend Anastasia, and Acopa president Steve Karafa were involved in a car accident returning home from the 25th annual Outdoor Retailer Trade Show in Salt Lake City. 8/16/06 - In an effort to protect and preserve the environment climbers call home, CLIMBING Magazine announced today that it has become the first vertical publication in the world to switch permanently to 100-percent recycled paper... 8/16/06 - Basque brothers Eneko and Iker Pou have free-climbed an 850-foot route in Spain with a first pitch graded 5.14c. 8/15/06 - A legendary player in Hueco Tanks State Park passed away on August 2nd, at 66 years of age. Pedro Zavala, Jr., otherwise known as “Hueco Pete,” owned and operated the Hueco Tanks Country Store outside the park until 2000... 8/15/06 - Four Russian climbers were swept to their deaths on Sunday just below the summit of 28,251-foot K2, the world’s second-highest peak. 8/13/06 - Ethan Pringle and Angie Payne won the second annual USAC SENDFEST in Salt Lake City on August 11th at The Front climbing gym , taking home a top prize purse of $1,000 each. 8/11/06 - Robert Jasper has made a 12-hour, all-free ascent of a route on the right side of the Eiger’s north face at 5.13-, according to www.desnivel.es. 8/09/06 - Better known as an ice and mixed climber, Austria’s Harald Berger is also a master of Alpine mega-sport climbs. 8/08/06 - Everyone loves Sierra granite, but few love this much in a day. On August 5, Renan Ozturk and Jake Whitaker linked about 8,000 vertical feet of free climbing around Mt. Whitney during an 18-hour car-to-car outing. 8/08/06 - Frenchman Alex Chabot redpointed a severely overhung, new 5.14d in Deversé, dubbed Abyss. His route involves no manufacturing, and climbs out a 66-foot, 45- to 70-degree overhanging column. 8/07/06 - A Swiss-led international expedition has climbed a new route up the north side of 25,499-foot Gasherbrum East, along the China-Pakistan border in the Karakoram Range. 8/07/06 - Earlier this year, Joe Stock, Dylan Taylor, and Andrew Wexler made the first full-length traverse of the rugged Neacola Mountains in Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park. 8/03/06 - Ines Papert of Bavaria, Germany, completed the first female (and third overall) free ascent of the 1,500-foot, 11-pitch Camillotto Pellisier (5.13c/d), the most difficult route on the Cima Grande di Lavaredo, located in the Dolomites, on July 20. |
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