Huber Brothers Free Climb Nameless Tower!

Caught this story over at Stewart's climbing blog earlier today. It seems that the Huber Brothers have been busy free climbing more big faces, this time turning their sights on Nameless Tower, part of the Trango Towers in Pakistan's Karakorum range.

The 2200 foot long route, known as Eternal Flame, required 24 pitches, and was spread out over August 11-14. Much of the climb is above 20,000 feet, adding a dose of altitude to the already very technical climb. Their efforts were aided by a patch of good weather, which made the entire climb possible. Stewart has more info on the climb, and several other preliminary ones, including a couple of new routes that Alexander and Thomas established while getting their bearings on the peak.

The Trango Towers are a group of rock spires stretching over 6000 meters in height. The granite faces are amongst the most challenging in the world due to their unique combination of technical difficulty, altitude, weather conditions, and verticality. Nameless Tower was first climbed back in 1976, and Eternal Flame was put up in 1989 along the southeast face of the spire.

Amazing Mountaineering Video on Trango Towers

My friends over at Gorida posted an amazing mountaineering video last week that is amongst the best that I have seen in a really long time. It tells the story of four French guides who traveled to Pakistan to put up a new route on the Trango Pulpit, part of the Trango Towers, which offers some of the most imposing and impressive big walls anywhere in the world.

The video is quite long, but well worth the watch. It shows the team en route to the mountain itself, giving an indication of just how remote the region is, and then proceeds to show them climbing the face, and eventually reaching the 6050m (19,849 foot) summit. In between, you see some footage that will make your mouth drop.

So, sit back, and enjoy, because mountaineering videos don't get much better than this one.

Azazel - bigwall in Pakistan
by Petzl-crew

Karakorum and Himalaya Update: Pujas In The Himalaya!

More news on the emerging Fall season in the Himalaya today from ExWeb, while the lone team in the Karakorum continues it's struggle to the top.

First up, in the Himalaya, teams are spreading out to their respective mountains, and ExWeb says that "Juniper burns bright all over Nepal’s 8000ers and China's Cho Oyu", indicating that the Puja ceremonies are in full swing, granting the teams permission to begin their climb and wishing them a safe journey on the mountain. Some of the climbers went straight to work after the Puja as well, as ExWeb reports that at least one team has already climbed to 5000m on Annapurna to establish camp and begin the acclimatization process.

Meanwhile, extreme skier Fredrick Eriksson has reached Kathmandu and is now en route to Kangchenjunga where he, along with partner Jörgen Aamot, will attempt the first complete ski descent of that mountain. They intend to climb in alpine style over the course of a few days before putting the planks on their feet. Frederick has already skied three other 8000m peaks, but has the ambitious plan of knocking off the three highest mountains in the world in succession. He'll begin now with Kangchenjunga, then move to K2 next summer, and finally it'll be Everest in the Fall of 2010.

Over on Manaslu, there has been the rekindling of a friendship. Edurne Pasaban is there, pursuing her quest of becoming the first woman to finish the 8000m peaks, and she bumped into Juanito Oiarzabal, with whom she was once a close friend and climbing partner. There had been a bit of a falling out, especially after Juanito was left off a climbing team that Edurne led, but it seems the two have patched things up, and have buried the hatchet. ExWeb has more details on the story, but it's good to see the two resuming their friendship. The climbing community on these big mountains is quite small, and soured relationships can make for tense base camps.

Also on Manslu, the Serbian team there has expressed concerns with overcrowding in C1 which could lead to problems when summit bids begin in a few weeks time. Cho Oyu may have crowds of their own it seems, as it is now reported that a team of Italians has arrived in ABC, where an American and Korean team was already at work. They'll all be joined soon by Spanish team as well.

Finally, back to the Karakorum and Trango Towers, where the Free Dream Team has managed to reach the Shoulder on Nameless Tower. Unfortunately, they've had to turn back at that point, as poor weather has once again hit the region, and it'll be at least three days before they can make another go at the top. They now have camp established at the Sun Terrace, on the Shoulder, and hope to resume climbing from that point soon. Good luck team!

Karakorum and Himalaya Update: Teams On Manaslu and Cho Oyu

The Fall season is gearing up nicely, with climbers returning to the Himalaya and already making their way to their peak of choice.

ExWeb has some good information on the emerging Fall Season, with the news that the Chinese have begun issuing a very select few climbing permits for Cho Oyu. They describe them as being like the Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka, but a few teams have them in hand are making their way for Tibet even now. The new restrictions require the teams to enter and depart Tibet at the same location, and everyone at the same time, which is not a deal breaker, but does require a little extra planning for the team. According to the latest pots, the Field Touring Alpine Team is en route to the border today.

Speaking of Cho Oyu, Everest News is reporting that the Summit Climb Team reached base camp a few days back and have quickly made themselves at home. Their most recent dispatches say that they are resting, and taking it easy at 16,000 feet, before they go to work establishing their high camps.

On Manaslu, teams have already arrived in BC and begun shuttling supplies up the mountain. According to ExWeb, Camp 1 has already been established and the teams, which include Amical, are making good progress.

Another climb to keep an eye on this Fall will be Fredrik Ericsson's ascent and ski descent of Kangchenjunga. According to his website, Fredrik will climb the Yalung Face and will go for the main summit (Kangchenjunga has five), in alpine style, in a four day push. Once at the top, they'll drop into their skis and attempt the first complete ski descent of the mountain, which is the third highest in the world. Should be a fun expedition to watch.

Finally, back in the Karakorum, where things are all but over, the The Free Dream Team is reportedly making their summit bid on Trango Tower today. They've experienced some rough weather so far, but a window is expected to open through the weekend, and they should be going up as I write this. Good luck team!