Johnson and Samuel Johnson will attempt Mount Hayes, Alaska. Photo:
The Alpinist and their partners the winners of the 2013 Mugs Stump Awards today, offering up $33,500 in grants to nine teams pursuing climbing objectives that exemplify light, fast, and clean alpinism. A quick breakdown of the expeditions is included below, as taken from the . We'll cover some of these expeditions as they occur through our “Expedition Watch” posts.
Tahu Rutum (6,651m), Karakoram, Pakistan. Scott Bennett and
Graham Zimmerman will attempt the northwest ridge, which Bennett calls
“a perfect big mountain route … aesthetic, vast, remote, and
consistently steep, presenting technical challenges from hard free and
wall climbing to steep ice and mixed terrain.”
Shispare Sar (7,611m), Karakoram, Pakistan. Doug Chabot, Rusty
Willis, and Bruce Miller will explore the dramatic north ridge. “The
route is obvious,” says Chabot. “It's a beautiful line, not convoluted
or hidden. And it's only a two-day walk from the road.”
Middle Peak, Saint Elias Range, Alaska. John Frieh will return
for his second attempt on the 5,000-foot west face of this unclimbed
peak, this year with Daniel Harro and Colin Haley. Middle Peak, says
Frieh, “will hold unique challenges that test the abilities of our
team.”
Cerro San Lorenzo, Patagonia, Argentina. Bryan Gilmore, Mikey
Schaefer, and Josh Wharton will head south to the seldom-visited Perito
Moreno National Park to attempt the formidable east face of this peak.
Having climbed in the more popular Fitz Roy/Cerro Torre region, says
Gilmore, “We're looking for a more remote adventure, akin to a Himalayan
expedition in terms of commitment.”
Panbari (6,905m), Nepal. Clint Helander and Mark Westman will
attempt the south pillar of this remote peak. “Panbari was off limits to
climbers until 2002, and received its first and only ascent in 2006,”
says Helander. “Though close to the increasingly popular and accessible
Manaslu trekking circuit, Panbari has seen no further attention from
climbers.”
K6 West (7,100m), Karakoram, Pakistan. Jesse Huey, Raphael
Slawinski, and Ian Welsted will visit the Charakusa valley to attempt the
massive northwest face, which Huey calls “one of the largest unclimbed
pure alpine objectives in the world.”
Mount Hayes, Alaska. Closer to home, Juneau climbers Ryan
Johnson and Samuel Johnson will attempt the east face of the south
summit, “one of the biggest unclimbed walls in North America with over
7,000 feet of vertical relief,” followed by a ridge traverse to the
higher main summit of Mount Hayes.
Lunag Ri (6,909m), Nepal. Chad Kellogg and David Gottlieb will
make their second attempt on the northwest face of this unclimbed peak.
“Lunag Ri is currently the highest permitted unclimbed peak in Nepal,”
says Kellogg. “The northwest face is one of the peak's most challenging
routes, but also one of the safest due to the lack of seracs.”
Tahu Rutum (6,651m) and Kunyang Chhish East (7,431m), Karakoram, Pakistan.
Kyle Dempster, Hayden Kennedy, and Urban Novak will return to the west
face of Tahu Rutum, which Dempster tried solo in 2010, and then move
down the glacier to attempt the unclimbed southeast face of Kunyang
Chhish East. “Summer 2013 will be our third season climbing together in
Pakistan,” says Kennedy. “We know well each other's abilities and what
it takes to succeed in the high hills of the Karakoram.”
For more on the Mugs Stump Awards, go to the Alpinist's and .
—Joe Spring