Renan Ozturk, Jimmy Chin, Alex Honnold and a cast of all-star climbers set off earlier this month for Chad. No, the country doesn't conjure up images of the world's most epic climbs, but that's the point. The team flew to the African country to find new routes. You can check out for The North Face to see pictures, videos, and write-ups from a number of athletes.
James Pearson chimed in first with a post called .
This place is stunning, perfect vistas for 360 degrees and the most beautiful sunsets/rises one could ever with to see. At the end of the day Piero drove us to the first area he thought had potential which did not disappoint. After walking for less than 5 minutes I saw the best line of the trip so far: A line that was instantly obvious was become my focus for the near future.
The rock on the upper half looked like it could be fairly solid, but to get here requires climbing over two steep roofs made from rock resembling wheat-a-bix! With 3.5 days drive to the nearest city the consequence of any injury out here doesn’t seem to fun, and so before Europe, I told myself that self preservation would be the order of the game. Unfortunately, part of being a trad climber is convincing yourself that the rewards justify the risks, and by the time we return to camp the wheels had already been set in motion.
Mark Synnot recounted the latest route in .
We came around a corner and there was the Wine Bottle. Just as the name implies, it’s shaped like a bottle: fat down low, then it abruptly narrows down into a slender 100 foot “neck,” topped with a bulging spout. There was pretty much no discussion – it was such a stunning objective that everyone took it for granted that we had to climb it.
To read about the next challenge, head over to .
–Joe Spring