Gleb Sokolov and Alexander Kirikov team up and established new route on Khan Tengri (7010m).

The route follows approximately via rocky "snake-line" which is going down all along the wall between a classical WSW rib and "sickles".

The weather was marginal.

The team reached the summit four days ago after five days of climbing plus one day waiting for a weather window.

Details on arrival.

Early morning (8/6/2010) in America, the phone call came, it was bad news .... Fredrik fell .... We held the news figuring it would be 24 hours before his family was notified.

Fredrik Ericsson was attempting the summit of K2. The weather forecast was stated to be excellent. Some climbers did not believe the forecast. It was clear when Fredrik left for the summit. But then a very strong storm moved in. The forecast was very very wrong. He fall down about 1000 meters. His body was seen by Yura Ermachek, a Russian Climber.

All Abruzzi climbers have turned around and headed down the mountain. They are very sad. Fredrik Ericsson was a friend to many.

We have been told Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner turned and returned to camp 4. We have no other knowledge on her summit attempt. She did not summit. Trey Cook, Fredrik Ericsson climbing partner, also attempted the summit but turned back after a few hours into the attempt.

A very sad day on K2 and for those of us who knew Fredrik he was a nice guy.... Our prayers go out to his family.

Source: Asghar Ali Porik, JASMINE TOURS

This morning Denis came back to base camp.
He was happy and tired for the nice climb he did on Lhotse along a new route/variation. Starting from south col, yesterday at 6:30, arrived first of the season at 11,30 on the Lhotse summit at 11,30. He followed the line we studied together some weeks ago. Well done Denis. I was in base camp because I worked quite hard to coordinate the evacuation f two dead bodies from camp by helicopters. Burocracy and coordination between helicopter and Sherpas in camp 2 had been quite had to do in the past days. Everything at the end worked well.

Now my intention is to take few days rest and than start for a no oxygen Everest attempt. The summit day should be the 23rd may. Only if the forecast suggest some other date I will change my schedule. Denis is just started to go down in the valley to meet friends and his girlfriend that are trekking toward Everest Base camp. They will come here also to wait my return from the Everest attempt.

Source: Source Simone Moro

Online the videos of the first five days of the TrentoFilmfestival 2010 WebTV, from Antoine Le Menestral to Krzysztof Wielicki, via Lothar Brandler, Erhard Loretan Mauro Corona, Nicolas Favresse, Hanspeter Eisendle, Kurt Diembergerand many more...

Climbing and mountaineering e alpinismo
Antoine Le Menestrel - the poetry of climbing
Erhard Loretan - a great interpreter of world mountaineering
Krzysztof Wielicki - winter exploration on the highest mountains in the world
Lothar Brandler - from the legendary Hasse - Brandler to winning three Genziane d'Oro at Trento.
Kurt Diemberger - la prima salita del Dhaulagiri, il 13 maggio 1960.
Tamotsu Nakamura - Tibet and the beauty of discovering remote lands and unclimbed peaks.
Hanspeter Eisendle - the love for mountaineering and being a Mountain Guide
Ang Tshering Sherpa - testimone dei cambiamenti climatici che stanno interessando l'Himalayana.
Mauro Corona - the holy and the mountains
Nicolas Favresse - one of the most talented climbers in the world
IFSC Speed World Cup 2010
Mountaineering evening: Nico Favresse
Mountaineering evening: Himalaya, yesterday and today - with Nives Meroi, Kurt Diemberger, Krzysztof Wielicki and Ang Tshering Sherpa
Mountaineering evening: Mountain Guides and clients on the great classics - with Hanspeter Eisendle, Erhard Loretan, Marco Furlani, Marcello Cominetti.
Homage to Bruno Detassis

Literature, film and culture
Maurizio Nichetti - after 6 years at the helm, the art director thanks and greets the Trento FilmFestival.
Syusy Blady - Yo valgo, yo puedo, yo voy a perder el miedo
Marco Albino Ferrari - La sposa dell’aria
Marco Paolini - introduces Eva dorme by Francesca Melandri
Bruno Bozzetto - Camuni
Francesca Melandri - Eva dorme
Maurizio Zaccaro - Jury president 2010
Stefano Caserini - climate changes
Scalatori e grimpeur - Coppi and Bartali, the eternal rivals
Bartali - Coppi - a great story
Thierry Toscan - lthe difficulties of living in the mountains
Il sacro e la montagna - with Giuseppe Cederna and Mauro Corona
Susanna Tamaro - the big tree
Claudio Sabelli Fioretti - the uncertainty - greatness of walking
Jospeh Vilsmaier - Nanga Parbat
Elisabetta Sgarbi - the final ascent
La via degli dei - Wu Ming 2
Leni Riefenstahl vista da Irene Bignardi
Der Heilige Berg - opening ceremony
Thangkas - introduced by Renй Vernadet
Le vie dei canti by Bruce Chatwin
Augusto Golin -the 2010 program
Egidio Bonapace - President Trento FilmFestival
Trento FilmFestival, he 1000 faces of the mountain

At the start of April the German extreme climber Robert Jasper and his team, the mountain guide Jorn Heller and the photographer Ralf Gantzhorn reached the summit of Monte Sarmiento (West 2145m) via a new route up the North Face.

On 4th April 2010 a small German team comprised of Robert Jasper, Jorn Heller and mountain photographer Ralf Gantzhorn succeeded in climbing a new route up the virgin north face of the Monte Sarmiento, reaching it's west summit.
Located in Patagonia's inhospitable Terra del Fuego, the peak is rarely ascended and some 30 expeditions have failed in the past, giving an indication as to the regions difficulties.
In fact, prior to their ascent the team had to dig deep just to reach the base of the mountain proper: after having arrived at Ushuaia in March they spent 11 days sailing through the rough waters around Cape Horn and making their way up north to the Magellan Strait, to establish their base camp at Caleta Escandallo.
Finding a way through the thick vegetation and the glacier proved highly complicated, and bad weather soon brought three attempts to an abrupt, premature end.

On 1 April the winds changed direction and they set off once again, only to dig themselves into a snowhole half way up the mountain in total white-out conditions.
But the three struck lucky and at 2 am Jasper noticed the first star appear through the clouds. They quickly melted snow, ate some food and set off once again, reaching the summit at midday in perfect weather.
They named their alpine-style ascent "La Odisea de Magellanes" to honour the 18 century adventurers who first ventured into this area, and their climb covered a distance of circa 20km with 3000m height gain and difficulties up to WI 4+. The roundtrip from their boat at Caleta Escandallo to the summit and back again required 39 hours.

Jasper recounts:
"The whole expedition was a real adventure. The storms of Cape Horn where tossing our little sailing boat back and forth. This Terra del Fuego has always interested me from a historical point of view and I've always wanted to go there ever since meeting Stephen Venables, who reached the West Summit via the South Face in 1995 together with John Rosekelley, Tim Macartney-Snape in an expediton led by Jim Wickwire. Every region poses specific difficulties and while Monte Sarmiento is much lower than the peaks in the Himalaya, the weather is extreme, with raging storms, intense cold and incessant rain. Add to this the fact that it's pure wilderness, there's simply nothing remotely like this in Europe. The vegetation is so thick it's like a brick wall and there are so many dangerous swamps that you could disappear into that we needed a couple of days just to fight our way through the jungle. The freezing cold and the vertical, pressed snow proved demanding and finding a route though the massive ice formations proved demanding, but we managed and in the end we were really lucky with the weather: the unexpected window lasted 20 hours and gave us just enough time to get back safely. I suppose it's a question of being in the right place at the right time, but despite the perfect weather we couldn't really enjoy the summit as we were constantly worried about it closing in on us in a matter of minutes. Which it did, but by then we were back safely. Yes, a real adventure which came to an end on 10 April at Puerto Natales after another week sailing back to civilisation."

Source: Robert Jasper

Photo Nuria Garcia

The first time I’ve heard about El Gigante was in the summer of 2009 from a Mexican friend (Daniel “Wey”), who had been there a few years before, opening a route on the Basaseachi waterfall. A few months later he invited me to join with three other climbers with the objective of climbing a new route on El Gigante Valley.

Because there‘s not much information about the place, we didn’t really know where we were going to open or what kind of equipment would be needed, then, after three days of hiking through the jungle to carry over 300 kilos of equipment and food, we had the chance to see and pick the wall we feel more attracted to, so we set our base camp 20 minutes from Piedra Volada, an unclimbed 400meters beautiful and steep wall. When we made the first approach, we realized that it would take us at least another three days with many rope tricks, just to load all the gear to the base of the wall, and we only had 20 days.

We had to find a “quick” alternative, so we decided to try our luck on the famous El Gigante tower.

Most of the existing routes on this 900 meters impressive wall are aid routes and we’ve quickly understand why, the almost absent presence of natural protections, the pour rock and the brutal steepness, makes it almost impossible to free climb while you’re opening, so, most of the time you have to climb and wend your adrenaline starts to getting high, you try to hang on something, most of the times was on really bad hooks or even hanged with one hand and drilling with the other, really scary moments. Of course that this takes a really long time to progress but is the only way to make it possible to free climb…

There’s a positive side on that, as we could not be the four opening and climbing at the same time, we could explore and enjoy the endless bouldering potential all over the canyon field, at the end we opened almost 50 boulders, from V0 to V12 range, good fanatic moments! Sure if it wasn’t the inaccessibility of the place it could really be an overwhelming place, with hundreds of boulders shaped by the river.

We spent the first few days avoiding the poor rock and the blank sections, so we could get faster at half of the wall, where despite the much more steeped ground, also seemed much more solid than the first part and apparently with much more options to natural protections.

Once again we were wrong! After 400 meters of brutal work, opening and cleaning to make it possible to free climb, we got to a place that just wasn’t possible to move forward (at least for us that were seeking a line to go free), huge sections of poor rock in every directions that we tried to move. We all had the same feeling, it was time to stop and climb the pitches we didn’t freed on our way up.

We could free climb all of them, except the second last one, that wend I finally solved the moves after two days of effort, I was shut down by breaking holds twice after the crux and I was too tired to try it again. That pitch together with the second, are the hardest one.

We must thank our sponsors and friends who supported us so much:
Petzl, Beal, Nuria, Martin, Varis, Omar, Diego, Santiago and Don Santiago.

All photos (number: 5)

Women Freeride World Champions Crowned:

Ski: Ane Enderud NOR
Snowboard: Aline Bock GER

Men’s Competition Postponed to a Later Date this Week

Verbier, Switzerland – March 20, 2010 – More than six thousand spectators watched the world’s best freeride skiers and snowboarders take on the impressive 600 vertical metre face of the Bec des Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland, for the Nissan Xtreme by Swatch, celebrating its 15th edition.
The women athletes were first down the mountain and the two women Freeride World Champions 2010 were crowned after the competition.
Due to poor visibility, the competition was stopped for the men before the last seven athletes were able to go down the face.
For the men the competition is therefore postponed to a later date this coming week as soon as there is a weather window.
The last possible day is Sunday 28 March.

Norwegian skier Ane Enderud has had an impressive season going from strength to strength.
After cancelling the first stage of the Freeride World Tour because of back problems, she won two of the following competitions, and was second once.
With that consistent result she was crowned Freeride World Champion on Saturday, defending her title from last year.

Double Olympic silver medallist Julia Mancuso had an impressive first experience of freeride competitions, being the fastest women down the mountain and taking third.

Shannan Yates, American newcomer to the Freeride World Tour, won the women’s snowboard on the Bec des Rosses, with German Aline Bock taking second, giving her the World Champion title after four nice podiums this season.

Women’s Freeride World Tour Ranking 2010 (complete FWT ranking click here)

SKI WOMEN

1. Ane Enderud (NOR)
2. Jess McMillan (USA)
3. Jaclyn Paaso (USA)

SNOWBOARD WOMEN

1. Aline Bock (GER)
2. Susan Mol (USA)
3. Shannan Yates (USA)
Women’s Results Nissan Xtreme by Swatch, Verbier (complete results click here)

SKI WOMEN

1. Ane Enderud (NOR)
2. Jess McMillan (USA)
3. Julia Mancuso (USA)

SNOWBOARD WOMEN

1. ShannanYates (USA)
2. Aline Bock (GER)
3. Geraldine Fasnacht (SUI)

All photos (number: 4)

Source: Nissan Xtreme by Swatch

Vassily Pivtsov (33) a member of the Kazakhstan National team project and David Falt (38) from Sweden will attempt the North Face of Kwangde Lho 6187m in Nepal staring in January 2010.

Pivtsov and Falt are aiming to do a pure alpine style calendar-winter ascent of Kwangde Lho (6187m) via the North Face.
Vassily has done several hard technical winter routes in the past, lately Vassily has focused on completing his quest to do all of the worlds 14 summits over 8000 meters with out O2.
In just a few years Vassily has done 12 of the 14 summits so his vast Himalaya experience will come in handy on this very different expedition.
David has been part of three Himalayan expeditions adding to his 45 plus winter accents in the Alps up to ED3.
David was part of a Swedish team establishing a new route (ED-) on the previously unclimbed Hunza Peak 6270 in alpine style 1991.
David also tried Shani 5885 m twice, both times in alpine style and this past summer he was part of an expedition trying a new route on Gasherbrum 4 in alpine style.

Pivtsov and Falt will try a new route on the North Face if conditions permit.
If conditions looks to thin on the "project" we will try to repeat the legendary Breashears-Lowe route, ED2, WI6, 1200m, from 1982.
This route has never had a complete accent since it was first established.
The Kwangde group lies in Nepal's Khumbu region.
The North Face is about 1300 meters in Vertical height and has 7 routes that we know of.
They are all very technical and we expect steep ice, rock and mixed.
The routes established so far are all ED rated with Ice not easier than WI5 and mixed between M5 and M8.

Starting January 6th News updates will be posted on e9climbing

Picture of Kwangde: Courtesy of Simone Moro

Routes in the picture from left to right: Japannes route WI6 M5, Breashears-Lowe WI6 M?A?, French (Benoist) route WI5+

Sponsors: Crux, Redfox, Outdoordesigns, Rab, Human Edge Tech

All photos (number: 3)

Source: David Walter Falt

Alexander Ruchkin

Russian Piolet d'Or goes to Alexander Ruchkin and Mikhail Mikhaylov new route Carte Blanche on peak 6134m in Minya Konka, Sichuan, China. It is situated in the Daxue Shan mountain range.

Other nominated routes were:

Gleb Sokolov, Vitaliy Gorelik, desperate two man FA on peak Pobeda West, 6918m, via "Verblud" NW buttress, 6B.
Kyrgystan, Tjan Shan

Peak Verniy (Cathedral Sobor), 5250m, direct NW face, 6B, FA.
Kyrgystan, Tjan Shan
Team: Bandalet, Golovchenko, Nilov, Mikhaylov, Malakhovskiy

Stolb (Tsar' Tron), 2850m, left edging of West face.
6B, Winter FA
Kodar range, Russia
Team Veretenin, Bashkirtsev, Pedenko, Glazunov, Davydenko

Kjerag North face, Norway
6B Winter FA
Team Chibitok, Ivanov, Lonchinskiy, Dozhdev, Shamalo

Sichuan, NW Face, China
6B FA
Team Shamalo, Molodozhen, Muryshev, Sushko

Pamir's Marathon, 622km, 56 days: Peak Revolution, 5B, peak Communism, 5B, peak Lenin, 5A
Peak Revolution, SE Face on the right, via Zaydler route, 5B
Peak Communism via SE ridge from Bivachniy glacier via Tamm's route, 5B.
Peak Lenin West Ridge from Malaya Saukdara's glacier, 5A (not rated)
Overfall 22267m, lenth 419km
Team Timoshenko, Shabalin, Zharov, Savchinskiy, Vorobjev, Zhanov, Janchevskiy, Lebedev (leader)

Peak Armoured Cruiser Varjag, 2430m
6B, First winter Ascent
Sherstnev, Ljaghin, Sinushkin, Shelkovnikov

Read more about Ruchkin-Mikhaylov ascent
Ruchkin&Mikhailov. Carte Blanche. Pt. 6,134 m

Video

Pamir's Marathon. Video

Spantik, 7028m. Ph Manu Pelissier

Pakistan's Summer Moutaineering Season 2009 has finally ended.
Year 2009 has been a very bleak season for Mountaineering in Pakistan.
The current security state of the country has adversely affected the inflow of Tourists in Pakistan.
This year a total No of 63 teams originally applied for attempting various peaks but 18 withdrew their applications leaving 45 teams who have been granted permit to climb various peaks of their choice, 02 more teams who had been granted permit to climb peaks did not turn up for climbing, thus leaving just 43 teams in the field.
Out of these four teams were granted permission to climb 02 peaks each and one team to climb 03 peaks, as such overall 49 attempts were made to climb various peaks by 343 climbers including 54 climbers attempting 2 peaks each thus totaling the numbers on attempting climbers to 397.
Out of these 17 expeditions have returned successful by putting 72 climbers on the summits of various peaks including o4 climbers summitting 02 peaks each whereas 32 teams have returned unsuccessful.
Unluckily 03 climbers lost their lives while descending from the summit after summitting the peak, 02 on Nanga Parbat and 01 on G-II while another 03 climbers lost their lives while attempting K-2, Broad Peak & Latok-I.

A brief resume of expeditions on various peaks is given below

Final Report of Mountaineering Expeditions Visiting Pakistan During 2009

Result of Mountaineering Expeditions - 2009 (Name of Summitteers)

Source: Karrar Haidri, Member Executive Council Alpine Club of Pakistan

12-years old Zhenja Kazbekova sent solid 8b "Zhuzha, don't be chiken!" on Aug, 20, at the Red Stone, Crimea.
She had about 10 tries on it.
Zhenja's now 12, and will turn 13 yo this year (15 October).

"Zhuzha, don't be chicken!" was bolted two years ago by Andrew Vedenmeer for Mountain.RU Rock Trip Contest, and only Serik could do it then.

Zhuzha is nickname of world bouldering champion Julia Abramchuk, she was really afraid of falling while trying this route so the guys cried to encourage her everything that came to mind.. and then we decided that it is good name for this route.

Read more The SERIKS
Zhuzha

Zhenja Kazbekova fights on Vremja Ch, 8a

This morning 12 year old Zhenja Kazbekova sent New Kenigsberg 8a+/8b, Crimea, Red Stone.
Last year she sent her first 8a "Vremja Ch"

2009-06-18 - Skiing on K2

K2, What a mountain. It is 8612 meters high, but when I stand here in base camp, at 5100 meters, and look at it, it doesn't fell like it is more than 1000 meters to the summit. It is a weird feeling when I know it is more than 3500 meters to the top.

A few days ago when Michele and I was on our first acclimatization trip we got to experience how big the mountain really is. We left base camp at seven in the morning and walked along the Godwin Austen Glacier for 30 minutes up to the foot of K2 and the start of the Cesen Route. With ski boots and crampons on our feet, poles in our hands and a heavy backpack filled with a tent, sleeping bag, primus stove, gas, food etc. and a pair of skis strapped onto it, we started the climbing. At the beginning it was a nice ski slope of 30 degrees with perfect hard packed snow. Nice to climb on. We climbed on the right hand side of a big snow slope close to a rock ridge to stay out of the danger zone of a large Serac hanging above the left side of the slope. The ski slope got steeper, between 40-50 degrees and the snow got deeper. I had a hard time to stop dreaming about the upcoming ski descent on this perfect slope in soft powder snow. But first we had to find a tent spot where we could spend the night. I would have liked to ski down straight away but for our acclimatization it is best to spend time on higher altitude. To find a spot for the tent proved to be very difficult. We started the search at 5700 meters but it wasn't until we reached 6000 meters, after a total of seven hours of climbing, that we found a spot that we could imaging being flat. After some digging and building we had a semi-bad tent spot with two of the corners hanging in the air. Guess who got to sleep on that side of the tent? Not surprisingly, I slept pretty good anyway.

The next morning both Michele and I woke up with a headache and it was blowing and snowing outside. Great! After breakfast and a bit of fresh air my headache was gone but Michele must have caught some altitude illness since he didn't get well until we were back in base camp. After chilling in our tent for a few hours it stopped snowing and cleared up so we put our skis on and started sliding down the mountain. We took it easy in the beginning since I am always a bit unsecure on a new mountain especially when it is steep and rocks around. The snow was better than we had expected, cold and just a little windpacked and it was sloughing a bit. When the slope opened up I could do bigger turns and carry more speed, just cruising down the mountain. I had a big smile on my face, cause even if only a third of the mountain, we were skiing on K2. I got 900 vertical meters of nice skiing before I, totally euphoric, took my skis off 30 meters from my tent in BC. I had just skied the coolest ski slope in the world.

We will now have a few days of rest in base camp, charging batteries, before the next ski adventure on K2.

Book that I'm reading: Richard Branson - Business Stripped bare - Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur
Music on my MP3 player: No power
For more info about Fredrik, check out his website: www.fredrikericsson.com

Sponsors: Dynastar, Tierra, Osprey, Hestra, Grivel, Adidas Eyewear
Supporters: Tissot, Giro, Scarpa, Primus, Garmin, Honey Stinger, Ortovox, Exped, Jдmtport
Photos: Michele Fait

All photos (number: 1)

This summer I’m going to Pakistan with my Italian friend Michele Fait to try to climb and ski the world’s second highest mountain K2 (8612m).
As acclimatization for K2 we will make an attempt to ski Laila Peak (6069m).
The expedition starts on May 30 when we will fly to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. We will spend a few days in the city for meetings with the Pakistan Alpine club to organize climbing permit and with our trekking agency Karakurum Magic Mountain (KMM). KMM helps us with all the logistics in Pakistan and will set us up with a base camp team that will cook food for Michele and I when we are in base camp.

From Islamabad we have a one hour flight up north to Skardu, the last town before we hit the mountains. Skardu is our last opportunity to pick up gear and food that we need for our two months stay in the mountains. Epi gas for our Primus stoves, chips and chocolate bars are some of the things we will buy in Skardu. From Skardu a five hours drive takes us to the small village of Hushe at the end of the road. From there on we will continue on foot. Around June 6 we start the two days trek towards Laila Peak.

Laila Peak is one of the most beautiful mountains in Pakistan - if not the world -with its summit forming a perfect needle shape. The peak is synonymous with its northwest face which s down the mountains at almost uniform gradient forming a giant ramp. Its northern and eastern sides consist of contrasting steep granite. The mountain is located east of the Gondogoro glacier and west of the Chogolisa Glacier in the Masherbrum Mountains of Baltistan. Most people have set eyes on the peak after crossing the Gondogoro La from Concordia.

The first ascent was by a four man British team including Simon Yates, Sean Smith and Mark Miller who climbed the peak in 1987 via the west face from the Gondogoro Glacier. Simon Yates dedicated a chapter in his book The Flame of Adventure on the ascent of Laila Peak.

With approximately 1500m ascent the mountain can be climbed in alpine style in one day but many people will choose to bivi on route then summit and descend on the second day. Climbing is mid-grade with an inclination of no more than 55 degrees.

In 2005 Jцrgen Aamot and I made two attempts to climb and ski the northwest face of Laila Peak. On both occasions the top section was too icy to ski so we turned around at 5950m and skied down to the Gondogoro Glacier (4500m). It’s my favorite ski descent of all times. Until this day no one has skied from the summit of Laila Peak.

This summer we will spend about two weeks on Laila Peak. It will be the perfect warm-up for K2 and hopefully we can ski from the summit this time.

K2 is the second highest mountain in the world and is located on the border between China and Pakistan. Reinhold Messner called K2 the "Mountain of Mountains" after his ascent in 1979. This pyramid of a mountain is right in the heart of the Karokoram Range and can be seen in its entirety from Concordia. It is at the head of the Godwin Austin Glacier which unites with a second glacier at Concordia to form the famous Baltoro Glacier. It is said to be the ultimate climb, since many consider it to be much more technically challenging than Mount Everest.

The name K2 is derived from the notation used by the Great Trigonometric Survey. On 10 September 1856, Thomas Montgomerie made the first survey of the Karakoram from Mount Haramukh, some 130 miles to the south, and sketched the two most prominent peaks, labeling them K1 and K2.

In 1954 the Italians Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni were the first to summit K2. They climbed the Abruzzi ridge. After the 2008 season K2 has been climbed 298 times but so far no one has managed to make a complete ski descent of K2.

K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the high fatality rate among those who climb it. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. Among the eight-thousanders, K2 has the second highest climbing mortality rate.

After Laila Peak we will arrive at K2 base camp around June 20. Then we will use about three weeks for acclimatization before we try for the summit. The route we will try to climb and ski is called The Cesen Route and is the south-southeast ridge.

Fredrik Ericsson

Sponsors: Dynastar, Tierra, Osprey, Hestra, Grivel, Adidas Eyewear
Supporters: Tissot, Giro, Scarpa, Primus, Garmin, Honey Stinger, Ortovox, Exped, Jдmtport

All photos (number: 2)

I’m proud to announce that I and Denis Urubko had been nominated for the prestigious Eiger Award the winner will be presented the 6th June in Grindewald (Swiss). It is an award called “The Oscar of Mountainering”.

The other candidates are Kurt Albert and Daniel H Anker. The winner of the 3 will be decided by you and the people that will vote in internet for the entire month of may. So please spend 5 second of your time and
decide who you prefer and like will be the winner…

http://www.eigerlive.ch/nominationen/voting/

Ciao and Thank you

Simone Moro and Denis Urubko

Summit video

A group of Italian friends and mountain guides has created a fund to help Jim Bridwell, the American climber and mountaineer, overcome a difficult moment.

Jim, who has always been had particular close ties to Italian mountaineering, is 64 years old and is currently going through a rough patch: he recently lost his house due to failed mortgage repayments. This is not only due to the current economic crisis, but also to a mountaineering accident which he hasn't yet entirely recovered from.

A group of mountain guides and friends from Trento, Italy, has created a committee to help this great but unlucky climber overcome this difficult moment.
Those wishing to help can do so by donating to the following bank account:
IBAN IT-64-H-07601-01800-000092800887, in the name of HELP JIM BRIDWELL, 38100 POVO (TN), Italy.

The Comitte has recently been officialised by the Italian Revenue Agency, with the following tax code: 9608136022.

A heartfelt thanks to all those who help.
Giovanni Groaz

Jim Bridwell - a selction of ascents and first ascents

1963 Northeast Buttress, Higher Cathedral Rock, Yosemite, CA, USA
1964 North Buttress 5.10a, Middle Cathedral Rock, first free ascent
1965 Entrance Exam, Arch Rock, Yosemite, CA, USA con Chuck Pratt, Chris Fredericks and Larry Marshik
1967 East Face, Higher Cathedral Rock, Yosemite, CA, USA with Chris Fredericks
1967 South Central, Washington Column, Yosemite, CA, USA with Joe Faint
1968 T-riple Direct, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA with Kim Schmitz
1970 New Dimensions, Arch Rock, Yosemite, CA, USA with Mark Klemens
1970 Vain Hope, Ribbon Falls, Yosemite, CA, USA with Royal Robbins and Kim Schmitz
1971 Aquarian Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA with Kim Schmitz
1972 Nabisco Wall, The Cookie, Yosemite, CA, USA
1973 Straight Error, Elephant Rock
1974 Freestone, Geek Towers, Yosemite Falls, Yosemite, CA, USA
1975 Wailing Wall, Tuolumne Meadows, CA, USA (2nd 5.12 in the USA) with Dale Bard and Rick Accomozo
1975 Pacific Ocean Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA with Bill Westbay, Jay Fiske and Fred East
1976 Gold Ribbon, Ribbon Falls, Yosemite, CA, USA with Mike Graham
1977 Bushido, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA with Dale Bard
1978 Sea of Dreams, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA with Dale Bard and Dave Diegelman
1978 Zenith, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA with Kim Schmitz
1979 Southeast Ridge del Cerro Torre (Compressor route), Patagonia, Argentina with Steven Brewer (first ascent in Alpine style of Cerro Torre)
1979 Northwest Face, Kichatna Spire, Alaska Range, USA with Andrew Embick
1981 Zenyatta Mondatta, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA, USA with Peter Mayfield and Charlie Row
1981 Dance of the Woo Li Masters, East Face di The Moose's Tooth, Ruth Gorge, Alaska, USA with Mugs Stump
1982 South Face, Pumori, Nepal with Jan Reynolds and Ned Gilette (winter)
1987 The Big Chill, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA, USA with Peter Mayfield, Sean Plunkett and Steve Bosque
1988 Exocet VI 5.9 WI6, East Face Cerro Stanhardt, Patagonia with Greg Smith, Jay Smith
1989 Shadows VI 5.10 A5, Half Dome, with Cito Kirkpatrick, Charles Row, William Westby
1989 West Face (VI 5.11b), El Capitan (free ascent)
1999 Oddysey, Gran Capucin, Mont Blanc, Fnech Alps with Giovani Groaz
1999 The Useless Emotion (VII 5.9 WI4 A4), The Bear's Tooth, Ruth Glacier, Alaska, USA with Terry Christensen, Glenn Dunmire, Brian Jonas and Brian McCray May 3-21, 1999
2001 The Beast Pillar, The Moose's Tooth, Ruth Gorge, Alaska, USA with Spencer Pfinsten

Source: PlanetMountain.com

First foto: Fredrik picking up the tent out of a crevasse. Second: Fredrik skiing powder with the Yalung glacier in the background. Third: Fredrik climbing up towards ”The Hump”

The first day of our summit push on Kangchenjunga gave a big surprise. The weather was nice, the snow was solid to climb on and we were moving easily up to “The Hump“ at 6200 meters where the site for our first camp was. Only one problem, there was no tent where we left it a week ago. The wind had taken it for a little flight about a hundred meters away and dumped it into a crevasse. Luckily we found it and it wasn’t too damaged. A bit of duct tape could fix it.

The second day was a windy day. We made it up to 6800 meters before we got sick of the wind and found a nice crevasse to put our tent in to hide from the wind.

On the third day came the second surprise. Snowfall and whiteout. Totally opposite from the bluebird that the weather forecast promised. Without visibility we became spectators, sitting in our crevasse all day watching the snow piling up outside. The next morning the sun was shining again but it was also 50 cm of fresh snow on the ground. Bearing in mind the previous week of storm winds blasting the snow cover. The fresh snow on top made it ideal for avalanches. The decision to not continue towards the summit was easy to make but it wasn’t fun. We had to give up our hopes for the summit of Kangchenjunga.

Standing at 6800 meters we had 1300 vertical meters of powder skiing ahead of us. But to make it down without getting avalanched we had to use all our experience and all the tricks in the book. There were some scary sections but mostly we could enjoy nice powder turns on one of the world highest mountains in the world. I am disappointed that we didn’t reach the summit but at the same time relieved that we made it down safely. We had a great experience in a beautiful environment and I will definitely return one day to make a new attempt on Kangchenjunga.

We are now packing our gear and getting ready for the week long hike back to civilization Looking forward to a Pizza in Kathmandu.

All photos (number: 6)

Source: Fredrik Ericsson.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME:

Friday, 31th BOULDERING
12.00 &ndash 13.00  Opening ceremony
13.00 &ndash Male and female Qualification Starts

Saturday, 1th BOULDERING

11.00 &ndash Semifinal starts(Female, Male)
17.00 &ndash Final starts (Female, Male)
18.30 &ndash Awarding Ceremony flower,

Sunday, 2th SPEED
11.00 &ndashQualification Starts (Female, Male)
15.00 &ndashFinal starts (Female, Male)
17.00 &ndash Awarding Ceremony,
20.00 &ndash Farewell Party (La Sportiva Party)

Place of competitions:
XV International Ski Salon
Moscow, Il&rsquoinka street, 4. Gostiny Dvor

Jurgen relaxing by his tent with Kangchenjunga in the background

At the moment we are stuck in base camp and all we can do is to wait for the weather to change. I’m getting a bit of dйjа vu from last year on Dhaulagiri. Acclimatization climbs passed by without any problems but as soon as I‘m ready for the summit the weather changes totally. Last year it was a week of snowfall that stopped me, this year the jet stream has taken over the mountain. For about a week now it’s been around 90 km/h wind up on 8000 meters and that is no place for us to be in those conditions.

Instead we get to hang out in base camp. So how is life in the camp? My home is a big four man tent that I got all to myself. My down sleeping mattress is possible to convert into a nice and comfy chair. That’s where I spend most of my time. Either listening to music, reading a good book or just enjoying the amazing view from my tent. Our tent site is not very exciting. It’s made up of ice, sand and rocks and it’s very uneven. But the mountains surrounding our camp are very impressive. It’s an amphi-theatre of beautiful peaks, from “The Fake Jannu” in the north via Kangbacken, Yalung Kang, Kangchenjunga to Talung and Kabru in the south. They are all rising 2000 meters higher than we are. That view is hard to beat.

When I’m not in my tent I’m eating food. Jцrgen and I have our own kitchen crew here in base camp. Buddhi, Kansha and Mon are making sure we are stuffed after breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are a good crew. Not only are they cooking good food but they are also laughing at our jokes (we paid extra for that).

Anyway after a week in base camp I’m getting restless and I’m hoping that the wind will calm down soon so that we can pack our gear and head up on the mountain again. This time we will try for the summit of Kangchenjunga (8586m).

Facts:
GPS position
Base Camp: Lat N 27° 40’ 24”
Lon E 88° 05’ 43”
Altitude: 5163 meters

Favorite Norwegian story:
“Why do the Norwegians leave the door open when they go to the toilet”?
“So that no one will look through the keyhole” )

Book that I'm reading: Tissot: The story of a watch company by Estelle Fallet
Music on my MP3 player: Dio - Holy Diver

All photos (number: 3)

Source: Fredrik Ericsson.

Marco Maria Scolaris, IFSC President.

It is always a pleasure to return to Russia, one of the cradle of our sport. We have seen so many international events organised in this country, that we feel at home. I also remember years ago, when we were experiencing hard times, but Russia, together with Italy, guaranteed the basis for the future development and the today strengths. Thanks Climbing Federation of Russia!

This year Moscow hosts two IFSC World Cup finals, speed and bouldering, both will be a success, we are sure, and the occasion to celebrate our athletes, coming from all over the world.

The IFSC Paraclimbing Cup is also part of the event. For the IFSC this is an important step forward to show the potentiality of our sport, a little contribution to make a better world.

Let’s climb the world together!

Marco Maria Scolaris
IFSC President

Fredrik on \"The Hump\".

Back in base camp again after a second acclimatization climb on Kangchenjunga. This time it took us only eight hours, instead of four days, to climb the 1000 vertical meters up to Camp 1 at 6250 meters. Being better acclimatized and having a trail to follow makes a big difference.

The weather has been identical to last week. We've had sunshine in the morning and clouds and snowfall in the afternoon. We are happy that we have marked the route with willow wands (bamboo sticks), that way we could easily find the way to C1 even if it was bad visibility almost half the way up there.

The route from "The Hump" (C1) up to "The Great Shelf" (C2) goes down for about a hundred meters then up what we call "The Second Glacier", a steep snow slope with lots of Seracs and Crevasses. Very similar to "The First Glacier" that goes up to C1.

Being a bit lazy and too comfortable in our sleeping bags we were not very quick out of the tent in the mornings. That way we didn't get far before clouds and snowfall stopped us at lunchtime. To our defense: we can feel the winter coming and the nights are getting colder ). With this pace it took us three days from C1 to 6950 meters (almost "The Great Shelf") where we found a nice ridge to set camp on.

At this moment the weather changed and it got very windy. According to Meteotest, that are doing our weather forecasts, the wind was 90 km/h at 8000 meters. Maybe a bit less where we were, but still enough. After a stormy night and when the wind didn't decline the next day we decided to return to BC.

After four days of uphill it was then time for skiing. It felt good to step into the bindings after a long summer and a lot of uphill on this trip. "The Second Glacier" is a nice slope for skiing. It has everything from low angle traverses to 50 degrees sections. Unfortunately the snow wasn't great this time but the scenery made up for that. Anyway, skiing on the slopes of Kangchenjunga was a special feeling.

Both Jörgen and I are in good mood and are acclimatizing well. We are now ready for the summit push and as soon as we get a weather forecast giving us four days of nice weather we will go for it.

All photos (number: 5)

Source: Fredrik Ericsson.

Fredrik near camp 1

Kangchenjunga Ski Expedition Update 3. Route to Camp 1!

Climbing an 8000-meter peak is a time consuming project. Not only can it be a long and demanding approach to the foot of the mountain but you also need to spend weeks to get used to the altitude (acclimatize) to be able to climb the mountain. In total Jörgen and I are spending two month to be able to climb and ski on Kangchenjunga.

This Autumn Jörgen and I are the only climbers on the south side of Kangchenjunga. Normally the base camps on the 8000ers are crowded with climbers and on the mountain there are fixed ropes all along the routes. Being alone is great, it gives a more adventurous touch to it. We get to go up on the mountain all by ourselves to search and find a nice and safe route to climb (and ski). I can almost imagine what it was like for the British climbers that first climbed Kangchenjunga in 1955.

From our base camp at 5100 meters we have about 3500 meters up to the summit of the mountain and we will use three camps on the way. During the last four days Jörgen and I have been working our way up to our first camp. It is located at about 6200 meters on a ridge that was named &ldquoThe Hump&rdquo by the first ascensionists. The route goes on a fairly steep glacier that is cracked up by crevasses (cracks) and seracs (ice walls) that we have to navigate around. The routefinding was a bit tricky and the weather didn&rsquot cooperate with us either. Each day it was clear and sunny in the morning but after a only few hours clouds pulled in and it started snowing. Needing good visibility to move higher up we could only manage to ascend a few hundred meters a day. We spent one night at camp one before we returned to base camp. Four days up, three hours down.

Having a good route up to C1 and the fact that Jörgen and I seem to acclimatize well we are getting good confidence for the future. At the moment we are resting in base camp before we are heading up the mountain to continue our acclimatization and trying to figure out the route to Camp 2 at 7000 meters. More news when we are back from C2.

Fredrik.

Facts:

GPS position

Base Camp:   Lat N 27° 40&rsquo 24&rdquo

                   Lon E 88° 05&rsquo 43&rdquo

Altitude: 5100 meters

Warmest temp: +36°C

Coldest temp:    -11°C

For more info about Fredrik and Jörgen check out their websites:

All photos (number: 4)

Source: Fredrik Ericsson.

Fredrik is getting excited to head up to the snow.

Finally we have reached the Kangchenjunga Base Camp and it was not a walk in the park to get there. We were hoping for eight days of nice walking in the hills and mountains of eastern Nepal. Now 14 days later I know that the Kangchenjunga base camp trek is a bit more complicated than that.

First we were strolling in the sun along rice fields and banana plantations. Then came the Jungle with the leeches. The days got longer and the rainfalls got more frequent. As we moved up to higher altitude the weather and the terrain got nicer. Once in a while I even got a glimpse of a snow capped mountain. Our mood got better but that didn’t stop Jorgen from catching a cold. He got a sore throat and a bad cough that kept him a wake most of the night. To get rid of the cough Jorgen decided to stay a few days in the camp in Tseram (3700m) while the rest of the crew continued. During the trek we had about 20 porters that helped us carry our gear and food. When we came up to the Yalung Glacier that leads up to Kangchenjunga, about half of them didn’t want to continue. With only half the men it took us two days to travel the distance of a normal day. If that wasn’t enough, then came the snow. In one day we got 20 cm snow and that made the rest of the porters give up on us as well. Even though it gave us some problems I totally understand them. Walking on this glacier is no fun at all and 20 cm of snow doesn’t make it more exciting. It’s a mix of sand, rocks and ice and always up or down. Not a single flat spot. The gear the porters show up in is better suited for a sunny day on the beach than on a snowy glacier. I’m impressed that they made it as far as they did. Fortunate for us we were not far from base camp. Jorgen got well and caught up with us and together with our cooking crew: Buddhi, Kansha and Mon we could move up to Kangchenjunga Base Camp.

It feels great to be here at the foot of Kangchenjunga and the view of the beautiful mountains makes the long trek all worthwhile. After 14 days in the jungle and on the moraine Jorgen and I are getting very excited to take out the skis and head up to the snow.

For more info about Fredrik and Jorgen check out their websites:
www.fredrikericsson.com and www.jorgenaamot.no
Fredrik’s sponsors: Dynastar, Osprey, Tierra, Hestra, Adidas Eyewear and Grivel
Supporters: Tissot, Giro, DHL, Exped, Loben Expeditions and Jamtport

All photos (number: 4)

Source: Fredrik Ericsson.

The Adventure has begun. Jorgen and I are now on the trek towards Kangchenjunga base camp. Four days have passed and four days to go to reach camp.
It’s just over a week since we arrived in Nepal. We spent three days in Kathmandu sorting out climbing permit at the ministry of tourism, meetings with journalists and a chat with Elisabeth Hawley, the master of Himalayan climbing statistics. We also bought some gear and food that we will need on the expedition.
Kathmandu is a big and lively city with millions of people. There is a massive amount of cars and motorcycles and the traffic is the most chaotic I’ve ever experienced. It’s interesting to visit Kathmandu but it’s a bit too stressful for a guy like me that is used to the peace and quiet life of northern Sweden.
We continued with a one hour flight to Bhadrapur and a jeep ride via Ilam to Gopetar. After getting delayed one day due to a missing bag on the flight to Bhadrapurwe left Gopetar last Friday and started the trek towards Kanghenjunga, We are now halfway on the eight days trek and it’s not the regular trek that we are used to. We’ve been walking up and down the hills, going through rise- and cornfields, crossing rives on wooden suspension bridges and through the jungle. Jorgen and I have agreed that we are not made for the jungle. It’s warm and moisty, the rocks are slippery and leeches are attacking us from all directions. During the trek we have met a lot of nice people that have been telling us stories about life in Nepal and we have been trying to describe to them what life is like in Europe.
We are now looking forward to leave the jungle and move up to higher altitude and hopefully we will reach base camp in a few days. More news when we arrive.

For more info about Fredrik and Jцrgen check out their websites:
www.fredrikericsson.com and www.jorgenaamot.no

Fredrik’s sponsors: Dynastar, Osprey, Tierra, Hestra, Adidas Eyewear and Grivel Supporters: Tissot, Giro, DHL, Exped, Loben Expeditions and Jamtport

All photos (number: 2)

Source: Fredrik Ericsson.

Fredrik Ericsson

The Swedish extreme skier Fredrik Ericsson is trying to become the first person to ski the three highest mountains in the world. The three year project starts this week when Fredrik is going to the Himalayas to ski the third highest mountain, Kangchenjunga (8586m). Fredrik’s partner on the expedition is Norwegian extreme skier Jurgen Aamot.

Fredrik Ericsson is one of the leading high altitude skiers in the world with ski descents on some of the highest mountains in the world, including Peak Somoni, Shisha Pangma, Gasherbrum 2, Laila Peak and Dhaulagiri.

- I have already skied on three of the 14 8000-meters peaks, but now the aim is towards the absolute highest. The project spans over three years and I will try to ski the three highest mountains in the world, Kangchenjunga (8586m) this Autumn, K2 (8612m) next summer and Mount Everest in the Autumn of 2010, says Fredrik.

The first big challenge starts now when Fredrik together with his Norwegian companion are going to the Himalayas. The mountain they plan to climb and ski – Kangchenjunga – lies on the border between Nepal and the Indian state Sikkim. Kangchenjunga was during many years assumed to be the highest mountain in the world before the correct altitude of Mount Everest was established in 1849.

Kangchenjunga was first climbed in 1955 by a British team including Joe Brown and George Band. Since then, around 200 climbers have reached the summit. But so far no Swede or Norwegian has climbed to the summit and no one has skied off the summit of Kangchenjunga.

- This means that we can become the first Swede and Norwegian to climb to the summit and also the first in the world the ski the mountain, says Fredrik.

After a long journey with airplane, jeep and by foot they will end up on the Yalung glacier where they will set up base camp at an altitude of about 5300 meters. During three weeks they will prepare for the big challenge by several acclimating climbs. In the middle of October Fredrik and Jцrgen start the hard climb to the top of Kangchenjunga.

- We will carry all our equipment by ourselves we have randonne boots on our feet and will not use supplemental oxygen. Therefore it’s harder for us to climb the mountain than for most of the other climbers, says Fredrik.

The climbing is mostly on a glacier, the route is long and serious and it’s extremely strenuous climbing at that altitude. Fredrik and Jцrgen are planning to use four days from base camp to the summit and they will spend three nights in camps on the way.

- On the summit day we start climbing at midnight and I believe it will take about 10 hours to reach the top, says Fredrik.

The ski descent, which is the highlight of the two months long expedition, is expected to take five hours. The descent goes all the way down to base camp, has a vertical fall of almost 3300 meters with some very steep sections of up to 50 degrees inclination.

- To ski at 8000 meters is not easy. It’s extremely hard work and in the beginning we have to stop to rest after only a few turns. After four to five turns I’m as exhausted as after skiing 1000 vertical meters in the Alps, says Fredrik.

To follow the expedition check out Fredrik’s website: www.fredrikericsson.com. Fredrik will post regular updates on the site.

Facts: Fredrik Ericsson.

Fredrik Ericsson grew up in a town called Umeе in the northern part of Sweden but has since 2000 spent most of his time in Chamonix in the French Alps. As a professional skier he spends the winter travelling to ski resorts in the Alps and exotic mountain ranges around the world. When Fredrik’s not skiing he enjoys climbing in the Mont Blanc range.

Below is a short summary of Fredrik’s previous ski descents:

2003 - Peak Somoni (7 495 m), Tadzjikistan.
2004 - Central summit of Shisha Pangma (8 012 m), Tibet.
2005 - Gasherbrum 2 (8 035 m), Pakistan.
2005 - Laila Peak (6 069 m), Pakistan, skied from 5 940 m.
2007 - Dhaulagiri (8 167 m), Nepal, skied from 8 000 to 4 700 meter.

Fredrik’s sponsors: Dynastar skis, Osprey, Tierra, Hestra, Adidas Eyewear and Grivel Supporters: Tissot, Exped, DHL, Giro, Ortovox, Dynafit, Therm-Ic, Jдmtport and Loben Expeditions

All photos (number: 2)

The organization of a meeting is incured kindly by Alexander Klenov and "Extreme Activities Association".

The brief program of a meeting:
3 October,
Meeting and transfer participants of UIAA YC meet in airport "Koltsovo", Ekaterinburg
20-00 transfer participants of UIAA YC meet to the camp hotel near Ekaterinburg
4-5th October
The commission's working days
6 October
Transfer participants of UIAA YC meet to airport "Koltsovo" Ekaterinburg

The travel costs rests on the member associations. Stay and catering for one person of each member nation rest on the "Extreme Activities Association"
For the all detailed program address to Alexander Klenov
vaklen_ru@yahoo.com
+7 9122884630 mobil

Source: www.c-f-r.ru

In 2009, The Domzale Mountain Culture Association will be organizing the 3rd International Mountain Film Festival. The festival will be held from 17th to 20 March 2009 in Ljubljana and Domzale. It is the only film festival of its kind in Slovenia – a small Alpine country known for the highest achievements in the worlds of Alpine climbing and sport climbing. All the films shown at the festival will undoubtedly attract viewers because Slovenes consider mountaineering and outdoor activities as a way of life. The festival has been gaining on popularity and has been attracting an increasing number of visitors, including internationally established climbers and makers of mountain films. Along with film projections, the festival programme also includes other art and thematic exhibits, lectures, round tables, and a photography contest.
We invite you to join us and participate with your film. Make sure that a part of your mountain culture gets shown in Slovenia.

Pack with "Terms and conditions_09" and "Prijavnic-Entry Forma09".

Source: www.imffd.com (Mountain Culture Association)