11 First Ascents in Antarctica

The first Austrian Expedition to Queen Maud Land this past year produced 11 first ascents. Team members Christoph Hoebenreich, Karl Pichler, and Paul Koller believe that these are previously unclimbed peaks.

The main peaks that were climbed were: Tiroler Spitze (2,201m, S 71°52’15.8’’, E 8°55’00.6’’); Austrian Peak (2,177m, S 71°52’27.9’’, E 8°54’50.6’’); Peak Alexey Turchin (2,232m, S 71°51’19.8’’, E 9°00’12.7’’); Kamelbuckel (Camel’s Hump, 2,184m, S 71°50’28.1’’, E 9°00’01.5‘‘); Mt. Galileo (2,528m, S 71°55’23.6’’, E 9°01’38.8’’), and Peak of Silent Solitude (2,550m, S 71°54’59.2’’, E 9°03’28.1’’).

This was Hoebenreich's 11th Polar expedition

For more info, read aaj.americanalpineclub.org

180° South: The Film

We're looking forward to this film being released, and probably trying to get it for the next Deep South AAC meeting - check out the cleanest line for details.
It's a film based on the original trip that Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, and Dick Dorworth took in 1968 to climb the rarely attempted Cerro Fitz Roy. They first had to drive from California to southern Argentina in a sketchy van. They also spent their time surfing waves all along the coast. This adventure was originally profiled in the DVD Mountain of Storms, see clip below -

Awesome is Ranulph Fiennes

Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes actually -

Check out this animated short film narrated by Ran Fiennes. Fiennes is often called the worlds greatest living explorer - and for good reason, he's circumnavigated the globe vertically (52k miles), climbed Everest at 65, discovered a lost city in Oman, written scores of books, and even amputated his own fingers to stave off the pain of frostbite.........

Source - theadventurelife.com

Tawoche Central South Buttress by Renan Ozturk and Cory Richards

Renan Ozturk USA and Cory Richards CA have climbed a new route on Tawoche's (6501m) south central buttress, in Nepal's Khumbu Himal. After a three-day blast up 1200 meters of rock and ice, the North Americans climbed a line along the Central South Buttress; they summited on January 15.
See vid below, for full story check out the alpinist or planet mountain.

TAWOCHE 2k10 dispatches #5 from renan ozturk on Vimeo.

Alpinist.com link
Planetmountain.com link

Reinhold Messner interview

Reinhold Messner Interview



The man, the mountains, the famous alpinist. Interview by Erminio Ferrari and Ellade Ossola . Make sure you hit the EN tab for english

Interview - via planetmountain.com

Mt. Robson climb - Barry Blachard 2002

Great 10 min vid of Barry Blanchard and Co. putting up a new route on Robson - Emperor Face. I stumbled across it on themountainworld blog.

http://www.barryblanchard.ca/video.php

Major New Grant - Copp - Dash Inspire Award

Last spring in Sichuan, China (I heard of this while climbing in Peru) climbers Jonny Copp, Micah Dash, and filmmaker Wade Johnson perished in an avalanche. The new award, which will be administered by the AAC, and sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia. A pool of $20,000 in grants will be provided for chosen North American climbers for expeditions between May 1, 2010, and February 28, 2011.

- see the link below

COPP DASH AWARD