01 GUILLAUMET 02 GORRA BLANCA 03 LOMA BLANCA 04 TORRE VOLONQUI 05 GORETTA PILLAR SOLO 06 CORAZÓN ATTEMPT 07 REFLECTIONS As I have done sometimes in the past, I am beginning to write this blog post while sitting on a bus from El Chaltén to El Calafate. After more than three months in El Chaltén, … Continue reading Chaltén 2022-2023: Pilar Goretta Solo, El Corazón Attempt, and Respect to Sean
Category: blog
Fitz Roy Winter Solo
During the past few years I have been lazy about writing on my blog. I think this is largely because I now share snippets of my climbing on social media, and after already writing about a climb on social media, even if only very succinctly, some of my motivation to write more deeply has dissipated. … Continue reading Fitz Roy Winter Solo
Kale Borroka
After a couple weeks of ice climbing around Chamonix, Alisa and I returned to Siurana again one month ago. This time I came with plans of trying a specific route, and today those plans were realized when I did my first ever 5.14, a redpoint of “Kale Borroka” (8b+ / 5.14a). When I first starting … Continue reading Kale Borroka
Chaltén 2020
It hasn't been long since I departed El Chaltén, but sitting in quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it already feels like a long time ago. I spent the entirety of January and February in El Chaltén (Argentine Patagonia), teamed up for the month of January with Fabian Buhl, and teamed up for the month … Continue reading Chaltén 2020
A Brief Visit to Patagonia, and Reflections on Hard Solo Climbing
I’m currently beginning the long journey back from El Chaltén, concluding my shortest-yet trip to Patagonia, and by far my least productive. I have by now made a total of 16 trips to El Chaltén, and the biggest, most stable window of good weather I’ve ever seen was during the past two weeks. However, August … Continue reading A Brief Visit to Patagonia, and Reflections on Hard Solo Climbing
Not Sending the Gnar in Peru
I’m currently traveling from Peru to Chamonix, reflecting on a totally unsuccessful three and a half weeks in the Cordillera Blanca. At the end of May I traveled with my special lady friend, Alisa, to Huaraz, the major city in Peru’s Ancash region, situated adjacent to the Cordillera Blanca. Unfortunately, after only about 24 hours … Continue reading Not Sending the Gnar in Peru
A Taste of Khan Tengri
Khan Tengri is one of a bunch of mountains that often get called “one of the most beautiful mountains in the world.” I think those statements are pretty silly, since beauty is so extremely subjective, but I do personally think that Khan Tengri is a particularly beautiful mountain. I’ve felt that way since first seeing … Continue reading A Taste of Khan Tengri
Cassin Ridge Speed Solo
BACKGROUND I have recently returned to civilization from my eighth expedition to Denali [edit: Not recently anymore! This blog post is finally making it online 3 months after the fact...], the highest mountain in North America. Although the summit of Denali is only 6,155 meters, I think the altitude on the summit of Denali feels … Continue reading Cassin Ridge Speed Solo
Chalten 2017-2018 Photo Essay
On the Argentine side of the Patagonian Andes, the Chaltén Massif is a dense range of extremely steep mountains, famous for Cerro Torre and Chaltén itself (the native name for the peak also known as Fitz Roy). I have been coming to this mountain range on an annual basis since 2003, often for a three-month … Continue reading Chalten 2017-2018 Photo Essay
Gasherbrum 2 Half-Hearted Attempt
I am beginning to draft this blog entry while currently stuck in Islamabad, eager to get back home to Seattle after a long stint in Pakistan. The idea for this trip started roughly one year ago. I was in Chamonix for one week, after a super successful trip to Alaska, and before an only somewhat … Continue reading Gasherbrum 2 Half-Hearted Attempt