Colin Haley Completes First Solo Ascent of Torre Egger in Patagonia

American climber Colin Haley continues to add impressive accomplishments to his resume. As both a skilled rock climber and mountaineer, he has completed some of the toughest routes in the world in Patagonia and the Himalaya. But on January 19 he only added to his growing list of accomplishments when he managed to complete the first solo ascent of Torre Egger, one of the most iconic and difficult towers in the world.

Located in Argentina's Patagonia region, Torre Egger is a sheer rock face that stands 2685 meters (8809 ft) in height. It is considered one of the crown jewels of rock climbing, often mentioned in the same breath as El Capitan, Trango Towers, or Torres del Paine which is also located in Patagonia. On January 19, after months of planning and preparation, Haley set out to solo that massive tower in what would become an very long day in the mountains.

Alpinist has all the details of the ascent, including the exact route Haley took to the summit, and some of the challenges he to overcome along the way. As you can imagine, it was not an easy climb, requiring 16.5 hours to complete the route. But even after reaching the summit, Colin faced more difficult on the descent. At one point his rope became hung up, and he had to spend several hours bouncing on it to get it to release a few inches at a time. Eventually it gave way, and he was able to finally finish his descent.

The solo of Torre Egger wasn't the only impressive climb Haley finished in Patagonia this month. Alpinist says that he and fellow American Andy Wyatt also completed a speed ascent of Monte Fitz Roy (3405 m/11,171 ft) on January 6, completing that challenge car-to-car in 21 hours and 8 minutes. According to the report, that would be the fastest known time for a round-trip ascent on that peak as well.

These are some impressive accomplishments over a span of just a couple of weeks. Congrats to Colin (and Andy Wyatt!) on a job well done.

Trio of Adventurers Set to Travel From the Arctic to the Atacama

A trio of adventurers is heading north to start an epic journey that will span more 1500 km (932 miles) under their own power, and take them to environments that range more than 100 degrees celsius in temperatures.

The team consists of ultrarunners Ray Zahab, Jen Segger, and Stefano Gregoretti, who are currently en route to Qikiqtarjuaq, a Canadian island located in the Arctic Ocean, where they will begin the first stage of the expedition. Once there, they'll start heading south over the frozen landscape by fat bike and foot. Their route will take them to Baffin Island, which they'll traverse on their way to the community of Pangnirtung. Along he way, they'll cross 300 km (186 miles) through harsh arctic conditions where temperatures are expected to plummet as low as -50ºC (-58ºF).

Immediately after finishing the first leg of their journey, the three endurance athletes will next travel to South America to begin the second phase of the adventure. They'll be heading to northern Chile, where they'll make a traverse of the Atacama Desert, the driest place on the planet. They'll follow the same route that Zahab used when he ran across the Atacama on foot back in 2011. This time out though, they'll cover the 1200 km (745 miles) on mountain bike. While in the desert, the thermometer will reach 50ºC (120ºF), a stark contrast to the northern stage of the expedition.

The expedition has been dubbed Arctic 2 Atacama, and it should be officially underway in just a few days. The website is still filling in with information, but once things go live, expect daily updates on the team's progress, including status updates and videos from the trail. This promises to be quite the grueling journey, but a fun one to follow.

Good luck to Ray, Jen, and Stefano.

Video: Yosemite's Annual Firefall Caught on Film

Each year in February, the sun hits the upper portion of Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, illuminating it with a golden glow that makes it look like it is on fire. It is quite the site to see, and this year that "firefall" as it is known was caught on video, which you'll find below. This was shot just a few days ago, and as you'l see, it makes an incredibly beautiful place, even more so.

Winter Climbs 2014: Patience and Perseverence On Nanga Parbat

As is always the case with a big winter climb, the teams on Nanga Parbat have had to use patience and perseverance so far. The weather dictates when they can move and when they must take shelter, and while conditions were good early on, they have fluctuated wildly since then. At the moment, the weather is good by winter standards, but things are expected to change over the next few days, forcing the climbers to return to Base Camp and wait for another window.

The Polish Justice for All team has reported in for the first time in awhile. They indicate that things are good there, but overcast skies have made it difficult to use their solar panels for recharging the batteries on their various devices, including their laptops. While they've been under a media blackout, they have continued to work the route however, and have now cached their gear at 5800 meters (19,028 ft). As part of the acclimatization rotations, several of the team members have even been has high as 6400 meters (20,997 ft) as they get use to the altitude. The Poles also indicate that they have been doing most of the rope fixing so far, with just a little help from the smaller, but very experienced, North Face team, who put in 200 meters of line along a very crucial section leading up to the 6400 meter mark.

The team now has Camp 2 established and is shuttling more gear to that point. They hope to have C3 built soon as well, and were hoping to climb up to 7000 meters (22,965 ft), but weather conditions have turned them back for now.  Steady snowfall in recent days, with more in the forecast, means that they'll have to be more careful as they go up.


Meanwhile, the North Face team hasn't posted a status update in more than a week, which followed Simone Moro and David Göttler acclimatization rotation to C2. ExWeb is reporting that they went back up the mountain on Sunday and are back in C2 today. Tomorrow, they will attempt to reach Camp 3, weather permitting. If that happens, they'll try to cache gear and supplies there and may even spend the night, provided the weather window remains open long enough.

Finally, ExWeb is also saying that Italian solo climber Daniele Nardi is still en route to Nanga, but should arrive in BC on the Diamir face tomorrow. He is being escorted to that point by armed guards i an effort to ensure safety for foreign visitors following the massacre that took place in Base Camp last summer. Once he has established his camp, and acclimatized some, he'll make an alpine style ascent of he mountain.

Remember, each of these teams is attempting to make history. Nanga Parbat is one of two 8000 meter peaks that has yet to be climbed in the winter, the other being K2. Conditions on the mountain have been good so far, but with a little less than two months to go in winter, the worst weather is probably yet to come. Still, if things remain consistent, one or all of these teams has a shot at reaching the summit.

Stay tuned for more updates soon.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes Pulls Plug on Aconcagua Summit Attempt

It looks like Sir Ranulph Fiennes will have to wait a little bit longer to complete his attempt to complete the Adventurers Grand Slam. According to the BBC, the 72-year old British explorer has had to abandon his attempt to summit Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America, after experiencing severe back pain during the final stages of the expedition. Fiennes says that he is "very frustrated" by the situation.

The climb was part of Fiennes – who has been called "the world's greatest living explorer" – attempt to join the elite club of men and women who have reached both the North and South Poles, as well as topped out on the Seven Summits. He has undertaken this challenge to raise funds for the Marie Curie Foundation, which has been a frequent recipient of his charity work over the years. To date, he has summited Everest, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, and Vinson. That would leave him with Denali and Carstensz Pyramid, in addition to Aconcagua.

According to reports, Sir Ran was within just a few hours of the 6961-meter (22,841 ft) summit of Aconcagua, which is not only the highest peak in South America, but the tallest outside of the Himalaya too. But, the explorer was in too much pain to continue upwards, and had to be assisted back down the mountain instead. He was then air lifted to Mendoza, Argentina, where he is reportedly in good condition. He'll now head home to the U.K. to consult with his doctor before proceeding any further with his plans.

In embarking on this challenge, Fiennes hoped to become the first person to traverse both polar ice caps and complete the Seven Summits. You may recall that he earned his stripes as an explorer by visiting the coldest places on the planet on multiple occasions. He has come to mountaineering a bit late in life, not summiting Everest until 2009 at the age of 66. Later he would add summits of Kilimanjaro and Everest, before embarking on what he calls the Global Reach Challenge in 2016. Whether or not he'll continue with those efforts remains to be seen, but considering his resume, I would assume that unless this is a very serious injury, he'll be back at it as soon as possible.

Get well soon Sir Fiennes.

Video: Drones Over Peru

The stunning and diverse landscapes of Peru are on display in this video, which was shot using a drone to get some of the best vantage points possible. In the short clip you'll see mountain, canyons, deserts, and other spectacular vistas. If you're needing an escape from the daily grind today, sit back and enjoy this clip. It is four minutes of bliss.

High Above Peru from Andreas Giesen on Vimeo.

Himalaya Spring 2016: Hillary Step Intact After All? A Game of Chess on Annapurna Summit?

There isn't a lot of new news to report from the Himalaya today, where a lot of teams are moving up on Everest to get in position to take advantage of a looming weather window. It has already been a busy season on the world's highest peak, with more to come in the days ahead. But, one of the stories that has been coming off the mountain may not be true after all, despite widespread reports.

Yesterday, I posted the news that the iconic Hillary Step on the South Side of Everest had collapsed during last year's earthquake, making it easier to approach the summit from the Nepali side of the mountain. But, late last night Alan Arnette posted a comment on that story saying that it isn't a foregone conclusion that the Hillary Step has indeed been altered.

Alan indicated that he spoke with Sherpas on the mountain – as well as Himex boss  Russell Brice – and the feeling is that the Step may just look very different thanks to a meter of snow that has accumulated on it. It won't be clear if the route has indeed been changed until that snow is cleared away and climbers can get a good look at the terrain.

The Hillary Step is so named because it was the final piece of the puzzle that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgayhad to overcome on their way to the first successful summit back in 1953. The route has been used by hundreds of other climbers ever since, and it has been a cause of some traffic jams in the past because it requires some actual technical climbing to overcome. If the Step has been altered and made easier, it could eliminate those jams and make approaching the summit safer. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.


Meanwhile, Stefan Nestler reports on what has to be the highest chess game ever played. Apparently, climbers Jost Kobusch and Nadav Ben-Yehudi had played at least two games a chess each day in Base Camp on Annapurna while they waited for the summit push. When they finally were able to go to the top a few weeks back, they decided to play a spontaneous game at the 8091 meter (26,545 ft). Actually, they dropped 20 meters below the summit, and played a quick game on Jost's smartphone. The entire game took just seven minutes to complete, and the winner has not been revealed. As you can imagine, they were in a bit of a hurry to finish up and head back down.

That's all for today. More news soon as the season continues to move ahead.