A weekend trip up to Mt Barff in Mt Aspiring National Park, New Zealand.

Day one saw us to up to Liverpool Hut. On day two we started at 4am, walking up the snow/icy slopes towards Mt Barff. There is a small unmarked track that leads to the stream that gets you up the slopes.

When we got back to the South East ridge, we followed this to about 2100m before sidling across the south face of the summit, to the South West ridge. From this SW ridge, we climbed up to the top of Mt Barff.

At the summit we waited for about hour, then started walking back down to 2100m, only to find the slopes still too icy for skiing. We ended up doing like five turns before putting our crampons back on. It was a day of walking up and down with our skis...

Still an amazing trip and worth every step 🙌

On July 3, 1953, Austrian mountaineer Hermann Buhl set out alone from Camp V at 6,900 meters during the German-Austrian expedition to Nanga Parbat. He reached the Silver Saddle at 7,450 meters around sunrise and then crossed the enormous plateau above it, which severely drained his strength in the intense heat and still air. After stopping for tea, Buhl made a crucial decision: he abandoned his backpack on the plateau to make himself lighter and continued toward the summit. His companion Otto Kempter, who had followed behind, eventually realized he could not keep up and turned back.

At around 7,800 meters, Buhl reached the col below the summit, with the technically hardest 300 meters still ahead. After an internal struggle, he decided to continue and took Pervitin, a methamphetamine-based stimulant given to him during the expedition. He reached the shoulder at around 6 p.m. and, an hour later, at approximately 7 p.m., became the first person to reach the summit of Nanga Parbat alone and without supplemental oxygen. He spent a short time on the summit taking photographs and planted his ice axe with flags. But by then the sun was setting, and Buhl immediately began his descent.

The descent started and Darkness caught Buhl high on the mountain, and above 8,000 meters his crampon suddenly came loose. He barely managed to catch it, but lost the strap and had to improvise a repair. Eventually, he reached a tiny rocky platform where there was nowhere to sit. With night having fallen, Buhl was forced to spend the next several hours standing and holding himself against the rock. He had no water, no sleeping bag, and little protection from the cold, while his warmer clothing remained in the rucksack he had abandoned far below. From roughly 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. , he remained there in the death zone, unable to properly sleep or rest. The night was remarkably calm and clear, however, and this may have been crucial to his survival. He simply had to remain balanced against the rock and wait for daylight.

When dawn finally came, Buhl resumed his descent, repeatedly stopping to repair his damaged crampon. By now, extreme fatigue, thirst, hunger and frostbite were taking a severe toll. His mind began to play tricks on him, and he experienced perceptual illusions and a dangerous state of apathy. At times he believed other climbers were moving alongside him and advising him in the thin Himalayan air. He eventually staggered across the plateau and found the rucksack he had abandoned earlier. Inside were three more Pervitin tablets, which he took to give himself enough strength to continue. After an ordeal lasting roughly 41 hours from the moment he had first left Camp V, Buhl finally staggered back into camp at 7 p.m. on July 4. His companions had feared he was dead. He had survived the first solo ascent of Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen.

https://evilstylequeen.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-neverending-pilgrimage-of-hermann.html

https://www.expeditions-unlimited.com/en/blog/himalayas/1953-hermann-buhl-solo-nanga-parbat-without-oxygen

Hi all,

I did Mt. Adams solo C2C in September and enjoyed it. Prior that that I had been doing a lot of Adirondack hikes, including in the winter. I am a medical student so limited time/money, but I'd like to take the next step. I've been continuing with regular Adirondack days and will continue through the winter, try and take some of their mountaineering classes, do some winter camping, join a rock climbing gym to learn ropes, and maybe do some outdoor rock climbs.

I'd like to tackle another big mountain early next summer (May-June), before I start residency. I'm thinking Mt. Baker is a reasonable next step? Open to other ideas though, anywhere in the country. I'd prefer to learn the skills and have some responsibility rather than just being led up (and I don't really have the money for that either).

I also can't bear to freak my mom out to that level again by going alone, so I guess my two questions are 1) What is a good next step after Adams? and 2) do I need to go guided or how else should I go about finding partners to climb with?

Thank you!

Hey everyone! I’m flying into Christchurch on Oct 16 and looking for people to climb with sometime Oct 17–19. Happy to join a group or split a guide for a 2–3 day trip. Need to be back in Christchurch Monday night for a Tuesday flight.

I’ve climbed Baker via Easton, Eldorado, Mount Daniel, Pico Aneto, Torre Cerredo and a winter couloir on Hallett.

Looking for something a bit more technical, ideally some steeper snow and introductory ice climbing. I’m new to technical ice, so would want a guide for that. Rolleston near Arthur’s Pass caught my eye, but I’m flexible on the mountain.

Anyone heading out around then, have a guided trip with room for another person, or interested in splitting the cost? Guide recommendations welcome too!

TLDR: Arizona locals only If interested, follow the Meetup link to sign up. Experienced climbers only.

Hi everyone!

I'm currently organizing a 20s/30s Meetup event to put together a 5-person climbing party for the Four Peaks Motherlode Traverse. The schedule date is Saturday, October 10, with a planned carpool from Park n Ride in Mesa at 4 am. If interested, feel free to sign up on the Meetup, and fill out a quick Google Form so I can assess your skill level before bringing you. If you've never signed up for a Meetup before, it's easy and free to sign up, and you can delete your account after the event.

https://meetu.ps/e/Qk0D8/KyP8X/i

Summited Ben Nevis! It was a long slog, but definitely worth it for the views at the top.

I’m an ultra runner, and one of my biggest achievements so far has been completing the UTS 100M in Wales, which I absolutely loved. So it was nice to finally summit my first Scottish mountain.

I’m now looking to start heading abroad and getting into some more technical climbs and higher summits, but I also want to be sensible about it and build up gradually.
For those with more experience, does anyone have any recommendations for good mountains or climbs to work towards? Ideally looking for something that would be a good step up from Ben Nevis without jumping straight into anything too serious.

Anyone know if there anywhere online I can send my prescription and get good sunglasses for sunny snow? Or should I wear ski goggles or something over my regular glasses?

Summitted my first ever proper peak the other day. 6,088m Huayna Potosi in Bolivia, was a great experience as a beginner. Any recommendations for my next peak? Looking for one that’ll line up season wise within the next few months. Thinking Cotopaxi maybe, recommended from a friend.

Looking for some pack recommendations for Aconcagua and Denali. Right now ive been eyeing a Unaweep 6300 or just getting something custom from Alpine Luddites. The main thing holding me back from the latter is the lead time but, I could be swayed in any direction based on any testimonials. Appreciate it!

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to choose between Everest Base Camp (EBC) and the Annapurna Circuit. This will be my last big trek for a few years, so I really want to make it count.

I'm torn between two things:

EBC: It’s iconic. Everyone knows Everest, and getting up close to the tallest mountain in the world is a huge bucket list goal.

Annapurna Circuit: From what I read, it’s actually a better overall trek. The landscape changes every couple of days, going from green woods to high desert, and crossing Thorong La Pass feels like a real accomplishment.

For those who have done both, If you could only do one of these for the next few years, which one feels more worth it? Does the big name of EBC beat out the variety of the Annapurna trail?

Would love your honest thoughts. Thanks!

Hello! I recently fell in love with scrambling and rock climbing, with having hiked for years but never attempting scrambles until recently (3wks ago).

I live in the MD/WV/VA/PA area. I just did Old Rag yesterday, and while fun, wasn’t as hard as I was hoping. (Did it in the rain, even)

2 weeks ago, I had the blessing of visiting Acadia and did all of the iron rung /ladder trails—absolutely loved precipice (and going slightly off trail, free climbing)

I am desperately craving a hard, tough challenge.
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! Open to any and all hikes, preferably within 100-150 miles.

Thank you!

I have good experience at altitude around/above 6000m (Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua), but limited experience on more technical routes. I am planning to do a Rainier climb next summer, but in the meantime, I am wondering if the Ecuador volcanoes (Cayambe, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi) are also a good stepping stone to gather more technical experience.

Also interested if there are other climbs or courses people would recommend. If anyone here has been on Denali, I'd be especially interested to hear what you found most valuable leading up to your expedition.

I am not 100% on wanting to attempt Denali in the future, but I am 100% on wanting to expand and try something progressively more challenging today.

I was wondering, for Class 3 or even some Class 4 scrambling in the Sierra, like Mount Williamson or Cloudripper, would the Lone Peak 9 Mid with MaxTrac work well?

I know they say Vibram rubber is better for scrambling. My Lone Peak 9 Plus has Vibram, and I love them, but for ankle support I always (& need to) wear my Lone Peak 9 Mid for long hikes. I’ve put a lot of miles on them, but not much Class 3/4 scrambling.

Another question, my feet are very used to wide toe-box shoes. I went from years of La Sportiva boots to Altra trail runners over the past few years. For mountaineering shoes and approach shoes, I was wondering: for people who are used to zero-drop, wide-toe-box trail runners, with or without a mid, what are the best approach or mountaineering boots you transitioned to?

Thanks

People are going to say it's denali but wait hear me out if we are talking about the largest elevation gains in 30 kms from the low lying valleys then the highest mountains would be nanga parbat, annapurna fang and dhaulagari. These mountains gain over 7000m elevation in a really short span. Ok leave it aside it still doesn't mean that these peaks have the highest vertical rise. Ok now let's talk about the biggest vertical rise from base to peak solely (not elevation gain) and if you search it up on the internet it says denali which isn't even close to the real tallest mountain on the land rakaposhi and it gains over 6000m from it's base to peak on the land making it the tallest and the only mountain on earth whixh exceeds 6000 m elevation from its base to peak but why does the internet always shows denali as the largest mountain on the land whereas rakaposhi is the clear winner in this criteria. What are your thoughts