2007 Latok Expedition, Pakistan

The Outside Penguin Teaser

2007-09-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Watch a 4-minute video that captures some of the most memorable moments on The Outside Penguin

The Outside Penguin

2007-08-30T13:56:00.001-07:00

Press Release

New Route: The Outside Penguin (V: 5.10, A1) in the Latok Group, Karakoram Range, Pakistan.

The summer of 2007 of the Karakoram was unusually wet, thwarting most attempts at climbing. Backed by the AAC’s Lyman Spitzer Award and Mountain Equipment Co-op, our original objective was the unclimbed feature just under and southwest of Latok II (7108m; see below). We facetiously named this gargantuan gendarme “Latok II¾” (~6500m); its southwest face presents a 1500m wall of near-vertical, unclimbed granite. With all the bad weather, this normally rock climbable objective was shrouded in verglas and powder, rendering it too full on for the likes of us.

Ken Glover (Canmore, Canada) and I (Vancouver, Canada) turned our attention to lower altitudes, and settled on Peak 5750 (see below), located two peaks down a ridge to the southwest of Latok II. Italians may have climbed the peak in 1977 and Americans Doug Chabot and Jack Tackle climbed it from the north in 2000. Its triangular south face rises 1200m out of the talus-covered Baintha Lukpar Glacier and appears to have some of the best granite in the valley. At the tail end of one of the few high-pressure systems of the season, we started up the rightmost of the twin buttress with light alpine packs, where one sleeping bag, two down jackets, and a siltarp comprised the extent of our bivy gear.

The face presented three steep headwalls; we hoped to weave our way up the wall via a devious line of weakness. After an initial broken section, we reached the base of the first headwall, framed on its right by a ridge crest. By traversing two pitches, we reached crest and followed it upward for a pitch before it stopped us at a blank overhang. A slab traverse rightward dropped us into a chimney, which we followed for three pitches to a sandy ledge atop the initial headwall. The second steep headwall loomed above. Searching for the line of weakness, we traversed for two pitches to the right again, where we climbed a ramp system before slipping behind a prow to find a hidden corner. Above the corner, moderate terrain led to a scree slope and a comfortable bivy. At each daunting wall, we had luckily found a moderate solution.

Seven hundred meters up the face, we hoped for a quick, sun-bathed dash for the summit on Day 2. Instead, threatening skies and false summits made for a more Blue-collar finish. After soloing up moderate terrain past the false summits, we reached the base of the third and final headwall. A long, broken pitch led to a steep cirque with no obvious line of weakness, where our streak of luck appeared to end. Straight up presented thin, vertical cracks; to the left stood a complex prow blocked by an overhanging wart of granite; the right was blocked by a crackless buttress and an overhanging rotten ice gully. Ken scouted the right options, launching into ledge-fall potential on an unprotectable face. He wisely retreated as the difficulty ramped up. Next, I tried the left prow. By stemming past an ice-chocked corner, I reached the base of the overhung wart, where our luck returned. A moderate ramp allowed us past the previously hidden side of the gendarme, beyond which the crux pitch gave way to the wart’s top. Ken then led two mixed pitches with our one pair of crampons to the summit, as snow began to fall.

We began a descent immediately by scoping our first option, a line that may have lead into easy descent gullies. The idea appeared to be far more involved than anticipated whilst scouting. Hence, we began rappelling our line of ascent; shortly thereafter, darkness and a powerful snowstorm descended upon us. At the first decent ledge, we endured a miserable, sleepless bivy as the storm raged on. On the third day, we continued our descent, again finding that any quick-and-easy descent ideas turned out to be complex and dangerous. Thus, we continued rapping and downclimbing our line of ascent. We reached the base that afternoon in the pouring rain, after some 800m of rapping, overjoyed for having made the most of what the weather gods permitted.

The Karakoram Highway (KKH)

2007-08-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

The KKH isn't exactly a cruise on a good day. For some 700km, it traverses the steep sidewalls of deep valleys between Skardu and Islamabad. But with all the poor weather as of late, the road in one section was particularly bad. There were landslide washouts every km for a 150km section. The slides had been partially cleared, enough to let one car through at a time. One semi-truck got properly stuck in one and had to be suspended there by cables while they cleared a new road around it. And in another instance, it took much courage of one Chinese semi-driver to pull through another one, his cab on the brink of tipping over. After 24 hours of driving over two days, we have arrived in Islamabad. By tomorrow night, all of us should be on our flights out of Pakistan.

Islamabad-bound

2007-08-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

Having reunited with the women's expedition, we will either fly to Islamabad tomorrow, or begin the 2-day drive along the famous Karakoram Highway. The weather is good at the moment, increasing the likelihood that the plane will be able to make it it. Wish us luck.

Expedition Draws to a Close

2007-08-05T23:32:00.000-07:00

Jeremy here again. Thank you Jay Piggott for posting updates via satellite phone emails for us.

Last night, we arrived in Skardu (Pakistan's version of civilization) after a speedy retreat from basecamp. All team members are safe and happy and finally showered. What follows is a brief summary of our expedition.

July is usually the best month for climbing in the Karakoram but this year's July was, quite simply, horrible. We had 7 days of good weather to 19 days of poor weather. Latok II-3/4 was all snowed up and would not be feasible. After acclimatizing, we turned our attention to the northwest ridge of Latok II (7108m). The ridge involved a complex mixed or ice climb (two different ways up) to a col at 5900m followed by 12oom of average 45-degree snow and mixed narrow ridge crest, with some difficult, steeper rock steps. Jeremy decided to stay back as Ken, Sam, and Ryan made an attempt via the mixed approach. Sam took a 20-foot lead fall when his tools popped out of snow-ice. The sun came out strongly, and the altitude hit Ryan and Ken especially. With altititude symptoms, the boys retreated to ABC at midnight.

Upon returning to basecamp, the weather was holding so another attempt was considered. This time, Ken decided to stay back due to his altitude sickness low down. He would have needed more time than was available in order to acclimatize properly. Sam and Ryan thus made a second attempt, this time taking the ice approach to the col. They then spent 2 days at the col in blowing, snowing conditions before retreating in light of more on-coming weather.

Meanwhile, Ken and Jeremy approached a 1200m rocky south face of an unnamed, unclimbed peak. They climbed 20 pitches in total along with much simulclimbing and soloing. Over the course of 1.5 days, they reached the summit of what they dubbed "Karim Peak" after our legendary and eccentric guide named Little Karim. The planned descent turned out to not be feasible and so they retraced their way down the whole route, rappelling some 800m over the course of 1.5 days. Along the way, they were caught in a ferocious storm and spent an uncomfortable night huddled under a tarp as the snow flew. (In the end, Jeremy slept for a total of 1 hour on the the climb.) Now into the rain, Ken and Jeremy rappeled and rappeled, eventually reaching the base, cold, wet, but happy. They named their route "The Outside Penguin" (V: 5.10-, A1).

Upon returning to basecamp, we received another poor forecast from KiwiJay and so decided to retreat early. The glacier walk from basecamp had been grippy on the way up. After 3 weeks of near constant rain, it had been transformed into an ice rink making for a fast but exciting retreat. Yesterday, we walked/slid for about 30km before hopping in a jeep and bouncing along for 5 hours. We all enjoyed sleeping last night very much.

Next, we plan on staying in Skardu for 2 days before having a leisurely hiking tour of Little Karim's home, in the Hushe Valley. Including transport, it will be a 4-day journey.

Update from Base Camp: August 3rd 2007

2007-08-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

1:51pm GMT
SAM & RYAN RETURN TO BASE CAMP AFTER SPENDING 3 DAYS AT 5900M GETTING BLASTED BY SNOW AND WIND.

7-day weather forecast for K2 Group, Pakistan

Lat:35.91 Lon: 76.48 Aver. Elev.: 5359m. (map)

Fri, 3 Aug	Light snow during the day. Cloudy skies during the night. Details...	High: 31 °F Low: 22 °F	SW at 2.5 mph
Sat, 4 Aug	Cloudy skies in the morning, partly cloudy with a chance of sleet or snow showers during the day. Cloudy skies late at night. Details...	High: 36 °F Low: 21 °F	WNW at 3.7 mph
Sun, 5 Aug	Cloudy skies in the morning, cloudy with light snow showers for the rest of the day. Details...	High: 38 °F Low: 25 °F	W at 2.5 mph
Mon, 6 Aug	Snow. Details...	High: 34 °F Low: 28 °F	WSW at 1.2 mph
Tue, 7 Aug	Light snow. Details...	High: 34 °F Low: 28 °F	WSW at 1.9 mph
Wed, 8 Aug	Cloudy skies early in the morning, cloudy with light sleet or snow showers during the day. Cloudy skies during the night. Details...	High: 40 °F Low: 29 °F	WSW at 1.9 mph
Thu, 9 Aug	Few morning clouds, light rain with clear spells during the day. Partly cloudy skies during the night. Details...	High: 46 °F Low: 28 °F	WSW at 4.3 mph

Update from Base Camp: August 2nd 2007

2007-08-02T02:09:00.000-07:00

9:00 pm GMT
KEN & JER SUMMIT! 3 DAYS, 1200M ROCK CLIMB. GOOD WEATHER ON THE WAY UP, HORRIBLE ON THE WAY DOWN. SAM & RYAN ARE STILL ON LATOK II. KEN & JER ARE PSYCHED.

Update from Base Camp: July 30th 2007

2007-07-30T01:29:00.000-07:00

8:38 pm GMT July 30th
SAM & RYAN TO TRY LATOK II AGAIN. KEN & JER TO TRY 5500M ROCK CLIMB. WEATHER HOLDING STILL.

2:29 am GMT July 30th
CLOUDS ROLL IN OVERNIGHT. BOYS ABORT ATTEMPT 2, RETURN TO BASE CAMP AT DAWN.

12:47 pm GMT July 29th
BOYS RETREAT AT 5400M WITH ALTITUDE SICKNESS. PLAN TO TRY AGAIN TONIGHT VIA EASIER BUT LONGER APPROACH RAMP. CLEAR WEATHER HOLDING. JER STILL BORED IN BC.

Update from Base Camp: July 29th 2007

2007-07-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

The weather has cleared. Sam, Ryan and Ken have departed camp to attempt the north-west ridge of Latok II (7108m) with 7 days provisions. Jeremy is staying back in base camp. Daily updates to come.
Posted by Jay Piggott

7-day weather forecast for K2 Group, Pakistan

Lat:35.91 Lon: 76.48 Aver. Elev.: 5359m. (map)

personal services

Date	Weather Description	Temp °C
Sun, 29 Jul	Clear weather. Details...	High: 3 ^oC Low: -9 ^oC	NE at 20 km/h
Mon, 30 Jul	Clear weather. Details...	High: 5 ^oC Low: -5 ^oC	NE at 20 km/h
Tue, 31 Jul	Clear weather in the morning, partly cloudy skies for the rest of the day. Details...	High: 6 ^oC Low: -4 ^oC	NE at 19 km/h
Wed, 1 Aug	Partly cloudy skies. Details...	High: 7 ^oC Low: -3 ^oC	NNE at 17 km/h
Thu, 2 Aug	Few morning clouds, partly cloudy with a chance of sleet or snow showers during the day. Chance of snow during the night. Details...	High: 5 ^oC Low: -4 ^oC	WSW at 18 km/h
Fri, 3 Aug	Cloudy skies early in the morning, snow for the rest of the day. Details...	High: 1 ^oC Low: -3 ^oC	WSW at 12 km/h
Sat, 4 Aug	Light snow. Details...	High: 1 ^oC Low: -2 ^oC	W at 14 km/h

Update from Base Camp: July 27th 2007

2007-07-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Rain continues. Sam and Ryan have returned without an attempt.
Posted by Jay Piggott

Update from Base Camp: July 27th 2007

2007-07-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Mixed weather continues to hamper progress on the mountain. Sam and Ryan have left to attempt a line on Latok II. Ken and Jeremy will stay in base camp until the weather improves.

Update from Base Camp: July 25th 2007

2007-07-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

The weather has cleared overnight, but is mixed again now. Standing by to try the rock buttress on a 5700m peak near to Latok II.
Posted by Jay Piggott

7-day weather forecast for K2 Group, Pakistan

Lat:35.91 Lon: 76.48 Aver. Elev.: 5359m. (map)

Date	Weather Description	Temp °C
Wed, 25 Jul	Chance of snow. Details...	High: 2 ^oC Low: -6 ^oC	NE at 17 km/h
Thu, 26 Jul	Light snow. Details...	High: 2 ^oC Low: -3 ^oC	WSW at 22 km/h
Fri, 27 Jul	Light snow. Details...	High: 0 ^oC Low: -2 ^oC	WSW at 19 km/h
Sat, 28 Jul	Light snow. Details...	High: 2 ^oC Low: -4 ^oC	NE at 24 km/h
Sun, 29 Jul	Few clouds. Details...	High: 4 ^oC Low: -5 ^oC	NE at 21 km/h
Mon, 30 Jul	Partly cloudy skies during the day. Chance of snow during the night. Details...	High: 6 ^oC Low: -4 ^oC	NE at 19 km/h
Tue, 31 Jul	Light snow. Details...	High: 3 ^oC Low: -3 ^oC	NNE at 18 km/h

Updates from Base Camp: July 18-24, 2007

2007-07-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

The team have made regular contact over the past week (I have included their SMS messages below). Unsettled weather continues to hamper progress on the proposed line. Ken's cold has subsided and the team have managed to acclimatize to 5500m. Reconnaissance continues around the mountain with a number of alternative objectives being considered in light of the current conditions.

Jul 24, 2007 5:30 PM
STILL RAINING,IN BC.4TH DAY IN A ROW.

Jul 22, 2007 6:48 PM
ACLM TO 5400M SUCCESFL. POOR WTHR RTRNS. MORE RECCYING REQD STILL. EYEING SVRL 5500-6000M AS 1ST OBJ.

Jul 19, 2007 11:53 PM
WTHR STILL PRFECT. K&J TO ACCLMTZ BEGINING 2MOROW.

Jul 18, 2007 4:31 PM
WEATHER CLR AND CALM. S & R TO ACCLMTZ, K&J REST IN BC. FLU SLOWLY IMPROVING.

Posted by Jay Piggott

Update from Base Camp: July 17th 2007

2007-07-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

Jeremy called in today at 6:37am GMT via Iridium satellite phone.
The Team has now reached base camp. Unsettled weather and frequent storms have covered the mountain and base camp in deep snow. It will take a number of days of clear weather for conditions on the mountain to stabilize, before an attempt on the proposed line can be safely considered. The team will spend this time doing reconnaissance on the mountain and training together. The Team is in good spirits, although Ken is recovering from a cold.
Posted by Jay Piggott

Into the Karakoram

2007-07-11T03:12:00.000-07:00

Today, we flew from the capital of Islamabad to the mountain town of Skardu. Our stay in Islamabad happened to overlap with the storming of the Red Mosque. We were woken at 4am of "Operation Silence" (we'd never get away with such a name back home) to the rumble of bombs, 5km away. Despite the warfare not far away, we were never exposed to it in any real sense. Pakistanis seem pretty embarrassed about having such militant extremists in their country. Anyways, the flight today was incredible. We even got a clear look at our objective, along with Nanga Parbat, K2, and a host of others. Five 8000m peaks in a 40-minute flight! In the morning, we leave for Askoli (the road-head). Pakistani civilization again in about a month.

Team Awarded American Alpine Club Award

2007-05-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

The team has received the presitgious American Alpine Club Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Award
Additionally, we have received word that we will be receiving help from MSR and Thermarest. We are tremendously grateful to the American Alpine Club and MSR/Thermarest for their support.

Little Karim Confirmed

2007-04-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Himalayan Legend, Little Karim, is confirmed as our trekking guide for the expedition. This year, he started a tourism company, Travel Amazing Karakoram.

Little Karim stands only 5'2" tall and might top 110 pounds after a large meal. But underneath that tiny physique is a powerful and spirited alpinist who even Messner says is one of the world's strongest climbers above 8,000 meters. -Mountainzone.com

MEC on-board

2006-11-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

News Flash:
The Latok II-3/4 Expedition has received gear and funding support from Mountain Equipment Co-op.

About the Expedition

2006-11-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

In ‘04 and ‘05, Americans and Slovaks (respectively) established two new routes—each over 90 pitches in length—on the southwest side of Great Trango Tower of Pakistan. These hold the distinction of being the longest rock climbs in the world. Several valleys away and just east of Latok II is a sub-peak—“Latok II¾”—whose southwest face is comparable in length and perhaps exceeds Great Trango in steepness; yet Latok II¾ remains unclimbed, its flanks untouched.

While Latok II¾’s southwest face ranks among the taller rock walls in the world, it has remained unattempted for at least two reasons. First, the nearby summit of Latok II stands 600m higher, magnetizing the eye-gaze of the “altitude junkie”; what Latok II¾ loses in summit altitude, it makes up for in length and steepness. (As a side note, we believe that some of the best unexplored alpine terrain can be found nearby and below the world’s more famous mountains.)

The second reason why Latok II¾ has yet to see its first visit is that many are probably daunted by the challenges of tackling a rock twice the size of El Capitan, and doing so in the rarefied air above 5000m. Perhaps this second reason is more so a “problem” than it is a “reason”. How does one go about climbing 1700m of steep rock at high altitude? Some would argue that a wall of that magnitude and complexity is best tackled with a correspondingly large and tactically involved style—The Siege. (It goes without saying that we would consider no such pedantry.)

For inspiration, we turn to a quote by Einstein: “The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.” Analogously, we intend to “solve” the “problem” of Latok II¾ not with a hefty and complicated attack, but instead by implementing a quick and equipment-thrifty charge. We will address the enormity of the endeavor not with more stuff, but with less of it. However, we do plan on bringing an extensive “mental rack”, with doubles in commitment and inspiration. For us, Latok II¾ presents but a stage (mind you, a big one); it is the dance that gives it personal significance.

It would be convenient if we could say that our (proposed) style of ascent is novel; in our minds, however, the recent ascents of Great Trango epitomize what it means to climb elegantly. The Americans and Slovaks took a minimum of equipment and spent between 4 and 7 days on their climbs. It is our intent to mimic (as best we can) the exceptional quality of ascent of those teams—fast, light, and clean.

Our proposed objective can be described in rough terms as involving two parts. The lower part is characterized by a moderate-angle rock slab. We anticipate being able to free most or all of it, simul-climbing whenever possible. The southern facing aspect of the wall should keep cracks relatively snow-free, which will hopefully speed progress and allow us to reach the gendarme by the end of the first day (see attached photo). The upper part of the objective follows a series of narrow ridge crests before being stopped at what appears to be a steep headwall. From a distance, this would appear to be the crux of the line. At its top, a ramp cuts to the right into a chimney system, which in turn leads to corners and more broken terrain below the summit ridge. Being both at higher altitude and of steeper angle, we anticipate that we will require up to 5 days to “get the rope up” the segment from the gendarme to the summit ridge. When the difficulties approach the limits of what we are capable, we will focus our efforts and speed our team by having the seconds follow on ascenders. Having previously scouted the descent, we will rap into the col with Latok II and downclimb and rappel the ice couloir below the 1997 route.

Context and History.

The Panmah Muztagh sub-range of the Karakoram contains the world famous Ogre and Latok peaks, forming a tight cluster of towering mountains of rock and ice. Their rocky flanks have continually attracted tough climbers, providing the stage for legendary Alpine adventures. But climbing in the Panmah Muztagh is never easy and no one walks away with a straightforward ascent. As one example, the still-unclimbed north ridge of Latok I (7145m) was first attempted in 1978 by an American team comprised of Jim Donini, Jeff and George Lowe, and Michael Kennedy. After 26 days and some 100 pitches of rock and ice climbing, Jeff became ill with altitude symptoms; the team retreated. Since then, the line has seen over a dozen attempts, none of which have been successful.

It was the year before the American attempt on Latok I that one of the greatest of all mountaineering epics was played out on the first ascent of the Ogre (a.k.a. Baintha Brakk; 7285m). While making the first rappel from the summit, Doug Scott (U.K.) lost control, swung wildly, and broke both of his ankles. With the assistance of his teammates, Chris Bonnington and Nick Estcourt, Scott crawled for 7 days to reach base camp.

Our interest is in the vicinity of the southwestern ramparts of Latok II. Latok II has seen four ascents (’77, ’96, ’97, ’06) by three routes. First, a large Italian team led by Arturo Bergameschi sieged the Southeast Ridge in 1977. This route was repeated in 2006 by Americans Doug Chabot, Mark Richey, and Steve Swenson; in doing so, they made the first alpine style ascent of the peak. Second, the Huber brothers (Germany) failed on the west face but settled for the Northwest Ridge in 1996. Latok II’s third and most recent new route involved the Huber brothers as well. Returning the next year (1997), along with Toni Gutsch and Conrad Anker, they succeeded on the steep West Face. Anker describes their objective as being like “El Cap stacked on top of Denali”. The team climbed the grade VII big wall in 26 pitches to 5.10c and A3, naming it “Tsering Mosong” (meaning “Long Night” in Balti).

Approach and Logistics.

Weather permitting, we will fly from the capital of Islamabad to Skardu (otherwise, we will travel by road for 2 days along the dreaded Karakoram Highway), where we will arrange for food and base camp equipment. Next, we will hire a jeep for a 5-hour drive to the road-head in Askoli Village, where we will hire porters. The hike to base camp involves walking up the Bradlu River towards K2 (for one day) before diverging onto the Biafo Glacier (for two more).

Our approach from North America to base camp will require approximately 10 days. We will then spend approximately 3 weeks in and above base camp before reversing the process. Thus, our expedition will last about 6 weeks, beginning in early July 2007.

Meet the Team

2006-11-12T15:56:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Frimer (29) is PhD student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Jeremy's passion and particular strength is on technical terrain at high altitude, with several significant first ascents to his credit. He has made six expeditions to Alaska and the St. Elias; his most impressive accomplishment being his 2002 first ascent of Orion Spur on Mt. Logan (5959m: IV, 3500m). For context, this was the first independent new line on

Canada

's highest peak since 1979, and was pulled off in lightweight Alpine style. In South America, Jeremy has climbed extensively in Peru's Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash. He made the first ascent of the south face of “Touching the Void” famous Siulá Grande by his 2001 route Southern Discomfort (ED1: 80˚, 800m). Then in 2002, he made an attempt on the northwest face of Nevado Ulta (5875m), retreating one pitch from the summit ridge. The line has since been completed, becoming Personal Jesus (ED2: 5.9, M7, 1000m). In 2005, Jeremy traveled to the Trango Valley of Pakistan, where he succeeded in making the first ascent of Severance Ridge (ED2: 5.11, A2, M5, 1600m) on Trango II (6327m). The 65-pitch rock climb was made in pure alpine style over the course of five days, the last two of which were without food. This past summer, Jeremy traveled to

India

, where he made the first ascent of Gateway Ridge (TD-: 5.9, 1100m).

Kelly Franz (29) is an environmental technologist living in Squamish, B.C. Kelly has been climbing for 14 years, during which time he has sampled many different types of climbs. He has climbed ice routes in the Canadian Rockies as hard as WI6; mixed routes to M8; and he has also on-sighted 5.11d traditional and 5.12b sport climbs in North America. Kelly's alpine tour has lead him through Alaska, B.C., California, and Africa. In Alaska (along with partner Ken Glover) he climbed Mount Hunter in single 21-hour push via the West Ridge (III+) and Mount Thunder via Deadbeat (WI5, M6). In addition, the team attempted an unclimbed rock ridge on the 3500' south face of Mt. Thunder. After climbing for 2½ days, they retreated when food and energy stores were finally depleted. In B.C., Kelly made the first ascent of The Real McKim (V 5.10+R, 13p) on Mt. Sleese. Kelly has also on-sighted long trad routes in Red Rocks (Levitation 29 (5.11), Cloud Tower (5.11+)) and climbed in Yosemite (Lost Arrow Spire Tip, solo, El Cap's West Ridge). Other memorable ascents include Mount Kenya, Mount Waddington, and summers instructing Outward Bound in the High Sierra and North Cascades. Kelly has also climbed in such places as Cuba, Thailand , Spain, South Africa, and Namibia. Kelly recently came up with some dissatisfying results on a super hero/super villian name generator on the internet: Superman and the Riddler were the results to the chagrin of Mr. Franz who would have preferred Silent Bob and Cockknocker.

Sam Johnson (27) is finishing a Masters degree in Social Work in Anchorage, Alaska, working in areas of Alzheimer’s and Mental Health. Sam has been climbing for 10 years, and has developed himself into a solid all-round climber. He has on-sights of 5.10+X trad (with a pack) and 5.11c sport to his credit, as well as first ascents of challenging rock walls in Alaska such as Smaug’s Hoard (IV 5.10 R/X A2). He, along with Jeremy and Jonathon Clearwater, made the first ascent of Severance Ridge in Pakistan (see Jeremy’s bio for details) in 2005. Without question, however, Sam’s forté is on ice and mixed terrain. He is a solid WI6 and M7 leader, having tested himself on some of the hardest ice climbs in the world with over 50 pitches WI6 or harder. These include classics such as Nemesis and Shiva Lingam (Europe, WI6+ R/X). He has soloed many multipitch ice routes to WI5. Sam has applied his passion for, and ability on ice in Alaska on first ascents such as Paikea’s Journey (IV WI4 M5) and Divine Providence (V WI4 M6) in the central Alaska Range. He also holds the distinction of the second ascent of the infamous Diamond Arête on Mt. Hunter (VI AI5 M5), which he made in just over 2 days (including a traverse of the mountain), eclipsing the first ascent time by almost seven days. Finally, Sam attempted a new line on Mt. Aspiring in New Zealand, which featured run-out, powerful mixed climbing to AI5 M7 R. The line was later completed by Brits, becoming 24 Hour Party People (ED2 Scottish VII).

Ryan Hokanson (33) has been climbing for 17 years, during which time he has acquired a diverse and extensive set of skills that make him particularly suited for alpine rock climbing. Ryan has established numerous grade V and VI routes in remote alpine locations, such as The Northwest Passage (VI, 5.9, A3 2400') on Mt. Hooker and The Illness (V, 5.10, A3, 2000') on Wolverine Peak, both in the remote Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Ryan was also instrumental in opening many waterfall ice and mixed routes in the largely unexplored area of Glacier National Park. This American extention of the Canadian Rockies has yielded Ryan and various partners 10 first ascents grade IV or longer, the most difficult being Holy Moses (IV, WI6, 1000'), and the longest beging the second ascent of Six Pack to the Summit (V, WI4, M5, 3500'), both on the N. face of Edwards Mtn. Ryan has climbed extensively in the Canadian Rockies as well, with ascents of numerous waterfall classics. With a strong upbringing in competitive cycling, areobic fitness and moving fast on alpine terrain are some of Ryan's specialties, and resulted in a 48 hour car to car ascent of the North East Buttress (V, 5.9, 4500') of Howse Peak, and an 17 hour hut to hut ascent of Mt. Alberta's North East Ridge (V, 5.10x, 18 pitches), both last year (2006). Ryan has spent many years climbing and doing expeditions in Alaska, resulting in new routes in the Revelation, Talkeetna and Chugach mountain ranges. Since moving there 3 years ago, he has established at least 20 new pitches of ice and mixed climbing WI5 or M6 and harder, as well as climbing many of the area's classic routes. Ryan recently returned from a trip to Argentina, where he spent 18 days ski kiting on the South Patagonian Icecap, as well as onsighting 6c+ in the same trip! Ryan's other hobbies include ski mountaineering (borderline obsessive), ski kiting, photography and paragliding. Ryan has worked 9 seasons as a full time climbing guide for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and Alaska Mountaineering School. He has worked the last 4 years as an Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Room Registered Nurse. For more information see Ryan's blog at www.ryanhokanson.blogspot.com

Ken Glover (33) is a geologist from Canmore, Alberta. When not working, Ken is often sleeping. Ken began alpine climbing in 1992 and has been on climbing trips and expeditions throughout Canada and the U.S. with some recent trips to Europe and Alaska. He has achieved on-sights to 5.10+ on traditional rock, WI6 ice, M6 traditional mixed, and grade V aid walls in B.C. and Yosemite. Ken enjoys free soloing ice routes with his favorite being Polar Circus (WI5 700m in 1 hour, 45 minutes). Another of Ken's pastimes is solo backcountry distance running and skiing, having completed several wilderness runs and ski tours of 30+ miles through alpine terrain, all without a single blister. Over 18 days in 2004, Ken climbed in the Alaska Range with Kelly Franz (see Kelly’s bio). Ken has also climbed in the Alps of Italy and France, climbing some WI6 waterfall ice classics as well as several classic ED alpine mixed routes. Ken also has extensive glacier travel and ski experience, having enjoyed many multi-day high-level ski tours in Canada and the Alps, including a circumski of B.C.’s Mt. Waddington with an ascent of the Bravo Glacier route. In October 2006, Ken made the first ascent of a steep ice couloir on an unnamed peak in northern India. He made the ascent solo; as he descended by headlamp at night, the local villagers confused him for being a terrorist. But in truth, he’s not one.