We wish you a great new year!
May 2010 be full of beautiful projects, remote and unusual adventures, intrepid expeditions and dreams to accomplish.
At the edge of this new year, we wanted to come back on some of the most outstanding outcomes during the last three quarters of 2009.
April
At the end of April, John Huston and Tyler Fish were the first Americans to reach North Pole unsupported, closely followed by Lonnie Dupré, Stuart Smith and Max Chaya.
Max Chaya became the first Lebanese to reach North Pole and one of the very few men to reach the 3 Poles of the Earth (North Pole, South Pole and Everest).
Stuart Smith also became a legend by putting an end to his 3 Poles quest.
Polish Piotr Morawski perished in a crevasse on Dhaulagiri (8167 m). At the age of 33, he had already summited six 8000+ meters summits and made the first winter ascent of Shisha Pangma (8027 m) with fellow Simone Moro.
After Dhaulagiri, he was planning to open a new route on Manaslu’s west face (8163 m).
May
Kazakhs Denis Urubko and Boris Dedeshko reached the summit of Cho Oyu (8201 m) in alpine style, opening a new route on the south-east face, and Denis Urubko became one of the very few men to reach all the 14 8000+ summits.
27 years after the last ascent of the huge Everest (8848 m) south-west wall, South Korean Mr Park accomplished a new ascent, following a new route, of this technically challenging face.
June
Arnaud Tortel and Charles Heidrich reached Cape Morris Jesup at the extreme north of Greenland, 62 days after departing from North Pole, thus opening a new route, unsupported and unassisted.
August
When he reached the summit of Gasherbrum I (8068 m), finish Veikka Gustafsson became the 7th alpinist to conquer, without oxygen, the 14 8000+ summits of the Earth, after Reinhold Messner, Erhard Loretan, Juanito Oiarzabal, Alberto Inurrategi, Ed Viesturs and Silvio Mondinelli.
A new route was opened on the tremendous Diamir face of Nanga Parbat (8126 m) by Austrians Gerfried Göschl, Sepp Bachmair, Hans Goger and Canadian Louis Rousseau.
This new route follows an impressive couloir, then climb a near vertical ice slope before joining the normal route (www.mounteverest.net).
November
Skipping their original plan on Manaslu (8163 m), Yannick Graziani and Christian Trommsdorff opened a new 2400 m route, in alpine style, on Nemjung’s south face (7140 m).
Tomaz Humar died on the south face of Langtan Lirung.
December
Three teams are heading towards South Pole unsupported and unassisted:
- Norwegian Cecilie Skog and American Ryan Waters (www.humanedgetech.com)
- Danish Morten Grundsoe and Jens Erik Nielsen (www.bigice.eu)
- and solo Canadian Meagan Mc Grath (staging.sciencenorth.ca)
Finally, four teams hope to reach South Pole unsupported but assisted (air-resupplies):
- Canadian Eric Larsen is guiding Dongsheng Liu and Bill Hanlon (Canada) (www.ericlarsenexplore.com)
- Felicity Aston (UK), Dk Najibah Eradah (Brunei), Stephanie Solomonides (Cyprus), Helen Turton (UK), Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu (India), Kim-Marie Spence (Jamaica), Kylie Wakelin (New-Zeeland) and Sophia Pang (Singapore) (www.kasperskycommonwealthexpedition.com)
- British Hannah McKeand is guiding Arnold Witzig (Switzerland) (www.hannahmckeand.com)
- and solo Brazilian Julio Fiadi (www.juliofiadi.com.br)
Three legends of Italian alpinism passed away in 2009. Ricardo Cassin (100 years old) had notably realized the first ascents of Pic Badile north-east face in 1937 and Grandes Jorasses north face Eperon Walker in 1938. Lino Lacedelli (83 years old) and Achille Compagnoni (94 years old) had made the first ascent of K2, the 2nd highest mountain in the world, in 1954.
We forgot your expedition? You are leaving for North Pole, South Pole or Everest? You are organizing an expedition in the Arctic or Antarctic polar regions or in the high mountains? Write us (click here) in order that we can add your adventure to 3 Poles website and to our next Newsletter.
