Atop the Lower 48: Mt. Whitney's East Buttress

The wait is finally over! After being shut down on Mt. Whitney during an attempt on the Mountaineer's Route that was thwarted by a fierce wind storm in January 2011, I vowed that I would come back to the mountain better trained and better prepared to take on the highest peak in the Lower 48. This time, I was teamed up with a backcountry veteran partner, Ryan, of Desk-to-Dirtbag fame (check out his site: www.desktodirtbag.com).

We decided to take on the classic East Buttress with the direct variation start, an alpine classic that dates back to the late 1930s when climber Glenn Dawson, who also put up the alpine classic East Face route nearby on Whitney, led 5 climbers up what seemed an impossible buttress system adjacent to the Mountaineer's Route gully. This route turned out to be an alpine classic: sustained, steep, and well-positioned. The line follows what seems to be strategic weaknesses in the otherwise imposing East Buttress. 

The route is committing, first requiring an overland trek up 5000' to high camp at Iceberg Lake before beginning the route proper, which is about 1200' of exposed technical climbing.Even coming from sea level to 14.5k feet in 2 days, I handled the altitude fairly well, keeping dinners down and functioning competently in the technical environment as we climbed up to and past the 14000' mark. An exhausting push put us on the summit on Sunday afternoon, as we joyously took in the view and ran into a National Park Service ranger who offered each of us a can of surplus beer from his backpack!

Ultimately, the success of this trip was one that came directly out of the humbling experiences of failure. Climbing and alpinism are sports in which there are no shortcuts to a successful summits; you must put in the time and be willing to fail repeatedly before you have the privilege to stand atop any summit. I suppose that Whitney had decided I needed plenty of time to practice and ponder before I could stand atop her lofty summit. 2.5 years of waiting were finally laid to rest only after countless other small trips to improve not just my technical proficiency, but to improve my reverence for the difficulties of high alpine mountains. 

Thank you, Mt. Whitney, for granting me safe passage. 

More Fun Times out in the Gunks

This trip was all about logging air time. I joke that my partner and I logged enough air time to get our pilot's licenses. We planned for a weekend trip, but unfortunately, we only got Saturday multi-pitch as rain moved in on Sunday morning. I pushed myself on my hardest Gunks climb yet, Le Teton, while Ian fired both Ant's Line and Bonnie's Roof. We did get a little bouldering in during the rainstorm (those big, burly Gunks roofs are better for more than just being damn hard to climb...), before heading home beneath a sopping wet cliff face...

BUT! It was all made better by the fact that I got to meet Cedar Wright over at Rock and Snow (see photos, below).

Similar photo from last time, except I was behind the lens for this one. My partner Ian Creelman heads out on the airy face of P2 on Bonnie's Roof.

The Saturday's big photo catch: caught the leader behind m whipping at the crux while rappelling Le Teton. I had fallen just above where he had.

Met Cedar Wright! Climbing life validated!

Spring's Casual Gunkage

Winter has finally loosened its grip in Upstate NY, which may seem a bit late to outsiders, but it is totally normal for locals. With the thaw comes opportunity to hop on some classics at a legendary crag. Shots from this adventure come from Directissima, Ant's Line, Bonnie's Roof, Son of Easy O, and Arrow. Head to the "Adventures in America" section for a bit more write up on the weekend!

Alpine Surfaces

A new project from ICC

Our "Portfolio"page has finally received an update! Go over to check out the "Alpine Surfaces" project.

Adventures in America: Mount Washington, Winter Ascent 2013 (This time a family affair!)

The adventures and exploration in China are currently on hold as I finish up school back here in the States. In the meantime, I suppose I want to keep things going here Stateside, especially since I haven't put up anything significant since China days.

(©Rajko Radavanovic, from our winter ascent of Mt. Washington)

With the impending cliff of real life approaching fast, I am seeking to improve my climbing skills with the aspiration to get some AMGA certifications before I return to China for my net big adventure.

Of course, the production quality will not change here at ICC, just the setting--and hopefully the setting will change back to high adventure in China in the near future.

These shots come from my recent winter ascent of Mt. Washington, which I have made multiple times. But this climb was particularly special because it was the first time I took a family member up into the alpine environment. My dad agreed to go with me during the short high pressure ridge/good weather window in mid-March between a brutal, wind chill-filled low trough and a late-winter storm that immediately followed. Despite the short weather window, we had beautiful conditions throughout the morning. Visibility was 100+ miles, and the Atlantic Ocean was clearly visible on the horizon out over NH and Maine!

Despite his fatigue and his calling it "the hardest thing he's ever done," my dad made it to the summit!

To be honest, I was a bit nervous about taking a family member into an environment that can be potentially quite dangerous. Of course, it should not matter whom one is traveling with in the alpine environment; every climbing partner on any adventure is a life worth protecting, regardless of their relation to you off the mountain or crag. That being said, I had this excess fear that bringing a family member into the equation somehow entailed something more (that atop the problem that, after meticulous planning and prep, I forgot to bring a second headlamp). However, the fear proved unfounded, as the day went flawlessly. I was even surprised by how much my stamina had improved in gaining vertical ground quickly. Anyways, here are a few shots from the trip!

(Also posted on the "Adventures in America" page)