Skip to content

10 Epic Rock Climbs by Legend Peter Croft

General News

1/1

4 Jul 2024, 04:00

Suggested topics


  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    9 Views
    Originally published in Guidebook XIII Dear AAC Members, Thank you for taking the time to dive into this second edition of the AAC’s quarterly Guidebook. A lot of things are changing at the AAC, and we are energized by the new opportunities that these changes afford. We are re-envisioning our measurable impact and excited to further support our members in a way only the AAC can. This Guidebook is just that—your guide to the work that you make possible through your membership. When you read these stories— from celebrating volunteers like Maurice Chen, who is bringing our much-beloved Accidents in North American Climbing to international audiences (which you can read about in “Found in Translation”), or the shattering finding of member Eric Gilbertson that Rainier’s summit is shrinking ( in “The Height of Mountains”), to all the world-class climbing you can find at our cozy lodging facility at the New River Gorge, as well as the profound impact our grants program has on our members (as seen in “Sea to Summit” and “Life: An Objective Hazard”)—you’re seeing the AAC’s mission at work: the advancement of knowledge, inspiration, and advocacy. While we’re excited to share these stories with you, there is also a lot going on behind the scenes that hasn’t made it into a full-fledged story yet. Many of these happenings you can find highlighted in our “AAC Updates” section that follows. As we kick off this new year, we are also excited about ongoing projects that will shape the future of the AAC, like developing a new website, which will make it easier for our members to take advantage of their benefits. Finally, I want to take a moment to celebrate the impressive advocacy success that the AAC helped make possible at the end of 2024. The unanimous passage of the EXPLORE Act is a historic moment for recreationists, and as law, it will significantly expand access to our nation’s public lands and protect climbing in our beloved Wilderness areas. In December, the National Park Service also announced that they are discontinuing their proposed fixed anchor guidance; the AAC thanks the NPS for sensing the need to reevaluate the proposed regulations and looks forward to collaborating with them in the future on fixed anchor guidance. Looking forward, we are equipped to adapt our tactics to future challenges in order to advocate for the needs of our members, and all climbers. At the AAC, we’re pulled together by our passion for climbing, and that passion is woven throughout these pages. Our expansive grants, affordable lodging, significant research findings, impactful advocacy work, and more are only possible because of your membership, donations, and commitment to climbing. Nina Williams AAC Board President Operations and Governance Lodging Advocacy Education https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/2/10/ewld060rs1z9w881oz4awfrbwbiqmj
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    14 Views
    A new film just dropped documenting the second descent of the mountain Papsura The post Snowboarders Ride Himalayan Peak of Evil appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/snowboarders-ride-himalayan-peak-of-evil/
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    16 Views
    Good weather windows are resulting in several new routes throughout the region The post New Patagonia Granite Splitter Alpine Routes appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/new-patagonia-granite-splitter-alpine-routes/
  • 1 Votes
    1 Posts
    14 Views
    And climbers collectively breathe a sigh of relief https://www.climbing.com/news/national-park-service-ends-bid-to-ban-fixed-anchors-in-wilderness/
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    20 Views
    In AAJ 2024, we highlighted new climbs in Angola spearheaded by American climber Nathan Cahill, along with local developers—see Cahill’s story here . The pace of exploration on the beautiful rock of this southwest African country has not slowed. This past summer, a Spanish quintet visited the province of Cuanza Sul and climbed seven new routes on six different granite domes. Here is the story they‘ve prepared for the 2025 AAJ. During July 2024, our team of five Spaniards—Miguel A. Díaz, Alex Gonzalez, Indi Gutierrez, Jaume Peiró, and me, Manu Ponce—traveled to Angola in search of big walls. Having many options to explore, we decided to start in the Conda region of Cuanza Sul province, around eight hours south of Luanda, the capital. Once in Conda, we headed about ten kilometers south to the village of Cumbira Segundo. We knew from past reports that we would find big walls, but the reality far exceeded what we imagined. Amid the lush jungles surrounding the small village of Cumbira Segundo were enormous granite domes, between 200 and 400 meters tall. Some of these had been climbed before, but many had not. In this type of adventure, the easiest aspect is often the climbing itself, and this was true here, as the dense vegetation full of wild animals—many of them very poisonous—required us to open paths to the walls with extreme care. Taking turns, we chopped through the jungle with machetes meter by meter until we reached our starting points. Once on the wall, we were in our element, though temperatures were scorching: between 20°C and 25°C, with almost 100 percent humidity. These were truly tropical conditions. We tried to choose walls in the shade, although this wasn’t always possible. We climbed everything ground-up, using bolts as sparingly as possible, though some of the walls had very little opportunity for removable protection. Most of our routes involved technical slab climbing, with few cracks, poor handholds, and friction-dependent footwork. This meant that, at the end of the day, you would end up with your head mentally fried. We had several wild moments during the expedition: falls of more than ten meters with a drill included, scorpions as big as your hand defending their nest as you climbed, and running into black mambas on the nightly return to camp. Despite this, if asked if we would return, we would all answer without hesitation: Sim, claro! In total, we opened seven routes on six different peaks, two of which had never been summited before. This totaled around 2,000 meters of climbing, all of which made us sweat meter by meter. The seven routes were:  ●      Bon Día Boa Noite (420m climbing distance, 7a) on Hande. ●      Peluchitos (380m, 7b) on Hande. ●      Vuelta al Armario por Festivos (350m, 6b+) on Cunduvile. ●      Quero verte Vocé (100m, 6a+) on Wende, first ascent of the formation. ●      Raices (200m, 6c) on Leca, first ascent of the formation. ●      Os Mulatos (130m, 6c+), the first climbing route on Cawanji. The formation can be ascended by hiking via another route. ●      Fumaca Densa (115m, 7b) on Nhenje. We received much valuable help from Nathan Cahill of  Climb Angola, and Lucho Birkner and Javiera Ayala from the nonprofit Climbing for a Reason. The local community, specifically all the children with which the latter organization works, helped us from the moment we got up each day until we returned in the evening through the dense vegetation. A very humble community opened its arms to us without asking for anything in return. We are particularly grateful for the work Climbing for a Reason is doing in this place. It has given life and a lot of hope to a large part of the town’s population: the children. Due to the incredible climbing and potential for route development, we are sure this place soon will be visited by people from all over the world. Climbing for a Reason is helping prepare an... https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2024/10/21/the-line-exploring-the-big-granite-domes-of-angola
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    24 Views
    “I climb my best 4,000 feet off the ground” – Alex Honnold. Luke Mehall + Alex Honnold in dirtbag state of mind. https://climbingzine.com/untroubled-with-alex-honnold/
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    18 Views
    After sending both Change and Move, he still had a few climbs left in him The post Jorge Díaz-Rullo Ticks Two 5.14d’s Before Leaving Flatanger appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/jorge-diaz-rullo-ticks-two-5-14ds-before-leaving-flatanger/
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    25 Views
    Some history about boulder #climbing grades. From easy, all the way to unforgiving nightmare xD V17 looks absolutely nuts.Not sure if I learnt anything new about grades, other than lower V is easy and higher V is difficult though lol Some of the middle blocks in the scale look somewhat similar to me.https://youtu.be/DnvpYvzbcg8?si=mA06GWeeA_gApGtL