Newsflash: The following newsflash is a preliminary report posted as a service to our readers. Alpinist has not confirmed the veracity of its contents but will post a story in detail when more information becomes available.–Ed.
Yesterday morning, French climbers Stephane Benoist and Yannick Graziani successfully summited the South Face of Annapurna in alpine style, marking the second ascent of the route Ueli Steck soloed just sixteen days before. Pierre Beghin and Jean-Christophe Lafaille first attempted the line in 1992, and reached 7100m before a failed anchor sent Beghin to his death, leaving Lafaille to descend alone. Benoist and Graziani reached the summit of Annapurna’s South Face eight days after they departed Advance Base Camp. They had planned to reach the summit three days sooner, but were delayed by difficult conditions at 7700m. With good weather and optimistic spirits, the duo pushed on to the summit.
Read up on Steck’s solo of the South Face while you wait for our complete NewsWire.