The Shooting Gallery (IV WI4+, 3 roped pitches, 2,000') climbs the northwest face, which begins with short stretches of vertical and 100-degree ice. Sjolseth and Jeffrey continued up a 55-degree snow buttress, traversed left into another gully above a hanging glacier, and simuled up moderate snow and ice to a final 20-meter ice curtain. Three pitches of snice above led them to the summit.

According to climber and historian John Roper, who named Assassin Spire during his 1967 ascent of Mt. Baker, the climb marks the only time in Washington history that a peak's first ascent was also the first winter ascent. There may be a good reason why: Assassin Spire is a satellite summit of Lincoln Peak in the Black Buttes, the brittle remains of Mt. Baker's early volcanic activity. Because of its steep and chossy nature, Darin Berdinka, a well-known ice climber from Bellingham, Washington said that Assassin Spire is one of the hardest summits to reach in the range and "can only be climbed under winter conditions," when snow and ice solidify its crummy rock.

Numerous parties that included Dallas Kloke, Steve Trent, Scott Bingen and Kevin Kiser had attempted Assassin without success, turned back by rotten rock. But that shouldn't suggest a lack of further winter potential. Climber's left of The Shooting Gallery is another line that would involve at least two pitches of WI5-6, Sjolseth said. He added that "above the hanging glacier lies an amazing amphitheater of ice and rock that rivals anything else I have seen in the entire North Cascade Range. How impressive! Many lines are waiting to be climbed here consisting of very aesthetic, sustained and solid ice."

Sources: Tom Sjolseth, John Scurlock, Joe Dumelin, cascadeclimbers.com, nwhikers.net

MacLeod's blog suggests that the very hardest winter routes in the UK top out at around the grade of E4, or roughly 5.11, in summer conditions. But Anubis, which climbs 220 meters out an overhanging prow of The Comb, is one of the Ben's most difficult summer lines, going at E8 6c (5.13c).

Anubis is special to MacLeod for more than just its difficulty: he established the climb in the summer of 2005. At the end of last winter season, Anubis coated in rime, he tried the line again with axes and crampons, without success. In early February he gave another go, but it took a third day for the winter line to fall.

"The route started as an idea to see if it was possible today to maintain the Victorian mountaineering tradition of opening a new climb in summer conditions and progressing to an ascent in winter," he wrote on his blog. "Great that it's still every bit as possible as it was a century ago."

The route climbs an intermittent crack up an obvious prow to a roof. The steepest sections overhang severely and, though the crux sports a pick friendly crack, require total commitment. MacLeod ripped out some gear when he took a fall on the lower wall, just below the crux roof. He then lowered to the ground to try again. The fall allowed him to relax, he said, and push his limits over the ensuing several hours that it took to complete the climb.

During another attempt the same day, this time on the final headwall and suffering from extreme exhaustion, MacLeod had to downclimb quickly back to a foot-ledge under the crux roof to return to the belay and recover. The next go, he pulled through the crux and huffed up the final ice grooves and snow to the summit.

Two of MacLeod's previous winter climbs, The Hurting (XI,11) at Coire an t-Sneachda in 2005 and Don't Die of Ignorance (XI,11) on Ben Nevis in 2008 have been considered pinnacles of Scottish mixed climbing. As far as a winter grade for Anubis? "No idea," MacLeod said. "I'll have to think about it. I haven't ever tried or done anything harder in winter."

Sources: Dave MacLeod, davemacleod.blogspot.com, planetmountain.com, ianparnellphotography.blogspot.com, ukclimbing.com

"Fortunately the force of the earthquake this past Saturday went north and spared the more southern areas popular for alpinism in the southern Andes," one reader wrote. "Reports from Cochamo and Chalten indicate tremors were felt but little significant damage occurred. Some guides evacuated clients for safety reasons but many climbers have stayed in the mountains and continued their respective endeavors. Some climbers have hiked out of the areas to learn of the news only to return to base camps due to transportation problems that essentially have conveniently stranded them at the areas. The Bariloche area also appears to have escaped significant effects."

Thanks to all our readers who responded. If you have additional earthquake-related information, please contact Alpinist's editorial department.

Monte Roraima is the largest of the Pakaraima tepuis, huge plateaus that rise from the dense jungles of Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana.

In 2008, as his helicopter turned around, Frechou realized that the first challenge of climbing Monte Roraima from the Guyana side would be merely to get there. So in January 2010, with fellow Brazilian climbers Marcio Bruno and Fernando Leal, Frechou found a more adventurous pilot. Unable to land in the thick jungle, the pilot hovered above a boulder at the base of one of Monte Roraima's waterfalls, and the climbers jumped out with their supplies.

The trio found rotten, vegetated rock for the first 500 feet of their route. Taking turns cleaning, fixing and climbing, they worked until the fifth day when they were hit by a heavy rainstorm. The rain trapped them in their bivy for four more days, forcing them to rig a plastic ground sheet as protection after the rain overwhelmed their portaledge fly. They were joined by various species of insects, spiders and scorpions as they waited out the rain. Finally the storm passed and the team spent the next three days negotiating better but sharp quartzite to the top. They named the route Guerra de Luz e Trevas (War of Light and Darkness, VI 5.11a A3, 12 pitches, 650m).

The Guyana side of the tepui was first climbed by Brits Joe Brown, Don Whillans, Mo Anthoine and Hamish MacInnes in 1973 and again in 2003 and 2006 by American teams.

Sources: Eliseu Frechou, ESPN Brazil, rockandice.com, fantastico.globo.com, 8a.nu, rockclimbing.com

The jury that will determine the winner(s) of this year's Piolet d'Or recently pared down 52 climbs, settling on five finalists: Kazakh Dedechko-Urubko
 (M6 6b A2/3, 2600m) by
 Kazakhs Denis Urubko and Boris Dedechko on the southeast face of Cho Oyu (8201m), Nepal; Bullock-Houseman

 (M6, 1800m) by Brits Nick Bullock and Andy Houseman on the north face of Chang Himal (6750m), Nepal; Carte Blanche 

(6c 75 degrees, 1100m) by Russians Mikhail Mikhailov and Alexander Ruchkin on Peak 6134m, China; The Great White Jade Heist (M6 WI5 5.7 R, 2650m) by Americans Jed Brown and Kyle Dempster, and Scotsman Bruce Normand on a north-facing buttress along the west ridge of Xuelian Feng (6422m), China; and Sokolov-Gorelik (ED, 2400m) by Russians Vitaly Gorelik and Gleb Sokolov on Peak Pobeda (7439m), Kyrgyzstan.

Voting and the award ceremony will take place in the afternoon of April 10 in Chamonix, France. Festivities in Chamonix and Courmayeur, Italy, will run April 7-10.

Reinhold Messner also will receive a golden axe. He has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award.

Though nearly two decades old, the Piolet d'Or has undergone numerous changes in recent years. A brief history is available in the January 23, 2008 and January 9, 2008 NewsWires.

Sources: Laure Chatelard, David Falt, Dougald MacDonald, pioletsdor.org

One of the biggest earthquakes of the past century, its tremors were felt across South America, including Aconcagua (6962m), about 250 miles northeast of the epicenter. Reports from that mountain in Argentina, however, are encouraging.

A pair of Norwegian climbers have been posting online updates at noring.no/aconcagua. Though the quake caused significant rockslides, they said, there have been no reports of injured climbers on Aconcagua: "I do not have the complete picture. But life seems back to normal here (except for our broken water pipe in Confluencia). We are continuing up the mountain as planned, and so seems everyone else. We have not heard of any injuries or fatalities here on Aconcagua. Everything is ok at the base camp Placa de mulas. We have heard from several of the high camps that everything is ok there. A Spanish team summited yesterday," they wrote on Sunday.

But information about climbers farther south along the Andean spine, closer to the epicenter, has been sparse. From Valparaiso to Araucania, huge regions of Chile have been declared disaster areas.

"From Peru to Paine, there are climbers out there," one concerned Alpinist.com reader emailed. "All over the world there are family and friends wondering."

If you have information about how the recent earthquakes have affected climbers and mountains in South America, please contact our editorial department. Alpinist will post more information in NewsWire as it becomes available.

Sources: nytimes.com, supertopo.com, noring.no

After establishing Spray On, the controversial route documented in the February 1, 2010 NewsWire, Will Gadd headed to Norway with Andreas Spak. Spending February 9-15 in Eidfjord in central Norway, the two, along with photographer Christian Pondella, climbed three big waterfalls. The team believes they were first to climb Skykkjedalsfossen (WI5+ R, 400m) and two challenging falls they left ungraded: Fun Fossen (300m) and Skrikjofossen (500m).

"Grade it whatever you need to feel good about the grade," Gadd said of Skrikjofossen. "It gives you everything you need."

In the Aragon region of the Spanish Pyrenees, three climbers finally completed a challenging, bolted mixed project. Chiro Sanchez, Kike Villasur and Javier Bueno linked Axioma (M8 WI6, 7 pitches, 300m) on January 28 in tempestuous conditions. The climb had been attempted unsuccessfully for five years. Two weeks later, on Feburary 10, Martin Elias and Manu Cordova climbed the third ascent of Substancia Ordinaire d'une fin du siecle (WI7) in Vallee d'Heas in the High Pyrenees. The late Jerome Thinieres established the futuristic line 11 years earlier.

Repeats in Scotland by Ines Papert also made headlines. She climbed Unicorn (VIII,8) in Glen Coe and Blood Sweat and Frozen Tears (VIII,8) on Beinn Eighe, reportedly making her the first woman to lead that grade in Scotland. On February 19 with Ian Parnell, she also put up one of her own: Little Nipper (VI,8, 60m) is a new two-pitch route up the Far East Wall of Beinn Eigbe.

On February 10, in Austria's Zillertal, Albert Leichtfried and Benedikt Purner established Gorillas im Nebel (M10 WI6, 3 pitches, 120m) ground up; they returned and redpointed the line five days later. The ascent comes on the heels of their new route, Centercourt (WI7+, 300m), graded the hardest pure icefall in Austria (read the January 22, 2010 NewsWire for more information).

Also on February 15, Enrico Bonino and Filippo Gonelli established a mixed climb on traditional gear called Drapeux d’enfer (WI5+/6 M5+, 3 pitches, 95m) on the new Curtains Wall in Valle d'Aosta, Italy.

Chris Parkin and Pete Harrison climbed a new route on February 16 in North Wales' Cwm Llafar. Tora Bora (VIII,7/8, 7 pitches, 320m) climbs between Broken Ceasefire and Imminent Conflict on the popular Black Ladders. The crux offers "sustained climbing on torques, hooks and turf with adequate but hard-won gear."

And Blair Fyffe and Iain Small were busy on Ben Nevis in Scotland. On February 18, the pair onsighted The Past is Close Behind (VIII,8, 6 pitches, 250m) in "full conditions" on the North Face of Carn Dearg.

Sources: gravsports.blogspot.com, upclimbing.com, desnivel.com, planetmountain.com, ukclimbing.com, enricobonino.blogspot.com, news.v12outdoor.com, welshwinterclimbs.wetpaint.com, highmountainguides.com

We at Alpinist are constantly striving to create the finest magazine and website in the climbing world. Once in a while, we rely on our readers to let us know how we're doing. Earlier today we released our 2010 Reader Survey, a questionnaire designed to give you a voice so that we understand what's important and where we can improve. We hope you have 10 minutes to give your feedback.

Click here to take the 2010 Alpinist Reader Survey.

"We craft every issue of Alpinist to bring the climbing life into your living room and your tent at base camp," Alpinist editor-in-chief Michael Kennedy said. "Alpinist and Alpinist.com are reader-supported, and we rely on your encouragement, support and feedback."

The survey will be available for a limited time. Those who complete the survey will be entered into a raffle to win one of 50 Princeton Tec headlamps.

"It's our way of thanking you for sharing your thoughts," Kennedy said. "Every box you check and every note you write we will read and learn from. Your feedback is the future of Alpinist."

Kellogg originally intended to climb a new route on the south face with Rory Stark. On December 17, they were acclimatizing on Aconcagua's normal route when Stark developed signs of high altitude pulmonary edema. With help from two other Americans, Kellogg descended with Stark to base camp, where Stark was diagnosed with pneumonia. He was air-lifted to Mendoza, Argentina for treatment the following day.

Now partnerless, Kellogg packed his gear for a solo ascent and hiked to the base of the south face on December 21. He scouted a line between the original south face route, the 1954 French Route, and the Romanian variation to the 1982 Slovenian Route. Crevasse danger appeared low, but Kellogg knew the greater challenge would be "surviving the ice avalanches from the frequent serac falls," he said. Minutes after walking away from the base, a huge avalanche swept the route and avalanche cone where he had been standing.

"I tried to steel my nerves against the possibility that I could be swept into that debris at the base from any point on the route within the next 6,500 vertical feet," Kellogg said. Nevertheless, he continued: "I told myself that this was my route and in eight hours I would be on it."

Kellogg intended to complete the route in one long day and took minimal gear: a 30-meter rope, a dozen pieces of protection, a stove with one fuel cartridge as well as extra clothes and double boots.

At 4 a.m., after little sleep and a brief meditation session, Kellogg left camp, crossed two large crevasses and the bergschrund, then traversed and down-climbed left past a steep ice pitch and into the central gully where he could make faster progress.

After climbing 2000 meters up rock and ice steps in just over 12 hours, Kellogg gained the upper glacier and was on pace for a one-day ascent. Several avalanches ripped down the route as he climbed, but Kellogg evaded them. "Timing was everything," Kellogg said.

From the upper glacier, he traversed right to join the Messner Route, a 1974 variation to the French Route, still hoping to finish the climb by night. But high in the Messner, Kellogg encountered unconsolidated sugar snow and his pace ebbed. At 11 p.m., he downclimbed to the upper glacier and prepared for an open seven-hour bivy in temperatures he estimated at 10 degress F.

With the morning sunshine, Kellogg thawed and continued, finding better snow with vertical ice and mixed passages on the upper Messner. By early afternoon, he was within 400 meters of the summit ridge but immersed again in the time-consuming sugar snow. As his progress slowed to less than 200 feet per hour, a pace he kept for the last 21 hours of the climb, Kellogg's hands got soaked. By evening he had frostbite on his right thumb. Nearing the ridge, Kellogg, exhausted, radioed rangers who encouraged him to continue and promised they would meet him at the Nido de Condores ranger station (5300m) as he descended. 

At 10 p.m., after 42 hours, Kellogg finally reached the high ridgeline between Aconcagua's two summits. In high winds, he struggled down the ridge crest and joined the Normal Route. At 1:30 a.m. on December 24, he arrived at the ranger station and was welcomed with hot drinks and rest.

Kellogg named the route Medicine Buddha after his favorite meditation sahana. "Reciting the mantra of the Medicine Buddha Sahana protects one from an untimely death," Kellogg said. "I felt this was fitting as I climbed the 9,000' face beneath seracs the entire time."

Sources: Chad Kellogg, climbing.com

In winter, The Seven Sisters flow as usual, the sea-level temperatures warm enough that the falls infrequently solidify. But this year, an extreme and sustained arctic snap convinced four Norwegians to scout the waterfalls in hopes of finding them frozen. Bjarte Bo, Henki Flatlandsmo, Eiliv Ruud and Sindre Saether rented a boat on February 1 and found two obvious, beautiful ice lines. After controlling their excitement, they decided they would split into two rope teams but climb the main icefall, on the left.

The four soloed the first 100 meters to a cave, where they roped up. The next 300 meters proved "fantastic" and sustained, Bo said. "The ice was thick and broad, but sometimes a bit airy with mushrooms on the steeper parts," he added. "The quality of the ice often squeezed our two teams together through the same passages resulting in some delays and a few short pitches but also great photo opportunities."

They climbed the last pitches in the dark and rappelled back to the boat, satisfied with their new route, De syv sostre (WI6, 400m).

Great minds think alike. The very next day, February 2, without knowledge of the new route, friends of the first ascent party also took a boat to The Seven Sisters, intending to climb. Sigurd Felde, Anders Mordal and Eivind Nordeide sent the icefall on the right and named it Syvsoversostra (WI6, 400m).

Last weekend the first group returned for more with Ole Ivar Lied and Trym Saeland. The result: three more new lines between 350 and 400 meters high. Bo and Saether climbed Alterbekken (WI6) on the 13th; Flatlandsmo, Lied and Saeland climbed Horvadraget (WI5+) that same day; and Flatlandsmo, Saeland and Saether climbed Skageflasiget (WI6-) on the 14th.

Rudd and Flatlandsmo also found good ice on nearby waterfalls in Tafjord. These, too, rarely freeze. They named the routes Muldalsfossen (WI5+, 200m) and Heggurfossen (WI6, 600m).

Bo said that this winter has been the coldest in Norway since he began climbing 20 years ago. Ironically, the cold weather has kept ice out of many of the traditional ice-climbing areas, but "this seems to be the year [to climb] the waterfalls with lots of water coming down," Bo said. He added that it's possible, though unlikely, that The Seven Sisters have been climbed previously. "You never know for sure. But I have been climbing ice and living in Romsdal for more than 15 years and have not heard about an ascent."

Climbers will surely return, so long as temperatures remain cold. There is more potential in the area, Bo said, "but perhaps mostly for mixed routes."

Sources: Bjarte Bo, Henki Flatlandsmo, Anders Waage Nilsen, fjordnorway.com