An accomplished Russian mountaineer, Gorelik was nominated for the Piolet d'Or for his 2009 route on Peak Pobeda's north face. Gorelik and partner Gleb Sokolov climbed in alpine style for more than seven days to establish this difficult, 2400m route up the Tien Shan's highest peak.

Two years earlier, Gorelik summited K2 as part of a large Russian expedition that put up the direct route on the west face over the course of two and a half months in summer 2007. The route remains one of the most difficult on the mountain.

At the Piolet in Chamonix, Gorelik met Denis Urubko, who writes from the Nanga Parbat Base Camp on his own 8000m winter expedition, "I am far away, I do not know what and how... I only know that for sure everything possible was done to save him. I feel bad from what I've lost a friend. I'm crying."

Sources: mountain.ru, urubko.blogspot.com, k2-winterclimb.ru, alpinist.com.

2012: It's my third consecutive year here in El Chalten, the village on the "end of the road". It's hot, the wind is calm and the sky is cloudless. Looking at Cerro Torre's headwall, I see streaks of water that built up in the past days of good weather. I had never before seen the headwall in such perfect conditions, never before I was so confident about my free climbing goal on Cerro Torre.

Already last year I had made it to the summit together with Peter Ortner, a superb alpinist from eastern Tyrol. This time, I think to myself, could be the big year--again Peter is with me to support my free climbing goal. He's in strong shape and so am I, weather and conditions seem perfect--we are ready to go!

Peter and I pack our backpacks for the attempt. Two half ropes, one and a half sets of friends, nine stoppers, four ice screws, a couple of pins, four quick draws and five slings. In addition to that we take along two thin sleeping bags, a small insulation mat, a gas cooker, a gas cartridge and a couple of bars. It may sound like a lot, but actually we reduced everything to an absolute minimum.

Starting at 3 p.m. we make our way towards the mountains, surpassing countless trekkers along the way. After five hours we arrive at Niponino, our first camp. Like always when the weather is good, there is a bunch of people there. All the way on the back end is a group of Americans, three Argentinean climbers camp more up front, Peter and I spread out our sleeping bags on the very front. Before going to sleep, we boil water, eat travellunch and drink some lukewarm coffee.

The alarm rings at 2 a.m.. What comes afterward is routine: boil water, get dressed, eat, drink, fill up drinking bottles, get packed and get going.

In the shine of our headlamps we surpass the Norwegians' camp and proceed in direction Media Luna. There we put on our crampons. Hiking over crevasses and below huge seracs, we approach the 1500-meter east face of Cerro Torre. We then make good progress on combined terrain, reaching Col de la Paciencia in about four and a half hours. Here we take one last rest before starting the attempt.

Peter and I had climbed the pitches from the col up to the bolt traverse numerous times already. One attempt last year the conditions were so bad that the first two pitches nearly took us two hours. After seven hours we surrendered and repelled down. Today the conditions were great and it only took us three hours of climbing to reach Maestri's bolt traverse, which traverses to the right through blank granite for three pitches. There's no way to free climb this section, therefore I have to find a variation further left, on the southeast ridge.

Starting from the last belay before the start of the bolt traverse I climb straight up for about twenty meters. There I find two bolts that Ermanno Salvaterra had left behind 1999 when trying to climb the route with as few of Maestri's bolts as possible. I clip them and keep climbing upward holding left along a thin crack, which leads to the edge of the slightly overhanging wall. I step up high with my left foot and press my body towards the south face. This section is very exposed, looking down I see nothing but 1000 meters of vertical rock. I climb another few meters and than clip one of my ropes to a pin, before the climbing gets really difficult. I climb a few more moves before I take a fall.

I pull myself up and try again, this time climbing directly on the arete. I manage to climb a bit further than before, but again end up falling onto the rope. As I begin to doubt that this section is even free climbable, I try again. What else shall I do but try, there's no other way up. I manage to reach a couple of centimeters higher but once more end up hanging on the rope. On my next try I'm finally able to climb the section and then place a friend about eight meters higher. The rest of the pitch up to the next belay is fairly easy.

Peter lowers me down and, after a few minute break, I take a second go. I have to climb this pitch without falling in order to be able to continue my free climbing attempt. Again I climb up to the two bolts, follow the narrow crack, step up high with my left foot and press my body up against the south face. I manage the eight difficult meters on the arete up to the friend and continue until I reach the belay. This time I'm able to do it without falling.

Peter follows me, pulling himself up the rope until he also reaches the belay. The remaining pitches up to the iced towers are pretty easy and we make quick progress. Even before dawn we're able to pick a small ledge into the ice for us to sit on. This is the place where we will bivouac.

We prepare ourselves for a cold night, crawl into our sleeping bags and sit on our tiny insulation mat. Then we boil a bit of water and it turns out that our gas cartridge is leaking. We abstain from eating dinner, so as to have enough gas to cook water in the morning.

After a long night we get started around 6 a.m.. We swing leads climbing through the Iced Towers and at around 9 a.m., we're at the beginning of the headwall. I take my crampons off and also my alpine boots and socks. I stuff everything in my backpack and put on my climbing shoes.

I put all my friends, stoppers and pins on my harness before climbing into the headwall. The first pitch isn't really difficult, but the big, loose flakes make the climbing pretty demanding. The second pitch is wet, the loose flakes get even bigger and the climbing more difficult. In the third pitch I have to climb carefully around a big chunk of ice, which might fall directly on Peter if I happen to touch it. Up to this point we followed Maestri's line in the headwall. A couple of days ago there were tons of bolts up to this point, now I was forced to place gear during climbing, as Jason and Hayden had deleted Maestri's traces on the headwall.

Now I begin to climb into new terrain. Firstly a few meters straight up, and after placing a questionable stopper I traverse to the right and place a pin. The next meters are really demanding. Again climbing on hollow flakes, hoping they'll hold, I climb up to a point where I can place two solid friends for a belay.

The last pitch: I climb five meters straight up, place two solid friends and clip one of my ropes to them. Then I traverse a long way to the right on little crimps and holes. After ten meters I manage to place another friend and clip my other rope to it. I'm now in the system of cracks that should lead the way to the summit. Without being able to place any reliable protection I continue to climb. Not until a few meters beneath the snowfield, approximately twenty meters above my last solid friend, I'm able to connect two stoppers, a pin and a cam as my last placement. Trusting a feeling that I wont fall I climbed the last meters into the snow.

It's a weird feeling. Over three years the goal of free climbing Cerro Torre had been a part of me. Now I was finally able to pull it off. I have reached my goal. But with doing so, the goal is no more; it's only the memories that remain.

Peter and I climb the ice mushroom, the very top of Cerro Torre, and then begin to rappel down. Already on our way from Niponino to El Chalten we're caught discussing new projects, and defining new goals for future memories to be made.

The caption on the top photo, above, originally stated that Lama and Ortner summitted on January 19. The correct date is January 21. --Ed.

Late on January 15, the twenty-nine year-old, Calgary native and her partner Cian Brinker were approximately nine pitches up Last Gringo Standing, when she was struck by rockfall while belaying Brinker. She was found unconscious, having suffered apparent skull fractures. Brinker, secured her to an anchor on a ledge and spent approximately two hours assessing her condition. After no apparent change in her level of consciousness he made the decision to descend and seek assistance. Brinker descended through the night and reported the accident in El Chalten late the following afternoon.

Members of the Red Bull team, in the area filming David Lama on Cerro Torre, were requested to help by the local doctor and rescue coordinator, Carolina Codo. They volunteered their helicopter to make a reconnaissance flight near dusk on January 16 and recorded their flight on film. Upon closer examination of the film taken, it became apparent that Norman had regained some level of consciousness and had moved approximately fifteen meters from where her partner had left her. Given the critical items that she left behind it appears that Norman was suffering from a high level of cognitive impairment. But spurred on by a slim chance that she might still be alive, a rescue was initiated the following morning, Jan 17.

The Red Bull helicopter inserted Jorge Ackerman, Colin Haley, Rolando Garibotti and Pep Masip at the base of the mountain. The foursome climbed into the night enduring high winds, snow, rain and spontaneous rockfall, fixing ropes to facilitate the descent. They were unable to reach Norman's position and the rescue was called off on the morning of January 18 after a difficult bivouac.

On January 20, when the weather permitted, an additional flight was made to locate Norman. She was no longer on the ledge but was suspected to have fallen. Given that she had left her survival gear behind, it is speculated that she was severally impaired from her injuries and hypothermia and fell from the ledge.

On January 21, Norman's body was found in a crevasse at the base of the east face of Saint-Exupery. She could not be recovered and will remain in the mountains.

Note: Climbing in Patagonia is still wild and remote. Helicopters are traditionally not available and will not be available anytime soon. Rescue teams are volunteer climbers with recreational climbing experience. There is no professional rescue in El Chalten. The chance that a volunteer rescue team will successfully climb to an injured climber and evacuate them off the mountain is extremely slim. Self rescue, if at all possible, is the only option for a successful outcome. - Joshua Lavigne and Sharon Wood

Polartec Challenge Grant Recipients:

Malcolm Bass, Paul Figg, Simon Yearsley and Rachel Antill will attempt to make the first ascent of the southwest face of Rimo III. The Rimo group is a remote and rarely visited area in the Indian Karakorum, and Rimo III's face is considered by many to be one of the last great challenges.

Kyle Dempster and Hayden Kennedy plan to complete their 2011 attempt on the east face of K7 and attempt the first ascent of the north face of Ogre II on the Choktoi glacier. The Choktoi glacier has a rich climbing history, containing some of the most impressive mountains in the world, and has a zero percent success rate.

Nick Devore (Polartec Athlete Advisory board member), Will Cardamone, Jake Sakson and Andy Jacobsen will attempt to climb and ski the unskied northwest face of Mt. Seattle in Alaska. The group plans to kayak from Yakutat to the Hubbard Glacier, where they will begin the glacial traverse to Mt. Seattle. Andy Jacobsen will shoot the trip for a segment in PowderWhore Productions' new film next year.

Peter Doucette and Silas Rossi will attempt a new route on the southeast face of Mt. Bradley in Alaska. On their proposed route, the two-man team expects to find significant mixed climbing for the duration of the 4,500' ascent.

John Frieh, Dave Burdick and Zac West will attempt the first ascent of Middle Peak in the St. Elias range in Alaska. Middle Peak's more than 5,000-foot wall offers a unique opportunity for the team in a very remote region.

Freddie Wilkinson and Mike Libecki will travel to an area in Antarctica previously unexplored by climbers to climb first ascents on the Earth's southernmost and most remote spires and big walls. Wilkinson and Libecki will take advantage of the continuous daylight during the winter solstice and attempt first ascents of as many spires as possible during the expedition. Libecki also recieved a Polartec Challenge Grant in 2011 for a climbing expedition to Franz Josef Land in Russia, which has been extended to 2012.

--

The American Alpine Club also awarded its Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Award, which supports American climbers on "small, lightweight climbing teams attempting bold first ascents or difficult repeats."

Stan Price and Rusty Willis the storied, oft-tried North Ridge of Latok I.

Hayden Kennedy and Kyle Dempster for K7 and Ogre II.

Graham Zimmerman, Scott Bennett and Blake Herrington for Tahu Rutum, a stunning 6651m tower in the Karakoram.

David Gottlieb and Chad Kellogg for China's unclimbed Karijiang (7221m), the third highest unclimbed peak in the world.

To climbers twenty-five and younger looking to explore unclimbed routes and mountains, the AAC awarded its Mountaineering Fellowship Grant:

Rob Gonzales-Pita (23), Jordan Griffler (23), and Greg Mionske (24), $300 each from REI Challenge Fund, for a new route on Mt. Hooker, Wind Rivers, Wyoming.

Dan Hilden (24), $300 from Rick Mosher Fund, for several possible routes on Denali.

Cheyne Lempe (20), $1000 from REI Challenge Fund, for Chiro di Luna route on Aguja Saint Exupery in Patagonia.

Grant Simmons (24), $400 from Rick Mosher Fund, for exploratory climbs in Cochamo Valley, Chile.

Brad Woolf (19), $800 from John Hudson Fund, for a new route on Mt. Russell in Alaska.

Graham Zimmerman (25), $300 for a new route on the Southwest face of The Blade in the Waddington Range, BC.

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The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is accepting applications from January 1, 2012 through February 29, 2012 for small climbing teams attempting fast and light alpine climbing objectives with a desire to creatively document and share their experience. The award was established in memory of American climbers Jonny Copp and Micah Dash, who were killed in an avalanche in China in May 2009 along with filmmaker Wade Johnson.

Only teams/individuals from North America are eligible for expeditions occurring between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013. Award winners will be announced by March 30, 2012.

Apply here.

--

The Alpine Club of Canada will accept applications for their John Lauchlan Award until January 31, open only to Canadians.

The Mugs Stump Award was also awarded recently. Click here to read more.

"As a society we have removed other mistakes, like the Berlin Wall. History doesn't stop. History is happening right now. Hopefully the bolts are history someday." - Zach Smith

If you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Cerro Torre on a rare, clear day, you will understand why many consider it the most beautiful and compelling mountain in the world. Messner called it 'a shriek turned to stone'. The contradiction between its great beauty and its intimidating aspects will make the head spin of any enterprising climber wanting to one day try it.

In mid January, 2012, Hayden Kennedy and I completed the defining climb of our collective careers. But, the mountain and our route have been betrayed by the unfortunate controversy that enshrouds it like the clouds.

We agreed to meet in El Chalten, the gateway town to the range, in early December 2011. In the month leading up to our trip, Hayden and I hadn't talked much. He was in Turkey sportclimbing and preoccupied with a Norwegian girl there. I was in Mexico flying paragliders. Despite seven seasons of cumulative experience in the range and a lengthy wish-list, we hadn't talked about any specific objectives other than wanting to 'climb on the Torres' and do it in our favorite style - fast, light, and as free as can be. We knew the best laid plans would likely be scattered by the Patagonian winds. Better to be adaptable and simply go with the flow. We have always been on the same page, climbing wise, since our first time tying in together a couple years ago. That was at the base of Cerro Fitz Roy which we climbed via a Patagonian classic, the Supercanaleta (1600m 6a+ 85 degrees), a route that on the first ascent was a high water mark of climbing style. It was completed in 1965 by Argentine climbers Carlos Comesana and Jose Luis Fonrouge in perfect alpine style over a three day round trip, stats very impressive by even modern standards, infinitely more so considering the equipment of the time. It was also the second-ever ascent of Cerro Fitz Roy.

It wasn't long upon our arrival in El Chalten before the weather looked good enough for an attempt on something. We chose to climb the classic Exocet (500m 6a WI5 MI3), on Aguja Standhardt, the perfect intro route to the specific nuances of Torre climbing. A week or so later we climbed Punta Herron via Spigolo dei Bimbi (350m 6b MI5) as well as the Huber-Schnarf (200m 6b+ MI3), summiting Torre Egger in a long day camp to camp. In this time we also climbed the classic Chiaro di Luna on Aguja St. Exupery and established a new route on Aguja de l'S.

We were certainly fulfilling our plans to 'climb on the Torres', having completed routes on three out of the four. Remaining only was Cerro Torre, a mountain I had tried to climb the year before. Chris Geisler and I had reached a point some 40 meters shy of the top of the headwall. We had attempted the southeast ridge, the line of the Compressor Route, but had avoided using any of Maestri's bolts. When our best guess at the line of weakness up the headwall dead-ended we had two options: retreat, or continue up the bolt line.

We would not summit the Torre that year. Our attempt was soured by the reawakening of the Cerro Torre controversy that Chris and I were now swept up in. Loving the controversy, all the magazines wanted to know my opinion. The hype became too much - recycled garbage. Eventually I was tired of it all, the idea of comparing myself to someone else sickened me. My plan was never to promote my ascent nor defame David Lama.

Hayden and I would focus our energy on another line on the Torre this season: the north face. The wild face is full of adventure and the unknown. Feeling uber-fit and stoked to the max, we knew we had a shot if the weather continued to cooperate. However, the month of January was uncharacteristically warm in the mountains, and attempting the north face seemed just too dangerous. The most logical line to attempt was now my old friend the Southeast Ridge.

On the morning of January 15th Hayden and I left Niponino basecamp, approached Cerro Torre and climbed the 300m mixed 'approach' to the Col of Patience slowly, conserving as much energy as possible. Here we relaxed in the shade of our tent, and drank and ate as much as possible. With binoculars, we spied discontinuous features splitting the very left of the headwall that would possibly connect the line Geisler and I had attempted with the summit.

We slept through our 11 p.m. alarm, waking at 2 a.m. We pounded coffee, got psyched, and were climbing by 2:45. Joyous, splitter climbing comprises the majority of the lower SE Ridge. We hooted and hollered into the night as we made very quick time in the dark. We reached the Salvaterra-Mabboni variation just before first light, around 5:00am. The integral ridgeline above was attempted as early as 1968 and finally climbed in 1999 by Ermanno Salvaterra and Mauro Mabboni. From here the Compressor Route beelines inexplicably right, across blank rock and hundreds of bolts. Hayden led the beautiful A1 splitter crack above, using a couple knifeblades in between small cams. The climbing on the ridge above is absolutely brilliant - immaculate 5.10 edges in an exposed position on the arete. Short-fixing off a two-bolt anchor, Hayden continued up the arete at top speed while I followed on the jumars as quickly as possible. I reached the belay, an incredible position at an apex above the south face, gasping for breath. Looking right, ice and mixed terrain led through the ice tower features. Grabbing the rack and changing into crampons, we high-fived and I took off, navigating the ice and mixed pitches, short-fixing the rope for Hayden to follow all the way to the base of the WI5 chimney. This long, steep pitch, first climbed by Josh Wharton and Zack Smith, bypasses yet another bolt ladder up a blank wall to its right. The ice was cold, bullet-hard. I ran it out between three ice screws, Hayden followed. We were at the base of the headwall, elated.

Donning rock shoes, Hayden cast off on the steep ground above. The first two pitches were comprised of athletic 5.11- climbing over large, positive flakes. Deviating just right, then left, of the Compressor bolts, Hayden ran it out between solid cams, commenting on the bliss of the quality movement in such an extreme environment. Reaching a mid-way ledge, Hayden free climbed directly left off the belay, finding free-climbable edges where Chris last year, in a weakened state, had resorted to techno-aid. From this point Chris had placed a bolt in a blank section of rock and had climbed right, across a feature that would eventually deadend on us last year. Hayden reached the bolt and lowered to the level of my belay. Running back and forth across the headwall, Hayden stuck an edge at the apex of this King Swing. More edges led down to a small perch on the immediate left edge of the headwall. Cleaning the pitch and lowering out off the bolt, I joined Hayden at this belay stance, a spot so exposed we may as well have been on the moon.

Above, discontinuous cracks, edges, and ice blobs provided passage up perfect red patina granite. Hayden expertly navigated the complex terrain with a mixture of free and ice climbing. The only aid was in the name of alpine efficiency - stopping to stand in a sling to chop a couple cam placements out of iced-up cracks. After another belay, Hayden, still feeling psyched to lead, lead a brilliant traverse a stones throw from the top of the headwall, following a magic splitter crack. The crack dead-ended and Hayden, arms failing from dehydration, hooked the ultimate moves to the top of the headwall. Hayden started screaming and I knew it was in the bag. I followed the pitch with a massive shit-eating grin. We had held our breath till this point, honestly expecting to be shut down at any moment.

We dropped our gear on the summit snowfield and ran up the final mushroom to the summit. We had just done the first fair-means ascent of the Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre in 13 hours.

There has been a lot of talk over the years about chopping the Compressor bolts. Undoubtably, it is a lot easier to talk about it than to actually do it and deal with the consequences. After a lengthy introspection on the summit, we knew the act needed to be initiated by one party, without consensus. The tribes will always remain too polarized to reach a common ground. Of course at cocktail hour in El Chalten there was much talk of those 'what ifs' of climbing the SE Ridge. Truthfully, during our climb and the days preceding it, Hayden and I talked nothing of removing the bolts.

Fair means does not mean no bolts. Reasonable use of bolts has been a long-accepted practice in this mountain range. Often, steep, blank granite would be folly without the sparing using of this type of protection. We clipped four bolts placed by Salvaterra on his variation - two in a belay and two for protection. At that point on the route, Hayden was short-fixing with a 35 meter loop of slack, surely a death-fall anyways. He could have clearly skipped them, but that's not the point. These bolts were placed in blank granite, by hand, on otherwise un-protectable terrain. Higher we used the bolt placed by Chris on our attempt last year. Five bolts for four hundred seemed like a pretty good trade to us. We also used two of Maestri's original belays on the headwall. These were in spots in close-proximity to other natural anchor options. Believe us, we know how to build gear anchors. The fact that we were planning on leaving these bolts in anyways, meant it was too silly not to use them on the ascent. Our ultimate goal was respect for the mountain. The headwall rappels could have been chopped and replaced by nuts and pitons. However, considering that on a beautiful and popular line there will inevitably be rappel anchors in place, it seemed more logical to leave the established anchors, rather than remove them, and let the anchors slowly degrade into the 5 and 6-piece rappel anchors of tattered cord that are found on other popular routes in the range.

In the end, we removed the bolts on the entire headwall and on one of the pitches below. Our best guess would count around 125. We would have continued chopping below, if not for our friends Victor and Ricardo, dependent on the bolts of the 90-meter bolt traverse to descend themselves.

The question that remains, is why? Maestri's actions were a complete atrocity. His use of bolts and heavy machinery was outrageous, even for the time. The Southeast Ridge was attainable by fair means in the '70s, he stole that climb from the future.

Cerro Torre, a mountain so perfectly steep on all sides, is the postcard for the ideal that is alpinism. There should be no easy way to the top. The fact that there was a glorified via-ferrata to its summit deeply offended a global community of dedicated alpinists. If Cerro Torre was any more accessible, someone would have chopped Maestri's bolts a long time ago, returning the mountain to its former grandeur.

Who committed the act of violence against Cerro Torre? Maestri, by installing the bolts, or us, by removing them?

As long as the hardware remained it was justification for the unreasonable use of bolts by others. We are part of the next generation, the young group of aspiring alpinists. This is a statement we felt other young alpinists needed to hear.

Our real feelings were confirmed by three young Argentine climbers we passed on the Torre Glacier while hiking out of the range. Their eyes lit up as they told us how inspired they were to climb on Cerro Torre now, to train harder, to be better. To rise up to the challenge that has been restored to the mountain. Two days later they would make a rare ascent of Aguja Standhardt, via Festerville. Respect.

A bunch of people climbed the Compressor Route and had fun, but now it's a new era for Cerro Torre. Days after our ascent, young, talented Austrian alpinists, David Lama and Peter Ortner free-climbed their own variation on the Southeast Ridge. This news was greatly inspirational to Hayden and I, and is further proof that the bolts were unnecessary.

It would be hard to claim more authority than Comesana, who, upon hearing the news of our actions responded:

"In my name and the others that resign the dream to climb for first this fantastic mountain I claim for our rights to delete from the walls of Cerro Torre all the remainings - compressor inclusive - of the rape made by Maestri in the '70's and I think that no one - for any reason - can have more rights than ours."

--Jason Kruk, Squamish, BC

--Hayden Kennedy, Carbondale, Colorado

Alpinist has received confirmation that Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk did indeed chop over a hundred bolts off of the Compressor Route, which they voluntarily surrendered to local police. Police detained the two climbers after "a group of forty people [who] went to lynch the Canadian climber Jason Kruk in the parlor of Miguel Burgos..." Kennedy and Kruk are currently in the mountains with friends. They will prepare a press report in the coming days.

In the meantime, planetmountain.com has reported that David Lama, a climber familiar with Cerro Torre controversies, has successfully free climbed the Compressor Route. Details about Lama's ascent remain scarce though it is known that a film team climbed Cerro Torre via the Ragni Route prior to Lama's free climb.

Sources: Michael Kennedy (Full disclosure, Michael Kennedy is the father of Hayden Kennedy and Editor-in-Chief of Alpinist.), planetmountain.com, Lacachania.com.ar.

In a SuperTopo post yesterday, 1/19/12, Patagonia expert and resident Rolando Garibotti reaffirmed that Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk climbed the south east ridge of Cerro Torre in thirteen hours bypassing Maestri's bolt ladders, though most likely using some of his anchors. Garibotti wrote that Kennedy and Kruk only clipped five bolts while leading, four from the 1999 attempt by Ermanno Salvaterra and one placed by Chris Geisler on his and Kruk's attempt last year. Kennedy and Kruk followed a line nearly identical to the one Kruk attempted with Geisler. This year Kennedy and Kruk used a pendulum (in the final pitch of the 2011 attempt) to connect three pitches of discontinuous features to reach the summit, validating Geisler's statement that he and Kruk had been "tantalizingly close." According to Garibotti their line goes at 5.11 A2. Garibotti also wrote, "During the descent they chopped a good portion of the Compressor route, including the entire headwall and one of the pitches below. The Compressor route is no more."

For more information on the creation and controversy of the Compressor Route read the Editor's note from Alpinist 20.

News Flash: The following news flash 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 Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk made the first "fair-means" ascent of the infamous Compressor Route, Cerro Torre's Southeast Ridge. Colin Haley, who watched the ascent from Norwegos, estimates the climb took them thirteen hours from their bivy on the shoulder to the summit.

"The speed with which they navigated virgin ground on the upper headwall is certainly testament to Hayden's great skills on rock," Colin reported.

In the same trip, Kennedy and Kruk also climbed a new route on the south face of Aguja de L'S, among other ascents. With continued good weather in the forecast, the duo may stay in the mountains, postponing their celebrations in favor of more climbing. Keep your eyes on NewsWire for a follow-up report.

Full Disclosure: Hayden Kennedy is the son of Alpinist's Editor-in-Chief Michael Kennedy. --Ed.

The Cordillera Central, in the interior of Peru near the city of Junin, is one of the least known of the Peruvian ranges due to its distance from major cities. The mineral-rich peaks are subject to several intensive mining projects and associated environmental implications. Tunsho itself comprises two peaks, the northern summit and the lower southern summit. The broadest faces are the east- and west-facing aspects. Almost entirely covered by glacial ice, the east face has the biggest ice wall in the range. In contrast, exposed andesite rock characterizes the west face.

While climbing Norma Mountain last year, Pinto spotted Tunsho's intriguing walls of rock and ice, and set about investigating its history. He found that one Peruvian expedition had reached the northern summit via the west face, and another expedition planned a route up the north ridge, but an accident on the climb prevented them from reaching their goal. Pinto found no record of ascent to the south summit.

Having established that the south summit was unclimbed, Pinto traveled to Huancayo with Morales last October to gather more information. On October 16 they took the four-hour drive and made camp by a lake at 4700m. The next day the pair decided to attempt the peak. They started just after midnight reaching the base of the wall around 3 a.m.

They moved slowly through the first section, which had a "fresh snow roof" and vertical rock climbing. The snow improved higher up, with some areas of blue ice, and faster climbing. The final two pitches were more difficult. Loose snow at eighty to ninety degrees consumed a lot of time on the final section. They reached the summit around 9 a.m. and, having caught their breath and taken in the view, they rappelled the south ridge to a col. Intending to go for the east summit, "weather conditions deteriorated and, after climbing about a hundred meters, we decided to turn back."

Through the ascent, Pinto hopes to "draw attention to this little visited range, because there are a lot of great peaks to climb. And perhaps by generating interest in its tourist potential we can help to protect the area from the damaging effects of intensive mining."

Source: Beto Pinto Toledo

"All that has changed [since 1979] is that every year deposits another layer of scar tissue over the hot ember that still burns today. I climb because I need to feel that heat."--Jack Roberts, Alpinist 20

Jack Roberts, 59, of Boulder, Colorado, died after falling from Bridal Veil Falls on January 15. It is reported that he fell sixty feet from the second pitch and that he died of cardiac arrest during rescue.

Over the course of his forty-year climbing career, Roberts climbed notable routes on the walls of Yosemite, new ice and mixed routes in Colorado and major alpine lines in Alaska. He is greatly missed.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends. For more about Jack Roberts please see the links below:

"Jack Roberts: A Tribute" From Climbing Magazine's Dougald MacDonald.

"Arctic Discipline" By Jack Roberts, from the 1997 AAJ.

Jack Roberts' account of The Timeless Face, on Mt. Huntington, from Alpinist 20.

"Jack Roberts It Has Been An Honor." - Pete Tapley

"Jack Roberts Climber." From Dane Burns / ColdThistle.

Bjørn-Eivind Årtun and Ole Lied established Venas Azules (6b+ A1 AI6, 950m), a new variation on the south face of Torre Egger on December 26.

Torre Egger was first climbed in 1976 by American climbers John Bragg, Jim Donini and Jay Wilson. They named the tower after Austrian alpinist Toni Egger, who died while attempting Cerro Torre in 1959. Their route is called the American route (5+ A4 AI5, 1000m), and is the base of Årtun and Lied's variation.

Venas Azules follows the American route to the Egger-Torre Col, at which point it heads up the steep ice on the west side of Torre Egger's south face. The pair spent the night of December 25 at the col, having had a late start on Christmas morning. Årtun writes that conditions were slushy and there was lots of water flowing from the snow field on the east face of Cerro Torre. "Fortunately, the night was warm and we had dry socks," Årtun reports of their bivy.

The next morning they started early and followed steep ice veins for seven pitches up the sides of two mushrooms on Torre Egger. Upon reaching the summit, the pair rapped the line of the Torre Traverse, ate the last of their food at their bivy site from the previous night and continued on to Niponino, reaching their destination at 5 a.m..

Årtun first noticed this line in 2008 while climbing the Ragni route on Cerro Torre. After ten days of good weather, he could follow blue ice all the way to the summit of Torre Egger and knew the line was climbable. In 2010 Årtun and Robert Caspersen were in the Torre Valley, hoping to climb the line but never got a substantial weather window, "so I kept dreaming," Årtun says.

On the same day, American Hayden Kennedy and Canadian Jason Kruk finished up a new route on the south face of Aguja de L'S. Their route, The Gentlemen's Club (7a, 900m), is the second route on the face.

Aguja de L'S was first climbed in 1968 by a French team led by Bernard Amy.

Kruk had been eying the face for five years, since his first visit to the area. He writes that on the approach to Niponino basecamp, "two faces stand out as absolutely stunning--the south faces of Desmochada and de L'S." Kruk and his partner climbed Desmochada during that visit, but he never got on Aguja de L'S until this year.

Kennedy and Kruk "were committed to climbing only in 'gentlemen's style': in good, fast, civilized style, what gentlemen alpinists should do." They had spent the week warming up on Exocet (5.9 WI5, 500m) on Cerro Standhardt and Chiaro de Luna (6c, 750m) on Aguja Saint-Exupery. In the evening of Christmas day, the pair set off from base camp and completed the 500m approach buttress on the route The Thaw is not Houlding Wright (6a+). They both freesoloed the buttress, defined by its "perfect 5.7 splitter cracks." After the buttress, Kennedy and Kruk spent the night at the base of the steep south face. Kruk admits that it was not necessary to bivy on the route, "but it seemed like a fun way to spend Christmas."

On December 26, the pair climbed seven new pitches, stretching out their eighty-meter rope on each pitch. Their route's final pitch on the summit block had been climbed previously. Each pitch was climbed free and onsight. Described as "meat and potatoes crack climbing," their route was "predominantly hand and finger splitters on bullet-hard granite."

Full Disclosure: Hayden Kennedy is the son of Alpinist's Editor-in-Chief Michael Kennedy. --Ed.

Sources: Bjørn-Eivind Årtun, Jason Kruk.