Kongde Ri, K7, Masherbrum and Denali: the week that never stops in the vertical world

Sometimes news arrives late, but that does not make it any less relevant. Jakob Ritzl, Elias Hangweyrer and Max Muck opened between May 12 and 17 a new line on the north face of Kongde Ri Shar (6,093 m), in the Khumbu region, in the Nepalese Himalayas.

The route, named "Edge of Patience", totals 2,500 meters of development with difficulties of M7+, A2, AI6 and R. A five-day effort on one of the most serious walls in Khumbu, far from the media noise of the neighboring eight-thousanders.

The Karakoram concentrates this summer a number of top-level projects that alone justify talking about an exceptional season. These are the five on our radar:

Matteo de la Bordella, Mirco, Giacomo and Luca — east face of K7. The Italian team is already working on the wall. They reached 6,000 m before having to descend due to bad weather. Relevant fact: they confirm they found no previous traces of activity on that line. Virgin terrain.

Aleš Česen and Lukas Woerle — west face of Gasherbrum I. Still without a defined line. They will decide on site when they see the actual conditions of the wall. They acclimatized at Khosar Gang (6,040 m) and are now heading to Laila Peak (6,096 m).

Zdeněk Hák, Radoslav Groh and Jaroslav Bánský — west face of Masherbrum. One of the great pending challenges of high mountain climbing. The Czech team left on June 13 for Pakistan aiming to be the first to open this line. The west face of Masherbrum has been one of the most intimidating projects in the Karakoram for decades.

Andrzej Bargiel — skiing on Nanga Parbat. The Polish specialist in skiing down eight-thousanders is going for Nanga Parbat via the Diamir side. No confirmed line: as usual with Bargiel, the final decision will be made when they see the real conditions. They are already on their way.

Jarek Łukaszewski — Nanga Parbat in autonomy. The Polish mountaineer, known for refusing to abandon his injured partner on Broad Peak last year until the rescue team arrived, will attempt Nanga Parbat solo and without external support.

Juan Pablo Toro faces an ascent of K2 without supplementary oxygen, acclimatizing previously on Broad Peak, although this is not his main objective.

While media focus points to the Himalayas and the Karakoram, equally important pages are being written in other mountain ranges.

Denali, south face — Slovak Direct in 38 hours. On June 2 and 3, Will Hodgson and Vicente Landry climbed the Slovak Direct route (AI6, M8, 2,700 m) on Denali's south face in 38 hours. The pitch rated A2 was free climbed, with a difficulty estimated closer to M7+. A fast and clean ascent on one of Alaska's most serious lines.

Denali — Cassin in light alpine style. Mexican UIAGM guides Max Álvarez and Santi de la Parra climbed the legendary Cassin route on Mount Denali in light alpine style. After 20 days of storms waiting for a window, they found demanding blue ice conditions. They climbed most of the route simultaneously, belaying only the most committed pitches. 40 hours of climbing with a bivouac at 5,000 m at -25 °C.

Yukon — exploration and first descents on Mount Augusta. Aurel Hardy, Tom Lafaille, Helias Millerioux and Mathieu Vauthier spent four weeks in wild Yukon opening new ski lines. Their main objective was Mount Augusta, where they made what they consider a first ski descent.

Patagonia — 6th ascent of Paine Grande in 67 years. Coinciding with the 115th anniversary of Puerto Natales, Ángel Canales, Vicente Urzúa and Maximiliano Arias, three young mountaineers from Natales, completed the sixth historic ascent to the summit of Paine Grande (3,050 m). A little-frequented peak, with all the symbolic weight of Chilean Patagonia at their feet.

The week also brings relevant news in high-level classic and sport climbing.

"Born Ready" in the Dolomites. Between May 23 and 25, Simon Gietl and Constantin Schwaab opened a new route on Hintere Geierwand, South Tyrol: "Born Ready", 115 m, grade 9 (8 mandatory). A short but highly demanding line in one of the reference massifs of the Eastern Alps.

Lara Neumeier and the Alpine Trilogy. The German professional climber has completed the Alpine Trilogy by climbing "Silbergeier," "End of Silence" and "Des Kaisers Neue Kleider," the three multi-pitch 8b-grade routes. She is the second woman to achieve this and the first to do so in less than a year. A milestone that puts the current level of high-performance female climbing into perspective.

Franco Cookson and the possible Scottish E12. After four years of attempts, British climber Franco Cookson has opened "But Nothing is Lost" in Ben Loyal, in the Scottish Highlands. The proposed grade is E12: if confirmed, it would be the second route in the world at that grade, after James Pearson's "Bon Voyage."

On May 17, José Naranjo and his German partner completed an unprecedented crossing of Ellesmere Island, in Nunavut (Canada), just 800 km from the geographic North Pole.

The expedition started from Grise Fiord, the northernmost village in Canada, and for 42 days they pulled sleds loaded with 90 kg of equipment completely autonomously. The journey began with more than 700 km by snowmobile to the starting point of the ski traverse, which covered more than 600 km over the Arctic ice.

An expedition without external support, in one of the most remote and inhospitable areas on the planet, which has barely had media coverage despite the scale of the challenge.