Wrights Retreat from K7 Central

Americans Jeff and Priti Wright report that they were forced to turn back 100m shy of the summit of K7 Central (6,858m) after encountering difficult climbing that resulted in a number of lead falls and ate into their weather window. The pair told ExplorersWeb that the climbing above 6,500m weighed in at M5 and 5.11 with little solid protection.

Having decided to abandon their attempt, they retreated down the hazardous Central Couloir of the West Face, completing a 13.5Km round trip from their basecamp at 4,350m.

This was the first time that a team had attempted this unclimbed Pakistani peak.

Livingstone & Cesen Abandon Gasherbrum III Route at 7,800m

Writing on his Instagram account, Tom explained that the pair had been forced to abandon their attempt due to a combination of "cold, weather, fatigue and lack of reasonable options." The pair's chosen line tackled the mountain via its North face/ridge, an approach selected out of necessity due to strong winds.

Tom has written frequently, including in an essay for Alpinist, about his desire to see alpine climbing progress to a position where hard, technical climbing can be done at altitude. While he and Cesen were ultimately unsuccessful on Gasherbrum III, aspects of the experience appear to bode well for this approach. Tom writes: "We didn’t feel too terrible at (just below) 8000 metres, which is encouraging…"

Berg and Roberts Establish New Route on Jirishanca

Mountaineers Alik Berg and Quentin Roberts have climbed a new route on the east side of Nevado Jirishanca, often referred to as "the Matterhorn of the Andes", in Peru’s Cordillera Huayhuash.

The pair have named the line 'Reino Hongo' and offered a grade of 5.8/90°/M7.

Writing on his Instagram page, Roberts described the route as "A line full of question marks. Steep complex snow, tricky mixed terrain, massive cornices, wild ice mushrooms, and a steep headwall at 6000m."

Edu Marín Makes Second Free Ascent of 'Eternal Flame'

Edu Marín, climbing with support from his father and brother, has succeeded in making the second free ascent of 'Eternal Flame' on the Nameless Tower in Pakistan. 

The route was first climbed by Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Güllich, Christof Stiegler and Milan Sykora in 1989. It was 20 years before the Huber brothers would climb the route free in 2009.

Commenting in a post on his Instagram page, Marín laid out the possible unique nature of his ascent: "I have spent 28 days on the wall and I have sent it in a single push. Maybe I am the first climber who has lead all the pitches free climbing the route."

Marín is better known as a sport climber, but he has also climbed extensively in the Alps, completing a number of long, hard rock routes on classic alpine faces. He had previously attempted 'Eternal Flame' in the summer of 2021, but was forced to suspend his efforts due to the weather.

More details on the ascent can be found at Planet Mountain.