Silvo Karo to Receive Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award

The Piolets d'Or committee have announced that Slovenian alpinist and honorary Alpine Club member Silvo Karo will receive the 14th Walter Bonatti - Piolets d’Or Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the 2022 ceremony.

Karo is one of a generation of Slovenian alpinists who, in the 1980s, set a new standard in the greater ranges by pioneering technically difficult new routes on iconic peaks. He is perhaps best known for his 1988 first ascent of the south face of Cerro Torre, but his resumé extends far beyond this singular achievement with many notable ascents in the Himalaya and Karakoram.

^{_{Silco Karo, Photo by Lika Krajunk licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.}}

This year's Piolets d'Or ceremony will take place from 18-20 November in Briançon. Further details are available via the Piolet d'Or website.

Loppé Exhibition Opens on Monte Bianco Skyway

Over 20 scale reproductions of the works of famed mountain artist Gabriel Loppé have gone on display in the Pavillion Station of the Monte Bianco Skyway. The exhibition, 'Gabriel Loppé: A Life on Mont Blanc' is a collaboration between the Skyway, The Association Amis de Gabriel Loppé and AC member William Mitchell.

Loppé was the earliest pioneer of high altitude painting and the first non-Britain to be made a member of the Alpine Club.

His most enduring working relationship was with Mont Blanc, which he was estimated to have climbed some 40 times, painting numerous scenes from its summit. Given his history with the mountain, there is perhaps no better place for an exhibition of Loppé's work than in the panoramic space of the Pavillion Station at 2,200m.

The exhibition will run until the Summer of 2023 and is open to visitors whenever the cable car is operating. Tickets are available to book via the Skyway website.  

AC member William Mitchell, who has curated the exhibition, has produced an accompanying 60-page catalogue which is available in English, French and Italian. French speakers can also enjoy an interview in which William discusses the exhibition on TGR Rai.

'Years of Desperation & Charm' - Alex MacIntyre Obituary (1983)

Forty years ago, in October 1982, Alex MacIntyre died while attempting a new route on Annapurna. MacIntyre was one of the foremost alpinists of his era and a devout proponent of the 'Fast and Light' ethos. In the following year's Alpine Journal John Porter, who had been on the expedition when Alex was killed, paid tribute to his friend. With unflinching honesty, he recounts their shared journey; from young climbers blaring music across British crags, to the Alps, their diverging life paths and, eventually, to Alex's tragic demise in the Himalaya.

'The fact that many a man who goes his own way ends in ruin means nothing. The only meaningful life is a life that strives for the individual realisation -  absolute and unconditional -  of its own particular law.' - Carl Jung
 

In the first years that I knew Alex, there were always battered Ford Escort vans parked out in front of the hovels we inhabited in Leeds 6, or parked as near as possible to the bottom of the crag so we could hear the music, turned to maximum volume, always loud music wherever we went, and we spent a lot of time in those vans, adding new dents as the weekends went by. Hair was long in those days and our selection of clothes minimal, but Alex's was always the longest and his clothes the dirtiest. I was doing post grad while he was struggling to start, first Economics and, after a year off, Law. It was during the year off that Alex discovered what he wanted to do. He wanted to go climbing.

We were incredibly incompetent at everything we did, bankrupting the climbing club, getting ourselves and the few women who hung around with the Leeds scene into outrageous and hilarious situations, but always getting out of real trouble and managing somehow to make it seem we'd done well in the end, producing The Journal with Bernard, flogging vans in France to get back to university after a season in the Alps, scraping through to get good degrees. On our first Alpine route together, Alex climbed in boots of two different sizes. We created our own epic, complete with horrendous storm, Alex dropping all his gear like a moulting shaggy dog, our worst bivi ever, and endless descent in a white-out, but managing to get back to the Nash to the realisation that we'd learned something. They were years of desperation and charm.

In 1977, Alex had just completed his exams and had a summer in the Alps ahead of him when I phoned to ask him to go to Afghanistan with the Poles. It had been a couple of years since we'd climbed together seriously. He'd done some major Alpine routes by then; the Bonatti Zapelli, the Droites, the Jorasses, and had definitely made his mark in Scotland. In two weeks, he found the money and then we were off by train across the Soviet Union into a series of adventures culminating in 6 major new routes and 7 peaks of more than 6,000m climbed between the eleven of us. When Voytek asked in broken English in the train, 'Would you like Bandaka?', Alex answered, 'Sure, do we eat it hot or cold.' But instead, we discovered a 2,400m, NE face, a real monstrosity up crumbling walls and steep ice to a summit as peaceful as the Ben on a good day. Despite the dangers of the face, everything fell into place, the vibes were good, and as a team, we were in love with each other's company. I remember Alex on the final pitch, tunnelling through the massive cornice, whispering down to us, "I think it's talking to me."

The next year was Changabang, again with Voytek and joined by Krystof Zurek. We spent 8 wonderful days on a superbly steep wall, following the only possible route up the centre of the face, like solving a logics problem - the way had been created just for us. We were more adept than in our early years, and Alex's inventiveness was beginning to show in the nature of the gear; his hammock design, lightweight sleeping bags, modified ruck-sacks, and a just adequate amount of food. But we were also learning the anomaly of the lightweight concept, hauling huge sacks of gear, having to abandon spare ropes and pegs on the summit, knowing the formula could be improved. And once, Alex fell a long way, abseiling on the wrong end of the rope in a blizzard and falling the full distance until the rope came onto the peg. I thought for a while we'd lost him, but when I abseiled down, he was waiting, shrouded in snow, a bit shaken, and he smiled, "I don't want to play this game just to have a rucksack named after me."

1979 in South America, Alex and I got in wrong in more ways than one. Some spark had gone from our banter. We made some big mistakes, underestimating the seriousness of routes, going ultra light without sleeping bags or stoves, suffering, muddling through somehow, but feeling the dangers of the sport too close. We argued about stupid things, politics, the ways of the world, the things we would never be able to change. We even got our nights in the bars out of sync so that one or the other of us would be suffering when we set out on the next climb. Looking back, our first unhappy trip together I put down to me getting older and following a more conventional path while Alex by this time was totally committed to the world he could make for himself climbing. While I became more conservative, he was becoming ever more deeply involved in his radical approach to climbing and life.

Apart from the occasional weekend climbing or boozing, I saw little of Alex for the next 3 years. He invited me on both the Makalu and Dhaulagiri trips, but they did not fit in with my plans or my job. He tried to talk me out of the winter Everest trip, and nearly succeeded, but I went, while he went off to experiment with new ideas on bigger faces. I began to admire him not only for his big climbs but also for his lucid life style. Unconventional and trimmed of pretence, he lived as he felt was best for him, and knew that in the end, that was also best for everyone else, being himself. It was take him or leave him, but he did not necessarily judge people on their reaction to him. Most took to him, accepting his honesty of character. Diplomacy was no replacement for the truth in Alex's eyes. For this reason he made an effective National Officer during his years with the BMC. Yet he admired people who stuck to their own arguments, as long as their thinking was clear and their case recognizable as an alternative. On the other hand, he hated banding together or acceptance of ideas without mental conviction.

We had talked about Annapurna for some time. For Alex, it was another date in his calendar of big climbs, a filler-in between Xixabangma pre-monsoon '82 and his plans for four 8000'ers in 1983. Neither of us were able to spend much time organising the trip. He was writing his book while I was scrambling at work to get everything in some sort of order before I left. We had an inevitable last minute rush to sort out details, wondering if René would ever contact us from France with news of the equipment he was slated to provide. We booked a flight only 3 days before departure. We were in our element, confusion followed by laughter, knowing it didn't matter how you got there as long as you did. We had a theory that plans are made only to be unmade. That way, we always felt immune to Murphy's law, fate was not for us. As we settled back with a drink somewhere over Turkey, Alex brought out his folder on Annapurna and we studied the innocuous looking ramp that cut through the vertical lower half of the face and left us focused at half height beneath a tiny dollop of rock, the only major problem before the massive ice slopes beneath the East Peak.

"We should be able to climb the route in 3 or 4 days, and we'll leave Base Camp not later than the 13th of October, after we acclimatize." Alex knew the face as if he had climbed all over it in his dreams. He knew the weather, the walk in, what to expect at Base Camp, and the peaks we would climb to acclimatize. He explained it carefully and in detail. As I looked and listened, I knew that I was merely an apprentice of the kid I had once looked after like a younger brother. I made a note in my diary, and felt sad for reasons I could not explain.

Alex died on 17 October. I was not with him. I watched through binoculars from Base Camp as two tiny dots appeared at the bottom of that innocuous ramp that in September had been like Niagara Falls with boulders tumbling down instead of barrels. We'd prepared well for the face, 14 days of climbing in the first 18 in Base Camp. Alex consoled me in my exhaustion and sickness with the words: "Well, it was a heavy­ duty acclimatization programme". I was more than sick when they set off for the face on the 13th. I watched them reach that insignificant dollop of rock and fail to get through, the way to the summit only a few feet above them. I followed their thoughts through my binoculars as they descended that night to a bivouac at the top of the ramp. In a break in the clouds, the lens suddenly seemed to fill with blood. I looked closer in disbelief and realised I had only witnessed the bright red bivi sack being pulled from the sack, shaken out and hung up.

On that morning of the 17th, I lowered the binoculars to clean them and when I looked back, there was only one climber. I instinctively knew it was René. Alex had fallen. I searched for another 10 minutes, then hastily filled two rucksacks with medical and emergency equipment and set off for the face with our sirdar. We met René coming down alone at about 5000m. He stopped 30m above us and waved his iceaxe above his head, then stumbled down to where we stood frozen to our souls. Alex had been killed by a single stone falling from unknown heights. His time had come and had rushed him upward to meet his fate. Little was said as we returned to Base. René had lost his closest climbing partner. I had lost a friend who was also my link to the freedom of years gone by. "We must not think about it but we must not forget" said René, "If we do either, we may not climb again".

Pritchard and Porter Nominated in Banff Mountain Book Competition

Alpine Club members John Porter and Paul Pritchard are among the nominees in this year's Banff Mountain Book Competition.

John is nominated in the Mountain Fiction and Poetry category for his new book 'A Path of Shadows' which brings together poems and essays from over 50 years of writing. Meanwhile, Paul's new autobiographical work 'The Mountain Path' is nominated in the Mountain Literature category. Paul's book has also been shortlisted for this year's Boardman Tasker Award.

A full list of the category nominees and details of the competition can be found here.

The Death of HM Queen Elizabeth II

The Alpine Club Committee was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. For seventy years she had been a rare constant in the life of our nation, serving as a source of comfort and pride to many. With the news of Hillary’s and Tenzing’s ascent of Everest reaching the streets of London on the morning of her coronation, 2nd June 1953, she had a special place in the hearts of mountaineers. 

With her husband HRH The Prince Philip, who was an honorary member of the Club, she attended a number of Alpine Club events, including our 1957 centenary celebrations (pictured). She was also a regular attendee at anniversary celebrations for the first ascent of Mount Everest adding, in the words of former AC President Stephen Venables, "lustre" to those occasions. 

AC Members Make 2022 Boardman Tasker Shortlist

The 2022 shortlist for the Boardman Tasker Mountain Literature Award has been announced. Among the six shortlisted authors are two Alpine Club members; Paul Pritchard and Brian Hall. 

Paul has been nominated for his book 'The Mountain Path', published by Vertebrate, which explores his continuing adventure journey following his life-altering accident on Tasmania's Totem Pole. Paul is due to embark on a speaking tour of the UK this November and December in support of the book.

Brian received his nomination for 'High Risk' his book exploring the cutting-edge of high altitude climbing in the 1970s and '80s. The book focuses on Brian's close friends from this time, including those who lost their lives on the small, lightweight and technically difficult expeditions that defined the era. 'High Risk' is published by Sandstone Press.

Paul and Brian are nominated alongside Kieran Cunningham, Anna Fleming, Robert Charles Lee and Helen Mort. The winner will be announced on the 18 November during a special event at Kendal Mountain Festival.

2022 Albert Mountain Award Winners Announced

The King Albert I Memorial Foundation have announced that the recipients of the Albert Mountain Award for 2022 are German climber Bernd Arnold, Belgian alpinist Sophie Lenaerts, long-distance hiker Nam Nan-hee from South Korea and The Society for Ecological Research in Munich.

The foundation, registered in Zurich, honours people or institutions that have achieved outstanding and lasting merit through their achievements in an area related to the mountains. The Albert Mountain Award is presented every two years.

The ceremony for the 2022 awards will take place on 23 September in the Swiss Alpine Museum in Bern where there will also be the opportunity for attendees to view the current Korean exhibit: 'Let's Talk About Mountains'.

^{Nam Nan-hee}

^{Bernd Arnold}

^{Sophie Lenaerts}

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…"

La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 08 August 2022

The dry spell continues in the mountains. 

Glacier and snow conditions continue to deteriorate. 

Plan B is more than ever rock climbing (without complex glacier approaches). There are no longer any snow routes in good condition, although some are still possible (although technically more difficult). 

There are regular rock falls and landslides in some places in the high mountains. Don't hesitate to share your observations. The drought is such that it can also lead to rock falls in the “moyenne montagne” (lower hills) especially after storms. Beware also of overcrowding on some routes. 

Tour / Trient / Orny 

The Trient hut closed for the 2022 summer season on 1 August 2022. It will reopen for the ski touring season in mid-March 2023. During the construction period, the hut is closed to the public. There are no winter or emergency rooms. The Orny hut will remain open. 

Crossing the Dorées ridge via the Col des Plines is still possible. The rock is very good both on the Orny side and on the other side (Envers des Dorées). 

The Tour glacier is increasingly chaotic (ice, fragile snow bridges, crevasses). The rimaye of the aiguille du Tour is wide open (3m). You can still get across on large jammed blocks but it feels like the end (see photos below, thanks to the Orny hut guardian). The col du Tour is passable but there is a lot of ice. 

Tête Blanche and Petite Fourche are still possible but the final part is icy (not very steep). 

Argentière Glacier 

Plenty of climbing here. Access to the hut is clear, but you have to look above you at the ladders (we are in the mountains!)

Large rock fall on 03/08 under the Pointe Farrar (Grands Montets ridge). 

Charpoua / Couvercle / Leschaux 

The Charpoua hut will close on 25/08. Renovation work will then begin. From this date until May 2023, the hut will be closed and there will be no winter accommodation. In the meantime, the gardienne has "closed" the Drus. 

A fixed rope is in place to access the Contamine on the Evêque. 

There are few changes in the Talèfre basin. The rimayes are opening but no particular worries for the Moine and the Nonne-Eveque. More activity on the Moine ridge on the Verte (the summit ridge is quite unstable). 

As a reminder, the Mer de Glace balcony path is an alpine hike with parts on glaciers and ladders: you need to have a good mountaineering spirit and not underestimate it. 

The routes above the Leschaux hut are perfect. The glacier access to the Aiguille de Leschaux seems problematic. As a reminder, access to the Petites Jorasses is no longer possible. 

Following the storms, there is rockfall and debris on the N face of the Grand Jorasses, all the parties who left for the Walker in the last week have turned back. 

Sector Envers des Aiguilles / Requin 

The rimaye of the VN de la République is still passable thanks to blocks of snow stuck in the rimaye (it's a bit of a “building site" after all). For how long (once they melt, it won't be possible to go through anymore)? 

Pedro Polar's rimaye doesn't go anymore: start on the first pitches of the "soleil a rdv avec la lune" (also a tricky rimaye here). Elsewhere, all is well. 

Access to the Requin is still OK on the left bank. Access and rock routes all good (Dent Requin, Pierre Alain). Climbing up the Vallée Blanche is a thing of the past (waterfalls, chaotic glacier). 

Helbronner Sector 

Less activity here. The glacier approaches are complex. Still a few parties on the Marbrées, Aiguilles d'Entrêves, Grand Capucin. 

Aiguille du Midi 

Here too the engine is idling. 

The Aiguille du Midi Arête is very technical (ice, steep), you need to be comfortable with cramponing. 

The normal route on Mont Blanc du Tacul is still possible from the hut (be careful with the rimayes + keep to a good timetable). 

It feels like the end for the Trois Monts which is more and more technical (Maudit middle rimaye very difficult, 2 ice axes + good technique needed). It is not at all an alternative to the normal route. 

You can still climb on the S face of the Aiguille du Midi. 

Plan de L'Aiguille 

Frendo and Mallory : All good (we're kidding but amazingly some people have tried!!!). 

You can climb on the Peigne, the red pillar of the Blaitière and the Aiguille de l'M. 

Access to and Cordier Pillar itself is very exposed (rock falls). 

Mont Blanc by the Goûter 

We aren't telling you anything new, the route is in bad condition and the Tête Rousse and Goûter huts are closed (including the winter rooms). Walkers can go up to the Rognes or the Tête Rousse (the glacier is icy and you will need crampons). 

Dômes de Miage / Bionnassay 

The ascent to the Durier hut from Plan Glacier can be considered very early in the morning after cool nights without storms. Access from the Conscrits is possible via the Col des Dômes. Aiguille de Bionnassay there and back is still not too bad. 

Avoid the Dômes de Miage traverse (ice, rock falls, crevasses above the col de la Bérangère). 

The Dômes can be considered as a return trip for experienced rope parties (good reading of the glacial terrain necessary, ice etc). 

The Aiguille de la Bérangère can be done as an out-and-back from the Conscrits hut. 

Monzino 

One of the sectors where it's good to live at the moment to do rock climbing (Aiguille Croux, Punta Innominata...). 

Aiguilles Rouges 

The best idea of Summer 2022. You can climb everywhere. Beware of overcrowding, for example on the Brévent (rock falls). 

No more (running) water at the Bellachat refuge, which remains open. 

Also beware of overcrowding in the bivouac spots and especially around the lakes. Please respect the rules of bivouac (from sunset to sunrise, take down your tent in the morning, one night in each place) or risk seeing this tolerance disappear. Similarly, you should avoid swimming in the lakes. 

Barberine 

Following a landslide on 06/08, the following long routes in Barberine should be avoided until further notice: Sylvie, Barbourine, Mirrors, Vipère and Méduse (see photos below). 

Translated with permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.

Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.