Ultras Archives – James Stone

The Top 50 Ultra Prominent Peaks of the World (and who has climbed them)

20th March 2020 by James Stone Leave a Comment

In a blog that I posted in December 2018 here, I wrote about the concept of Ultras as a means of classifying mountains. “Ultra” is shorthand for Ultra high prominence. My blog listed the 10 most prominent mountains in the world. It explained the classification and it listed the names of people who had climbed many of them. This blog goes further and lists the Top 50 Ultra Prominent Peaks of the World and the names of people who have climbed at least 10 of them.

Summit of Aiguille du Toule — **The author on the summit of Aiguille du Toule with Mont Blanc (the 11th most prominent peak in the world) behind**

The table below contains the lists. It is a large table so it might not easily be read on a phone screen. Use of a laptop is likely to be better.

Whilst the list is complete so far as the Top 50 Ultra Prominent Peaks of the World is concerned, it is almost certainly incomplete where it comes to individuals and the mountains individuals have climbed.

In other words, there are almost certainly more people who have climbed 10 or more of the Top 50 Ultra Prominent Peaks of the World. For example, mountaineering is a burgeoning pastime in eastern Asian countries. Whilst activities such as climbing the Seven Summits can be a source of national pride, there does not seem to be the same culture of websites that record worldwide ascents more generally – such as peakbagger.com. Accordingly, there might easily be nationals of China, Japan, South Korea and India who should feature on this list. And, of course, there are those who quite reasonably prefer to keep their activities to themselves.

It is also likely that certain individuals listed have climbed additional mountains to those that are shown.

The Sources

So where does the information on individuals come from? Largely it comes from work that the late Adam Helman started and has since been continued by Andy Martin. In addition, there is quite a lot of information on the internet.

Andy is the custodian of a number of lists as I mentioned in my previous blog. These are available via his website. Over the last couple of years, as a part of my research on the Volcanic Seven Summits, I have come across individuals on the internet who also seem (consciously or otherwise) to be Ultra baggers. Occasionally I make contact with (or am contacted by) people, most of whom are kind enough to respond and provide me with information. When I have obtained information, I have in turn informed Andy.

The table below therefore is a combination of our efforts.

“Leading Nations”

It probably necessarily follows that the “leading” nationalities of the listed individuals are European or from English speaking countries. That will reflect the cultural factor I refer to above and the in-built prejudices in my research.

So the nations that currently feature most are:

United States of America with 48
United Kingdom with 21
Russia with 13
Austria with 8
Spain with 8

Undoubtedly with further information the balance would shift somewhat. But I suspect that the Americans would keep the lead as “bagging” – whether this be State highpointing, the Colorado 14ers or county highpoints – is very popular in the USA.

Mount Rainier - the 21st most prominent peak in the world — **Mount Rainer, USA – the 21st most prominent peak in the world**

“Leading Summits”

The Seven Summits challenge is clearly a popular one. The ten most climbed peaks as at the date of this blog reflect this fact:

Kilimanjaro – 160 ascents
Aconcagua – 152 ascents
Elbrus – 150 ascents
Denali – 138 ascents
Vinson – 118 ascents
Mont Blanc – 117
Everest – 109 ascents
Carstensz – 108 ascents
Pico de Orizaba – 102 ascents
Ojos del Salado – 75 ascents

It is perhaps a little surprising, given the number of Americans on the list, that Mount Rainier does not make the top 10. Similarly, easier Ultras such as Jebel Toubkal and Pico de Teide do not feature near the top 10.

There are more ascents of K2 than of Yushan. For some of the remote peaks – e.g. Namcha Barwa, Kongur Tagh and Erebus – there are no recorded ascents amongst this list of individuals.

The author on Ojos del Salado - the 44th most prominent Ultra — ***The author on Ojos del Salado – the 44th most prominent peak in the world***

The Table

Here is the table. With all its undoubted omissions, I would be happy to receive corrections via the contact form on this website. I am also happy to receive any other comments.

There is no magic in the order of names where the numbers of peaks climbed are the same. I have little or no information on the dates of ascent of peaks, other than as available on the peakbagger.com website. To try to obtain all of this information would be futile. I also make the point that I have no information about claims of ascents. I take claimants at their word. X’s indicate an ascent.

I have not yet decided what effort I will take to update the list, though I will add details of anyone new or otherwise make corrections if contacted. So, for the moment, the list will be dynamic. You will need to come back to see if any changes are made.

			Everest	Aconcagua	Denali	Kilimanjaro	Pico Cristobal Colon	Logan	Orizaba	Vinson	Carstensz	Elbrus	Mont Blanc	Damavand	Klyuchevskya Sopka	Nanga Parbat	Mauna Kea	Pik Pobeda	Chimborazo	Bogda Feng	Kinabalu	Rainier	K2	Ras Dashen	Tajumulco	Pico Bolivar	Fairweather	Yushan	Stanley	Kangchenjunga	Tirich Mir	Cameroon	Kenya	Gunung Kerinci	Fuji-san	Jebel Toubkal	Cerro Cirripo	Gunung Rinjani	Cook	Pico de Teide	Boising	Cerro San Valentin	Gunnbjorn Fjeld	Ojos del Salado	Gunung Semeru	Ritacubo Blanco	Gongga Shan	Ararat	Blackburn
Matthew Holt	UK/South Africa	36	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X			X		X		X	X		X	X			X	X			X	X	X	X	X		X	X	X				X	X	X		X
Jaime Vinals	Guatemala	33	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X		X			X		X	X	X		X	X			X	X			X	X	X		X				X	X	X		X
Petter Bjørstad	Norway	31		X	X	X	X	X	X			X	X	X			X		X		X	X		X	X	X		X	X					X	X	X	X	X		X	X		X	X	X	X		X	X
Gerry Roach	USA	30	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X	X	X	X			X		X		X	X		X	X	X	X	X	X			X			X	X	X			X				X		X		X	X
MJ Kim	South Korea	30	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X			X		X		X	X		X	X	X		X	X			X		X	X	X	X	X		X			X		X	X		X
Geri Winkler	Austria	30	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X			X		X		X			X	X	X		X	X			X		X	X	X	X	X		X			X	X	X	X		X
Junko Tabei (D)	Japan	28	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X			X	X	X		X			X	X	X		X				X			X	X	X	X	X	X				X	X			X
Bob Packard	USA	27		X	X	X			X			X	X	X			X		X		X	X		X	X	X		X				X		X	X	X	X	X	X	X				X	X	X		X
Morgan Batt	Australia	26	X	X		X			X	X		X	X	X			X		X		X			X	X	X		X	X			X	X		X	X	X		X	X			X	X				X
Rob Woodall	UK	25		X		X			X				X	X			X		X		X	X		X	X			X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X				X	X	X		X
Gerhard Schmatz (D)	Germany	25	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X		X				X		X				X				X		X		X	X	X			X	X	X			X	X	X		X
Ken Jones	USA	24		X	X	X			X			X	X	X			X					X		X	X			X	X			X		X	X	X	X	X		X				X	X	X		X
Doug Mantle	USA	23	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X	X	X				X		X		X	X			X			X	X				X	X					X				X	X				X
Michael Kelsey	USA	22		X		X			X			X	X	X			X		X		X	X		X	X	X		X				X		X	X	X	X	X		X					X
David Hart	USA	21		X	X	X		X	X				X				X		X		X	X		X	X		X	X	X				X		X	X	X			X									X
Christian Stangl	Austria	20	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X	X	X	X					X	X			X			X			X	X			X											X		X
Mario Trimeri	Italy	20	X	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X		X			X		X															X	X		X	X		X			X	X				X
Eric Gilbertson	USA	20		X	X	X		X	X			X	X				X		X		X	X			X		X		X				X			X	X		X	X				X
Ronald Naar (D)	Netherlands	19	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X	X	X	X			X		X		X						X							X				X		X	X
Ginge Fullen	UK	19			X	X			X			X	X	X							X			X	X	X		X	X			X	X		X	X	X			X								X
Sean Disney	South Africa	18	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X							X								X				X	X	X	X								X				X
Waldemar Niclevicz	Brazil	18	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X						X				X		X	X			X								X		X			X		X
David Hamilton	UK	17	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X					X					X					X		X		X											X				X
Lars Holme	Norway	17		X		X			X			X	X	X							X			X		X		X	X			X			X	X				X				X				X
Khoo Swee Chiow	Singapore	17	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X	X							X		X					X		X				X	X			X										X
Dagmar Wabnig	Austria	17		X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X						X		X					X			X			X			X					X			X	X
Gary Pfisterer	USA	16	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X	X	X				X		X			X											X						X					X
Harry Kikstra	Netherlands	16	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X						X						X	X			X								X							X		X
Lyngve Skrede	Norway	16		X					X				X						X		X				X			X						X	X	X	X	X		X				X	X			X
Pete Ellis	UK	16	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X				X		X			X													X	X				X				X
Mandy Ramsden	South Africa	16	X	X	X	X				X	X	X			X											X			X					X		X								X	X	X		X
Javier Botella de Maglia	Spain	15		X	X	X			X			X	X	X					X			X											X		X	X				X				X				X
Mark Aitken	UK	15		X	X	X			X			X	X								X			X	X			X	X				X			X				X								X
Matthew Gilbertson	USA	15		X	X			X	X			X	X				X					X			X			X							X	X	X		X	X
Ludmila Korobeshko	Russia	15	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X						X		X								X				X										X					X
Richard Birrer	USA	15	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X				X		X			X													X				X									X
Ramon Portilla	Spain	15	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X		X													X						X	X												X
Greg Slayden	USA	15		X	X	X			X				X				X				X	X			X		X	X					X		X		X							X
John Klein	USA	15	X	X		X			X	X	X	X	X				X		X			X			X												X	X						X
Mikhail Rodionov	Russia	15		X	X	X			X			X	X	X					X					X		X									X	X				X				X				X
Vern Tejas	USA	15	X	X	X	X		X		X	X	X	X	X			X		X		X	X																					X
Petter Kragset	Norway	15		X	X	X		X		X	X	X	X						X							X		X	X				X							X				X
Bruno Baschung	Switzerland	15		X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X				X												X						X	X				X				X				X
Adam Helman (D)	USA	14		X		X			X								X				X	X			X	X								X	X		X	X							X	X
Reinhold Messner	Italy	14	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X			X			X				X						X	X			X
Andres Karu	Estonia	14		X		X			X			X	X	X							X				X										X		X			X				X				X
Vaughan de la Harpe	South Africa	14	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X							X													X	X									X
Diego Wellig	Switzerland	14	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X					X																X									X				X
Per Fredrik Ostman	Sweden	14		X	X	X			X			X							X		X				X				X							X	X			X				X				X
Serge Massad	Canada	14	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X	X					X				X	X			X												X
Alexander Abramov	Russia	13	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X																									X					X				X
Wilco van Rooijen	Netherlands	13	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X	X									X										X			X												X
Ed Viesturs	USA	13	X	X	X				X	X		X	X			X			X			X	X							X									X
Ronald Oliver	USA	13		X		X			X			X					X				X	X		X	X										X	X	X											X
Graham Illing	UK	13		X		X			X				X								X			X	X							X			X	X				X								X
Stipe Božić	Croatia	13	X	X	X	X		X	X	X		X	X										X							X			X						X
John Biggar	UK	13		X			X			X		X	X				X		X							X										X	X			X				X		X
Ginette Harrison (D)	UK	12	X	X	X	X		X		X	X	X																		X			X						X					X
Ricardo Torres	Mexico	12	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X							X		X	X																										X
Vladimir Doronin	Russia	12		X	X	X			X		X	X		X			X				X	X													X									X
Igor Povalin	Russia	12	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																						X								X				X
Kurt Wedberg	USA	12	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X							X			X											X															X
Ralf Dujmovits	Germany	12	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X			X			X				X							X
Karen Jones	USA	12				X								X			X					X		X	X										X	X	X	X		X					X
Caroline (Kay) LeClaire	USA	12	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X						X			X														X
Sylvia Alfery	Austria	12				X								X			X				X				X			X						X	X			X		X					X	X
David Roskelley	USA	12	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X																					X									X
Mark Horrell	UK	12	X	X		X			X			X							X					X	X				X							X								X		X
Vassily Vorobiev	Russia	12							X	X	X	X	X	X			X					X													X				X				X	X
Igor Cherkasin	Russia	12		X	X	X			X	X		X	X	X										X											X	X								X
Bernard Voyer	Canada	12	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X						X																X	X
Takayasu Semba	Japan	12	X	X	X	X		X		X	X	X	X										X										X											X
Richard Carey	USA	12			X	X			X								X				X	X			X			X							X		X			X					XXXXX
Josep Pujante	Spain	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X									X													X	X								X
Scott Woolums	USA	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X									X											X
Walter Laserer	Austria	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X						X														X			X
Bo Parfet	USA	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X									X																	X
Mauricio Purto	Chile	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X							X																	X								X				X
Wally Berg	USA	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X									X	X																					X	X
Phinella Henderson	UK	11		X		X			X			X	X	X										X								X				X										X		X
Georgia Briscoe	USA	11		X	X	X			X			X	X				X		X		X	X													X
Christine Boscoff (D)	USA	11	X	X		X			X	X	X	X	X						X			X											X
Robert Kay	USA	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X				X					X
Brandon Bargo	USA	11		X	X	X			X			X		X								X			X				X								X											X
Reid Larson	USA	11		X	X	X			X					X			X		X			X			X										X		X
Andrey Gundarev	Kazakhstan	11		X	X	X			X		X	X	X	X															X															X				X
Daniel Bull	Australia	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X																														X
Gabriel Viti	USA	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X						X			X																						X
Naim Logic	Bosnia	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X	X								X																										X
Chung Kin Man	Hong Kong China	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X																													X
João Garcia	Portugal	11	X	X	X	X				X		X	X			X							X							X						X
Bernard Francois	France	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X																														X
Rudy von Snick	Belgium	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X						X														X											X
Robert Smith	UK	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X										X													X			X
Satyarup Siddhanta	India	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X																														X
Theodore (Ted) Fairhurst	Canada	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X																														X
Albert Bosch	Spain	11	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X	X																						X				X
Jon Herring	UK	11		X	X	X			X				X						X			X		X	X											X		X
Crina Popescu	Romania	11		X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X	X																														X				X
Sharon Crawford	USA	11			X	X		X			X	X	X				X		X			X							X				X
Thomas Knob	Austria	11				X			X			X	X	X							X				X				X						X	X	X
Richard McLellan	UK	11				X			X			X	X									X		X	X										X	X	X			X
Duane Gilliland	USA	11		X	X	X			X			X	X				X					X			X										X									X
Klaas Koehne	Germany	11		X		X			X				X						X		X								X							X		X						X				X
Andrew Hughes	USA	11		X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X						X			X																						X
Robert Gropel	Australia	11	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X				X
Rolfe Oostra	Australia	11	X	X	X	X				X		X	X																X				X			X			X
Radek Jaroš	Czech Republic	11	X	X	X	X				X		X	X			X							X						X	X
Niels Toft	Denmark	11		X		X			X			X	X	X					X		X			X												X												X
Travis Greiman	USA	11				X							X				X				X			X	X				X			X	X			X	X
James Stone	UK	10				X			X			X	X	X								X			X											X				X				X
Rob Milne	UK	10		X	X	X				X	X	X	X								X	X											X
David Keaton	USA	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X					X					X																										X
Louis Bowen	USA	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X									X																	X
Phil Erschler	USA	10	X	X	X	X			X	X		X							X			X								X
Francois-Guy Thivierge	Canada	10	X	X	X	X		X		X	X	X	X																						X
Lee Farmer	UK	10	X	X	X	X				X		X	X								X	X														X
Park Young-Seok (D)	South Korea	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X				X							X							X
Nasuh Mahruki	Turkey	10	X	X	X	X				X		X		X				X					X																									X
Randall (Randy) Peeters	USA	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X				X					X
Chris Birrer	USA	10		X	X	X			X			X	X				X					X													X													X
Robert Link	USA	10	X	X	X	X			X		X	X							X			X								X
Pere Rodés Muñoz	Spain	10		X	X	X						X	X								X														X	X				X				X
Helmut Linzbichler	Austria	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X				X					X
Chris Kopczynski	USA	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X									X					X
Jake Norton	USA	10	X	X	X	X				X			X									X														X			X									X
Oliver Klemm	Germany	10				X						X	X	X							X				X										X		X			X								X
Shelley Rogers	USA	10		X	X	X			X								X								X										X	X	X											X
Guy Cotter	New Zealand	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X																				X						X
Mihail Turovskii	Russia	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X
Olga Rumyantseva	Russia	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X
Viktor Bobok	Russia	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X
Vitaliy Simonovich	Russia	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X
Sergei Dmitriev	Russia	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X
Vanessa O'Brien	USA/UK	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X						X				X
Vyacheslav Adrov	Russia	10				X			X			X	X	X			X												X						X									X				X
Tim Ralph	UK	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X								X															X
Charley Mace	USA	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X							X				X										X
Peter Hamor	Slovakia	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X				X							X							X
Colin O'Brady	USA	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X							X			X													X
Liang Jhang	China	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X				X							X							X
Katie Sarah	Australia	10	X	X	X	X			X	X		X	X	X																														X
Leszek Cichy	Poland	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X																							X							X
Joxe Ramon Agirre	Spain	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X							X																	X			X
Noel Hanna	UK	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X										X										X
Nikos Migitsis	Greece	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X						X																	X
Katrina Follows	UK	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X						X																									X
Karla Wheelock	Mexico	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X							X																				X
Vladislav Lachkarev	Russia	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X
Herbert Hellmuth	Germany	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X										X							X
Andreas (Andy) Holzer	Austria	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X	X																																		X
Malli Mastan Babu (D)	India	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X							X							X																		X
Carlos Soria Fontán	Spain	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X				X							X							X
Israfil Ashurly	Azerbaijan	10	X	X	X	X				X		X		X																X					X													X
Arthur Marsden	South Africa	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X
Frits Vrijlandt	Netherlands	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X	X																X
John Starbuck	UK	10		X	X	X		X		X	X	X																								X				X			X
Rafael Villegas	Spain	10				X			X			X	X	X										X											X	X				X								X
Michel Waechter	Canada	10		X	X	X		X		X	X	X					X								X												X
Blandonn Smith	USA	10		X		X			X	X	X	X	X						X																				X					X
Roxanne Vogel	USA	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X																							X					X			X	X
Jorge Egocheaga	Spain	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X				X							X							X
Constantin Lacatusu	Romania	10	X	X	X	X				X	X	X	X
Oleg Mezentsev	Russia	10	X	X	X	X			X	X	X	X		X																														X
Valentyn Sypavin	Ukraine	10	X	X	X	X			X			X	X						X																									X				X

Does any of this matter?

Quite possibly not. The motivations for mountaineering and publicity for one’s endeavours are disparate. But it might provide some inspiration at some point in the future for a social scientist looking at leisure fashion or man’s (and it is mainly men, only around 12% in the list are women) desire to tick off lists. Discuss.

Map showing the location of the top 50 most prominent peaks in the world — World Top 50 by prominence

Glorious Green Guatemala

6th November 2019 by James Stone Leave a Comment

This is a blog about a trip I made to Guatemala almost a year ago now. “Guatemala. What do you want to go there for?” I was asked that question a few times before I made my trip last November. Well I can report that Guatemala is green. Guatemala has more than its fair share of volcanoes. And Guatemala is rather good. So this longish blog is about those Guatemalan volcanoes.

Of course, for me, the initial attraction was the volcanoes. Guatemala lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are 37 Guatemalan volcanoes of which four are active. The volcanoes lie in an arc inland of the Pacific coast to the south west of the country. But the greater part of the country is jungle, sparsely inhabited. It has a population of over 17 million. Its capital, Guatemala City, is by far the largest urban area.

It has an interesting cultural mix comprising the original Mayan tribes, Mestizos (mixed Mayan and European heritage) and other settlers. The country has had a fairly turbulent history since the end of Spanish rule with various conflicts (including a 32 year civil war that only ended in 1996) and much foreign interference, especially by the Americans.

It is not all that easy to reach from the UK. The only direct flight from Europe is from Madrid. The alternative is to go via the States. Because I wanted to fly from my local airport I went via Amsterdam and Panama City. So the flying time was quite long but was fine apart from a lengthy stopover in Amsterdam on the way home.

So I booked myself on a trip through KE Adventure which promised seven volcanoes over 14 days. The group climbed six of these, the seventh (Pacaya) is active so it was not possible to climb to the top of that one.

The highlights of the trip were probably (a) watching Volcán de Fuego from Volcán Acatenango, (b) the camp on Pico Zunil where we saw a fabulous sunset and sunrise and (c) Lago Atitlan. They all beat Volcán Tajumulco even though this mountain is the highest peak in Central America.

We spent the first night at a pleasant hotel in Antigua, a former capital of Guatemala until it was flattened in a series of earthquakes in 1773 and 1774. The morning gave an opportunity for the group to meet as a whole for the first time whilst watching the distant Volcán de Fuego regularly cough grey ash into the air as we had our breakfast.

Volcan Fuego spews out ash — Volcán de Fuego spews out ash

Whilst Volcán de Agua towers over the city.

Our group was rather large in number at 14 including a Scottish contingent of five. This was a bigger group than I was hoping, or expecting. The largest group I had previously been with on a trip such as this was eight. There was a wide range of ages from late 20’s to later 60’s. But all were adventurous at heart as might be expected for a trip such as this one. There were only two women in the group.

KE Adventure sub-contracted all of the arrangements to a local guide company. So we ended up with two guides, a cook and a driver. They were all good.

Antigua

Day 1 consisted of a wander around Antigua, admiring the colonial architecture, obtaining some local currency and finding a view of the city.

Volcán Pacaya (2580m)

Day 2 took us to Volcán Pacaya, the first of our Guatemalan volcanoes, where we were able to watch the volcano spitting out rocks and molten lava slipped down the black lava covered slopes in red streaks.

Active Pacaya — Volcán Pacaya – with rocks and lava to the right

We were only able to get to 2350m – not great for acclimatisation. We were due to climb Volcán de Agua at 3760m the following day.

In fact that evening we were told that the itinerary would change. It is recommended that Volcán de Agua is only climbed accompanied by Tourist Police because of incidences of robberies of tourists. However, because of a meeting of local bigwigs police were not available. So we switched to Volcán Acatenango.

Volcán Acatenango (3975m)

The decision to change the itinerary proved to be a better option in any event. The following morning we had a drive of an hour and a half to our start point with stunning views of sunrise hitting volcanoes to the east.

Sunrise on the Guatemalan volcanoes, Volcán Atitlan and Volcán Toliman — Sunrise

It would involve a climb of over 1600m accompanied by some locals.

The climb followed the usual pattern of passing through scrub or farmland, followed by forest before emerging onto typical volcanic terrain.

Track through the forest — Path through the forest

Emerging above the forest onto volcanic terrain — Emerging onto volcanic terrain

By the time we reached the top at just under 4000m we were above the cloud. We looked across to Volcán de Agua which was also above the cloud and down into a shallow crater with its equipment to measure seismic activity.

Acatenango crater — The crater and monitoring equipment

But the best bit was crossing to the other side of the crater.

There we could look down on Fuego whilst eating our lunch.

Group lunch as a puff of ash from Fuego rises above the cloud

It belched dust up through the cloud.

Before the mountain revealed itself.

It was rather wonderful watching that activity. Just a few months before we were there, Fuego had erupted much more violently killing almost 200 people. The descent was much quicker, taken in part by a slightly more direct route. Most of us were suffering from mild symptoms of altitude. Rick, who was my room/tent mate did not make the summit on this account. Getting to 4000m on our third day without any real acclimatisation was a bit ambitious.

So we had our final night in Antigua before setting off the next day to our next objective. This was Lake Atitlan which must be one of the most stunning locations of its type on earth. The lake is itself an ancient caldera now ringed by volcanoes of its own.

Volcán Toliman (3158m)

Although the lake was only about 60km from Antigua as the condor flies, it took an age to reach Panachajel on the north east edge of the lake. Here we boarded a boat to cross the lake so as to get to Santiago Atitlan and Volcán Toliman.

Loading the boats at Lake Atitlan - distant Volcán San Pedro, one of the Guatemalan volcanoes we would climb later in the trip — Loading the boats at Lake Atitlan – Volcán San Pedro in the distance

We split our luggage – part to go to the hotel we would be staying at in two nights’ time and the rest to be carried by porters. The crossing itself was very rough with the water stirred up by the brisk wind. At times we were being tossed around as if we were on the sea in a storm. Low down in the boat the waves looked big!

However, we arrived safely at Santiago Atitlan, our start point. We climbed steeply up the main road from the waterside dodging tuk tuks, took a left and then a right up a narrow alley. It was quite warm and the legs took a while to get going having been immobile in the bus and on the boat.

The way then followed an established path up through fields of harvested maize. The stems of the plants were used as supports for peas that were then being grown. The climate is so clement and there are not the same seasons that crops can be grown at any time.

Two of the most important crops are coffee and avocadoes. Just as we hit the lower edge of the forest having passed an area of coffee bushes we stopped for lunch amongst a grove of avocado trees. Some fruit were lying on the ground rotting. Avocadoes are so abundant that they normally feature with most meals. Rick got out his penknife, cut open one of the avocadoes and ate it.

There then followed the usual tramp up through the jungle. The camp site chosen was probably the least pleasant of the three we had. It was still in the jungle and a bit damp. A number of our group did not immediately make it to camp. Often the path would split. In amongst the trees the way on would not necessarily be obvious. To steer people the right way sometimes branches would be placed across the path that was not to be followed. The branches were not always large.

So the inevitable happened and five of them missed the branches and ended up near the summit. This was where we went once the camp had been set up in any event in order to see the sunset through swirling clouds. We went up again the next morning in the chill of the morning.

Dusk on Toliman - looking to Volcan San Pedro — Dusk on Volcán Toliman – looking to Volcán San Pedro

Sunrise on Toliman looking at Volcán Acatenango and Volcán de Fuego

Sunrise on Toliman looking at Volcán San Pedro and distant Pico Zunil and Volcán Santa Maria — Sunrise on Toliman looking at Volcán San Pedro over Lake Atitlan and distant Pico Zunil and Volcán Santa Maria

It was about a 20 minute hike up. The summit area is covered in low trees and scrub, so there are various viewpoints around the edge of the summit area where views are available. We visited a number of them.

After breakfast we descended back to Santiago for lunch where there was a pleasing view across the lake to Volcán San Pedro, and then onto our hotel. The hotel management must not have believed its luck with the volume of consumption of mojitos. Anyway it was nice watching Toliman change colour from below whilst we became gently sozzled.

Cafe with a "No Guns" sign — Not sure I would want to eat here

Pico Zunil (3542m)

The next day we went back across the lake, a much smoother crossing this time. We now had the chance to look around Panajachel and its markets.

We remained for lunch before boarding our bus for Quetzaltenango along the Pan-American highway. This was another time consuming journey over 80 kilometres. Once we reached Quetzaltenango we checked in to a characterful if run down hotel. My and Rick’s room was OK but others left things to be desired such as wash basins hanging off the wall and dodgy plumbing.

Quetzaltenango is also less tongue-twistingly known as Xela, is the centre of the Quiche Mayan people and is one of Guatemala’s larger cities. It has been the centre of revolution and like many central American cities could do with a bit of investment in its buildings and infrastructure generally. It has the usual Plaza Major but then sprawls chaotically.

Our next mountain objective was Pico Zunil. Although not looking like a volcano, it is an very old eroded one. And it gave us one of the highlights of the trip.

Unloading the bus — Preparing to climb Pico Zunil

Having been driven to the trailhead at Xecam we were joined by a local, female guide and walked for a couple of hours to a grassy plateau where we had lunch as the cloud billowed near us. From there a path followed a long ridge-line along the Siete Cruces trail. In another couple of hours we reached a rather nice camp site on a shallow saddle at around 3100m, still an hour or so short of Pico Zunil’s summit.

After a brief stop at the camp, we continued. As it was getting late the guides were concerned as to whether or not we could make the summit and return before it became dark. The trail along the ridge was narrow, in parts overgrown and rough with many ups and downs. Progress was at times slow. The cloud came and went. Eventually we came to the final rise and the summit.

I managed to get one shot off towards Volcán Santa Maria before the cloud enveloped us permanently.

On the summit was a Mayan shrine. Guatemala has a wide range of religions. The Catholic Church is predominant but even that incorporates Mayan rites into its liturgies. But the old Mayan beliefs still hold sway over a large proportion of the population.

The author and Yorkshire flag on summit of Pico Zunil — Showing loyalty to GOC on the summit of Pico Zunil

As sunset would soon be upon us we hurried back towards the camp. We took a route below the ridge line on this occasion. This was a lot faster and it also gave us stunning views of the sunset.

That evening after dinner most of the group sat around a campfire and swapped stories before it became too cold and we retreated to our tents.

If the sunset had been good then the sunrise was even better with the puffing Fuego in the distance.

We all perched on the rocks above the camp site and watched the scene in front of us unfold. Looking the other way Santa Maria first picked up the tinges of the early morning light

Volcán Santa Maria lit up by the sunrise

and then emitted a celebratory puff of its own.

Volcán Santa Maria issues a puff of smoke — Puff of smoke on Volcán Santa Maria

Meanwhile the views back to the other volcanoes continued to develop.

Early morning over Volcáns Acatenango, del Fuego, Atitlan, San Pedro and Toliman and Lake Atitlan

After breakfast it was time to break camp and leave. We had an appointment with some hot springs later that afternoon.

Looking back up to the summit of Pico Zunil on the descent

The hot springs were busy and a bit grubby. I felt as though I needed a shower when I got out! But at least the water was warm. We returned to our hotel in Xela where I was able to indulge in a thorough clean.

Volcán Santa Maria (3772m)

The next day we were going to climb Guatemala’s fifth highest peak, Volcán Santa Maria. Because there have been instances of tourists being robbed on this mountain, we were going to be accompanied by a couple of (armed) policemen. The climb went up through the usual scrub land and then jungle at the usual steep angle.

Grassland on the ascent of Volcán Santa Maria

It was somewhat cloudier today. The trees did not end until quite close to the summit and it was quite busy up there. One group was carrying out some sort of ritual that involved a lot of wailing. The clouds had a few breaks in them, but they ensured that we were unable to look down to Santa Maria’s baby volcano, Santiaguito.

The author on the summit of Volcán Santa Maria — Showing off on the summit of Volcán Santa Maria

Limited views from the summit of Volcán Santa Maria

Santa María Volcano is part of the Sierra Madre, which extends along the western edge of Guatemala, separated from the Pacific Ocean by a broad plain. The volcanoes are formed by the subduction of the Cocos Plate under the Caribbean Plate.

We had a long lunch stop on the summit watching the views come and go. Then we returned the same way and drove back to the hotel.

Volcán Tajumulco (4220m)

It was now time for the highest of the Guatemalan volcanoes and the highest peak in Central America – Volcán Tajumulco. Tajumulco is also the 24th most prominent peak in the world and an Ultra.

The following morning we had another slow drive to take us even further from Antigua. We spent 3 hours on twisting roads for the 50km. We were taken around to the north side of the mountain to a height of a little under 3000m. The north route is the normal route, but there are routes from the east (from a higher start point) and the south (which presents a much longer proposition).

Sorting out kit for Volcán Tajamulco — Kit sorting for Volcán Tajamulco (summit in the distance)

We only started our climb late morning. Kitbags were loaded on to mules. We first followed a wide, rough 4WD track for four or five kilometres before breaking off on a footpath whilst the mules carried on along the track. We stopped for lunch in a grove of scattered trees seated on scattered logs and rocks. It was pleasantly warm in the sun.

Mules carrying kit — Here come the mules

After 30 minutes we started off again. We had rejoined the track. The gradient increased and continued through the trees. The track came to an end at a steepening but now it was not that far. The summit was visible between the branches but we swung around to the left as the way levelled out. We arrived at the campsite.

The mules were already there. So the group set about setting up camp, pitching the tents amongst the trees. In contrast to Toliman and its damp situation, this camp was airy and brighter.

We decided then to climb up Tajumulco’s subsidiary summit, Cerro Concepción . It wasn’t too far above us – perhaps a 20 minute climb. So most of the group were up there before the sun went down. Tajumulco reared up 200 metres higher across a shallow depression. Cloud was largely below us, but also billowed near us without actually covering our top.

I was beginning to get cold and feeling the effects of the altitude so descended before the sun dipped towards the horizon. I wasn’t up to having any dinner so popped some pills and went to bed hoping the slight headache and nausea would disappear by the morning. This was disappointing as I been as high as the camp site on both Acatenango and Santa Maria.

I slept pretty well and by the morning I was fit to go. We had our breakfast in the dark and also set off in the dark at 5am. We were soon clear of the trees ascending a rocky route. The night was cool. Way below I could see the lights of towns.

Occasionally we had to use our hands to make progress. The aim was to reach the top for sunrise. This we achieved but we had to wait on the summit for 20 minutes for the sun to breach the horizon. It was cold but worth it for the cloudscape, changing colours, views and the diminutive crater.

Cloud was streaming in from the west well below us and then sinking into a nearby valley looking like a waterfall before dissipating.

The author on the summit of Tajumulco — Summit with Montañas Peña Blanca behind

There are a couple of candidates for the highest point on the crater rim and I visited them. To the north Montañas Peña Blanca rose near the border with Mexico. Our volcanoes of the previous 10 days ranged in the far distance to the south east, cloud swirling around some.

But it was time to leave. The descent went quickly. Camp was soon dismantled and we descended back to our pick up point. The clouds repeated their waterfall effect.

Some local kids came looking for treats.

By 10am we were on our way. We were going back to Lake Atitlan. We would cross it and go to another town on its fringe – San Pedro de Atitlan. Above this town was our final volcano.

Volcán San Pedro (3020m)

We checked in to our hotel by the water’s edge and relaxed in the sun before going to a nearby restaurant for our meal.

The final one of our Guatemalan volcanoes was to be Volcán San Pedro which loomed above the town.

Part of the climb was relieved by being driven up about 600m in elevation to the National Park boundary. From here we would have over 1200m of height gain. As was normal most of this was in the jungle. About a third of the way up a viewing platform had been constructed with views through the trees out over the lake.

The path, steaming in the warm sun, zig-zagged up easily but steeply. We reached a shelter where a picnic lunch had been laid out for us. At this point, behind the shelter, an unmarked path sneaks off to easily gain the true summit where there is no view. The main and obvious path climbs up to the secondary summit which has great views out over the lake. The true nature of the original ancient caldera can be seen from here. The top of this summit is an awkward scramble up some rocks.

We stayed a while here admiring the views and looking down on to the town of San Pedro.

Toliman and Atitlan from Volcan San Pedro — Volcáns Toliman and Atitlan

The descent was rapid. Part way down a few of us indulged in having a go on a swing to which a rubber tyre was attached. We were soon down to the Park Entrance and our transport back to the hotel. Here we again had the opportunity to sit in the sun, look out over the lake and, later, watch the moon rise over the distant shore.

The finale

The final full day was all about returning to Antigua – first a ride across the lake, then the slow grind on the Pan American Highway (including a stop for lunch) and, eventually, in the late afternoon back to the San Jorge hotel where we had started. Here we sorted ourselves out for the return home.

In the evening we went out of the city for a final dinner at a restaurant on the side of Volcán de Agua looking down on the city – with the glow of Volcán de Fuego in the distance.

Guatemala is a fascinating place; a mix of cultures; green; full of litter; still early in its tourist development; grand, if fading, colonial cities. A definite place to go therefore – even if not to climb volcanoes!

Mont Blanc revisited – the icing on the cake

27th July 2019 by James Stone Leave a Comment

I had attempted Mont Blanc once before.

Two years ago I wrote on my FB timeline “Well it had to come at some point. My good fortune with weather on the major peaks that I have attempted came to an end on Mont Blanc. 35mph winds gusting to well over 50mph meant it was often hard to stand up. Got to 400m short of the summit before being forced to turn. Thanks to OB guide Steve Monks. The experience was enjoyable. In the meantime here’s a picture of an ibex met along the way.”

The disappointment of that July day rankled. An irritant that just had to be relieved. An itch that could only be effectively scratched by renewing my acquaintance with the mountain. I knew that, but for the weather, the summit had been within my grasp.

So this year an opportunity arose to have another attempt.

I asked around some friends to see if there was any interest and I considered using a guiding service. I even pondered undertaking a solo climb. In the end Caroline expressed an interest and dates were agreed and flights booked to Geneva.

At that time we had not booked huts. We decided that we were going to do the climb without a guide and to go via the Goûter route, the route I had been on in 2017. On that occasion, my guide and I had reached a point just above the Vallot shelter. There my guide had been blown over by a particularly ferocious gust and I was struggling to stay upright with crampons, axe and pole desperately trying to remain attached to the snow.

So I felt I knew the route, at least to that point and we are both experienced Scottish winter walkers. I have done quite a bit at altitude and Caroline is a climber. So our skills complemented each other to a degree.

The Goûter route is the most popular route on Mont Blanc, so obtaining space in one of the two huts used for summit attempts on that route can be tricky. The rules and regulations for this route have changed in recent years.

FFFCAM uses an online booking system. [See for example this link] The rules now require pre-booked accommodation to have been secured. Informal camping at the Goûter hut has been prohibited for a while. It is also now prohibited at the Tête Rousse hut without the prior permission of the warden there or using the official camping. Occasionally bookings can be made at the last minute by phoning the huts direct.

Regulations introduced in late 2017 specify the gear/equipment that all climbers are required to have. [See this link].

The huts are booked up very quickly. So I was online on the morning that public bookings were opened and secured the necessary accommodation. I looked again at the site the same afternoon. By then there was no availability around the time that we planned to be there. But we were ready to go.

Caroline and I met in Chamonix, she having had a missed connection at Schiphol. However, she was put on the next flight so just arrived a few hours later. We spent the first few days acclimatising first by taking the Aiguille du Midi telepherique and walking across the Mer de Glace to the Torino Hut for a couple of nights. This hut can also be reached by taking the cable car to Punta Helbronner. Then we walked back across the Mer de Glace for a night at the Cosmiques Hut in the face of deteriorating weather.

On the full day that we had at the Torino, we climbed the easy Aiguille de Toule. This is a PD rock route which is quite loose. But it did give a good view of our objective and took us to over 3600m.

*Summit of* *Aiguille du Toule with Mont Blanc behind*

And the Dent du Geant dominated the view.

With Gran Paradiso to the south.

The next day at the Cosmiques Hut we watched people come down the intimidating face of Mont Blanc du Tacul. The Trois Monts route to Mont Blanc is now back in condition.

*The forbidding face of Mont Blanc du Tacul*

Later in the afternoon the weather did deteriorate and snow began to fall.

The next morning the winds were strong and the Aiguille du Midi telepherique opening was delayed. We were due back in Chamonix that morning so the potential delay was worrying. Fortunately, by the time we were ready to leave the hut the Aiguille du Midi website was indicating that it was opening. So we stepped out into the gloom and wind for the 300m climb up to the Aiguille.

The final section of the climb is up a steep and narrow arête with large drops on both sides. In the wind and with parties also descending this required a lot of concentration. But we made it safely to the top.

We de-cramponed in the snow cave nearby before entering the tunnels leading to the telepherique. We were able to descend to Chamonix speedily in the cable car that swung in the wind. The temperature difference between the mountain and the valley was marked and we had to strip off a few layers before continuing.

I had booked two nights at the higher Goûter Hut for our ascent. This was done so as to give us two separate days to make our summit attempt should the weather not be in our favour on the preferred date. But the first of these nights was a day away.

The Gouter route traditionally taken is first to go to Les Houches a few miles down the valley where another cable car can be caught. This lifts you to Bellevue where the Tramway de Mont Blanc is intercepted. The Tramway then can be taken to its terminus at Nid d’Aigle at 2372m. From there a path leads in two to two and a half hours to the Tête Rousse Hut and the notorious Grand Couloir. Once across the Couloir there is a 600m scramble up the most difficult section, the north west face of the Aiguille du Goûter, to the Goûter Hut at 3817m. This hut is at the permanent snowline.

Above the hut a traverse is made of the Aiguille du Goûter before a long ascent of, and traverse around, the Dome du Goûter at 4304m. The route then drops to the Col du Dome before a steepish climb to the Vallot Shelter, an emergency shelter at 4382m. Above the shelter the slopes rise ever more steeply and then narrow to pass over and along the Bosses ridge and La Tournette before the final rise to the level summit ridge.

The greatest objective danger is at the Grand Couloir. This feature lies just above the Tête Rousse hut and is a notorious objective danger of the route due to the risk of rockfall. People are killed here every year by being hit. I was conscious of the need to cross the Grand Couloir at an early enough time to mitigate the risk. The earliest tram up to Nid d’Aigle only arrives at around 9.30am which means that the Grand Couloir is only reached around midday – late enough in the day that the risk of rockfall is considerably increased.

Therefore we made a last minute decision to see if there was any space available at the Nid d’Aigle hut. There was! This would enable us to reach the Couloir around 6am, early enough I hoped to cross without any problem.

So, having had a quick change of clothes and reprovision in Chamonix, we took the telecabine from Les Houches to Bellevue and hopped on the Tramway de Mont Blanc up to the nest of the eagle.

The Nid d’Aigle hut is a short 300m up from the tramway terminus. There were just us and a family of 4 there that evening.

This hut is normally ignored by those looking to climb Mont Blanc. I guess in the hurry to get up high and with limited time and/or a fixed timetable by a guiding service, it is logical to climb straight up to the Tête Rousse or Goûter huts. This was a more relaxing way to tackle the climb and the hut was a delight with a fresh cooked meal prepared for us that evening and a breakfast left out for us so we could make our early start the next day.

So it was that the next day we reached the Grand Couloir at just after 6am. We had started in the dark with headtorches, but it was getting light after an hour. We traversed the basin near the Baraque Forestiere des Rognes and climbed the easy ridge up to the edge of the Tête Rousse glacier, much diminished over recent years. The Aiguille du Midi soared to our left like a fairy-tale castle.

We could cross this glacier without crampons and without worrying about crevasses. Then we found shelter behind an overhanging rock by the edge of the Couloir and put our climbing helmets on.

We heard no noise from above so made a dash across the 40m or so wide shooting gallery. There was snow and ice on the rough track across that had to be negotiated. That slowed us down a bit. 75% of the way across I heard some rocks coming down. A few whistled through the air behind me. I was then hit by two. Fortunately they were small rocks but one gave me a nasty bang just below my left knee. Safety was reached on the other side. No lasting damage had been done. It is possible that the rocks had been released by climbers coming down the next section, the Arête de Goûter.

The next 2½ hours were spent ascending the Arête with its mixture of steep walking and scrambling at various grades of difficulty. It is normal to scramble on this section with gloves as the rock can be cold and rough. There are parts where wires are bolted into the rock to make things easier. We decided to solo this entire section. Guided parties will be roped.

I ran out of puff a little on the way up and, notwithstanding the prior acclimatisation, felt a little nauseous. So I had to stop and rest on a couple of occasions to let the nausea pass. Caroline in the meantime was bounding up the rock in her element.

The route ends at the old Goûter hut. I thought I had read somewhere that this was going to re-open at some point soon but it was still closed up. The old hut provides a crossing point where people coming down remove crampons, put on helmets and peer down the steep ground ahead. Those coming up may put on crampons, take off helmets and breathe a sigh of relief that the steepest ground is behind them.

*View down to the* Tête Rousse hut and glacier

There is a short ascent with fixed ropes to guide up on to a snow ridge. The snow ridge leads to the Goûter Hut at 3782m or, at a fork, up on to the higher mountain.

We took the fork to the Hut that we reached at around 10.30am. So we would have the rest of the day to rest and re-hydrate and generally fester. Caroline went off for a nap. I read. Dinner was at 6.30pm and breakfast would be at 2am.

We had been keeping an eye on the weather forecasts over the previous days hoping that our special day would be kind to us. The prediction was for high cloud, clear below, precipitation late in the day and light winds gusting to 35kph.

It was a wrench to drag ourselves out of bed at 2am. Indeed I had been in a deep sleep and had to be roused. Food and liquid were forced down, largely in silence. We delayed going down to the kit room to allow the initial surge to ready themselves and depart. Nonetheless we were away shortly after 3am into the inky black.

A sharp 20m climb led back up to the snow ridge. The ridge narrows and rises up to the summit of the Aiguille du Goûter at 3863m before 25m is lost and the ridge merges into the broad slopes of the Dome du Goûter.

Now we could see clusters of head torches above us. As Mont Blanc is such a popular mountain, there is a boot track that can be followed most of the way on this route. The next hour or so was a steady plod up and around the Dome to around 4270m. One part of the forecast was clearly wrong. There was a steady 30+kph wind. Luckily it was mainly behind us and it was not gusty. But it was cold. On the lee side of the Dome we were able to stop briefly for a drink. There is a drop of 60m down to the Col du Dome where there are a couple of marker posts.

There was a bit of light in the sky now, but up above by the Vallot shelter the beams of head lamps were being diffused in the cloud. We made short work of the steep rise up to this shelter and popped in with a view to sheltering from the wind and taking on some food and water. There were a few others in there. It is prohibited sleeping here, but there were a couple of people huddled in sleeping bags. There are some metal platforms to sit on and there are blankets to keep you warm. We stayed here over 20 minutes.

By the time we emerged we could see without head lamps. The cloud was down.

This was the only part of the route where there was no clear boot track. But we navigated up ever steepening ground towards the Grande Bosse. Here the numbers of feet had created an irregular stairway. This bit was quite tough with the steepness and slightly softer snow. Once on the ridge line, the angle eased and the exposure increased. We could see the hundreds of metres falling either side. It was not a place to trip.

There is a short drop off the Grande Bosse before the next rise up the Petite Bosse and a further narrowing. We started passing people coming down. Luckily the ridge was wide enough when this happened to allow all to pass safely. There was no sign of the bergschrund that sometimes affects this route.

The cloud broke and we could see Mont Maudit to our left.

Finally there was another knife-edge ridge to navigate. This section required a bit of nerve but in 15 minutes the ridge started to level out again and widen. We were arriving on the summit. There were a few people there.

We had made it! I did not behave disgracefully as I had done on reaching the summit here. Instead I showed my loyalties to God’s Own Country.

Not only that, but we had summited on our birthdays. Yes it was both my and Caroline’s birthday. A combined age of 120 years. What a way to celebrate.

We had made it in a few minutes over 4 hours and that included our stop at the Vallot shelter. Not bad going I thought. The wind remained quite strong and it was cold. A few people arrived via the Trois Monts route. But there were never more than 8 of us on the summit at any one time.

We were above the cloud (which according to the forecast was not supposed to be there). That limited the views to the neighbouring peaks, particularly the nearby ones. But we could make out Dom and the Matterhorn in the far distance.

We stayed on the summit for around 20 minutes but it was becoming uncomfortable in the wind. So we started our descent. We were almost immediately back in the cloud. A further brief break allowed us to see down onto the Bosses ridge.

And lower down figures emerged through the cloud still on their way up.

Then that was it for any views . We made our way back to the Vallot shelter where we had another stop – this time for half an hour. At this point we decided that we did not need to remain roped up any longer. Whilst there are crevasses on the Dome du Goûter, the boot track avoids them so we thought it safe to do this.

After that It took us less than an hour and a half to make our way back to the Gouter Hut from the shelter. In fact the track went quite close to four crevasses, only one of which I had noted in the dark on our ascent. But these were easily avoided. And as with the day before, we were back at the Goûter Hut at 10.30am.

Clearly we had the time to descend further but we had an other night booked there as an “insurance policy” in case we needed to go for the summit the following day. Caroline went off for another nap. I read (again) and drank. Later we celebrated our birthdays again with some fruit pie (rather than cake) and cream purchased at the hut – we sure know how to live it up – but it was nice.

The cloud remained outside. At dinner we found out that a group that had delayed its departure for the summit in the face of a promised improvement in the weather had in fact had the summit covered in cloud. The one part of the forecast that was right was that it started to rain in the late afternoon. After a couple of hours, the cloud began to break and provided us with a rather nice cloudscape.

The next day broke to cloudless skies. But it was a lot windier.

We were happy with the day we had had.

So we reversed our route of ascent, climbing down the Goûter Arête (in my case slowly, I needed more scrambling practice before going to the Alps), crossing the Couloir (this time without being hit), descending the Tête Rousse glacier and the ridge below and then running down snow patches to the Nid d’Aigle station.

We were back in Chamonix by early afternoon paying homage to Jacques Balmat (one of the first ascensionists) and Horace-Benedict de Saussure (a geologist who offered a reward to the first person to climb Mont Blanc and was himself in the third party to climb the mountain).

Mount Sidley ascents – update

18th January 2019 by James Stone Leave a Comment

This is my annual update of Mount Sidley ascents. ALE trip number 7 succeeded in putting two guides and three clients on the top of the volcano. All three clients completed the Volcanic Seven Summits with this ascent.

A previous blog highlighted two of them.

This year, due to the small size of the team, a Twin Otter was used for transport to the mountain. A second plane followed part of the way so a fuel cache could be left. The Twin Otter with the team was unable this year to land in the crater. Apparently snow conditions in the crater had changed since last year so a base camp was set up on the ice sheet at the foot of the mountain.

In another change from previous trips (at least when base camp had been on the ice sheet), high camp was set up via two carries from base camp and sleds were not used. The first carry was undertaken in what became marginal conditions. The team was then confined to base camp for two days whilst a storm blew through.

Once the storm had gone they were able to make the second carry and the top camp was set up. After an “overnight” stay the group made the ascent. Although the modelled forecasts looked promising, the weather was at first cloudy, then the sun came out and then (as the crater was being reached) it became cloudy again. The wind also picked up and it became very cold.

Though Sidley is not a very technical mountain, it is a very cold one. They were able to spend no more than about 15 minutes on top. They summited at about 1am GMT on 16th January (10pm on 15th January Chilean time).

The team was then able to make quick progress down back to top camp.

Satyarup Siddhanta was kind enough to call me using his satellite phone once they had settled back at top camp. The three clients all seemed very cheerful, if tired. In the meantime, back in India, there was a large group following the climb with a few Facebook Live events occurring.

The descent back down to the Twin Otter went without incident. But the return to Union Glacier had a twist to it. When they reached the fuel cache the weather there and at Union Glacier prevented further progress. So they were pinned down for 24 hours at that point. They had to set up camp and Satyarup’s description of the toilet arrangements probably do not bear repeating on a public forum! That’s Antarctica for you.

As I write this, the team are now back safely at Union Glacier with a flight back to Punta Arenas scheduled for later today. Even after this trip fewer than 50 people have ever climbed Mount Sidley.

Congratulations to Satyarup Siddhanta, Sanya Tóth and Vladislav Lachkarev.

The trip has received a lot of interest in the Indian press. Acouple of papers even contacted me for comment:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/kolkata-man-worlds-youngest-to-scale-seven-peaks-seven-volcanic-summits/articleshow/67561993.cms

http://cityliveindia.com/city/Kolkata/Article?CL=Proud-moment-for-all-of-us,-Kolkata-boy-become-the-youngest-climber-in-the-world-953743

I have produced an up to date list below. This should be read together with the commentary in my previous blog here.

MOUNT SIDLEY SUMMIT LIST

(as at 18^th January 2019)

	Date	Name	Group	Nationality
1.	11/01/1990	Bill Atkinson	Panter Group	New Zealand
2.	12/01/1990	Bill McIntosh	Panter Group	USA
3.	12/01/1990	Kurt Panter	Panter Group	USA
	21/01/1994	Bill McIntosh (second ascent)	Dunbar/ McIntosh	USA
4.	21/01/1994	Nelia Dunbar	Dunbar/ McIntosh	USA
5.	21/01/1994	Thom Wilch	Dunbar/ McIntosh	USA
6.	21/01/1994	Tony Teeling	Dunbar/ McIntosh	NZ
7.	23/01/2011	Scott Woolums	ALE #1	USA
8.	23/01/2011	Aleks Abramov	ALE #1	Russia
9.	23/01/2011	Crina “Coco” Popescu	ALE #1	Romania
10.	23/01/2011	Mario Trimeri	ALE #1	Italy
11.	01/01/2012	Mike Roberts	Roberts Group	New Zealand
12.	01/01/2012	Jennifer Erxleben	Roberts Group	USA
13.	01/01/2012	John Paul O’Donnell	Roberts Group	Ireland
14.	01/01/2012	Andrew Lloyd	Roberts Group	USA
15.	18/01/2013	David Hamilton	ALE #2	UK (Scotland)
16.	18/01/2013	Olga Rumyantseva	ALE #2	Russia
17.	18/01/2013	Vyacheslav Adrov	ALE #2	Russia
18.	18/01/2013	Vitaly Simonovich	ALE #2	Russia
19.	18/01/2013	Paul Nicholson	ALE #2	Canada
20.	28/12/2013	Dylan Taylor	ALE #3	USA
21.	28/12/2013	Andre Filkov	ALE #3	Russia
22.	28/12/2013	Ilya Bykov	ALE #3	Russia
23.	28/12/2013	Sophie Cairns	ALE #3	UK (England)/ Hong Kong
24.	28/12/2013	Liana Chabdarova	ALE #3	Russia
25.	17/01/2014	Rob Smith	ALE #4	UK (Northern Ireland)
26.	17/01/2014	Jean Frederik Paulsen	ALE #4	Sweden
27.	17/01/2014	Francois Michel Bernard	ALE #4	France
28.	17/01/2014	Christian de Marliave	ALE #4	France
29.	17/01/2014	John Dodelande	ALE #4	France
30.	17/01/2014	Joachim Marte	ALE #4	Austria
31.	17/01/2014	Philipp Lehner	ALE #4	Austria
32.	17/01/2014	Alexander Svaetichin	ALE #4	Sweden
	17/01/2014	Scott Woolums (second ascent)	ALE #4	USA
33.	14/01/2017	Tre-C Dumais	ALE #5	USA
34.	14/01/2017	Christoph Hoebenreich	ALE #5	Austria
35.	14/01/2017	James Stone	ALE #5	UK (England)
36.	14/01/2017	Dan Bull	ALE #5	Australia
37.	14/01/2017	Jarryd Commerford	ALE #5	USA/UK (England)
38.	14/01/2017	Robbi Malandreniotis	ALE #5	UK (England)/Greece
39.	14/01/2017	Michael Guggolz	ALE #5	Germany
40.	14/01/2018	Nate Opp	ALE #6	USA
41.	14/01/2018	Theodore Fairhurst	ALE #6	Canada
42.	14/01/2018	Katie Sarah	ALE #6	Australia
43.	14/01/2018	Cheryl Bart	ALE #6	Australia
44.	14/01/2018	Nikki Bart	ALE #6	Australia
45.	15/01/2019	Maria Paz (Pachi) Ibarra	ALE #7	Chile
46.	15/01/2019	Fred Alldredge	ALE #7	USA
47.	15/01/2019	Satyarup Siddhanta	ALE #7	India
48.	15/01/2019	Sándor (Sanya) Tóth	ALE #7	Hungary
49.	15/01/2019	Vladislav Lachkarev	ALE #7	Russia