Throughout 2011, the climbing community continued to push boundaries with bold and remarkable feats—many of which would have seemed unattainable just two years prior. The 5.14c grade was onsighted not once, but many times. The number of women completing 5.14d routes more than tripled. This wave of achievement swept through climbers, with so many milestones reached that even numbers began to lose their meaning. In any case, 2011 will go down as a landmark year in climbing history. But before diving into these accomplishments, we must first ask: what exactly is climbing as a sport? Climbing can be expressed in countless ways, and its arena is theoretically as vast as the Earth itself. One can’t help but wonder: how far can climbing go? Perhaps 5.16, V17, or even a free solo of El Capitan are just around the corner. From the achievements of this year, we’ve selected ten of the most groundbreaking and iconic climbs of 2011.
1. Conrad Anker, Renan Ozturk, Jimmy Chin – First Ascent of Meru Shark’s Fin
Alexander Odintsov – First Ascent of the West Face of Latok III
The west face of Latok III was a place where death lingered close for Alexander Odintsov. A 2000 attempt nearly cost three of his companions their lives, and in 2001, his teammate Igor Barikhin was killed by a falling rock that severed his rope. But Odintsov’s determination ultimately prevailed, and he successfully completed what can only be described as a monumental alpine mixed climb.
In the summer of 2011, Odintsov led a Russian expedition to the summit of Latok III via its west face. The team included Alexey Lochinskiy, Ivan Dozhdev, and Eugeniy Dmitrienko. They spent two weeks on the wall using a portaledge system, including eight nights in hanging tents. Previous attempts on the west face of Latok III had never reached beyond 6,300 meters. Greg Collins and Phil Powers made the first try in 1992,
followed six years later by Kitty Calhoun, Steve Quinlan, Ken Sauls, and Jay Smith. Though not a flawless alpine-style ascent, it was one of the most jaw-dropping high-altitude climbs ever.
Honorable Mention: Jason Kruk, Hayden Kennedy – North Twin North Face, Canadian Rockies
Honorable Mention: Jason Kruk, Hayden Kennedy – North Twin North Face, Canadian Rockies
In June 2011, young climbers Jason Kruk (26) and Hayden Kennedy (21) established a new route on the terrifying North
Twin north face. In the previous 37 years, there had been only three recorded ascents of the 1,300-meter North Twin north face: by George Lowe and Chris Jones in 1974, Barry Blanchard and Dave Cheesmond in 1985, and Steve House and Marko Prezelj in 2004.
Kruk and Kennedy carried the lightest possible gear as they approached the route, choosing the line that appeared in the best condition. On the first day, they climbed more than halfway up the north face. According to Kennedy, one of the pitches Kruk led was the most technically difficult and deadly risky he’d ever seen. After bivouacking for the night, they continued up large, steep limestone sections. The upper part of the north face turned into “real” mixed climbing, with rapidly deteriorating weather, near-zero visibility, and conditions so bad they couldn’t see even a few inches ahead. Trapped high on the face with insufficient gear to set up protection for a retreat, they descended to a snow-covered ledge, traversed to the ridge, and bivouacked again before making a safe descent. Sometimes failure is as meaningful as success. Kennedy called the experience a “purification of the soul.”