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From left: Savannah Cummins, Anna Pfaff and Lindsay Fixmer. [Photo] Lindsay Fixmer

Women’s expedition explores new routes in India’s Zanskar Range

Anna Pfaff reports on her expedition to northern India’s Zanskar Range with Savannah Cummins and Lindsay Fixmer at the end of August. The team only saw five days with feasible climbing conditions and 19 days of rain, snow, hail and wind, but they still managed to complete one first ascent and reached high ground on two other routes that they attempted on different peaks.

Fred Beckey at a previous American Alpine Club event. Beckey passed away October 30 at age 94. [Photo] Jim Aikman

Registration open for American Alpine Club’s Annual Benefit Dinner

Tickets are now available for the American Alpine Club’s annual benefit dinner weekend on February 23-24 in Boston, Massachusetts. This year’s event will honor the 40th anniversary of the first American ascent of K2. Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner–an Austrian who became the first woman to summit all 14 8000-meter peaks without bottled oxygen or high-altitude porters when she summited K2 in 2011–is the keynote speaker.

The north face of Mt. Hooker in Wyoming's Wind River Range. [Photo] Austin Siadak

Jesse Huey and Maury Birdwell free ‘Original Sin’ (V 5.12+, 1,800′) on Wyoming’s Mt. Hooker

On August 10-21, Jesse Huey and Maury Birdwell free climbed Original Sin (V 5.12+, 1,800′) on the north face of Mt. Hooker in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. Their line mostly follows the 1964 Royal Robbins route, which was the country’s first Grade VI climb outside of Yosemite. Huey and Birdwell climbed the crux pitch with pre-placed beaks to avoid adding bolts to the original route. “Freeing an old Robbins route from 1964 ground-up is certainly a lifetime achievement for both Jesse and I,” Birdwell said.

Peter Pass the Pitons Pete Zabrok took this photo of his partner Ryan Sheridan on top of Yosemite's El Capitan when the September 28 rockfall broke loose and sent debris flying all the way into the Merced River, which can be seen below. A man was injured when a rock crashed through the roof of his SUV. Zabrok, Sheridan and Patrick Mcredmond were climbing in the area of the wall where the rockfalls originated, and were just a few hundred feet above the first rockfall when it happened. [Photo] Peter Zabrok

Second, larger rockfall on El Capitan injures another person after first event resulted in one death and one injury

On September 27, one person was killed and one injured after major rockfall occurred on the eastern flank of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Yesterday afternoon, even more massive rockfall rained down from Yosemite’s El Capitan, injuring another person. The events happened on and around the Waterfall Route, which is between the popular routes Zodiac and the East Buttress. Three climbers, including Peter “Pass the Pitons Pete” Zabrok, had been climbing the Waterfall Route and were above the rockfalls when they happened.

A huge plume of granite dust billows at the base of Yosemite's El Capitan where a massive series of rockfalls occurred the afternoon of September 27. A fresh, white rock scar where the event originated can be seen to the right of the black streaks. One person was killed and another injured. [Photo] Tom Evans

One killed and one injured after a series of rockfalls on El Capitan’s Waterfall Route

One person was killed and one injured after a massive rockfall occurred on the eastern flank of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park yesterday afternoon. The event happened on or near the Waterfall Route, which is between the popular routes Zodiac and the East Buttress. Three climbers, including Peter “Pass the Pitons Pete” Zabrok, had been climbing the Waterfall Route and were just above the rockfall when it happened. Photographer Tom Evans witnessed the event from the ground.

On the North Pillar of Devils Thumb (Taalkhunaxhkʼu Shaa). [Photo] Cole Taylor

Cole Taylor solos the second ascent of the North Pillar on Devils Thumb

This summer Cole Taylor made the second ascent of the North Pillar on Devils Thumb (Taalkhunaxhk’u Shaa) 40 years after its first ascent, entirely solo and self-supported after sailing from Washington to the toe of the Baird Glacier in Thomas Bay, Alaska. He completed his expedition in nine days and did not get a rest day until he returned to his boat, just as the fortuitous window of good weather broke.