Massive New Route on Trango II; 90-Minute Ascent of ‘Thor’s Hammer’; Ontario’s Climbing Is at Risk

This article originally appeared on Climbing

In an attempt to make space for the newsworthy ascents that occur with ever-increasing regularity, our weekly news roundup tries to celebrate a few outstanding climbs (or interesting events) that for one reason or another caught our attention. We hope you enjoy it. --The editors

Rachel Pearce redpoints two E8s in a week, her firsts of the grade

U.K. climber Rachel Pearce has been on a spooky-trad tear recently, having sent two bold E8 6c trad routes (runout 5.13, roughly) in just eight days. Her first tick came after six sessions on the classic Nightmayer in Llanberis Pass, a long and sustained pitch with a thin boulder crux at mid height that was made even more famous by Nico Favresse's epic whip video. About the crux, Pearce told UKClimbing: "You can’t just try hard and pull harder, the holds are poor and balancy with small feet. Body position is critical."

The route stays technical and serious to the very end (a hand-placed sky hook eases the danger, slightly) and, after her ascent, Pearce said she was relieved to not have to lead it again. "Whilst I loved working it and climbing it, it took a lot of mental energy," she said. "The lower half is bold and really serious, it would have been hard to recharge for another go the next day."

With no looming lead attempts in her near future, Pearce headed to Clogwyn y Tarw, Wales, to suss out Rare Lichen (E9 6c) before settling on an E8 finish, Day of the Triffids, since it was "quite a lot easier and a lot safer!" she told UKClimbing. "It was quite different from Nightmayer," she continued. "This was more of a boulder problem in the sky that felt a little insecure in the feet, above a load of RPs that I didn’t have complete faith in, so it felt more of a dangerous proposition than Nightmayer." Danger or no, Pearce made quick work of her second E8, sending that evening in the waning day's light. --Anthony Walsh

7,200-foot Alpine Route Established on Trango II, Pakistan

The Basque brothers Eneko and Iker Pou and British alpinist Fay Manners have established a long mixed route on Trango II (20,758ft) in the Gilgit Baltistan region of the Karakorum, Pakistan. Waa Shakil (5.10 M5 70o; 7,200ft) was climbed over three days in stormy, wintery conditions. About their descent, the brothers told UKClimbing, “We had a very bad time. The avalanches descended uncontrollably around us ... and we couldn’t do anything: Just cross our fingers so that the next one wouldn’t come down on us."

Their ascent was the highlight of a trip defined by storms and short weather windows. The team, alongside Andres Marin, had originally planned to climb the Great Trango Tower, but because of the weather pivoted to the nearby array of short, steep spires. As a party of four, and in pairs of two, they established, among other things, Always Elurra (5.12a; 850ft), Dommage pas de Fromage (5.11a; 820ft), The Pretty, The Bad and The Ugly (5.11d; 755ft), and The Prime Minister (5.11a; 670ft). --AW

Dani Arnold rages through a 5,000-foot 5.10 link-up in record time

Dani Arnold has set a new speed record on Salbitschijen's (9,793ft) three classic ridges (South, East, and West), in Switzerland, enchaining them in just 9 hours and 36 minutes. Arnold used a mix of roped and free solo tactics while linking up the routes, which turned out to be as much of an exercise in rope management and alpine trickery as it was in granite jamming. "The routes do not lead directly upward but include several traverses and short descents," he shared in a press release, which necessitated plenty of rappels and rope-snagging opportunities. The Salbitschijen's summit ridge was still heavily snow covered and Arnold swapped from rock shoes to mountain boots (and back again) six times to manage the terrain.

In 2021, in an article titled "Speed Soloing Is Climbing's Deadliest Game--It Has One Living Player," Climbing profiled Arnold and his pursuit of alpine speed ascents. Through the lens of his recent ascent, it is a story worth revisiting.

Support Ontario's climbing

With climbing access at risk in Ontario's public lands, the Ontario Alliance of Climbers is asking the climbing community to tell the province’s politicians to formally allow rock climbing in provincial parks. I just used their form letter and it took literally two minutes. It doesn't matter whether or not you're an Ontarian. Support them here. --Steven Potter

Leo Boe Takes Down Flatanger's Thor's Hammer

I was disappointed to see this famous line downgraded over the years. After watching vids of Daniel Woods, Dave Graham, and Magnus Midtbo give it hell, the route had built up some sort of mystique in my mind. Even just the name, Thor's Hammer, borrowed from Norse mythology, is formidable. When Adam Ondra, the first ascensionist, revised his grade choice from 5.15a in 2021 to 5.14d, that seemed to solidify things. Regardless, the route still holds a special spot in my mind with all things hard and inspiring.

"Thor's Hammer was definitely the prize," said Daniel Woods back in 2015. "That line climbs the steepest part of the cave." It traces, by Woods's estimates, a 14-move V12, followed by a good kneebar rest, a short V9, another rest, and then a final V11 to the halfway mark. From there, the route is a pump-fest to the chains. Woods was on the 60-meter line for close to 45 minutes. Alex Megos, who made the route's second ascent, took 38 minutes to reach the chains. "Felt like a 10k run!" he wrote on Instagram.

For 23-year-old Leo Boe, Thor's Hammer proved to be his hardest battle yet. The Norwegian climber has now sent seven 5.14d's, and he managed Thor after working it for seven days straight.

On Instagram, he wrote: "I tried the route some seasons back and never got past the bouldery start. On my final try today, however, I did the boulder and never fell afterwards..." Having only rehearsed the upper part once during his trip, Boe noted he struggled to execute the correct beta. "I was fighting into the jug before the sloper rail and needed 35 minutes to recover... Never have I suffered this much for a send."

In total, Boe was on the wall for an hour and a half. --Delaney Miller

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