UKH

Cartwright and Cross for knocking off one of the more obvious LGPs in the Khumbu - the NW ridge on Ama Dablam and Fowler and Ramsden for their rather steep and uncomfortable line up some unpronounceable thing in China - Siguniang...that's it.

So who's gonna win? 7.5km of total 'out there' climbing, all above 7,500m, on his fourth attempt, a new line on one of the most notorious 8000ers. It's got to be Annapurna hasn't it? I think my money is on French Super-star Jean Paul Lafaille and his Basque mate, Alberto Innurategi.

Not that it matters a jot of course

In reply to Tom, UKC News Editor:
For more info (desolé, mais en Français seulement) see
http://www.ice-fall.com/Pioletdor.htm

(scroll down for list of nominees & achievements)

In reply to Doug:
My guess it'll go to Lafaielle but its good to see UK nominations after Ian Parnell getting nominated last year aswell (I think). Who is Paul Ramsden, never heard of him before? Has he been plucked from obscurity or is he one of these impressive people with a long history of hard stuff but never mentioned in the mags?

In reply to Doug:
Merci Doug.

In reply to Tyler: Nothing personal to Tyler but...

From my profile:

Favourite Climbing-Related Discussion Topic-
Why British Alpinist don't get the recognition they deserve in this country.

I rest my case.

In reply to TobyA:
So do you know (of) him then?

Thing is, from the early 80's until very recently, with a few notable exceptions (Fowler, Saunders, Pritchard) British alpinists haven't done much of note have they?

In reply to Doug:
English translation available here
http://www.planetmountain.com/English/action.lasso?-database=newseng&-l...

Tyler wrote "Thing is, from the early 80's until very recently, with a few notable exceptions (Fowler, Saunders, Pritchard) British alpinists haven't done much of note have they?"

Is this a joke Tyler, or a serious question? Surely every climber has heard of Stephen Venables, Alison Hargreaves or Andy Cave?? If thats not enough do some research on Andy Parkin, Jerry Gore, Twid Turner, Dai Lampard, Paul Moores, Pat Littlejohn, John Barry, Martin Moran, Rob Collister, Andy Fanshawe, Steve Bell, Simon Yates, Alan Hinkes, Brian Hall, Mark Lowe, Keith Milne, Dave Wills, Brendon Murphy, Roger Mear, Dave Walsh, Dick Renshaw... that'll do for starters.

Note that Doug Scott climbed the amazing east ridge of Shivling in 1986. So the question is more has there ever been a period when British Alpinists haven't "done much of note"

In reply to Ian Parnell:
I think it is the dumbing down of one of the mags, you know which one and the people who say there is not much being done must read that.
Not heard much of Dick Renshaw lately, remember all the hard routes he did with Tasker with relatively primitive gear in the alps. What is he doing at the moment? Another for the climbing heroes.

Lots of people are out doing things in poor conditions at a high but not cutting edge and because the mags do not report them they are ignored. When talking to people at the COLAS exhibition and around you find they have been quietly plodding away on lesser things and suddenly they do something noteworthy and become well known.
Not by boulderers though

In reply to Ian Parnell:
Neither really, it was more of a (badly worded) enquiry, I was hoping someone would enlighten me. I'm familiar with most of the names on the list and a bit of what they have done but I'm still in the dark as to what new imporved style cutting edge routes UK climbers were responsible for during the 80's and 90's, they certainly don't seem as prolific as McIntyre, Colton, Boysen etc in the 70's or the Eastern europeans subsequently. This is not getting at anyone as all the climbers mentioned are obviously very good but I'm not sure how many on the list would figure as being at the cutting edge in world terms. Obviously the Kashung face stands out as do many of the things Fowler did with variously SaundersLittlejohn but a number on your list seem best known for repeating voie normals on 8000 meter peaks.

Like I said I'm not getting at anyone one just keen to put the British contribution to alpinism into some context, the climbing media seems quite bad at this because you either get flag waving jingoism or total silence.

PS. I'd add Andy Perkins to your list but remove Dave Wills as I think he's from NZ

In reply to Tyler: If you don't read Climber, find a friend who does and have a flick back through the last year or two of Ian's "Beyond the Alps" articles and in particular the "Dark Horses" sidebars - it will give you all the info on these mysterious characters!

I don't know any of them personally except Al Powell who was still (and probably still is) a sort of honoury member of Leeds U.M.C. of which I was a member for a year when I was doing my MA.

The group, a number of whom to be vaguely related to Leeds Uni, has done loads of stuff over the last decade, getting ever bigger including names like Cartwright, Cross, Powell, Cool, Bullock, Ramsden, Kirkpatrick, Dickinson, Bracey and our own Rocktalk roving special correspondant, Parnell. Lots of others I'm sure I've missed.

Also keep an eye out for the Scottish contingent (mainly Edinburgh Uni originally I think) like the Bensons, Robertson and now Tressider and his other mad Scottish winter hard climbing mate who's name escapes me...

In reply to Tyler: Youre right about the Andy Perkins swop for kiwi Dave. Also I agree with you that we shouldn't get carried away with British Mountaineering achievements as Slovenian, Czech, Polish, French, etc are often as impressive. However I think we do stand up favourably in recent years. As an exercise I took the death of MacIntyre in 1982 as the artificial end of the "golden age" of British Mountaineering that you referred to, and then looked at significant ascents over the last 20 years. Picking just one from each year in many years was often very difficult from many possibilities. Any way I hope the list illustrates the scale of British Achievements through these "Barren decades".

1982: SW Buttress Bhagirathi III, 1400m hard classic – Bob Barton and Allen Fyffe,
1983: Lobsang Spire, cutting edge “big wall” new route – Doug Scott and Pete Thexton, on same trip Broad Peak alpine style – Roger Baxter Jones, Andy Parkin, Al Rouse
1984: Ganesh II SW face, f.a. alpine style 8 days Nick Kekus and Rick Allen
1985: ? Can't think at mo'
1986: Kantega, new route, Alison Hargreaves with US superstars.
1987: Golden Pillar of Spantik, made Fowlers reputation, Mick Fowler, Vic Saunders
1988: Everest, new route Kangshung Face, amongst the finest ascents on a mountain of many amazing ascents, Stephen Venables to summit
1989: Raven Peak, all free E4 super rock route, Pat Littlejohn and Mick Hardwick
1990: Rocky Aksu, new route on testpiece peak of USSR mountaineering, Fowler and Steve Sustad
1991: Alps, mega season with almost free ascents (all 1000m+ E6s) of Divine Providence, American Directissima on Dru and The Fisch, Andy Cave Paul Jenkinson
1992: Central Tower Paine, new route bold clean aid, Paul Pritchard and Sean Smith
1993 Walker Spur, all free winter solo in 8hrs, Stevie Haston
1994: Cerro Torre, new route wins Piolet D’Or, Andy Parkin with Francois Marsigny
1995: Everest “solo”, K2, Alison Hargreaves
1996: Nalumarsortoq new route 800m Fr7a, Twid Turner, Louise Thomas
1997: Changabang F.a N Face, amongst finest alpine style routes ever, Andy Cave and Brendon Murphy
1998: Amin Brakk F.a N face 5.11 A3+ Twid, Steve Mayers, Elfyn Jones, Dai Lampard
1999: Poincenot, Guillamet 1st winter ascents, Andy Kirkpatrick, Paul Ramsden, Nick Lewis, Jim Hall
2000: Mt Tiedermann, f.a. of massive S Pillar, Dore Green and Simon Richardson
2001: Ama Dablam f.a. NW ridge, 12 days alpine style last 2 no food, Jules Cartwright, Rich Cross
2002: Utta, 2 new routes N face (Scottish VII) Al Powell and Owen Samuels, NW Face astonishing solo Nick Bullock