New Antarctic climbs by strong American expedition

After yesterday’s success of the Antarctica expedition led by Britain’s Leo Houlding, news just in from his American cousins Alex Honnold and Cedar Wright who, on the same continent but in the FenrisKjefeten, massif (also referred to as Wolf’s Jaw) have managed to establish some new rock climbs.

The two are currently exploring the mountains littered around the famous Ulvetanna cathedral in the Queen Maud Land with an authentic “dream team” of American alpinists that includes Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, Savannah Cummins, Anna Pfaff and their cameraman Pablo Durana. On arrival on 1 December, the climbers immediately began observing the six main peaks surrounding their base camp, namely Holtanna, Hollstind, Kinntanna, Stetind, Hel and, obviously, Ulvetanna.

The expedition began in earnest when it ascended an unclimbed spire now called The Penguin, after which Honnold, Wright, Cumins and Pfaff climbed Holtanna (2650 m) by repeating Skywalk, the route first ascended in 2009 by Alexander Huber, Thomas Huber, Stephan Siegrist and Max Riechl. Anker and Chin began establishing a new route on Ulvetanna while Honnold and Wright braved the cold to establish three new routes including a 400 m line up Mount Fenris.

For 58-year-old Anker the expedition heralds a long-awaited returned to the Antarctic; in 1996-97 he was part of an exploratory expedition to Queen Maud Land together with Alex Lowe, Jon Krakauer, Gordon Wiltsie, Mike Graber and Rick Ridgeway.