Alpinist Nº78

First attempted in 1981, the immense Southeast Ridge of Annapurna III had alternately lured and terrified some of the world’s best climb- ers. Twenty-two years later, American alpinist Conrad Anker—who made a storm-ridden attempt with Alex Lowe in 1996—declared in the “Unclimbed” feature of Alpinist 4: “My hope for this amazing route is that it will be climbed by fair means.” Among those who took up the challenge, Ukrainians Mikhail Fomin, Nikita Balabanov and Viacheslav Polezhaiko astounded the climbing world when they completed the long-sought route in November 2021. But they had little time to cel- ebrate their success: in February 2022, Russian forces invaded their country, launching a devastating war.
The Mountain Lover
In 1975 British alpinist Chris Bonington led an expedition that made the first ascent of the Southwest Face of Everest (Chomolungma). Among the summiters was Nepali sirdar Pertemba Sherpa, who took part in many other significant climbs, yet never became as famous as his British coun- terparts. Herein, Kapil Bisht presents a few stories of a man who believes that mountaineers must learn, above all, to love the mountains deeply.
The Girl Who Always Wants to Climb Higher
Growing up in Afghanistan, Shogufa Bayat faced many risks on her journey to become a climber. After the Taliban retook her country, she had to seek her own “freedom and peace” amid the peaks of a new home.