The Museum of the White Mountains had its Grand Opening this past weekend in Plymouth. Correspondent Sean Hurley spoke with Director Catherine Amidon and sends us this story.
Conditions in New Hampshire’s White Mountains are notoriously for being more harsh than ranges of similar altitude. Those conditions make the Whites a perfect training ground for world class mountaineers. NHPR’s Sam Evans-Brown spent the day with Fred Wilkinson as he climbed Cathedral ledge.
At just over 7,500 meters high, Saser Kangri II was the 49th highest mountain in the world. It's located in the eastern Karakoram range, in India, very close to the borders with China and Pakistan.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
The expedition began in the city of Leh, in the Buddhist state of Ladakh.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
The climbers traveled by jeep to the Nubra Valley and made an arduous 3 day trek up a mountain canyon to reach basecamp.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
The expedition was composed of two teams: Wilkinson, Mark Richey and Swenson intended to try Saser Kangri II, while a women's team of Janet B. Wilkinson, Kirsten Kramer, and Emily Drinkwater would attempt some rock spires in the area.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
The climbers spent a month acclimatizing, familiarizing themselves with conditions, and warming-up by making the first ascents of four smaller peaks. The climbing required a diverse set of skills, including both ice climbing and rock climbing.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
In late August, Wilkinson, Richey, and Swenson started up Saser Kangri II.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
They climbed in "alpine-style", meaning they carried everything they needed on their backs and moved continually up the mountain, stopping each night for a short bivouac. They had no fixed lines, bottled oxygen, or climbing sherpas with them.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
Climbing at this altitude, over 24,000 feet, is a grueling endurance challenge.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
Because the terrain was so steep, the climbers struggled to find places to pitch their tent and bivy.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
On the fourth day of climbing, they reached the summit ridge.
Credit Frederick Wilkinson / Courtesy Photo
Mark Richey, Steve Swenson, and Freddie Wilkinson Summited Saser Kangri II on August 24, 2011. Their ascent, one of the highest first ascents of a mountain ever accomplished in alpine-style, received the prestigious Piolet d'Or (Golden Ice-axe).
Conditions in New Hampshire’s White Mountains are notoriously harsher than their altitude suggests. But for World Class mountaineers this makes the Whites a perfect training ground.
It’s a windy, but warm winter day. Fred Wilkinson hopes the thaw will make for what he calls sticky ice over at Cathedral ledge, meaning easily pierced by the pointy end of an ice-axe.
