Athol Whimp
Athol Whimp (1961–2012) was a New Zealand
Piolet d'Or award for mountaineering.[1]
Following a successful military career in the New Zealand Special Air Service and a stint as an advisor with a desert reconnaissance unit in Oman,[1] Whimp began climbing extensively in New Zealand, Australia and the Himalaya.[2] During this period, he and Australian climber Andrew Lindblade made a number of difficult ascents culminating in their 1998 alpine-style ascent of the North Face of Thalay Sagar.[1][3] In addition to his hard alpine ascents, Whimp was also an accomplished rock climber, having climbed up to grade 5.13c in the
Yosemite decimal system.[4]
On 23 February 2012, Whimp died after slipping into an 800-meter fall[1] while traversing non-technical terrain in the Darran Mountains.[1]
Notable ascents
- 1994 – Compressor Route, Cerro Torre, Patagonia (with Andrew Lindblade)
- 1994 – Pedrini-Locher Route, Monte Fitz Roy, Patagonia (with Andrew Lindblade)
- 1994 – Ragni Route, Cerro Torre, Patagonia (first solo ascent)
- 1998 – North Face of Piolet d'Or
- 1999 – South Face of Aoraki / Mount Cook (3754m), New Zealand (solo ascent)
- 2000 – North Face of Jannu(7710m), Nepal (with Andrew Lindblade)
- 2000 – Wall of Shadows (Japanese Route), Jannu, Nepal (7710m) (second ascent with Andrew Lindblade)
- 2003 – Kurtyka-Schauer Route, Gasherbrum IV (7925m), Pakistan. Attempt with Andrew Lindblade. The pair retreated in bad weather at 6800m.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Athol Whimp (1961 – 2012)", The Climber, #79, p. 18
- ^ "Aoraki Mount Cook | NZ Alpine Club". Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ "The 17th edition of the Piolets d'Or". 15 June 2012.
- ^ "TNB: A Year Ago: Athol". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
External links
- https://web.archive.org/web/20131029183705/http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/a-year-ago-athol
- http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web12w/newswire-obit-whimp
- Famous New Zealand climber dies in fall thebmc.co.uk
- Man and Mountain: Athol Whimp, 1961-2012