Two Great Alpine Faces

Sharon Wood leads easier snow and ice above the very difficult serac barrier we had just overcome at 21,000 feet on the South Face of Aconcagua, Central Andes, Argentina, in November, 1984.  Above her about 3000 vertical feet of classic alpine terrain separates us from the summit.

My 4 Russian friends and I spent 3 weeks hauling gear to the base of the North Face of Changabang, Garhwal Himalaya, India, in April, 1998.  Once we had all the gear at the base of the mountain, we began the ascent of the 5200 foot vertical rock face above us in capsule style.  We didn't descend from the wall until we were done, 16 days later.  We named the climb "The Lightning Route".