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Ales Cesen and Luka Lindic Make Fourth Ascent of Gasherbrum IV Route

Ales Cesen and Luka Lindic made the fourth ascent of the Northwest Ridge to the North Summit of Gasherbrum IV on July 26 after their July 23 and 28 ascent. The North Summit is only about 20 metres lower than the 7,932-metre Main Summit. AltitudePakistan.com reported that they acclimatized on Broad Peak, spending one night at 5,700 metres and one at 7,000 metres before summiting on July 12 as the first climbers up the peak this season. They then waited for good weather window to make a summit bid on Gasherbrum IV.

Gasherbrum iV and the team.
Gasherbrum IV and the team.

At first, 28-year-old Lindic and 34-year-old Cesen wanted to attempt the Shining Wall, but due to poor weather, they went for the Northwest Ridge. The two young alpinists made the fourth ascent of the long route that was first climbed by Greg Child, Tom Hargis and Tim Macartney in 1986. Korean Kang Yeon-ryong and Yun Chi-won repeated it in 1999. In 2008, Alberto Inurrategi, Ferran Latorre, Jose Carlos Tamayo, Juan Vallejo and Mikel Zabalza made third ascent. The first ascent of Gasherbrum IV was in 1958 by Italians Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri and the Shinin Wall was climbed in 1985 by Polish climber Wojciech Kurtyka and Austrian Robert Schauer. Twelve years later, Koreans Bang Jung-ho, Kim Tong-kwan and Yoo Huk-jae climbed the Central Spur and were first to reach the Main Summit from the West Face.

Lindic visited Canada this past winter and climbed a number of new routes with Canada’s Marc-Andre Leclerc in the Canadian Rockies. Lindic said he plans to return to the Rockies this winter for more ice and alpine climbing.

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