Canadians Climb Major New Alpine Route Abroad
Alik Berg and Quentin Roberts have climbed an independent line to the summit of Nevado Jirishanca
Canmore-based Alik Berg and Quentin Roberts have established a new 1,100-metre route on Nevado Jirishanca, a 6,094-metre peak in the Cordillera Huayhuash, which they’re grading M7 5.8 90°.
“We’re calling the route Reino Hongo,” said Roberts, “like mushroom kingdom in Mario.” The climb includes complicated mixed terrain, big snow features and a vertical headwall at over 6,000 metres. Berg and Roberts ran into Josh Wharton and Vince Anderson on the summit, who had just completed the first ascent of a climb they’re grading 5.13a M7 WI6.
“Really cool to be able to do a completely independent line on Jirishanca,” said Roberts. “All the other routes join the Egger Ridge, and most of them don’t actually even go to the top of the mountain once joining the ridge.”
This isn’t Roberts and Berg’s first major new route in Peru, in 2017 they opened The Devil’s Reach Around on Chacraraju Este at M6 5.10 90°.
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