The Mountaineers
Eighteen years after his first attempt to reach the summit of Link Sar, Steve Swenson, legendary alpinist, Mountaineers Board Director, and Mountaineers Books author, finally stood atop the notoriously technical peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram. He was joined by alpinists Mark Richey, 61; expedition leader Graham Zimmerman, 33; and Chris Wright, 36. The first ascent was groundbreaking, and we invite you to join us on April 8, 2020, to hear Steve talk about this incredible journey.
“Link Sar is a stunning, oft-tried, yet unclimbed granite monster in a seldom-visited valley in the heart of the Karakoram . . . it is undoubtedly one of the most compelling undone peaks of the greater ranges." – Chris Wright, in a funding application for the expedition
In an endeavor that was uncertain right up to the last moment, the team summitted the 7,041 m peak via its Southeast Face (M6+ WI4 90°, 2300m), topping out at sunset on August 5. In total, the route took six days of hard climbing, during which they ascended over thirty technical pitches and covered roughly 8,000 vertical feet from their advanced base camp.
For Swenson, a 65-years-young alpinist and renowned Karakorum veteran, this expedition would be his third and final attempt of Link Sar. The summit demanded every ounce of the team’s physical and mental strength, and their 133 years of collective climbing experience. Only together could they weather the storms, hazards, technical pitches, and difficult decision-making that ultimately led them to summit of one of the highest unclimbed peaks left in the world.
Join us on October 13, 2020, as Steve retells the story of “one of the most complex and difficult routes I have ever climbed.” This will be Steve’s first public presentation about the team’s history-making expedition, and you won’t want to miss it.
SPECIAL UPDATE: Expedition Leader and Outdoor Research athlete Graham Zimmerman will join the event and facilitate a Q&A from the audience. Ticket holders can hear Graham pose their questions directly to Steve - and he'll take a stab at answering them, too!
Proceeds from ticket sales and additional donations will directly benefit Mountaineers Books, a nonprofit publisher, in honor of our 60th anniversary and as a reflection of the tremendous work to educate and inspire alpinists around the world.
