Athol Whimp

Education

He and the Australian climber Andrew Lindblade made a number of difficult ascents culminating in their 1998 ascent of the North Face of Thalay Sagar completed in light-weight alpine style.

Career

Widely regarded as his country"s best modern mountaineer, he is its only recipient of the prestigious Piolet d"Or award for mountaineering. Following a successful military career in the New Zealand Special Air Service and a stint as an advisor with a desert mobility unit in Oman, Whimp began climbing extensively in New Zealand and Australia. In addition to his hard alpine ascents, Whimp was a phenomenal rock climber, having climbed up to grade 5.13c in the Yosemite decimal system.

On 23 February 2012, Whimp died after slipping into a 800-meter fall while traversing non-technical terrain in the Darrans.

1994 – Compressor Route, Cerro Torre, Patagonia (with Andrew Lindblade)

1994 – Pedrini-Locher Route, Fitzroy, Patagonia (with Andrew Lindblade)

1994 – Solo Ascent of Cerro Torre, Patagonia

1999 – Solo Ascent of the South Face of Mount Cook (Aoraki) (3754m), New Zealand

2000 – Attempt of the North Face of Jannu (7710m), Nepal (with Andrew Lindblade)

2000 – Second Ascent of the Wall of Shadows (Japanese Route), Jannu, Nepal (7710m) (with Andrew Lindblade)

2003 – Attempt of the Kurtyka-Schauer Route on Gasherbrum IV (7925m), Pakistan. The pair retreated in bad weather at 6800m (with Andrew Lindblade).

Achievements

• 1998 – First Ascent of the North Face of Thalay Sagar (6904m), Gharwal Himalaya, India (with Andrew Lindblade), Winner of the Piolet d"Or.