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ARTICLE: Eternal Flame - Trango Tower by Alex & Thomas Huber

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 UKC Articles 15 Oct 2009
[The West Face of Nameless Tower. Eternal Flame runs up the right skyline of the tower, which is actually its south buttress., 2 kb]Making the best of a stretch of good weather, between August 11th and 14th 2009, the well known German climbing super-stars Alexander and Thomas Huber successfully completed the first redpoint ascent of Eternal Flame on Nameless Tower (Trango Tower) in the Karakoram.



Eternal Flame is one of the most famous and classic rock climbs in the world. First climbed in 1989 by the legendary German team of Wolfgang Güllich and Kurt Albert, it has become one of the 'ultimate ticks' in world climbing.

This is the story of the first free ascent, told by Thomas and Alexander and accompanied by superb photographs.



Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=2143
 Fraser 15 Oct 2009
In reply to UKC Articles:

What a great write up - totally absorbing !

"But our stream of luck seems to run out fast. A short time later I am hanging from the bolt that Pou placed, trying to perform what Iker had prophesied to be “ningun problema“ for us. "No chance!", I say to Thomas, who had just hopefully chirped up to me our optimistic "Geht scho = It'll go!" Nothing will go! Nothing at all. Do I lack the Iker-power? Frustrating minutes pass before I suddenly realize: There in front of me is only one knife edge and not two as Iker Pou had reported. Where the second one should be, is a pale grey spot in the toast coloured granite. Shit. The hold is gone. Hopeless. One thing is certain: It is not more than a metre that is missing, but I cannot climb it.

But didn't Hansjörg say something like "it looks possible"? He can't have meant the Pou-Boulder! You have to position your oculars not further than ten centimetres from its minute features to identify the holds as such. So I set out to search for an alternative, and – lo and behold! – find my chance further to the right. A fine crack and a hidden dihedral. Not easy, and by no means a piece of cake. But the emerging 5.13d at least doesn't throw me off. “Wish you were here“, Wolfgang Güllich certainly would have been thrilled at the way we struggled with his masterpiece! "


Classic stuff.
 jkarran 15 Oct 2009
In reply to UKC Articles:

Great stuff and some fantastic photos!
jk
 Scarab 15 Oct 2009
awesome article, although I think ive seen a variation of it earlier here on ukc.
 Mutl3y 15 Oct 2009
In reply to UKC Articles: Great article. A friend of mine climbed this and said the second pitch wouldn't go free - glad to hear that it has now!
thetone 20 Oct 2009
In reply to UKC Articles: would like to see the movie.
great stuff. Huber's stuff...

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