Super climber Kevin Thaw looks at a few ascents that inspired him in 2008. This is a whirlwind tour of the World's highest peaks, from Patagonia to Alaska with a lung-bursting trip to the Himalaya thrown in.
Stunning photography, video and first hand accounts of some of the year's toughest climbs make up one of the top UKC articles of the past year.
"Perhaps you're the rarer breed, into perverse flagellation all because you love climbing when tired; maybe you even love objective danger? Either way, the ability to mentally package the 'last time' so incredibly neatly that emotions are completely erased is an asset. Ready for another round?"
In reply to Jack Geldard - Editor - UKC:
Nice article Kevin, and thanks for posting it Jack.
Just a small point, but those Japanese cimbers call themselves the "girigiri" boys, not the "gri-gri" boys. A rough translation of the Japanese "girigiri" would be something like "at the limit". In that context the name makes a lot of sense, so you ought to correct it in the article.
In reply to TonyG:
Bump... Still reading the "Gri-Gri" boys... Come on guys. I'm not as informed as Damo, but in light of his comments, this mis-spelling would seem to support the notion that other people's articles had been skimmed quickly. If you're going to tout a group's achievements as being one of the most special and newsworthy events of the year then it would seem to me that getting their name right is one of the fundamentals.
In reply to TonyG:
Aaaah, apologies Jack. I've just noticed the dates and times of all these posts (Sunday and very early Monday morning - I'm in Japan so it's lunchtime Monday here). Naturally, you're entitled to a weekend yourself. No doubt you'll be on it when you get to work today
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