Athol Whimp

Updated on Oct 07, 2024

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Name Athol Whimp Role Mountaineer		Died February 23, 2012

Athol Whimp (1961-2012) was a New Zealand mountaineer, rock climber and soldier. 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 reconnaissance unit in Oman, Whimp began climbing extensively in New Zealand and Australia. During this period, he and Australian climber Andrew Lindblade made a number of difficult ascents culminating in their 1998 alpine-style ascent of the North Face of Thalay Sagar. 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 an 800-meter fall while traversing non-technical terrain in the Darrans.

Ascents

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

1994 – Pedrini-Locher Route, Monte Fitz Roy, Patagonia (with Andrew Lindblade)

1994 – Solo Ascent of Cerro Torre, Patagonia

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

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)

References

Athol Whimp Wikipedia

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