The Real Nick Sweeney

Very cool! Strong work. That’s a nice looking line to say the least. How long did the approach take you?

SO sick.

Awesome trip!

That’s what I thought as well - Direct N Ridge of Stuart felt like a comparable effort. Both climbs took me two days, I unexpectedly bivied on the descent from Stuart.

What are your thoughts on the commitment grade of this route? I’ve seen it mostly referred to as a IV, but I recently spoke with some guides who strongly felt that it was a V. Nelson/Potterfield give it a V, curious what others think. Obviously, it doesn’t matter at all at the end of the day... this is an ass-kicker!

A rite of passage, for sure

The bivy was incredible, but not THAT incredible!

The bivy was incredible, but not THAT incredible!

Trip: Johannesburg - 1957 NE Rib Trip Date: 08/01/2020 Trip Report: Here is my report with photos for the mighty Johannesburg: Spokalpine Amazingly, we shared the face with Karsten and Matt (Karsten posted a trip report on CC right after their climb) but used different starts. As a result, we never even saw each other on this giant, complicated route. We started an hour earlier than Karsten and Matt, but they reached the bivy hours before us(!) and continued up and over the summit. Karsten and Matt used the traditional 1951 start while John and I took a lower start, far right of the waterfalls. Gear Notes: Singles .4-1, nuts, ice tool, aluminum crampons, approach shoes Approach Notes: None

Nice one! I think that TFT makes sense as a car to car trip for most people. For the right climber, like you, its a great alpine solo.

Amazingly, my partner and I climbed the 1957 route from bottom to top from 8/1-8/2 and never even saw Karsten and Matt, despite starting only one hour earlier! The 1957 start adds a few hundred feet of rock and jungle climbing, and we did belay three pitches before reaching the snow bowl where the 1951 and 1957 almost intersect. During the time it took us to reach that point, Karsten and Matt must have overtaken us. Nice work guys. I’ll be posting up my own report this week. Congrats to you guys and all who have climbed this face... I have new respect for anyone who takes on this challenge!

We did the same as you. The team we climbed alongside climbed the tower and they said it was proper 5.8.

It actually felt completely reasonable as a single push objective! I’d recommend this strategy to most teams considering the route this time of year. Later in the season, when more shenanigans are required, a bivy would be a good call. You’re right, I didn’t get any photos of the mess that we had to go through to get to the ridge... it was rather involved. 😅

Trip: Forbidden Peak - Northwest Face Trip Date: 07/25/2020 Trip Report: I had a great time on the NW Face of Forbidden this weekend. Conditions were great, but it's a long walk back there. Full report with photos: https://spokalpine.com/2020/07/29/forbidden-peak-nw-face-iv-5-8/ Gear Notes: Singles .2-2, doubles .3-2 Approach Notes: Long, but scenic

That photo of Kyle is CLASSIC. Strong work team! Kicking myself for missing this one, but glad you guys sent the gnar!