Pat Goodman, winner of a 2009 Lyman Spitzer Cutting-Edge Award, reports below on his trip to China with Dave Sharratt and the frustrating permit situation that developed:

The five Chinese men and women stood confident, and in an odd way I felt some condescension from them. Four of the five were dressed similarly: red Ozark Gore-Tex jackets and black rain pants. The oldest man of the group had on a white, button-down shirt, black tie, black sports coat, and nice black slacks—he looked bothered.

[view report]

Route ascending the right skyline

See below for the trip report from Dylan Thomas, a Lyman Spitzer Award winner in 2008.  This grant allowed and partner Chad Kellogg to accomplish a new route on a remote wall in southwest China.

Siguniang Southwest Ridge 6250m, Changping Valley, Sichuan, China

September 21-30 2008. (VI 5.11 A2 M5 AI3+) 72 pitches. 9,200’ from base camp

Chad Kellogg and I, funded in part by a Lyman Spitzer Award from the American Alpine Club, completed the first ascent of the Southwest Ridge of Siguniang in southwestern China over ten days, September 21-30. 

The route began with 2,500’ of steep rainforest weaving through cliff bands to the base of a 2000’ granite wall at 14,200.’ The… [view report]

Dylan Johnson shares his report from a successful expedition to China in September, 2010.  Supported by a Lyman Spitzer Award, Dylan and partner Chad Kellogg made an impressive climb up Seerdengpu.  Read on for Dylan's report!

FIRST ASCENT OF SEERDENGPU 5592M,  QUONGLAI MOUNTAINS, SICHUAN, CHINA

Funded in part by both a Mugs Stump Award and a Lyman Spitzer Award from the American Alpine Club, Chad Kellogg… [view report]

Dave Gliddon and Gu Gu at the base of Boudara Shan - "Dalai Lama" route is directly above

Dave Gliddon and Gu Gu at the summit of "Dalai Lama", Sichuan, China

By Dave Gliddon, AAC member from Australia

It was September 2012. In Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China, I was to meet three friends to attempt a climb in the Four Sisters region, on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. My friend Qiu Jiang, known as Spiderman Paul, picked me up from the airport. Within four hours, we were already in the Changping Valley of the Qionglai Range, surrounded by the famous peaks of Mt. Siguniang (the third and fourth sisters, at 6,250m and 5,355m), Mt. Erguniang (5,276m) and Mt. Daguniang (5,025m). The immense peak of Seerdengpu (5,592m), or the ‘Savage Peak’, with its unclimbed west face, towered up from the side valley. It’s hard to explain or comprehend the… [view report]