The sad news of Athol Whimp death is hart breaking. For me the team Lindblade- Whimp was pure inspiration. I have to admit I not only have huge respect for them. I admire them. To me they are all I think alpinism is about. The book Expeditions is one of the best climbing books I have ever read. The number of stunning lines they climbed and the visionary style in witch they approach there objectives in remains a benchmark for every aspiring alpinist to follow.
The attempt on the North Face of Janu was one of the coolest failures of modern alpinism. Sadly the line was later exploited in a national project to climb all imposing big walls in the Himalayas.
But for me I think the route they established on Thalaysagar is one of the climbing stories that has captured my attention the most. That and the Norwegian route on Trango established in 1984 is what have largely driven me to be so captivated by the mountains. Its a sad month for cutting edge alpinism.
R.I.P
Athol
