Athol Whimp (1961–2012) was a New Zealand

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

rock climber Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

and soldier. Widely regarded as the most accomplished alpinist in New Zealand's modern era, he is the country's only recipient of the prestigious Piolet d'Or award for mountaineering."Athol Whimp (1961 – 2012)"
''The Climber'', #79, p. 18 Following a successful military career in the

New Zealand Special Air Service The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment, abbreviated as 1 NZSAS Regt, was formed on 7 July 1955 and is the Special forces unit of the New Zealand Army, closely modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). It traces its origins to ...

and a stint as an advisor with a desert reconnaissance unit in

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

, Whimp began climbing extensively in New Zealand, Australia and the Himalaya. 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 Thalay Sagar is a mountain in the Gangotri Group of peaks in the western Garhwal Himalayas, on the main ridge that lies south of the Gangotri Glacier. It lies in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, southwest of the Hindu holy site of Gau ...

. In addition to his hard alpine ascents, Whimp was also an accomplished rock climber, having climbed up to grade 5.13c in the

Yosemite decimal system The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs, primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. It was first devised by members of the Sierra Club in Southern Cal ...

. On 23 February 2012, Whimp died after slipping into an 800-meter fall while traversing non-technical terrain in the

Darran Mountains The Darran Mountains are a prominent range within New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, the country's biggest national park. They contain the park's highest peak, Mount Tūtoko (). The range lies between Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) and the valle ...

Notable ascents

* 1994 – ''Compressor Route'', Cerro Torre, Patagonia (with Andrew Lindblade) * 1994 – ''Pedrini-Locher Route'',

Monte Fitz Roy Monte Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén, Cerro Fitz Roy, or simply Mount Fitz Roy) is a mountain in Patagonia, on the border between Argentina and Chile.Thalay Sagar Thalay Sagar is a mountain in the Gangotri Group of peaks in the western Garhwal Himalayas, on the main ridge that lies south of the Gangotri Glacier. It lies in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, southwest of the Hindu holy site of Gau ...

(6904m), Garhwal Himalaya, India (first ascent with Andrew Lindblade), Winner of the Piolet d'Or * 1999 – ''South Face'' of Aoraki / Mount Cook (3754m), New Zealand (solo ascent) * 2000 – ''North Face'' of

Jannu Mount Kumbhakarna or Jannu ( Limbu: ''Phoktanglungma'') is the 32nd-highest mountain in the world. It is an important western outlier of Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak. Kumbhakarna is a large and steep peak in its own right, and h ...

(7710m), Nepal (with Andrew Lindblade) * 2000 – ''Wall of Shadows (Japanese Route)'', Jannu, Nepal (7710m) (second ascent with Andrew Lindblade) * 2003 – '' Kurtyka-Schauer Route'', Gasherbrum IV (7925m), Pakistan. Attempt with Andrew Lindblade. The pair retreated in bad weather at 6800m.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20131029183705/http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/a-year-ago-athol *http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web12w/newswire-obit-whimp
Famous New Zealand climber dies in fall
thebmc.co.uk
Man and Mountain: Athol Whimp, 1961-2012
New Zealand mountain climbers 1961 births 2012 deaths Mountaineering deaths Piolet d'Or winners {{Climbing-bio-stub Sport deaths in New Zealand