Athol Whimp (1961–2012) was a New Zealand

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

rock climber Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in guidebooks, 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 An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its sim ...

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, is the special forces unit of the New Zealand Army, closely modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). It was formed on 7 July 1955. It traces its origins to ...

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

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

, 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 ...

. 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 five-part Grade (climbing), grading system used for rating the difficulty of rock climbing climbing routes, routes in the United States and Canada. It was first devised by members of the Sierra Club in Southe ...

. 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 (). Geography The range lies between Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) a ...

Notable ascents

* 1994 – ''Compressor Route'',

Cerro Torre Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located on the border dividing Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). At , the peak is the highest of a four mountai ...

, 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 ...

(6904m), Garhwal Himalaya, India (first ascent with Andrew Lindblade), Winner of the

* 1999 – ''South Face'' of

Aoraki / Mount Cook Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, , is listed as . It is situated in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite ch ...

(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 ha ...

(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 Gasherbrum IV (; ), surveyed as K3, is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan, as well as the highest independent mountain under eight thousand meters in Pakistan. One of the peaks in the Gasherbrum massif, its im ...

(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