The Asgard Project :: Our objective is to produce a groundbreaking film about the first free ascent of Asgard’s NWface, regarded as one of the most difficult big walls in the world.

Leo Houlding and team successfully summit Mount Asgard

Leo Houlding and his team have successfully reached the top of Mount Asgard after 12 days of climbing, in an ambitious expedition that tested all involved to the limit.

The team endured extremely harsh conditions on the 1400 metre high tower of granite, which is in a remote region of Baffin Island, Arctic Canada.  They climbed during days in which there were 23 hours of shade and endured sub-zero temperatures and severe ice storms that left 4cm of haw frost on all of their ropes.  Leo, fellow Berghaus climber Carlos Suarez and the rest of the team, managed to reach the top just before the route became completely unclimbable.

Every aspect of the gruelling climb was captured in high definition by award winning film maker Alastair Lee.  To make all of this possible, the team was given substantial support by Berghaus and leading mobile communications company Nokia. 

Leo Houlding comments: “Climbing Asgard’s North West face, which is regarded as one of the world’s most difficult big walls, was the greatest challenge I have set myself to date. The climb was extremely tough and we faced a savage ice storm that made us consider retreat, but we finally got enough of a break in the weather to finish the route.”

Alastair Lee adds: “We are over the moon that we made it to the top. It has been brutal - thank God we all had the right kit otherwise frost-nip and hyperthermia would have had us by now.”
He continued: “It has been such a hard experience for all of us and we are physically and psychologically exhausted. My hands are in pieces and just unzipping my sleeping bag is agony - I can't wait to get back to civilization. We haven't showered for a month and we've had our fill of freeze dried rations.

“Though destroyed and surviving on on painkillers and anti-inflamatories we're all in good spirits. The river crossings that were waist deep ragging torrents on the way up are now trickles we can boulder hop across without removing boots.  I can almost taste the fresh food and beer. “

In preparation for the epic climb, Leo completed three crucial training expeditions, to Riglos in Spain, Brento in Italy and the world famous Yosemite National Park in the USA.  On each trip, Leo and climbing partners tackled major big walls and tested and refined the techniques that would make the difference between failure and success on Asgard.  He was also supplied with some prototypes of new Berghaus products to put to the test throughout the year. 

 

 

 

• Day 1. The Haul Report.

We have found a relatively rock fall free line.
Chris, Jason, Al, Stanley and Leo set about hauling 300kg up 350meters of steep choss held together by ice. 15 hours later at 5am the exhausted team crawled into their sleeping bags.

• 
  Day 2

We got bombarded by ice fall from the top of Asgard all night, the chunks where small and we were too tired to care.
We turned a hostile scree slope into a relatively comfortable home.
We have organised the kit ready to climb the wall proper.

• 
  Day 3

Cold and snowy - Bollocks!
Start leading anyway. Stanley leads the first pitch, wet icy and snowy, but not too hard.
Pitch 2. More of the same.
Difficult transferring from alpine boots to climbing shoes. Difficult to climb with so many clothes and numb hands and feet.
Pitch 3. THE OFF-WIDTH.
Bring out the Yosemite god Stanley.
Titanic battle with a verhglass filled off width. not dissimilar to the Monster Crack on Free Rider. A good Lead.
With the icy rain and with darkness falling we retreat to advanced base camp.

• 
  Day 4

Windy and cold night but no ice showers.  Difficult to motivate in 2 degrees for hard free climbing.
Early afternoon the weather starts to clear, we are going to go up!
Moral high in the men, their is plenty left in us for the rest of the fight.
We just need a few days of stable weather.
Leo Climbed another pitch this afternoon, which proved to be very hard.  We then retreated to ABC late in the evening as darkness fell.

• 
  Day 5

We slept through a snow shower and woke to find a cloud inversion on the glacier and snow on the portaledges. The weather is now bright and sunny, and we are going to move the camp higher up the wall.
Water and fuel could be an issue from now on.
Leo and Stanley are going to climb much higher today.

On the climb!
We've received the latest update from Leo and the team - unfortunately there have been some communication problems and only the second part of the update was received but it really brings home the difficulties the team are facing taking on the mighty Mount Asgard.

• Day 6
  

The steep and blank nature of the rock forced Leo and Stanley to full on aid climb today
Progress was extremely slow. It looks free climbable, but too hard to do onsight with a few questionable sections.
We only fixed two pitches.
Meanwhile, Chris and Jason started to move the camp upto the ledge on belay 4, they brought the portaledges and enough food and gear for 1 night.
Unfortunately the stove was damaged during the haul, so we had no hot food today.

• Day 7

Having not eaten or drunk anything all day or all night yesterday, we woke up wanting to go
home.
Stanley gallantly descended to get the other stove. After coffee and breakfast, motivation started to return.
Leo and Stanley climbed up and fixed another 3 pitched.
Chris, Jason and Al brought the rest of the camp to the ledge.
Leo and Stanley returned to camp after midnight, they where both exhausted.
The route still looks free climbable but we are running out of time.
The weather is still and clear but very cold as we are in the shade all day.

• Day 8

The jumar up to the high point is becoming very long, our hands are a bloody mess!
It is very difficult to get going in the morning.
Two very slow pitches of difficult aid climbing, Leo took the first fall of the trip, a 15 ft time bomb.
Aid climbing is very hard work, wish we could focus on free climbing but we need to get to the top of this thing.

• Day 9

Oh dear, the weather is deteriorating. we now have the first real wind of the trip, its brutally cold and extremely intimidating when it blows.
It feels more like mid winter and not mid summer.
Everyone is wearing all their clothes.
If this wind persists, I'm not sure if we are going to make it.
It's Stanley's birthday, 34 years old today - that will be a portaledge party and flapjacks to celebrate!
If the wind calms down we will try to free climb and film some pitches today.
If the wind persists, we will be in the portaledges all day.
It's only 6 more pitches to the top but we need to film and free some stuff.
Its going to be a big challenge to get everyone up and off Asgard in the next 6 days.

After months of preparation and training the team are now ready to start their ascent of Mount Asgard.  Read Leo’s own words on the preparation for the occasion…

• 9 August

Seems like the awesome weather has finished. Raining, freezing, miserable. Kind of what we expected.
After much deliberation we have decided to go for the aid route Inukshuk on the NW face of the N tower. Much less sunny than W face S tower but safer approach though still looks harrowing with so little snow. Much loose rock. Hope the weather improves. So much to do difficult to motivate in such cold wet conditions. Stanley and I go down to Summit lake stash for final bits and pieces. Took 6 hours up down and up.

• 10 August

More grim weather but must push on. Organise all food, climbing gear and wall stuff. Takes all day. Oh god there’s a lot. Think we're gonna go as a 6 and fix a lot. Share the work and split into teams, aid, free and film. Climbing this thing is difficult, free climbing it may prove to be impossible, trying to capture the whole thing on film is a nightmare. Just massively increases the amount gear, work, time and logistical complication. Sure it's gonna be cool though - hope people appreciate the quality and amount of work. 

• 11 August

Finally commit to the project. Stanley and I fix 380m of rope up the approach. After a man eating bergshrund a straight forward 60m of 50 degree ice led to a horrifically loose 60m of chosseneering. Nearly trundeled a door size flake on myself when 30m run out. Stanley got bombed with lots of small stuff. Dangerous. Another 200m of ice and some slightly less deadly choss and we made the start of the climb! At first felt like a hazardous and unpleasant place but after some investigation and terracing we made a reasonably safe and comfortable hang. Fixed straight down. Gonna be a hazardous and hard haul but then we'll actually be able to go climbing! Unless the weather gets savage!

• 12 August

More organising this morning but this afternoon we blast! 6 people for 10 days. Gonna be fun, but hard work and no doubt some deal of suffering. Hope it goes 100% free. If not never mind this place is amazing and we are about to climb one of the great walls of the world.

Leo and the team have taken the Asgard Project to new levels by skydiving in to the Arctic to reach Mount Asgard - special permission was given for the team to make the jump during the airdrop of their kit.  Read on in Leo’s own words how the project is progressing and what the jump meant to the team…

• 31 July

Team assemble in Ottawa. All appreciate value of 12 oz hamburger and cold beer. Going to be on expedition rations for next 5 weeks. Fly to Iqaluit. Meet pilot who will be doing to the air drop. Total dude. Cowboy boots and laid back grin. 14 seat twin otter aircraft not available. Instead we got a 26 seat DC3! Iconic and very cool plane.
Asked if we could drop in too, pilot was well up for it! He needs to check with boss.
Oh god come on give us permission! Fly to Pangnirtung. Got to round up all the gear we shipped out then organise and pack every single thing 7 people need to climb and film a big wall in the arctic over next 4 weeks into 16 parachute loads.  Has to be ready by 11am tomorrow.

Stressful.

• 1 August

Heavy low cloud! Drop maybe off! Called and postponed plane arrival until 3pm. Stanley did amazing job of rigging webbing harnesses and parachutes to the 10 barrels, 4 double rucksack, and 2 big haul bag loads! We haven't tested this system! I hope it works! Weather clears, Plane arrives - we got permission to jump! Oh my goodness - we are about to drop on to a glacier 50 miles into the Arctic wilderness with a months worth of supplies and toys. EPIC! Insane flight up in one of most spectacular terrain imaginable. Drop seemed to work perfectly right in front of W face Asgard.
Climbed to 5200 feet and Carlos, Stanley and I jumped out into the most incredible skydive of our lives. After landing safely it suddenly dawns on us where we are and how alone!

• 2 August

Perfect weather. 15 C in Sun and no wind - however cold in shade. Wasn't expecting to have to hike but one of haul bags didn't stick the drop. Need more climbing gear - have in Pang. Must get to Summit Lake shelter to radio others to bring more gear. Epic glacial run and death morraine dash. Scenery on unimaginable scale, beautiful. Radio broken! Bivi.

• 3 August

Continue down valley. Met guys at rope across river. Informed them of the news. Al and Ian up with us - Chris and Jas give your loads and back to Pang for more, sorry boys. They burn down light. We hike up heavy for 10 hours. Al and Ian did really well.

• 4 August

Cross half hour creek. Was waist deep and terrifying on way down other day but thank god today early it's half a deep and pretty easy. Long hike. Push hard and make it to Base Camp 2 am. Done a 4 day hike in last 2. Tired.

• 5 August

Rest and organise camp. Almost everything made it. Put some work into Morrain on glacier and now have awesome camp with tent platforms, huge stone kitchen and Thrown - Caribuo antlers and all. Water right there and epic view Of NW face of N tower and W face of South Tower Asgard. Looks way different to photos. Almost no snow. Lots of rock fall. Not great.

• 6 August

Good weather. Inspect wall with telescope. Huge rock fall last night right down possible approach to NW face. Shocking amount of debris everywhere. Been very warm. Hopefully cool down a bit and stablize? Running the guantlet once is scary but ferrying loads multiple times in a rockfall zone is starting to ask for it. Very cold in shade. Perhaps 20 degrees difference from sun. NW face in shade all day. Beautiful wall but gonna be freezing - hard to free climb. W face get lots of Sun and will be sweet but approach looks even worse. Nasty serac filled coulior. Cause for concern. Need to assess options.

• 7 August

Decide to blast Scott route with Carlos and Stanley. Get our bearings and check out access to summit, approach, descent options etc. Brilliant climb. Easy for 2500 feet then about a 1000 feet of HVS with a couple of tricky wide cracks right at top. 6 casual hours. Super fast descent. Another epic day. Great warm up and motivation boost. That’s the fun out of the way, now time to focus on some suffering?

• 8 August

Turner Glacier, Mount Asgard. Didn't hydrate properly yesterday. Feeling it today. Good weather. All need to rest. Chris and Jas still not here yet. They should arrive today, if not we'll go down tomorrow and meet them. Less rock fall activity but still a tough decision that needs to be made soon. Is it safe enough to attempt one of these amazing walls? Which one? Must give it some serious thought. We are online! An amazing adventure so far. Lots of success and lots of problems!
Resting today

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