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.

The Asgard Project was preimiered at the Kendal Mountain festival and during the event expedition leader Leo Houlding and film-maker Alastair Lee were interviewed by Chris Brooke.

Chirs, who created the music for the film, captures the pair giving insights in to the logistics of organising such an epic trip.

During the Kendal Film Festival the Asgard Project won the People’s Choice Award, receiving five times as many votes as any other film.

You can hear the full clip at:

https://www.posingproductions.com/video.php?form_action=play&video_id=179

You can order you Asgard Project DVD at:

www.posingproductions.com

• SUCCESS!!
  

After 12 days of suffering in sub zero temperatures, in the shade 23 hours a day and weathering severe ice storms we succeed in getting Al, Chris, Jas, Stanley and Leo to the top of the wall. The harsh conditions and incredibly steep blank nature of the rock only allowed us to free half the route but given the situation and time of year (the summer is short up here it is now autumn) 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.

Mount Asgard is named after the realm of the Norsk gods. It feels like those gods having been toying with us the whole time. After a savage ice storm that left 4cm of haw frost on all the ropes and brought the first discussions of retreat we were treated to an insane display of the northern lights and enough fine weather to finish the route. On the summit a snowy owl swooped right by to check us out. A positive sign. On the final stage of the rappel the gods sent us off with 10 cm of snow. The wall is now unclimable. Asgard allowed us to the top but by the skin of our teeth.

It has been such a hard experience for all of us and we are physically and psychologically exhausted. My hands are in pieces just unzipping my sleeping bag is agony. Can't wait to get back to civilization. Haven't showered for a month and we've had our fill of freeze dried rations. Thankfully we still have enough fresh coffee and chocolate for the 30 mile hike out of here.

Our back packs are huge, at least 30 kg each. After 2 days of dragging barrels and haul bags we are now down at Summit lake shelter and finally off the glacier that has been home for the last month. Much nicer down here - enjoying sun and sleeping on sand instead of ice.

Though destroyed and surviving on painkillers and anti-inflamatories we're all in good spirits. Just another 3 days of hard hiking to go. The river crossings that were waist deep raging torrents on the way up are now trickles we can boulder hop across without removing boots. SO ready to get out of here! Can almost taste the fresh food and beer.

• 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.

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