145 Ribus in one year

Descending Avawatz Peak 1876m, P1004m, California, USA - photo Rob Woodall 

I'd heard that USA peak baggers climb desert peaks in the winter, and alpine peaks in the summer. So I thought I'd try my luck with a three week trip out of Phoenix, Arizona, a rented SUV, and a summary map of P1000m Ribus and P900s with gradings and approximate timings. It turns out that Arizona can be quite wet, and I soon found myself post-holing up a snowy forest road to Pinal Peak.

Next morning in the desert I foolishly chose the long-drive-short-hike southern route on Harquahala Mountain, meeting some ATV drivers en route who commented they'd never seen an SUV on that road! One drive I'd ruled out was for Signal Peak (California) but Steven Song who was in the area with Adam Walker, reckoned an SUV could make it. In fact I wrote off a tyre, but that was due to a moment's inattention. The peak was excellent, and next morning I may have met the grumpiest tyre repair man in the southwest. Sean Casserly was in the area too, and he, Steven and I climbed Avawatz Peak together. I bagged a few more peaks with Steven Song (peak-bagging royalty - he's completed the Canadian Rockies 11,000ers). He had the vehicle and skills to tackle Jumbo Peak (Nevada), a very entertaining bonus Ribu with some roped climbing. 

A few days later I met a group of California baggers for a nice sociable campfire evening. Death Valley has some excellent peaks, including Tin Peak and Dry Peak which face each other across a  road.

Back in Arizona I bagged Dos Cabezas with Adam. Not easy to access, it made for an interesting adventure. We had dinner with Andy Martin, a key name in the prominence scene, then I rounded off my trip with a snowy ascent of Wrightson.

I'd managed a peak each day, doubling up on some days although winter daylight is limited. The trip netted 21 Ribus.

Two June trips were mostly Ultra focussed, but added ten Ribus to the tally. Angola's civil war is long past, and its two ultras made an interesting trip, with Deividas Valaitis and Richard and Denise McLellan. Peninsular Malaysia was a rerun of a 2020 trip with Dan Quinn which had been cancelled due to Covid. This time Deividas joined us - and this time it was cancelled due to flooding, although some of our peaks were available. We made up the numbers with Indonesian peaks.

Since taking semi retirement in 2020 (yes, Covid Year 1!) I'd made a 2-month Ribu bagging trip to the European Alps each summer (115 and 52 Ribus). In 2022 it was time to return to the riches of the Western USA. Supplied with a fresh summary map and another rented SUV, I set off from Denver, Colorado, where my first three Ribus turned out to be over 4000m, a small detail I'd overlooked in my prominence focused planning! Mount Lincoln went well, but I was sick on the way down Uncompahgre Peak, and scrapped the idea of Mt Wilson as I needed better weather and more oxygen. Ute Peak had dubious access, and a rattlesnake which I nearly trod on, but I'd escaped the stormy weather.

The July heatwave was pretty extreme for a Brit, but early starts helped, as did route choice, as when an Eric Kassan trip report recommended the slightly longer but shaded northern approach for Signal Peak (Utah). Notch Peak was superb, George H Hansen a choss monster, Salt BM from the highway was loooong. In Salt Lake City I enjoyed a meal with some Utah baggers, putting faces to names I'd come to know well from their trip reports - Dean Molen and super speedy Sam Grant. Then into Nevada: remote Matterhorn and its companions made for a fine long ridge walk; Hole in the Mountain was a weather gamble which just paid off; Ruby Dome was better even than I expected.

With plenty of daylight and often good trails, I was bagging two peaks most days, three or even four occasionally, making my way via northern California and Oregon. Thompson was a gorgeous peak, also memorable for another rattlesnake encounter. Spectacular Mount Thielsen had become a must-do peak as soon as I realised it was 'only' a class 4 scramble. At the tiny summit, a buzzing sound turned out to be my hand level - I discovered why the peak is called the lightning rod of the Cascades, and scrambled down more quickly than I'd gone up! Steep scrambling is often easier down than up, fortunately true in this case.

1st August brought the midpoint of my trip and a dinner date with Washington friends old and new, including Bob Bolton, Duane Gilliland and Don Nelsen. WA has many challenging peaks, but there were plenty I could day hike. Big Chiwaukum however took two attempts. First time I turned back on an unexpectedly soggy bushwhack - soaked and chilled. Gunn is a wonderfully devious scrambly outing. I stayed with Anthony and Liz Marra for a few days, and a borrowed bike brought into scope South Twin and Three Fingers, superb challenging peaks I hadn't expected to do.

John Stolk was just north of the border in Canada, and it was good to bag a couple of peaks with this great student of British Columbia peaks. McRae was a bushwhack best not done in summer; Guanaco is a fine outing with a quite challenging drive-in which wouldn't have suited my SUV!

Eastern WA and northern Montana have a number of quick easy Ribus, contrasting with the previous fortnight. Southern MT is more serious. Peter Barr was hiking Hilgard Peak with Chris Gilsdorf, not one I was planning to tackle alone and it was good to be able to climb this fine YDS 4 peak. The trail had been affected by a landslide which added to the fun. Next day I hiked Scott Peak (Idaho) with Daniel Coulter. Garfield was especially memorable as my first encounter with a grizzly bear, at about 30 metres range; I just kept walking… . My last Ribu of the trip was again with Peter Barr, a quick scamper up Wyoming Peak in lovely early morning light. John and Kathy Mitchler hosted my last night. A trip equally memorable for its excellent peaks and friendly peak-baggers. Another 89 Ribus.

My Ribu year continued with a September fortnight in France and Spain. The USA's James Barlow was working in Europe and proved his usually capable self on the challenging ground of Monte Viso (my final Alpine ultra), and the equally steep Grand Pic de Belledonne with its short roped pitch. My final Pyrenees Ribu, Pic du Midi d'Ossau was steep enough for me to carry a rope for the abseil, although in the event I did the downclimb, vertical on excellent holds, in the company of a French pastry chef! My remaining Spanish Ribus were straightforward, leaving me a Picos rock climb and the Mallorca island highpoint to go back for, along with plenty of P600s. Another seven Ribus bagged.

A second Indonesia trip, in October, also didn't go according to plan, due to the main goal Gunung Raung being closed. Instead Deividas and I bagged some Sumatra and Java peaks, ending with Sulawesi and the highly active Kerangetang. Another eleven Ribus.

Finally a winter trip to Argentina added another seven Ribus, making my final tally 145 for the year.

A year of contrasts: USA desert and alpine and good bagging company, African savanna, south-east Asia with its friendly students and over friendly leeches, mopping up a few technical European peaks, football world cup obsessed Argentina.

Rob Woodall