- Barry Blanchard
Barry Blanchard (born in
Calgary, Alberta ,Canada onMarch 29 ,1959 ) is one of North America's top alpinists, noted for pushing the standards of highly technical, high-risk alpine climbing in theCanadian Rockies and theHimalayas .Climbing accomplishments
He first came to note in 1983 with the
first ascent of Andromeda Strain on Mount Andromeda in Alberta, Canada with David Cheesmond and Tim Friesen. In 1984, he climbed the North Spur ofRakaposhi ,Pakistan with Dave Cheesmond and Kevin Doyle. With David Cheesmond, he climbed the North Pillar of North Twin, Alberta in 1985. Rather than resting on his laurels, he has continued to push the limits of alpinism since, including eight trips to Asia to climb in the Himalayas andKarakoram .Guiding career
Barry has been involved with Yamnuska Mountain Adventures since its inception in the late '70s. Barry is an internationally certified
UIAGM mountain guide.He helped in the making of Hollywood climbing movies including K2, Cliffhanger and
Vertical Limit .He lives in
Banff, Alberta , with his wife Catherine Mulvihill whom he met on aMount Everest expedition in 1994, and their family.Notable ascents
* 1983 "The Andromeda Strain", Mt. Andromeda, Canada - first ascent with David Cheesmond and Tim Friesen.
* 1984 North Ridge ofRakaposhi , Pakistan - first alpine ascent with David Cheesmond and Kevin Doyle.
* 1985 North Pillar of North Twin, Canada - first ascent with David Cheesmond
* 1991 North Face of Kusum Kanguru, Nepal - first ascent of route.
* 1999 "M-16", East Face ofHowse Peak , Canada - first ascent (in winter) withSteve House and Scott Backes
* 2000 "Infinite Spur" onMount Foraker ,Alaska - third ascent.
* 2002 "Infinite Patience" on the Emperor Face ofMount Robson - first ascent.External links
* [http://www.yamnuska.ca/ Yamnuska Mountain Adventures]
* [http://www.patagonia.com/sports/alpine_ambassadors.shtml#blanchard Ambassador of Patagonia]
* [http://www.grivelnorthamerica.com/ambassadors.php?id=1 Ambassador of Grivel North America]
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