Barry Blanchard's Greatest First Ascents: Episode 2

Episode 2: The North Pillar of North Twin, 1985 and The Wild Thing on the Northeast Face of Mt Chephren, 1987. Ten days after descending from the First Ascent of the East Face of Mt Fay (episode 1) in March of 1984, Barry teamed up once again with Carl Tobin and for the first time the legendary alpinist George Lowe III to make the initial attempt on the Northeast Face of Mt Chephren. Barry made two more attempts that winter, and three winters later one more attempt, and finally success, in 1987. The first ascent of "The Wild Thing" was accomplished with Peter Arbic and Ward Robinson and by then Barry had spent fifteen days of his life on the face. Between those two winters, in the summer of 1985, Barry and David Cheesmond made the first ascent of what Mark Twight once described as, "the apocalyptical North Pillar of North Twin." One of the most treasured and possibly the hardest climb of Barry's life.