The American Alpine Club and Swiss sport watch manufacturer, Alpina bestowed the first Alpina AAC Cutting Edge Award to an exceptional climbing duo, Hayden Kennedy and Kyle Dempster. The prestigious award was presented at the 2016 Excellence in Climbing Awards Dinner, celebrating the significant achievement of these climbers, who established two new routes in Pakistan's Karakoram, the east face of K7 and the south face of Ogre I.
The Alpina AAC Cutting Edge Award will be presented each year to one Amercian climbing team who, with the aid of an AAC climbing grant, demonstrates excellency in skills and accomplishment in cutting edge climbing objectives and who upholds the values of the American Alpine Club, acting as world-class ambassadors to American climbing both domestically and abroad. Kennedy and Dempster were each awarded an Alpina Horological Smartwatch, a revolutionary sporting watch which measures invaluable health, activity and sleep data for athletes on its own platform, complimented by Swiss-made quality and visual appeal.
Hayden Kennedy and Kyle Dempster made two attempts on peaks in the Karakoram, both proving successful in establishing new routes. K7 was particularly challenging as the team faced whiteout conditions, resulting in a grizzly 49-hour push. The team demonstrated true excellency in skill and championed the brotherhood of the rope. Hayden and Kyle's 2012 achievements in Pakistan were funded in part through the AAC's Lyman Spitzer grant.
Each peak measured 7,000 meters, and Kennedy and Dempster pursued and conquered both in a single summer, dubbing the adventure the “Pakistani Doubleheader.” Through treacherous conditions of deep, unconsolidated snow, the pair made their successful ascent to K7. In only a matter of days after this significant accomplishment, Kennedy and Dempster departed for the second expedition of their “Doubleheader” up the Choktoi Glacier.
A whiteout snowstorm raged around the team for 8 days as they patiently waited to begin their ascent. On August 19th, exactly one month after summiting K7, Hayden and Dempster began their trek to Ogre 1 climbing un-roped on 60-degree ice and snowfields. Two days later the summit was conquered, forging a new path and a lifelong bond along with it.
The 2016 Excellence in Climbing Awards Dinner also featured a keynote by Libby Sauter and honored the 2016 Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Awardees: Tom Frost, Hugh Herr, John Roskelley, Libby Sauter, and Geoff Tabin. These climbers have inspired a legacy for future climbers, positively impacted the environment, and advanced the fields of science and medicine, all while accomplishing incredible climbing feats.
To learn more about the duo’s trek through Pakistan : http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201212367/Doubleheader
