Gripped Magazine
Four Big Alpine Climbs Receive American Grants
The American Alpine Club (AAC) has announced the 2026 Cutting Edge Grant recipients. For more than a century, the AAC has supported expeditions to remote mountain ranges featuring unclimbed peaks, difficult new routes, first-free ascents, and other world-class objectives. The Cutting Edge Grant is supported in part by Black Diamond Equipment.
Chantel Astorga received $7,000 to attempt the ENE face of Shivling in the western Garhwal Himalaya. In 2024, Astorga and Fanny Schmutz came within 250 metres of completing the line. “When we first considered it, it seemed like it might be beyond our limits, but during our 2024 attempt, we moved steadily forward and watched our intended route unfold beautifully,” Astorga said. “Returning this fall gives us the opportunity to continue where we left off, with a better understanding of the route and what it demands.” French alpinist Lise Billon will join Astorga and Schmutz. A previous Cutting Edge and McNeill-Nott Grant recipient, Astorga’s accomplishments include the first ascent of the southwest face of Nilkanth, the first ski descent of the Seattle Ramp variation on Denali’s West Rib, and the first female solo ascent of the Cassin Ridge.
Tad McCrea received $6,000 to attempt a new route on Kula Kangri (7,538 m) in the Eastern Himalaya with Jon Griffin. McCrea described Kula Kangri as “a big mountain with little history of climbing.” First climbed by a Japanese team in 1986, the peak has seen few ascents. Their proposed line includes roughly 2,000 metres of steep technical terrain. McCrea also received a Cutting Edge Grant in 2025, which helped fund the first ascent of Eye Ri on the previously unclimbed northern spire of Suma Brakk in Pakistan.
Dane Steadman received $5,000 to attempt the north buttress of Gharkun (6,621 m) in Pakistan’s Karakoram, with the goal of possibly making the mountain’s first confirmed ascent. Conflicting reports from a 1976 Japanese expedition leave it unclear whether the true summit was reached. Steadman’s team, Grant Stewart, Zac Colbran, and Cody Winckler, will approach from the north. “This will be [our] first trip together since Huntington,” Steadman said, “after dreaming of climbing in the Karakoram together as budding alpinists years earlier.” Steadman’s previous Cutting Edge Grant-supported climbs include the first ascent of Yashkuk Sar I from the north and a new route on Pik Alpinist in Kyrgyzstan.
Ethan Berkeland received $7,000 to attempt a new route on Ogre II (Baintha Brakk II, 6,960 m) in the Panmah Muztagh, aiming for the mountain’s second ascent. He will climb with August Franzen and Vitaliy Musiyenko in honor of their late partner Balin Miller, who was originally part of the expedition. “We are all excited to honor Balin by attempting the objective we dreamed of together,” Berkeland said. Berkeland previously received an AAC Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grant to support climbing in Alaska’s Hayes Range.
The 2026 Cutting Edge Grants continue the AAC’s longstanding support of ambitious alpine expeditions, backing teams pursuing difficult new routes, major first ascents, and remote objectives across the Himalaya and Karakoram.
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