Priti Wright
Full Stack Developer for Recurrent Auto, Wife, Aerialist, Circus performer, lifelong Vegetarian.
Born in Dallas, raised in Florida, lives in Seattle.
1st female (probably) to climb all four peaks in Patagonia’s Torres Range (1st female ascent of Punta Herron, 3rd female ascent of Torre Egger after Steph Davis and Brette Harrington)
Contact: priti dot wright at gmail
Instagram: @prittyright
Jeff Wright
Boeing Engineer, Husband, Saxophonist, one-time Carnegie Hall performer, lover of the Smash-n-Grab.
Born in Honolulu, raised in Florida, lives in Seattle. Didn’t see snow until 21.
Contact: jeffrey dot t dot wright at gmail
Instagram: @jeff_t_wright
TL;DR (Climbing Highlights)
October 2020: K6 Central (7,155m) First Ascent and K6 West (7,140m) Third Ascent, Karakoram Range, Masherbrum Mountains, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan via West Face (VI, 80deg snow/ice, 2000m) Alpinist, Rock&Ice, UKC
Summited all four of Patagonia’s Torre Range peaks (Cerro Standhardt, Punta Herron, Torre Egger, and Cerro Torre). Priti Wright is currently the only female to summit all four of the Torres.
Three expeditions to Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountain range: one expedition to the Nangmah Valley (successful ascent of K6 West and K6 Central), and two expeditions to the Charakusa Valley (both unsuccessful in summiting an unclimbed peak). As featured in an article in the USA magazine Alpinist 84 “Seeing through the Mist”.
Summited 5-of-7 of the Patagonia’s Fitz Roy Range (missing Aguja Saint-Exupéry and Aguja Mermoz) over several expeditions
First Known Flight (paragliding) from the summit of the island of Kaua’i (Wai’ale’ale)
January 2022: Traversed from the summit of Cerro Standhardt to Punta Herron to Torre Egger
March-July 2020: The Six Classic North Faces of the Alps in a season (including the Eiger North Face in Winter)
February 2020: Cerro Torre Via dei Ragni, Patagonia (V, 90deg snow/ice, M4, 600m)
February 2019: Fitz Roy via Franco-Argentina, Patagonia (V, 55° 5.10 C1, 2100ft) – 9 days Seattle-to-Seattle Smash ‘n Grab
June 2018: Cassin Ridge, Denali, Alaska Range (Alaska Grade V, 5.8, AI4, 8000ft) – 10 days Seattle-to-Seattle Smash ‘n Grab
Yosemite: The six 50 Classics of the Valley (Nose-in-a-Day, Salathe-in-a-Push, Lost Arrow Chimney, Steck-Salathé, Original Route on Half Dome, Royal Arches, Middle Cathedral East Buttress); The Modern Trilogy (Astroman, Voyager, Rostram)
August 2019: All Along the Watchtower, North Howser Tower, Bugaboos (VI, 5.10/C2-, 3000ft)
August 2021: Mongo Ridge, West Fury, The North Cascades, Second Ascent (V, 5.10, 4,000ft)
August 2018: Southern Pickets Traverse, The North Cascades, 2nd ascent (VI, 5.10+, ca. 3 miles)
Five climbing trips to El Chaltén, Argentina, Patagonia; two to Chamonix, France (once for 6 months); four to Yosemite; one expedition to Pakistan; two climbing trips to the Alaska Range; four to the Bugaboos; one to Mount Waddington.
Summited Denali twice (West Buttress and Cassin Ridge)
Podcasts
American Alpine Club’s Cutting Edge Podcast
Climbing Gold: Anna Pfaff with Priti Wright
Clipping Chains: You Might Need a Sabbatical
Climbing Volunteering and Instruction
2015-2017: Head Instructors for BOEALPS (Boeing Employees Alpine Society) Basic Rock Class (BRC)
2014-present: Instructors for BOEALPS Alpine Climbing Class (ACC) and the Basic Rock Class (BRC)
Smash ‘n Grabs
Patagonia Traverse from Aguja Standhardt to Punta Herron to Torre Egger (11 days Seattle-to-Seattle)
Patagonia Fitz Roy (9 days Seattle-to-Seattle)
Denali’s Cassin Ridge (11 days Seattle-to-Seattle)
The Bugaboos’ All Along the Watchtower on North Howser Tower (4 days Seattle-to-Seattle)
Rock Climbing
Yes, we rock climb too! Priti is really good about ticking climbs on Mountain Project and 8a.nu.
Hardest Sport Redpoint: 5.12c in Greece
Hardest Trad redpoint: Crime of the Century (5.11c) in Squamish
Alpine and Multi-pitch Climbing Experience (Full CV)
2023
Expedition to Pakistan’s Charakusa Valley to attempt (unsuccessfully) an unclimbed peak (the same peak attempted in 2022), reaching higher than 6,500m before turning around due to icy conditions.
2022
Patagonia’s Torre Range Smash ‘n Grab (11 days Seattle-to-Seattle): Traverse from Aguja Standhardt to Punta Herron to Torre Egger, climbing the 13-pitch Festerville (5.11a) on Aguja Standhardt, the 5-pitch Spigolo dei Bimbi (5.10c) on Punta Herron, and the 3-pitch Espejo del Viento aka Huber-Schnarf (5.10b) on Torre Egger, plus 7 pitches total of rime/ice climbing on their summit mushrooms.
Expedition to Pakistan’s Charakusa Valley to attempt (unsuccessfully) an unclimbed peak, reaching higher than 6,500m before turning around due to weather.
2021
Leaning Tree (IV, WI3)
Mongo Ridge, West Fury, The North Cascades, Second Ascent (V, 5.10, 4,000ft)
Megaladon Ridge, Goode Mountain, Sixth Ascent (IV+, 5.10-, 4,000ft)
Dragons of Eden (IV, 5.10 C1, 700m)
Yosemite: Astroman, The Rostram, East Buttress of El Capitan, Serenity to Sons of Yesterday, Superslacker Highway, Center of the Universe
2020
K6 Central (7,155m) First Ascent and K6 West (7,140m) Third Ascent, Karakoram Range, Masherbrum Mountains, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan via West Face, Alpine Style (VI, 80deg snow/ice, 2000m) Alpinist, Rock&Ice, UKC; reported on in five print publications (the American Alpine Journal, Japan’s ROCK & SNOW magazine, Spain’s CampoBase, France’s Vertical, and the Italian Alpine Club magazine)
The Six Classic North Faces of the Alps:
- The Eiger North Face, 1938 Heckmair Route, The Eiger (TD, V, AI4, M5, 80deg, 1800m), Winter
- Allain-Leninger, Petit Dru (TD, VI+, 900m)
- Schmid Route, Matterhorn, aka Cervin (TD, V, AI4+, M5, 1100m)
- Walker Spur, Grandes Jorasses (ED, 6a, M4, 1800m)
- Comici-Dimai, Cima Grande di Lavaredo (TD+, V+/A1, 500m)
- Voie Cassin, Piz Badile (TD, 6a, 1400m)
Via dei Ragni, Cerro Torre (V, 90deg snow/ice, M4, 600m)
Anglo-Americana, Aguja Rafael Juárez (IV, 6c, 400m)
Whillans-Cochrane, Aguja Poincenot (IV, 5+, 70deg snow/ice, M4, 550m)
Cara Este, Mojon Rojo (III, 4, 30deg snow, 150m)
Cara Este, Cerro Solo (III, 3, 50deg snow/ice)
Kawaikini, high point of the island of Kaua’i (Kaua’i Grade 6 Shwack)
2019
All Along the Watchtower, North Howser Tower, Bugaboos (VI, 5.10/C2-, 3000ft)
Lost Arrow Chimney, Yosemite (IV, 5.10 A2, 1100ft)
Patagonia’s Fitz Roy Smash ‘n Grab (9 days Seattle-to-Seattle): Franco-Argentina, Fitz Roy, Patagonia (V, 55° 5.10 C1, 2100ft)
The Plum, Pemberton, Canada (III, WI5, 1000ft)
Amadeus, Canadian Rockies (WI4 M5)
2018
Southern Pickets Traverse, North Cascades, 2nd ascent (VI, 5.10+, ca. 3 miles)
Denali’s Cassin Ridge Smash ‘n Grab (10 days Seattle-to-Seattle): Alaska Grade V, 5.8, AI4, 8000ft (Uphill Athlete TR)
Salathé, El Capitan, Yosemite, 40hrs (VI, 5.9 C2, 3500ft)
Mount Rainier, Cascades (Gibraltar Ledges, Kautz, Liberty Ridge, Disappointment Cleaver)
Coyne Crack, Indian Creek (5.11d trad flash)
Crime of the Century, Squamish (5.11c trad)
2017
West Buttress, Denali, Alaska Range (Alaska Grade II, 12,500ft)
NIAD: The Nose in a Day, El Capitan, Yosemite (VI, 5.10 C1, 3000ft)
Regular NW Face, Half Dome, Yosemite (VI, 5.9 C1, 2200ft)
Before 2017
Ice Line Bling First Ascent, Dragontail Peak, Cascades (IV, WI5 M5, 800ft) 2017 AAJ
SE Chimney Mount Waddington, Coast Range (V, 5.7 AI3 M3+, 7500ft)
Innominata, Mont Blanc, Italian Alps (D+, 5.7 AI3 M3, 60+ deg snow/ice, 11,000ft)
Austríaca, Aguja de l’S, Fitz Roy Range (III, 5.10a 50deg snow/ice, 1100ft)
Comesaña-Fonrouge, Guillaumet, Fitz Roy Range (IV, 5.10d, 30deg snow/ice, 1300ft)
Torment–Forbidden Traverse, Cascades (IV, 5.6)
Beckey-Chouinard, South Howser Tower, Bugaboos (IV, 5.10,2000ft) car-to-car
Northeast Buttress, Slesse, Canada, car-to-car (V, 5.9, 2300ft)
North Ridge, Mount Stuart in a day, Cascades (IV, 5.9+, 2800ft)
The Eagle and Wicked Wanda, Canadian Rockies (WI5)
Links
- Mountain Project (Priti): https://www.mountainproject.com/u/priti-wright//108967941?action=ticks&
- Trip Reports: https://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/profile/36019-jeffreyw/?do=content&type=forums_topic&change_section=1
- Vimeo Videos: https://vimeo.com/user37304873
- YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PritiWright-AlpineVagabonds
Education
Jeff: B.S. Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, 2010, University of Florida
Priti: B.S. Computer Science, 2009, Florida State University
Print Publications
Alpinist 84 (USA) “Seeing through the Mist” – 8 pages
American Alpine Journal, 2016/2021/2022 (USA) – 8 pages
CampoBase (Spain) – 15 pages
ROCK&SNOW, 2020 Winter Issue #90 (Japan) – 2 pages
Vertical (France), “L’année Montagne 2020” Jan-Feb-Mar 2021 – 6 pages
Italian Alpine Club Magazine (Italy) 2021 and 2022
Versante Sud Magazine 2022
Online Appearances
UK:
UK Climbing – Natalie Berry
Japan:
USA:
Rock and Ice – Federico Bernardi
Alpinist – Derek Franz
Italy:
Sherpa – Federico Bernardi
Germany:
Adventure Mountain (1, 2) – Stefan Nestler
Poland:
wspinanie – Michał Gurgul
Spain:
Desnivel (1, 2) – Isaac Fernandez
Russia:
France:
Montagnes Magazine (1, 2) – Thomas Vennin
Other:
Explorers Web (1, 2, 3) – Angela Benavides
TV Appearances
Pakistan TV World (October 2020)
Argentine TV (no idea what is happening here, but they have the wrong summit)
8 Comments
Martin Knoll · February 6, 2021 at 7:43 pm
You have written one of the best accounts of climbing the Eiger Nordwand that I have read. The detail in the photos is truly amazing. I was wondering if you knew about Adolf (Adi) Mayr, an Austrian climber who was the first to try and solo the face in the summer of 1961. He fell to his death at the base of the waterfall chimney at the end of the traverse that gets you there. There is a point where you have to splay your left foot way out left and then the hands follow along quickly. When Mayr attempted this it was likely that the rocks were covered in thin ice. Each step of his final maneuvering were witnessed from the Scheidegg telescope. There is a memorial plaque at the base of the wall you may have seen as well.
Jeff Wright · April 8, 2021 at 4:48 am
Yes! We’ve read the White Spider and the accounts are horrifying! The whole book is absolutely gripping and stands the test of time.
Peter Christodoulo · May 30, 2021 at 3:52 pm
I love what you are doing. I am officially living vicariously through you and your adventures…
Bill Gates Pictures · August 11, 2022 at 6:33 am
It is not hard to summise when looking over the rest of your website comments that this is a subject which brings out many opinions about this subject. I suppose it is lovely to meet fellow opinionated people! Just one more thing I bookmarked this post to my FB faves.
Boreas van Nouhuys · September 10, 2022 at 6:56 am
My friend and I live on Kauai and we recently made it to Kawaikini. We relied heavily on your detailed description of the route and photos. They were invaluable. Thank you for posting them.
There have been some major changes sine you made the trip that can be very confusing for someone following your route. There is a new fence at the top of the ascent out of Koai’e canyon (where the ladder is). We thought we were at the spot where you first encountered the fence and so we followed your advice and “kept the fence on our right” but that took us in the wrong direction. The new fence runs roughly perpendicular to what you described as the “new (tall)” fence. We eventually got to that fence by following the new fence.
So the fence you described as new is no longer the newest fence up there. In fact it seems like they have been building a lot of fences. The fences that you described as “short” have been heightened. They added taller posts and plastic netting to extend them another 4 feet. They have also added new gates.
You’re welcome to email me if you want more information.
Rick Kollath · September 28, 2022 at 12:52 pm
Hello Jeff and Priti, I’m writing to thank you for your generous remarks regarding my (tiny) Eiger Heckmair route guide. Your credentials are astounding (I certainly didn’t climb the Nose IN A DAY, for example), so I’m really very flattered. Your post on the Eiger was very comprehensive and I enjoyed reading it very much. You picked a wise time of the year to climb it IMHO, but you had much tougher conditions than my partner Dean and I had: for our climb the icefields, for example, had lots of very firm snow (trickier for gear but fast to cross). Your conditions looked much thinner; lots of bare rock (for example, across the TOFG).
Anyhow, great job. You two are remarkable.
Jeff Wright · June 3, 2023 at 6:01 pm
Thank you! Your guide was very valuable!
Tony Svensson · February 12, 2024 at 6:38 pm
Jeff,
I’ve read with great pleasure your description of the Eiger Nordwand and would like to add to it. Turns out, in 1976, I had a summer internship at Montanwerke Brixlegg and there met the aging Hias Rebitsch who took me rock climbing (one day we met Peter Habeler at the instep to Rofan Ostwand and teamed up to the top). As is described in die Weisse Spinne, in 1937 Rebitsch and Vörg teamed up attempting to conquer the wall. As Hias explained to me, they left a traverse rope on the remaining crux of the wall that Harrer & Co used to complete their successful 1938 ascent. Bad weather forced them to stop (and I remember a picture of Hias changing socks in the Swallows Nest). After some 100 hours on the wall, they made it down and read their own obituaries in the paper. Thought you’d enjoy reading this… Tony