Unclimbable peaks

[Scott P]

balls pyramid has been climbed and fits the profile, i think people just arent motivated to do these dangerous pointless climbs, not so much "impossible"

Ball Pyramid has been climbed several times even though it is much harder to get to. It isn’t covered in jungle that is extremely difficult to fight through on flat ground, let alone vertical. I haven't been to Balls Pyramid so can't say, but the rock in French Polynesia is always slimy and anything not covered in jungle is covered in something that feels like snot and wouldn't take protection.

I think most (or all?) climbers who have been there would consider the climbs to be impossible or close to it.

I'm not a great climber but the two peaks I have done there are by far the scariest I have done even though they had fixed lines. The fixed lines were put in there by driling deep stakes into the "rock" and fixing boating lines to them. I climbed the only two peaks considered to be "climbable" on Moorea (it was still terrifying) and wouldn't touch anything else.

I'd rather stand at the base of the Eiger Nordwand during an earthquake than to climb anything else there. Those peaks are cool to look at though. I can see how someone would want to attempt something like the North Face of Uncompahgre, the Hummingbird Ridge on Logan, the North Face of Jannu, or the Buena Suerte route on Jirishanca but I can't picture how anyone could climb the snot glazed needles of non-rock in French Polynesia. Other than possibly Tohivea none of those peaks have been climbed despite being minutes from an international airport. Any climbers who have tried were killed.

I have climbed a lot of similar looking peaks in places like the Caribbean or Madeira but I've never seen anything like the "rock" in French Polynesia. The "rock" (asduming you canget to it under the vegetation) feels like slimy mushrooms and is not any more solid.

Anyway, if there are any impossible peaks out there they would be in places like the South Pacific rather than Patagonia, Peru, Himalayas, Karakoram, or the polar regions.

[cedica]

It is worth mentioning another subcategory to OP's Type 1: access allowed to male climbers only.

[Eli Boardman]

It is worth mentioning another subcategory to OP's Type 1: access allowed to male climbers only.

??? Example? Or is there some context I'm missing?

[Scott P]

It is worth mentioning another subcategory to OP's Type 1: access allowed to male climbers only.

??? Example? Or is there some context I'm missing?

There are quite a few of them. Mount Athos in Greece is probably the most famous one.

[supranihilest]

balls pyramid has been climbed and fits the profile, i think people just arent motivated to do these dangerous pointless climbs, not so much "impossible"

That's how I feel about calling something "unclimbable" because it's on private property and you're worried about getting lead in your ass. A bunch of 7,000-foot lumps on reservation land, ranches with aggressive landowners, etc., aren't unclimbable, they're just not worth climbing. Big difference. Ditto for religious closures, mountains open only to men, etc.

[Monster5]

My initial reaction to this statement was somewhat adverse, but I think it accurate. For example, I have climbed peaks on Navajo land, notably Shiprock, that were "worth it," whereas some of the reservation peaks in CO do not seem lead-in-ass or even rock-through-window worthy.

That's how I feel about calling something "unclimbable" because it's on private property and you're worried about getting lead in your ass. A bunch of 7,000-foot lumps on reservation land, ranches with aggressive landowners, etc., aren't unclimbable, they're just not worth climbing. Big difference. Ditto for religious closures, mountains open only to men, etc.

[Eli Boardman]

balls pyramid has been climbed and fits the profile, i think people just arent motivated to do these dangerous pointless climbs, not so much "impossible"

That's how I feel about calling something "unclimbable" because it's on private property and you're worried about getting lead in your ass. A bunch of 7,000-foot lumps on reservation land, ranches with aggressive landowners, etc., aren't unclimbable, they're just not worth climbing. Big difference. Ditto for religious closures, mountains open only to men, etc.

But with peaks in highly monitored areas, i.e. Area 51, it does seem like they are probably "unclimbable" in the sense that even if you were willing to risk your life for it, you would probably be apprehended and/or shot before you reached the summit.

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Going back to my OP, I'm also still curious about my "category 2" peaks, i.e. unstable summits. Does anyone know of mud or cornice summits that might be unclimbable due to imminent collapse?

[Monster5]

When this topic first came up, my initial thoughts were to Zion and an old Nat Geo article on climbing (more so attempting) in South China's karstic limestone areas.

Zion: major sandstone bigwalls with approaches down complex and deep canyons. There have been a number of pioneers slowly ticking off some of the unclimbed peaks, mostly by siege tactic, intense scouting, and a wide array of skills. Some of the remaining unclimbed summits would involve hauling gear down technical canyons over multiple trips, and establishing big wall climbs with hand drilling in remote and hostile areas where retreat and relaxation are not viable. Unsupported staging would be reminiscent of mid-20th century climbs with food measured in dozens of pounds. These are not "unclimbable" in the strictest sense, but highly complicated with a level of support/ staging/ effort difficult to achieve.

South China: the article discussed razor sharp mazes of limestone edge that made the approaches just insanely difficult on mind, body, and gear. Once through the meat grinder, vertical hot and muggy jungle on suspect rock. Again, not unclimbable, just significant effort.

I agree a combination of geology, humidity, and environment are what truly render peaks "unclimbable," and typically volcanic breccias or tuffs, high humidity, and high tropics are more difficult than conventional modern difficulties of rock, ice, glacier, altitude, and cold. There are modern machines that could do grouted rock bolts, hilti bolts, and vertical access, but this would require a level of financial sponsorship and support that lends question to the concept of "climbing."

[supranihilest]

My initial reaction to this statement was somewhat adverse, but I think it accurate. For example, I have climbed peaks on Navajo land, notably Shiprock, that were "worth it," whereas some of the reservation peaks in CO do not seem lead-in-ass or even rock-through-window worthy.

That's how I feel about calling something "unclimbable" because it's on private property and you're worried about getting lead in your ass. A bunch of 7,000-foot lumps on reservation land, ranches with aggressive landowners, etc., aren't unclimbable, they're just not worth climbing. Big difference. Ditto for religious closures, mountains open only to men, etc.

For sure, and even I'd like to climb Shiprock, Agathla, etc. since they seem worth it. Let me rephrase my post...

balls pyramid has been climbed and fits the profile, i think people just arent motivated to do these dangerous pointless climbs, not so much "impossible"

That's how I feel about calling something "unclimbable" because it's on private property and you're worried about getting lead in your ass. A bunch of 7,000-foot lumps on reservation land, ranches with aggressive landowners, etc., aren't unclimbable, they're just not worth climbing. Big difference. Ditto for religious closures, mountains open only to men, etc.

But with peaks in highly monitored areas, i.e. Area 51, it does seem like they are probably "unclimbable" in the sense that even if you were willing to risk your life for it, you would probably be apprehended and/or shot before you reached the summit.

It's not the arbitrary rules and laws of man that make a peak unclimbable, it's the hardcoded rules and laws of nature and physics that make a peak unclimbable. If Area 51 became open to the public, would those peaks become climbable? Were they ever really unclimbable then? Obviously not.