“All they did on the Dru was to suffer a bit to raise their media profile”.One magazine editor´s view of Parnell and Kirkpatrick´s efforts on the Lafaille Route last winter.And Parnell is at it again!Selling his soul along with Kenton Cool on the 8,000ft SW face of Denali. The pair have just made the second ascent of ´The Denali Diamond´, which was unrepeated since 1983.After first flailing on Mt Foraker, “a cold, dry winter had left snow as bottomless ball bearings..the continuous sunshine of April and May melted out most usable ice”, they moved on to Denali.The first ascent had taken 17 days, Parnell and Cool fired it in 5, opting for the lightweight approach and climbing at night (sleep in the daytime and you only need a 1 season bag – get it!)Despite the forecast changing and constant snowfall for 4 days, broken tent poles and a dropped axe just before the crux, they used just 1 rest point and 1 tension point on the route to bypass the previously …
