-
The Book
So, I have this journal. OK, it’s more like a diary, containing all the things that a little girl’s diary might have: romances and crushes, heartaches, and the occasional “I hate that bitch!” I’ve filled it with days of shopping for shoes and the latest fashion trends. I’ve described dream vacations I wanted to take…
-
Exclusive: Arwa Tower
The video expose documenting the first ascent of Arwa Tower’s northeast face (VI M5 5.9 A3), Garhwal Himalaya, India. An Alpinist TV exclusive.
-
FiveTen Camp 4 Approach Shoes: Sturdy and Steadfast
My go-to approach shoe for three years has been the La Sportiva Exum Ridge. Sturdy yet nimble, stealthy enough for talus-hopping but rugged enough to endure all the missteps that result in abrasion, the shoe has held tough for me through three summers in the Tetons without blowing out or debilating the tread. It’s a…
-
Omega Pacific Link Cams: Transformers to the Rescue!
More than any piece of rock gear I’ve seen advertised over the past few years, I wanted to hate these Omega Pacific Link Cams. All those moving parts and the inevitable dumbing-down of racking-up brought out the Luddite in me. And the cost–about $100 a pop–seemed prohibitive, and the weight…
-
MSR 22″ Lightning Ascent Snowshoes: Strong Like Bull
Let’s begin with an understanding. If given the choice either to snowshoe or ski on an approach, I am going to pick skis every time. When guiding on Denali, however, I find that the combination of people’s varied ski skills, and the fact that we are schlepping huge loads up the Kahiltna Glacier, makes snowshoes…
-
Black Diamond C3 Camalots: Four-Season Approval
I was looking forward to getting a set of Black Diamond’s new C3 cams since I first saw the prototypes, and when I did, they were everything I expected them to be. They’ve been on my rack for a year now, and have been put to the test in just about every condition imaginable. From…
-
Mountain Hardwear Silcox 3/4 Pant: A Cragging Special
Mountain Hardwear has come out with a new 3/4 pant, the Silcox. This pant is made from eighty-five percent nylon and fifteen percent elastane and–when combined with articulated knees and a full-length gusset–has four-way stretch that is ideal for climbing, running, and… well, stretching. I sampled a size medium with a 23 1/2″ inseam, and…
-
Therm-a-Rest Prolite 4: You’ll Want to Carry It
I used the cushy Therm-a-Rest Prolite 4 this summer in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, where I was guiding Gannett Peak for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. I cannot say that this was my first Therm-a-Rest experience; I have owned many over the years. But the Prolite 4, the four-season model in Therm-a-Rest’s Fast and…
-
Osprey Talon 44 Backpack: A Lightweight, Durable Choice
Weighing in at 1.11 kg, the Osprey Talon 44 is one of the lightest packs for its size on the market. While I welcome any opportunity to lighten my load, I wondered if this svelte pack, when filled with ropes and cams, could hold up to being sat on and thrown on to rocks.
-
Petzl Luna Harness: Everything a Woman Wants
In the midst of searching for the right lightweight alpine harness for this season, Alpinist’s call to review the Petzl Luna couldn’t have come at a better time. Out of the slick mesh bag it comes packed in, my first critical look quickly revealed that the harness had the features I desired: lightweight and compact;…
-
Mountain Hardware Chockstone Jersey: The All-Rounder
Since I first put on the Mountain Hardwear Chockstone Jersey to guide in the Tetons five weeks ago, it hasn’t left my sight. I traveled to Chile last week to heli-ski guide and, amazingly–summer or winter–this jersey was always comfortable and left my core at just the right temperature. And at nine ounces, it’s so…
-
FiveTen VMile: A Truly Comfortable Enduro-shoe
I hate tight rock shoes. Don’t get me wrong–I realize the need for a precise, tight fit, though after nineteen pitches and almost eight hours, I will take comfort over anything else. My partner and I were nearing the top of Mt. Stuart’s classic north ridge when I realized something remarkable: my feet were totally…
-
1931 Exum Ridge Video
Watch the ten-minute video that documents the third ascent of the Grand Teton’s Exum Ridge, and read the story of George Waters, the photographer and climber who captured the footage–one of the first video accounts of such a committing peak–in 1931.
-
Security Life
Facing old age, three older climbers reminisce with flashbacks, hallucinations and dreams of their more youthful days exploring the American West.
Home »