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#AlpinistCommunityProject Flashback: Anna Piunova
From October 16-22, 2016, Anna Piunova shared some stories and photos with the #AlpinistCommunityProject about some of her travels while working as the editor for Mountain.RU. Piunova recently helped coordinate a dramatic helicopter rescue for Alexander Gukov, who was stranded for a week at 6200 meters on the North Ridge of Latok I in Pakistan…
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Four climbs and one person to be recognized at 2018 Piolets d’Or in Ladek, Poland
Out of 58 climbs on the list of “significant ascents” in 2017, the Piolets d’Or committee has announced three climbs and two special mentions to be recognized at the upcoming 2018 award ceremony, which will be held outside of France–at the Ladek Mountain Festival in Poland–for the first time in the ceremony’s history. The event…
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La Sportiva TX4 Mid GTX boots: ‘Like walking on air’
The La Sportiva TX4 Mid boots are described by the company as an “access boot designed to excel in tricky, technical terrain.” Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz finds that the feather-light boots live up to that classification but are not ideal for weak or injured feet that need more support. Four stars.
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Alexander Gukov rescued from 6200m on Latok I by a helicopter longline operation
Alexander Gukov, 42, is safe after spending nearly a full seven days at 6200 meters stuck on the North Ridge of Latok I (7145m) in Pakistan. He was lifted from the mountain by a longline helicopter operation.
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Brittany Goris is the first woman to free climb historic Todd Skinner testpiece crack City Park
On July 10, Brittany Goris became the first woman and sixth person to free climb the storied first pitch of City Park, which has a reputation as one of the hardest trad lines in the state at 5.13c/d. Goris, 25, was also the third person to place all gear on lead.
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‘End of the Rope’: Courage and Humor on the Cliffs and on the Ground
Jan Redford’s new memoir, “End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage, and Motherhood,” takes the reader on her journey of rebelling against her family and society’s expectations, navigating relationships and loss on her own terms and pursuing the potential she knows she has despite obstacles. It’s the work of a vulnerable and hard-earned courage, open to…
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Andrzej Bargiel completes first ski descent from the summit of K2
On Sunday, July 22, Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel became the first person in history to climb and ski the behemoth K2 (8611m), located on the China/Pakistan border in the Karakoram Range.
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Responsibility is a Gift: OR trade show provides a glimpse of outdoor industry’s impacts and influence
As the Summer Outdoor Retailer trade show heats up in Denver, Emma Murray and Sara Aranda take a look back at the winter trade show that was held in January and some of the events since then to consider how the outdoor industry is addressing environmental, social and political issues.
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1939: The Eye of the Storm
In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 62, Julia Pulwicki translates Janusz Klarner’s account of the first ascent of Nanda Devi East in 1939 by Klarner’s Polish team. This essay is part of an extensive two-part feature by Pete Takeda that includes other essays by various authors as well as this one.
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Filling the Gap: NEMO’s three-person Chogori Mountaineering tent
Mike Lewis finds that the three-person Nemo Chogori Mountaineering tent provides a good in-between option between lightweight tents and expedition tents. The former don’t fare as well against the harsh conditions typically found high on a mountain, and the latter are too bulky and heavy to be ideal for fast-and-light missions. The Nemo Chogori filled…
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American Alpine Club to host the UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup competition in Denver
The American Alpine Club is hosting the UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) World Cup Ice Climbing competition at Colorado’s Denver Civic Center Park on February 23-24. This will be the first time the competition has come to Denver. The event will be free to the public.
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Sentinels of the Alpine
Katherine Indermaur considers her connection to alpine environments and the history represented by the lodgepole pine.
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To Look the Bear in the Eye; The Life of Yasushi Yamanoi
In this story from Alpinist 62, Sartaj Ghuman chronicles the adventures of Yasushi Yamanoi. At 53 years old, Yamanoi has survived multiple epics in the mountains. He remains a talented climber despite lost fingers and toes, broken teeth and bones and other severe injuries. He is on the long list for the 2018 Piolets d’Or…
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Full Circle: how and why Sunny Stroeer became the first woman (and third person) to finish Aconcagua’s 360 Route in a solo push
Sunny Stroeer became the first woman (and third person) to complete Aconcagua’s 360 Route in a solo push last February. For this story, Emma Murray asked Stroeer how she went from being a student who rarely ventured outside town–even when Stroeer lived in Switzerland’s “outdoor capital of the world”–to an ambitious outdoor athlete, and what…
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A dusty box of golden memories: photos from the life of Kim Schmitz (1946-2016)
Savannah Cummins befriended the legendary alpinist Kim Schmitz in recent years when they were living in Jackson, Wyoming. Schmitz gave Cummins a box of old photos shortly before he died in a one-car accident in September 2016 at age 70. Rick Ridgeway, John Roskelley and Jack Tackle assisted in identifying some of the images, and…
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Spacious and multi-use: the Patagonia Cragsmith 45
The Cragsmith 45 is Patagonia’s largest backpack, which the company refers to as the “gear dumpster.” Chris Van Leuven has been lugging it around for several months and enjoys the pack’s durability, convenient loading options and how well it encapsulates just about anything he wants, from clothes and a sleeping bag to ice tools, in…
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Four other speed records made on El Capitan in May and June while Honnold and Caldwell were lapping the Nose
More El Capitan speed records have been set since May 5 when Brandon Adams and Roger Putnam climbed the Shield in 8 hours, 55 minutes; Josie McKee and Diana Wendt set a female speed record on the Salathe, climbing the route in 16:24 on June 1; David Allfrey set the solo record of 10:52:50 on…
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Astorga and Chase complete first female ascent of Denali’s Slovak Direct
Chantel Astorga and Anne Gilbert Chase made what is likely the first female ascent, and only the ninth ascent overall, of the Slovak Direct (5.9 X M6 WI6+, 9,000′) on Denali (20,310′). They summited June 5 after starting the climb June 2.
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Black Diamond Vision Harness: light, comfortable and versatile
Black Diamond describes the new Vision Harness as an ultralight alpine harness that is “the lightest fully functional harness we’ve ever made.” Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz put the claim to the test and was fairly satisfied with the results, awarding it four stars.
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Adventures on the Turtle’s Back
In this story from Alpinist 62, “Adventures on the Turtle’s Back,” Joe Whittle, an enrolled tribal member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma and a descendent of the Delaware Nation, spends time in canyons and mountains that Indigenous people call home. Kanim Moses-Conner, Bobby Fossek, Len Necefer, Mia Ritter-Whittle and Brosnan Spencer join him on…
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After their fatal fall on El Capitan, Tim Klein and Jason Wells are remembered for their kindness and joy
After the two fell to their deaths in a mysterious accident while climbing fast and light on El Capitan June 2, friends remember Tim Klein and Jason Wells as talented, compassionate family men.
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Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold speed up the Nose in 1:58:07
After steadily improving their time on each speed ascent over the past several weeks, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold have achieved their goal of climbing El Capitan’s Nose in under two hours–1 hour, 58 minutes, 7 seconds, to be exact.
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#AlpinistCommunityProject Flashback: Krystle Wright
From October 30 through November 5, 2016, Krystle Wright shared some stories and photos with the #AlpinistCommunityProject about paragliding in Pakistan. She is an adventure photographer from Australia who considers the open road her home. Her photo essay “In Perpetual Motion”–in which she explores “the void and the unspoken”–is featured in Alpinist 62.
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