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Threshold Shift
Nick Bullock recounts his first ascent of the North Buttress of Nyainqentanglha Southeast in Tibet with Paul Ramsden in 2016, and his subsequent return from Tibet to England to help his aging father. Back home, Bullock confronts the death of his mother, the loss of climbing friends and the uncertainties of Brexit. This story first…
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A worthy three-season boot: La Sportiva Trango Tower GTX
Photographer Jeremy Joseph used the La Sportiva Trango Tower GTX boots for miles of hiking to access the most scenic locations in Colorado’s fourteeners. He was mostly happy with the boots’ performance, and he awarded them four stars.
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Alpinist story by Nick Bullock named best ‘Mountaineering Article’ at Banff
Alpinist contributor Nick Bullock was recently named the winner of Banff Mountain Book Awards’ “Mountaineering Article” category for his story, “Threshold Shift,” which appeared in Alpinist 57.
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Hayden Kennedy and Inge Perkins remembered
Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz recounts memories of the lives of his friends Hayden Kennedy and Inge Perkins after their recent deaths in Montana.
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Light Before Wisdom: The East Face of Cerro Kishtwar
“Light Before Wisdom”: In this article from Alpinist 54, Hayden Kennedy shared moments of laughter and uncertainty from his 2015 ascent of the east face of Cerro Kishtwar with Marko Prezelj, Urban Novak and Manu Pellissier.
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A Mysterious Lonely Path: The Life of Francek Knez
On October 6, Slovenian alpinist Francek Knez passed away. During the course of his lifetime, Knez completed over 5,000 international climbs, including the first ascent of Hell’s Direttissima on the east face of Cerro Torre. Bernadette McDonald profiled the visionary and reclusive mountaineer in Alpinist 52: “He seemed to draw energy from the natural landscape,…
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Jesse Huey and Maury Birdwell free ‘Original Sin’ (V 5.12+, 1,800′) on Wyoming’s Mt. Hooker
On August 10-21, Jesse Huey and Maury Birdwell free climbed Original Sin (V 5.12+, 1,800′) on the north face of Mt. Hooker in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. Their line mostly follows the 1964 Royal Robbins route, which was the country’s first Grade VI climb outside of Yosemite. Huey and Birdwell climbed the crux pitch with…
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The Changing Faces of the Outdoors
As she recalls her own experiences as a woman of color who enjoys the outdoors, Teresa Baker interviews members of various organizations who strive to help a wider range of people experience the mountains, forests and cliffs–not just the typical faces most often seen in media and ad campaigns. “By coming together to create a…
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Second, larger rockfall on El Capitan injures another person after first event resulted in one death and one injury
On September 27, one person was killed and one injured after major rockfall occurred on the eastern flank of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Yesterday afternoon, even more massive rockfall rained down from Yosemite’s El Capitan, injuring another person. The events happened on and around the Waterfall Route, which is between the popular routes…
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One killed and one injured after a series of rockfalls on El Capitan’s Waterfall Route
One person was killed and one injured after a massive rockfall occurred on the eastern flank of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park yesterday afternoon. The event happened on or near the Waterfall Route, which is between the popular routes Zodiac and the East Buttress. Three climbers, including Peter “Pass the Pitons Pete” Zabrok, had…
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Alpinist contributor Nick Bullock selected as a Banff finalist
Alpinist contributor Nick Bullock has been selected as a finalist for this year’s Mountaineering Article Award by The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival.
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Cole Taylor solos the second ascent of the North Pillar on Devils Thumb
This summer Cole Taylor made the second ascent of the North Pillar on Devils Thumb (Taalkhunaxhk’u Shaa) 40 years after its first ascent, entirely solo and self-supported after sailing from Washington to the toe of the Baird Glacier in Thomas Bay, Alaska. He completed his expedition in nine days and did not get a rest…
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Contraindications
In this story from Alpinist 59, Alison Criscitiello recalls her friendship with the late Anna Smith, a climber who sought a life of spontaneity and freedom in wild places.
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BASU eAlarm: A versatile device in bear country
Clint Helander lives, works and climbs in Alaska, where the risk of bear encounters is a regular hazard. He tested the BASU eAlarm and found it to be a versatile and helpful device.
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Unclimbed Nepal: The Explorations of Paulo Grobel
In this guest feature from the American Alpine Journal, French guide Paulo Grobel reports on his explorations of Nepal’s Damodar Himal, north of the Annapurna group, and the first ascent of a subpeak of Himlung Himal, a popular 7,000er north of Manaslu. This story provides a sneak-peak from the 2018 AAJ.
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Interior Secretary’s review recommends shrinking at least four national monuments including Bears Ears
The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal obtained a copy of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s much-anticipated final review of 27 national monuments in which the Secretary recommends reductions to four national monuments: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante (Utah), Gold Butte (Nevada) and Cascade-Siskiyou (Oregon).
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Three parties establish three new routes on Xanadu’s west face
The central west face of Xanadu in Alaska’s Arrigetch Peaks was untouched until this year when three parties established three routes in July and August. The first route to go in was a 5.13+ done by Zeb Engberg, David Bain, Gabe Boning and Billy Braasch, the second was an A4 aid route put up by…
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Inaccessible (1853-1917)
Henry Duhamel was an influential figure in the early exploration of la Meije, one of the last, great unclimbed Alps in the Massif des Ecrins in France. This essay by former Vertical editor Claude Gardien–part of Erin Smart’s Mountain Profile in Alpinist 59–recounts Duhamel’s rich life as an inventor and explorer who never quite attained…
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New route attempt in Alaska’s Revelations ends with a rescue and a near miss
Chris Thomas and Rick Vance received a 2017 Mugs Stump Award to attempt the unclimbed north face of Jezebel in Alaska’s Revelation Mountains this past spring. The trip went according to plan–until it didn’t, and the two climbers found themselves suddenly involved in a rescue beneath dangerous seracs.
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The Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT: A well-designed expedition shelter
Mary Harlan, an AMGA-trained rock, ice, snow and ski guide, compares the new Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT to the Hilleberg design she used on Denali in 2012. She and her husband stayed comfortable in the tent on a spring backcountry ski trip but would have liked to have had more interior pockets. Four stars.
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The Accidental Mountaineer
As a single mom living in California, Ana Beatriz Cholo never imagined she would become a mountaineer. But she began climbing peaks in her state, and she eventually earned a spot on a Denali climbing team organized for female military veterans like her. Cholo shares how the experience helped her in this Climbing Life Story…
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Alabamans ‘Marooned at Midnight’ for first ascent of an unclimbed wall on Baffin Island
Two Alabamans, Ryan Little, 26, and Sam England, 30, received an American Alpine Club Live Your Dream Grant to attempt the unclimbed Chinese Wall in Baffin Island’s famous Sam Ford Fjord this past August–but the sea ice hadn’t broken up enough to allow boat access, as they’d planned. With no time to spare, they shifted…
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Patagonia Nano-Air Light Hoody: Versatile and breathable
Alpinist contributor Whitney Clark tests the durability, warmth and water-resistance of the Patagonia Nano-Air Light Hoody. It did its job but she longed for a built-in stuff sack that would have allowed her to clip it to her harness. Four stars.
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Through local stewardship and civic engagement, climbers protect places for all
Land managers and climbers have been known to have conflicting interests at times, but local climbing coalitions across the country—such as the Bay Area Climbers Coalition and Salt Lake Climber Alliance, among others—have helped organize climbers into a group of allies who can make a great difference when it comes to advocating for public land,…
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