-
Speed, age barriers broken on Tetons’ Grand Traverse
On August 16, Nick Elson set a new speed record for the Grand Traverse in Wyoming’s Teton Range: 6 hours, 30 minutes, 49 seconds. Earlier this month, Lee Sheftel may have become the oldest to complete the traverse.
-
Sticking Needles in the Haystack
In 1969, at the age of 18, Jeff Lowe climbs “like a light-footed wolf” on Haystack Mountain.
-
Extra Left Klettershoe
After climbing classics every day,” Doug Robinson recalls, “it was easy to assume that the great lines had all been snatched up. Our steps turned homeward, with lingering views of the great Cirque vanishing over Warbonnet’s shoulder. One last wall, Sundance Pinnacle, hesitated our footfall.” In this essay, Robinson recalls his first, first ascent in…
-
Wyoming’s Range of Light
Royal Robbins recounts a sojourn to the Winds in 1964: “Two things that you don’t usually find in the Sierra, but that you can expect in the Wind Rivers, are a thick population of mosquitoes and bad weather in the summer. Also, in certain areas you may encounter enormous herds of sheep.”
-
Alpinist 55 Mountain Profile Essays | Wind River Range
Read all seven essays by Royal Robbins, Doug Robinson, Jeff Lowe, Raymond G. Jacquot, Sibylle Hechtel, Joe Kelsey and Dick Dorworth from the Mountain Profile of the Wind River Range. –Ed.
-
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 4 shelter: a lightweight, versatile and rugged pyramid tent
Reviewer Drew Thayer notes, “The Ultamid 4 is currently the lightest option for a spacious, four-person shelter that can adapt to just about any conditions…. It’s a great shelter for backcountry pursuits where versatility and light weight are necessary. And it’s made right here in the USA.”
-
Mammut Belay Chain: Strong Personal Tether for Anchoring
Climber and guidebook author Stewart M. Green reviews the Mammut Belay Chain: “Unlike the personal anchor systems made by Metolius, Sterling and Black Diamond that use six links of the same size, the Mammut chain links are of two different sizes. The first three links are 11 inches long, and the last three links are…
-
Typologies of Silence
In “Typologies of Silence,” the Sharp End article for Alpinist 55, Editor-in-chief Katie Ives discusses some of the muted stories in accounts of early American mountaineering–as well as the efforts to create a more inclusive history today.
-
Between the Earth and the Sky
For our Climbing Life department in Alpinist 55, high school student Kai Lightner writes about his first multipitch traditional climb on Stone Mountain, with Yosemite pioneer Doug Robinson. For more, wide-ranging stories from our print magazine contributors, pick up a copy of Alpinist 55.
-
Poetry Feature: Three Poems by David Wilson
“Tell me again about being single-minded, / about couloirs bulging with fat blue ice / and dawn arriving high in the Alps; / how a slope exists at a perfect angle / where it all might kick in again.” Read three poems from David Wilson.
-
Home: an Index
“There is glacial power in language, in naming things. I am here because my mother gave me a vocabulary for motion,” poet Devi Lockwood writes about her experiences growing up as the daughter of a mountaineer–in this essay for Alpinist 55. Subscribe today or preorder at the Alpinist.com store.
-
Trango Piranha Knife: Sharp, Low Profile and Opens Bottles
As a guide, I’m often asked what I carry on my harness. In addition to standard climbing hardware, plus prussic cords, a Tibloc, and a Micro-Traxion for glacier travel, I carry a knife. Once my clients see the knife, they often reference Joe Simpson’s classic mountaineering epic, Touching the Void. Unlike the moment of decision…
-
Local Hero: Clint Helander on Mark Westman
Why Mark Westman should be famous (A postscript to Alpinist 19). May’s everlasting sun hovered in a low, lateral arc over the Alaska Range, bathing the massive peaks in fiery light. Waves of clouds washed up the Kahiltna Glacier and flooded the lower mountains in an ever-darkening fog.
-
Brooks-Range Drift 15 Down Sleeping Bag: Lightweight, Water-Resistant
The insulation in the Brooks Range Drift 15 sleeping bag is treated with DownTek, a down coating that prevents the feathers from absorbing water. Since water rolls off the down, the feathers stay light and fluffy–keeping you warm. Unlike synthetic sleeping bags, which are typically bulkier and heavier than down, treated down sleeping bags offer…
Home »