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C.A.M.P. Cassin X-All Mountain: Light, Aggressive and Home-Depot Orange
There are only so many ways of describing an ice tool. Attributes worth discussing are shaft clearance, pick angle and spike pointy-ness–the X-All Mountain excels at all of them. But in reality, biomechanics have a lot to do with matching a user to their perfect tool. And the X-All Mountain feels like a custom tool…
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Exploring The Alps
It is more intuitive to pursue “the new” in remote and unexplored mountains, as opposed to a well-known range. “It is often difficult to be alone in the Alps,” Barmasse writes, citing the proliferation of guided climbing, staffed huts and ski lifts that bring vacationers to nearly all peaks. Barmasse wanted to experience the “authentic…
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Exploring The Alps – Mont Blanc
The second ascent of Barmasse’s project was a new route on Mont Blanc, established with Basque brothers Iker and Eneko Pou, with which Barmasse wanted to “point out the great value of a roped party and the pleasure of sharing mountaineering with friends.”
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Exploring the Alps – Matterhorn
On March 8, 2011, Herve Barmasse began the first installment of his project–a new, solo route up the south face of Picco Muzio, a subpeak on the Furggen Ridge of the Matterhorn. His chosen line, a 700-meter overhanging pillar, had never been explored before, though many other routes cover the face. After two days of…
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Exploring The Alps – Monte Rosa
On September 30, 2011, Italian climbers Marco and Herve Barmasse, a father and son from Northern Italy, established a new route on the southeast face of Signalkuppe (4554m), a peak in the Monte Rosa massif. The 800-m route (ED) signifies the end of Herve Barmasse’s “Exploring the Alps” project, in which he put up new…
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Grivel Monte Bianco: The Pleasure of Wood
With it’s classic design, neutral angle blade and abnormally large spike, it seems as though this axe was well designed for meandering through low-angle snowfields thinking about the late greats and golden ages – but nothing more.
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Ice Revolution
My main climbing partners were John Bragg, John Bouchard and Henry Barber…” Rick Wilcox narrates the ice climbing revolution of the Northeast in the 1960s and 1970s. Created by Sarah Garlick and Jim Surette.
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Trip Report: New Mixed Route in Glacier NP
Not far into the long ski up to the cirque, over exertion and no sleep left Justin violently ill, and he opted to bail. Between dry heaves, he gave us the gear and showed the grit we know him for by shouting encouragement as he carried his skis back down the icy switchbacks…
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Ibex Shak Lite FZ Sport: Frontcountry Function
What started as a gift from a client that I planned only to wear out of courtesy, inadvertently became my go-to layer for climbing, skiing and traveling. If my house were on fire, my Shak jacket is one of the items I would grab on my way out.
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2012 Smuggs’ Ice Bash
In late January the Vermont ice climbing community gathers for its social event of the year, the Smugglers’ Notch Ice Bash, organized by Sunrise Adventure Sports. The Alpinist staff teamed up with our neighbors at Climberism to put together this video of the 2012 Smuggs’ Ice Bash. (Props to Ray Kania for editing this on…
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Grosvenor Sees Third Ascent
First light revealed our next challenge; an eight-inch strip of ice transecting the rock band above. We packed up, and I started climbing. A few delicate tool placements and some dry tooling allowed access to the more moderate slope above. Shortly after Jeff began to simulclimb with me, I found myself at another intimidating challenge,…
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Jon Griffith and Ueli Steck on Les Drus
Jon Griffith and Ueli Steck make the first free and one day winter ascent of the Lesueur Route on Les Drus.
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