From November 23 to 29 Drew Smith shared his photos and video on our social media pages as part of the Alpinist Community project. Smith has established new routes in El Chalten, Argentine Patagonia; Cochamo, Chilean Patagonia; and in Sequoia National Park, California. His image of Dolgio Nergui on the first ascent, with Dan Hughes, of Painted Veil (WI5-, 70m), Ouray, Colorado is a two-page spread in our latest issue.
Smith calls his collection “Chasing the Dream.”
Josie McKee climbs ahead of me on our 38-hour car-to-car ascent of the Evolution Traverse, (5.8, 12,000′, Croft), Central Sierra Nevada, California. Both of us had just got done working an 18-day stint fighting fires, and needed a sufferfest. Going car to car on the Evolution is brutal, but it’s by far the longest stretch of quality granite I’ve ever been on.
Jack Cramer makes his way up an ice-filled squeeze chimney during the first ascent of La Piqueta Voladora (M4 75 degrees, 230m, Cramer-Smith, 2014), East Face of El Tridente, Argentine Patagonia. We named the route La Piqueta Voladora (The Flying Axe) because we were so unprepared that at one point Jack had to throw a tool to me so I could follow a pitch.
Two of the reasons I continue to live this lifestyle are the happiness and love I find in the climbing community
Tucker Cunningham follows sketchy, crumbling 5.8 on the Hotlum Glacier route (Steck-Tripp, 1963) at 13,000 feet on Mt. Shasta (14,180′), California.
The Prow (5.8 C2F, 1,200′, Denny-Robbins, 1969) on Washington Column was my first big wall climb. Here, Amanda Fenn and Trish McGuire look up from the portaledge in early morning light, before we bailed.
After a trip to Patagonia, in which I encountered more snow and ice than rock, I decided to put in a winter in and around Ouray. Here, Toby Grohne shows me how it’s done on Bridalveil Falls (WI5/M6, Lowe-Weiss, 1973), in Telluride, Colorado.
Chance Traub and I spent two months in Cochamo Valley, Chilean Patagonia. Over six weeks of climbing, cleaning and clearing trails, we established a 1000-meter 5.12 up a previously unclimbed wall we named Positive Affect in honor of Chance’s late wife, Jen Dinaburg. Jen recently passed away from cancer. It felt as though Jen kept the skies clear and guided us upward the entire way.
To learn more about Drew Smith, check out his blog and follow him on Instagram.