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The Italian face of Mont Blanc, showing, from left to right, Brouillard Ridge Integral (Cosson-Henry-Salluard-Zappelli, 1973); the Innominata Integral (Gugliermina-Gugliermina-Proment-Ravelli, 1921). [Photo] Mario Colonel

Walter Bonatti: Citizen of Mont Blanc

In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 69–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Claude Gardien recounts Walter Bonatti’s checkered relationship with Mont Blanc. Gardien writes: “Again and again, on mountains around the world, he’d lived through the hell of alpinists, when the elements unleash and everything becomes suffering, tragedy, grief. On Mont Blanc, he’d also known a few moments of ineffable beauty–as if he’d encountered that formidable privilege, as the writer Georges Sonnier suggested, of ‘contemplating the eye of the god.'”

Zoe Burns sending Laundry (V2) on her home wall in Basalt, Colorado. Scientists are encouraging climbers to refrain from climbing popular outdoor routes because the coronavirus can remain infectious on a variety of surfaces, including rock, for significant periods of time. [Photo] Cam Burns

Climbing rock–yes, touching real rock–can potentially spread the coronavirus

Virologists agree that COVID-19 can remain infectious on rock, and that climbers who touch common holds on the stone–or any surfaces–have an increased risk of contracting the coronavirus. “If someone carrying COVID-19 touched rock–or coughed or sneezed on it–there’s clear evidence suggesting that, yes, COVID-19 may be contracted via contaminated rock or plastic,” said Levi Yant, an associate professor of evolutionary genomics at the University of Nottingham (UK) and a climber. Given that the virus is known to last the longest not just on plastic, but also steel, climbers should also be mindful when considering routes that have fixed hardware, including bolts, quickdraws and/or steel chain or permadraws.

Ugo di Vallepiana on the first ascent, with Paul Preuss, of Pic Gamba on the Peuterey Ridge in 1913. [Photo] Paul Preuss / Courtesy David Smart

1912-1913: Paul Preuss

In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 69–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–David Smart recounts the bold endeavors of Paul Preuss to complete the longest ridge traverse in the Alps, and his final season of climbing in 1913.

Ines Papert at the Glacier des Pelerins in front of the slopes of Mont Blanc during her attempt at a historical reenactment of Mary Isabella Straton's first winter ascent, with two guides, in 1876. [Photo] Thomas Senf

1876: A Winter’s Tale

In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 69–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Alpinist Deputy Editor Paula Wright describes the first winter ascent of Mont Blanc in 1876, by Mary Isabella Straton, Jean Charlet, Sylvain Couttet and Michel Balmat. “Women are capable of everything,” historian Charles Durier later wrote in his book, Le Mont-Blanc.

Whitney Clark emerges from a couloir on Carson Peak in California. [Photo] Tess Smith

Lowa Alpine Expert GTX boots: Light, comfortable and sensitive

Whitney Clark used the women-specific Lowa Alpine Expert Gore-Tex boots in her snowy stomping grounds of the Sierra Nevada Range. She appreciated their lightness and comfort. The boots weren’t as warm as she would’ve liked, however, and on one occasion the supposedly waterproof boots soaked through while she was postholing and her feet got wet while her partner’s feet stayed dry. Four stars.

Geof Childs is receiving the H. Adams Carter Literary Award at the American Alpine Club's annual benefit dinner on March 14. The in-person gathering was canceled because of concerns about the Coronavirus pandemic, and the event will be livestreamed online instead. [Photo] Geof Childs collection

Coronavirus concerns prompt American Alpine Club to conduct benefit dinner remotely

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic–which recently reached Colorado–has prompted the American Alpine Club (to make changes to it’s annual benefit dinner (ABD), which is the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year. This Saturday, March 14, instead of eating steak and prawns while rubbing elbows with climbing legends, guests are now invited to attend the event online as a “Virtual ABD,” starting at 5 p.m. Mountain Time. The livestream will also be open to the public.

The summit ridge of Manaslu (8163m), as featured in the 8000ers.com report. [Photo] Paulo Grobel

The Measure of a Mountain

Looking at the role of summits in climbing history, from the early days to twentieth-century discussions and more recent Himalayan news about inaccurate claims, Editor-in-Chief Katie Ives asks: What is the measure of a mountain?

Matt Cornell climbing Nutcracker (WI5+ M9, 5 pitches)--with a rope and partner--in Montana's Hyalite Canyon. [Photo] Nathan Norby

Matt Cornell free solos Hyalite Canyon testpiece, Nutcracker (M9 WI5+, 450′)

On February 15, Bozeman climber Matt Cornell, 25, free soloed Nutcracker (M9 WI5+, 5 pitches), in Montana’s Hyalite Canyon. Cornell’s solo of Nutcracker was a logical next step after years of soloing in Hyalite, where he began with the classic ice pillars for many seasons before moving on to harder mixed climbs such as Black Magic (5.9 WI5, 140′) and Come and Get it (M7, 165′). He rehearsed Nutcracker many times and cleaned loose rock before his solo, but he did not use tick marks or make any other enhancements to the route. He doesn’t own a car, so he was “riding the bike and hitching rides most days to get up to the canyon,” he said.