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Outline of Ukraine, based on a UN map of Ukraine and the Flag of Ukraine. [Image] Courtesy of the United Nations Cartographic Section; Alex Khristov, Wikimedia

International climbing organizations cancel events in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the International Olympic Committee called for the cancellation of all sporting events that were scheduled in Russia and Belarus. In turn, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) have cancelled the World Cup sport and ice climbing competitions slated to take place in March and April.

Charles Dubouloz summits the Walker Spur of the Grandes Jorasses after soloing Rolling Stones (5.10 A3, or M8, 1100m) over six days in January. [Photo] Seb Montaz Studio (@sebmontazstudio)

Charles Dubouloz completes the first solo winter ascent of Rolling Stones on the Grandes Jorasses

From January 13 to 18, Charles Dubouloz completed what is likely the first solo winter ascent of Rolling Stones (5.10 A3, or M8, 1100m) a rarely repeated route on the fabled north face of the Grandes Jorasses above Chamonix, France. He spent six days with five bivies on the wall, pressing on through strong winds and low temperatures of -30°C (-22°F), sustaining some frostbite to a big toe.

This screenshot from the 2011 film Cold shows the team of Cory Richards, Simone Moro and Denis Urubko near the summit of Gasherbrum II (8034m) during the first winter ascent of the peak. Image used with permission from film director Anson Fogel.

A Beginner’s Guide to Suffering

In this feature story from The Climbing Life section of Alpinist 76–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Brandon Blackburn considers some influences that inspired him to climb and seek self validation through risk and suffering. He writes: “The most significant catalyst for my own shift in perspective on suffering came, as it sometimes does, after an injury.”

With different modes and color settings, the BioLite AlpenGlow Lantern was able to match the mood to this sunset in the Eastern Sierra (Mono/Monache and Paiute/Numu land). [Photo] Miya Tsudome

BioLite AlpenGlow Lanterns: Functional mood lighting for your tent, car or campsite

Mountain Standards Gear Review: Miya Tsudome is a former rock climbing guide who now makes a living as a photographer, and she’s also a van-life veteran who can appreciate camping accessories like the BioLite AlpenGlow Lanterns. She writes: “After I’ve lived with [them] for over six months now, [they have] definitely improved my camping game…. Each lamp features eight light modes: cool white, warm white, single color, multi-color, and candle flicker. There are also some fun options if you shake the lamp in each mode.” Four stars

Lance Colley leads the Grand Traverse on the West Buttress (VI 5.9 A3) of El Capitan (Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La), Yosemite, with the Edelrid Neo 3R rope. [Photo] Lance Colley collection

Edelrid Neo 3R: A quality rope made with recycled pre-consumer materials

Mountain Standards Gear Review: Lance Colley tested the Edelrid Neo 3R rope while living and working in Yosemite this past autumn. Colley enjoys speed climbing on big walls and has a few records to his name, and he was able to put some heavy mileage on Edelrid’s new rope design, which is made with 50% recycled pre-consumer materials. He writes: “The durability, handling and price of the Neo 3R matches any of the other ropes on the market, but the Neo 3R packs technology that could make those ropes obsolete. This rope is built for climbers ready to embrace a sustainable future.” 5 stars.

Kim Chang-ho (right) chats with climbing partner Choi Seok-mun (left) at a popular crag in Seoul, South Korea in September 2015. [Photo] Joo Min-wook

Local Hero: Kim Chang-ho

In this Local Hero story from Alpinist 75 (Autumn 2021), Oh Young-hoon, former editor of Alpinist Korea, memorializes Kim Chang-ho and his philosophy of “being mountaineering.”

The red line shows the approximate route of Frozen Fight Club (M7 A3, 780m). [Image] Marcin Tomaszewski collection

Polish duo endures severe cold on big wall for 11 days to complete Frozen Fight Club

Polish climbers Marcin “Yeti” Tomaszewski and Damian “Dany” Bielecki completed a new big wall aid route in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range on a 700-meter cliff known as the Uli Biaho Gallery. They spent 11 days establishing Frozen Fight Club (M7 A3, 780m) on December 5-16. Frozen Fight Club might be the first big wall route in the region that was climbed during the coldest season.

Bronwyn Hodgins nears the top of El Capitan (Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La) in May 2021, when she became the third woman to free climb Golden Gate (5.13a, 34 pitches). [Photo] Nick Smith

Yosemite Dreams

In this On Belay story from Alpinist 76–which is now on newsstands and available in our online store–our digital editor Derek Franz travels to Yosemite to climb through layers of historical and personal past, and witnesses some history in the making.

[Artwork] Jeremy Collins

Dreams of Rising Waters

In this science fiction story from The Climbing Life section of Alpinist 76–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Mailee Hung considers the conundrum of climate change in a short essay. Her narrator declares: “I don’t want to go back to the land. I grew up on frenetic cartoons and fake marshmallows in breakfast cereals; I built an academic career on movies and cyborgs. We look, guilty, at our well-heeled boots, wax poetic about the feeling of our hands in dirt, but I don’t want to till the soil. The digital is like dreaming, intangible yet inextricably material: heat radiating from our bodies or server stacks. We once were wind-carved, exposed to the elements. It was hard, then, harder than skyscrapers or computer chassis. Will we be glad to have somewhere to retreat to when the waters rise?”