Exclusive: The Escape from Alcatraz
Rich Purnell makes the first ascent of the disputed M14 endurance climb, Alcatraz. An Alpinist TV exclusive.
Black Diamond nForce Ascenders: The Heavy-Duty Choice
The newly designed Black Diamond nForce ascenders were a crucial piece of gear for my main climbing project this summer. Using static and dynamic fixed lines from 8-11 millimeters, my partner and I spent about ten days working on a first ascent, free, on the east face of Snowpatch Spire in the Bugaboos. Although the face itself rises 2,000 feet, we ascended an estimated 3,000′ of fixed lines, equipping belay stations, scrubbing cracks, and rehearsing the crux pitches that, unfortunately, are still resisting our redpoint attempts.
Worthy of a Future Cover of Alpinist
Alpinauts? Astroneers? The Cassini probe just returned this photo of Iapetus. Let’s hope we get there someday–that ridge looks awesome.
Adventures in El Chorro, Spain
Dodging trains, jumping gaps, and climbing some of the best limestone cracks in the world–the first part of an adventure series on El Chorro, the “Jewel of the Mediterranean,” by photographer and writer Traveler Taj Terpening.
Mountain Hardwear Typhoon Jacket: No Water, No Weight
The search for the perfect multi-season jacket is exasperating–it has to perform well in various temperatures and conditions yet pack well, weigh nothing and (most importantly) look good. So you can imagine my excitement when I found a lightweight, durable shell that lived up to all my expectations. I found Mountain Hardwear’s Women’s Typhoon Jacket to be the perfect merger of fashion, function, and price. Weighing in at thirteen ounces and sporting a reasonable retail price of $199, its design and color options add a sense of style that rounds out this performance garment.