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[Photo] Derek Franz

The Moth

In this Climbing Life story from Alpinist 59, Marc-Andre Leclerc considers a dead moth in the snow as he begins a risky ascent below looming cornices.

The world-class climbing destination of Indian Creek, Utah, is part of Bears Ears National Monument. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has suggested the possibility of shrinking the monument and submitted his final recommendation to President Donald Trump today, but the details of that recommendation have yet to be released. [Photo] Derek Franz

Interior Secretary concludes review of national monuments but details have yet to be released

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke quietly submitted his recommendations to President Donald Trump today on whether to alter, reduce or rescind several national monuments, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante Monuments in Utah. Zinke issued an interim report in June in which he recommended that Bears Ears should be reduced, but he wouldn’t say by how much. He emphasized that it was only an interim report that may be subject to change in his final report. No details on his final recommendations have been released so far, however.

Alpinist Associate Editor and Podcast Host Paula Wright record in the sound booth. [Photo] Alpinist staff

Alpinist Magazine announces Alpinist Podcast season 1: The Voices Behind the Words

In collaboration with Dispatch Radio, Height of Land Publications is pleased to announce the Alpinist podcast, a series of episodes that take the stories Alpinist readers love to a new medium. Each season, the Alpinist podcast delivers fresh interviews and untold stories, humorous adventure tales and discussions of important issues in the climbing world today. Each episode is hosted by Associate Editor Paula Wright.

Gasherbrum I (8080m): Satisfaction (ED+ M7 WI5+ 70°, 3000m) is the second line from the left. [Image] Marek Holecek

Czech climbers realize ‘Satisfaction’ on Gasherbrum’s southwest face

Marek Holecek has returned to the southwest face of Gasherbrum I (8080) five times since 2009 in a bid to complete a route up the middle of the face through two rockbands. After enduring multiple epics–including the death of his longtime climbing partner in 2013, and a bad case of frostbite in 2016, in addition to other close calls and harrowing descents–Holecek, 43, finished the climb to the top of the mountain with fellow Czech climber Zdenek Hak, 37, at the end of July. From July 25 to August 1, they spent six days climbing and two on the descent. They named the route Satisfaction (ED+ M7 WI5+ 70°, 3000m).

[Image] Armando Montero

Chilean climbers reach two Karakoram summits near Broad Peak

Three Chilean climbers–Andres Bosch, 29, Armando Montero, 36, and Alejandro “Jimmy” Mora, 39–set out for the Karakoram Range in mid-June to explore some unclimbed peaks directly across the Godwin-Austen Glacier from Broad Peak. On their first trip to Pakistan, over a nine-day period, they made the first ascent of a 6270-meter peak, which they dubbed Mirchi (D+, IV, 45-70°, 1000m), after the Urdu word for “chili,” and Bosh and Mora then made the first ascent (TD+ M3, 50-90°, 1500m) of Praqpa Ri South (7046m).

Ki Gompa (monastery) in Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. In Buddhist Monasteries of Himachal, historian O.C. Handa speculates that construction on the monastery began in the fourteenth century. [Photo] Abhijeet Singh

Shunyata

In this On Belay feature for Alpinist 59, Indian Alpinist Karn Kowshik describes a journey of self-discovery during his time in the mountains of Spiti Valley, India, where he first dreamed of becoming a climber. After gaining experience in other ranges, he then returns to Spiti in search of unclimbed waterfall ice.

J.P. Belanger and Charles Roberge on La Fourchetter Sternal Droite (WI5, 160m). This route was first attempted by Quebec local Patrice Beaudet in 1999. A polar vortex ended his attempt. [Photo] Pete Takeda

#AlpinistCommunityProjectFlashback: Pete Takeda

On August 7-13, 2016, filmmaker, author and longtime Alpinist contributor Pete Takeda shared some images and stories with the #alpinistcommunityproject about ice climbing in Quebec, which you can now see here. He wrote an article about the trip for Alpinist 55 titled “The Country of Winter,” and also produced a short documentary called “Northern Soul.”