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Bryan Becker on Hallucinogen Wall. [Photo] Ed Webster collection

1980: Granola and Champagne

In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 65, which is now available on newsstands and in our online store, Ed Webster documents some humorous, behind-the-scenes moments that occurred during the first ascent of the Hallucinogen Wall on the North Chasm View Wall in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

1972: The Excellent Adventure

In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 65, which is now available on newsstands and in our online store, Jamie Logan revisits the 1972 first ascent of the Goss-Logan Route (now rated IV/V 5.11 R) on North Chasm View Wall in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado.

Grit and Rock grant recipients. [Image] Derek Franz

Six women-led teams selected for 2019 Grit and Rock grants

Grit and Rock recently announced six teams as recipients of its 2019 First Ascent Award. The grant, which distributes $10,000 a year for women-led expeditions, aims to level the playing field in alpinism by encouraging first ascents by women. This year’s award will support climbs in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Canada and Kyrgyzstan.

Anna Piunova. [Photo] Marko Prezelj

Local Hero: Anna Piunova

Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz profiles Anna Piunova, editor-in-chief of Mountain.ru. Piunova was instrumental in coordinating the helicopter rescue of Alex Gukov from 6200 meters on Latok I (7145m) in July 2018.

The author with a standard New Mexico rack, ca. 1982--hexes and saddle wedges...sad times, he reflects. [Photo] Nestor Solano

Catching Ludwig

In this Climbing Life story from Alpinist 65, Cameron M. Burns learns to belay from an eccentric mentor before braving his way up Castleton Tower with a couple of friends and a few hexes.

Tom Ballard, left, and Daniele Nardi. [Photo] Ballard, Nardi collections

Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi’s bodies found on Nanga Parbat

The bodies of Tom Ballard, 30, of Britain, and Daniele Nardi, 42, of Italy, were spotted through a telescope above Camp III on Nanga Parbat’s Mummery Rib at around 5900 meters on March 9. A BBC.com story posted today, March 11, quoted Italian Ambassador to Pakistan Stefano Pontecorvo as saying there might be a possibility of recovering the bodies.

Smugglers' Notch, Vermont. [Photo] John Pitocco

The Ice Mirror

In recognition of International Women’s Day, we’re now sharing this Sharp End story by Alpinist Editor-in-Chief Katie Ives that first appeared in Alpinist 65, which is now available on newsstands and in our online store. Ives writes, “I became fascinated by recurring myths and images in the ways that climbers interpret fragments of existence. And as I looked for more examples, I grew absorbed by the sheer volume of alpine fiction written by and about women…. For authors [during the turn of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries], alpine settings seemed to offer their heroines a level of empowerment that they rarely found in cities…. ‘Why do we want to have alternate worlds?’ asked the fantasy writer Joan Aiken in Locus Magazine (1998), ‘You have to imagine something before you do it.'”

Cannon Cliff in winter. In a crag profile of Cannon Cliff for Alpinist 21, Freddie Wilkinson wrote, Welcome to New England's biggest wall, where 1,000 feet of rivalry, bad weather and exfoliating granite never felt so good. [Photo] Sarah Audsley

An Astonishing Plentitude

This poem first appeared in Alpinist 65, which is now available on newsstands and in our online store. Sarah Audsley is a climber and poet living in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire. In January 2019, she completed an MFA in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College. She has received support for her creative work from the Rona Jaffe Foundation and the Vermont Studio Center. In this feature, we asked her to tell us a little about the inspiration for “An Astonishing Plentitude.”