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  • 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.

  • 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.

  • La Sportiva Trango Tower Extreme GTX boots: Ideal for ice/mixed climbing and single-day mountaineering

    Clint Helander tested the La Sportiva Trango Tower Extreme GTX boots on some Alaskan ice climbs and cannot think of a single con. He reports that the Trango Towers are the “new iteration” of the discontinued “silver bullet” EVO Extremes and that these boots are “ideal for ice/mixed climbing and single-day mountaineering.” Five stars.

  • 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 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • “Cholitas Escaladoras” summit Aconcagua and make history for Indigenous women

    Two “Cholitas Escaladoras” from El Alto, Bolivia, became the first Aymara women to summit Aconcagua (6962m) in January. Three others nearly succeeded as well. Their achievement represents a benchmark for indigenous women reclaiming their identity after centuries of discrimination and for the Bolivian climbing community as a whole.

  • Rescuers search for Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi on Nanga Parbat

    Tom Ballard, 30, of Britain, and Daniele Nardi, 42, of Italy, are missing on Nanga Parbat (8126m) in Pakistan. According to updates on Nardi’s Facebook page, helicopters are attempting to deliver a rescue team “as close as possible” to Camp 3 today, where a tent “invaded by snow” was spotted amid “traces of an avalanche”…

  • Congress passes historically large public lands bill that sets a legal precedent for climbing in wilderness areas

    Yesterday the House of Representatives passed a historic bipartisan bill titled the Natural Resources Management Act, 363-62. It cleared the Senate, 92-8, on February 12, and it is anticipated that President Donald Trump will soon sign it into law. The legislation combines more than 100 previously existing bills that affect public lands all over the…

  • Patagonia Micro Puff Storm Jacket: Everyday layering for cold, wet conditions

    Chris Van Leuven has been weathering the winter in Yosemite and Colorado with the Patagonia Micro Puff Storm Jacket. He found it to be a bit too warm to wear while climbing, but he enjoyed it for cold belays and camp life. Four stars.

  • Mountain Equipment Tupilak 30+: Simple, light and ‘hardcore’

    Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz writes of the Mountain Equipment 30+ backpack, “This is the most hardcore rucksack I’ve ever used…. No frills. All utilitarian grit.” Franz reports that the pack is designed for the hardest mountain routes and leaves some convenience to be desired for more casual outings, but the Tupilak is well made…

  • India’s first Piti-Dharr Ice Fest results in a flurry of first ascents

    The first Piti-Dharr International Ice Climbing Festival took place in India’s Spiti Valley on January 5-15. During the event, Indian climber Bharat Bhushan and Americans Ari Novak and Karsten Delap completed the first ascent of Frozen Diesel (HWI 6+), and Novak and Delap established Snow Leopard (HWI 7, 150m).

  • American Alpine Club announces three Cutting Edge Grant recipients

    Sam Hennessey, Chantel Astorga and Chris Wright are all receiving American Alpine Club Cutting Edge Grants this year. Hennessey plans to attempt the north face of Chamlang (ca. 7300m) in the Eastern Himalaya of Nepal with Rob Smith, Seth Timpano and Michael Gardner; Astorga will try Pumari Chhish South (7350m) in Pakistan’s Hispar Karakoram with…

  • The End of the Beginning

    In this 2016 Full Value story from Alpinist 55, Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz peers into the dark side of the dirtbag dream.

  • Application period opens for 2019 Kyle Dempster Solo Adventure Award

    The application period is now open for the second annual Kyle Dempster Solo Adventure Award. Applications are due by March 15 for trips taking place between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020.

  • Alpinist Editor-in-Chief selected as a judge for the Boardman Tasker Award

    Alpinist Editor-in-Chief Katie Ives has been selected as a judge for the 2019 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature. The other two judges are Roger Hubank and Tony Shaw. The award will be presented at the next Kendal Mountain Festival in the United Kingdom on November 14-17.

  • Black Diamond Ultralight Express screws: A versatile screw for a more refined audience

    Hyalite Canyon local Todd Preston tested out the new Black Diamond Ultralight Express screws on some of Montana’s classic ice climbs. He concluded, “For…pursuits where weight savings can be critical, the Ultralights are clearly the new gold standard and I would rate them 5 stars. However, several days of climbing frozen waterfalls using both Ultralights…

  • The Lost Times–Los Tiempos Perdidos

    In this Full Value story from Alpinist 64, Quentin Lindfield Roberts confronts the long journey home and the occasionally even-greater dangers of daily life after his climbing partner nearly dies in an accident on Cerro Torre.

  • Black Diamond Reactor Ice Tools: A solid choice for cragging and steep ice

    Todd Preston is a geologist for the US Geological Survey who has been ice climbing for 20 years. He tested the Black Diamond Reactor ice tools and concluded that the Reactors are ideal for steep ice and cragging, awarding them a solid four stars.

  • Raggedy Man

    After recovering from a severe illness in the wake of the Gulf War, veteran Scott Coldiron returns to his long-abandoned climbing dreams–exploring new ice in remote parts of Montana’s Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. In this On Belay story from Alpinist 64, Coldiron traces the formative experiences of his hard-knock childhood, his discovery of what the mountains…

  • Q&A with Alpinist Assistant Research Editor Anders Ax

    Every story in Alpinist is thoroughly fact-checked. “Fact checking” has become a more common term in today’s digital headlines, as accusations of “fake news” and “alternative facts” abound in our society. In this feature, Alpinist Associate Editor Paula Wright interviews Alpinist Research Editor Anders Ax about the strategy and nuance of exhaustive fact-checking and how…

  • American Alpine Club announces 2019 award recipients

    The American Alpine Club recently announced the award recipients who will be honored at the club’s annual benefit dinner on March 9 in San Francisco, California. The honorees are Kelly Cordes, Jim Donini, Brette Harrington, Tom Hornbein, Jeremy Jones, Michael Kennedy and Kate Rutherford. Dennis Urubko, Adam Bielecki, Jaroslaw Botor and Piotrek Tomala are also…

  • Local Hero: Stacy Bare

    In this Local Hero profile from Alpinist 64, Teresa Baker writes about Iraq War veteran Stacy Bare and how climbing introduced him to new perspectives, helped him recover and inspired him to seek out ways that nature could help others cope with trauma. “Being able to get outside is a gift,” he says.