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To Look the Bear in the Eye; The Life of Yasushi Yamanoi
In this story from Alpinist 62, Sartaj Ghuman chronicles the adventures of Yasushi Yamanoi. At 53 years old, Yamanoi has survived multiple epics in the mountains. He remains a talented climber despite lost fingers and toes, broken teeth and bones and other severe injuries. He is on the long list for the 2018 Piolets d’Or…
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Full Circle: how and why Sunny Stroeer became the first woman (and third person) to finish Aconcagua’s 360 Route in a solo push
Sunny Stroeer became the first woman (and third person) to complete Aconcagua’s 360 Route in a solo push last February. For this story, Emma Murray asked Stroeer how she went from being a student who rarely ventured outside town–even when Stroeer lived in Switzerland’s “outdoor capital of the world”–to an ambitious outdoor athlete, and what…
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A dusty box of golden memories: photos from the life of Kim Schmitz (1946-2016)
Savannah Cummins befriended the legendary alpinist Kim Schmitz in recent years when they were living in Jackson, Wyoming. Schmitz gave Cummins a box of old photos shortly before he died in a one-car accident in September 2016 at age 70. Rick Ridgeway, John Roskelley and Jack Tackle assisted in identifying some of the images, and…
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Spacious and multi-use: the Patagonia Cragsmith 45
The Cragsmith 45 is Patagonia’s largest backpack, which the company refers to as the “gear dumpster.” Chris Van Leuven has been lugging it around for several months and enjoys the pack’s durability, convenient loading options and how well it encapsulates just about anything he wants, from clothes and a sleeping bag to ice tools, in…
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Four other speed records made on El Capitan in May and June while Honnold and Caldwell were lapping the Nose
More El Capitan speed records have been set since May 5 when Brandon Adams and Roger Putnam climbed the Shield in 8 hours, 55 minutes; Josie McKee and Diana Wendt set a female speed record on the Salathe, climbing the route in 16:24 on June 1; David Allfrey set the solo record of 10:52:50 on…
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Astorga and Chase complete first female ascent of Denali’s Slovak Direct
Chantel Astorga and Anne Gilbert Chase made what is likely the first female ascent, and only the ninth ascent overall, of the Slovak Direct (5.9 X M6 WI6+, 9,000′) on Denali (20,310′). They summited June 5 after starting the climb June 2.
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Black Diamond Vision Harness: light, comfortable and versatile
Black Diamond describes the new Vision Harness as an ultralight alpine harness that is “the lightest fully functional harness we’ve ever made.” Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz put the claim to the test and was fairly satisfied with the results, awarding it four stars.
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Adventures on the Turtle’s Back
In this story from Alpinist 62, “Adventures on the Turtle’s Back,” Joe Whittle, an enrolled tribal member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma and a descendent of the Delaware Nation, spends time in canyons and mountains that Indigenous people call home. Kanim Moses-Conner, Bobby Fossek, Len Necefer, Mia Ritter-Whittle and Brosnan Spencer join him on…
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After their fatal fall on El Capitan, Tim Klein and Jason Wells are remembered for their kindness and joy
After the two fell to their deaths in a mysterious accident while climbing fast and light on El Capitan June 2, friends remember Tim Klein and Jason Wells as talented, compassionate family men.
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Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold speed up the Nose in 1:58:07
After steadily improving their time on each speed ascent over the past several weeks, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold have achieved their goal of climbing El Capitan’s Nose in under two hours–1 hour, 58 minutes, 7 seconds, to be exact.
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#AlpinistCommunityProject Flashback: Krystle Wright
From October 30 through November 5, 2016, Krystle Wright shared some stories and photos with the #AlpinistCommunityProject about paragliding in Pakistan. She is an adventure photographer from Australia who considers the open road her home. Her photo essay “In Perpetual Motion”–in which she explores “the void and the unspoken”–is featured in Alpinist 62.
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The Mountain of Data
In this Sharp End story from Alpinist 62, Editor-in-Chief Katie Ives contextualizes some of the life and work of the great Himalayan chronicler Elizabeth Hawley, who died January 26, 2018, at age 94. During her lifetime, Hawley became an icon for her fact-checking and record-keeping, aspects of journalism that remain as important as ever today.
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Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell set a new speed record on the Nose
Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell set a new speed record on the Nose of El Capitan this morning, May 30, climbing the approximately 3,000-foot route in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 15 seconds. The previous record of 2:19:44 was set last October by Brad Gobright and Jim Reynolds, who bested a record of 2:23:46 set by…
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Many flock to Yosemite to say goodbye to Jim ‘the Bird’ Bridwell
On Saturday, May 19, climbers from around the country gathered at the Lower River Amphitheater in Yosemite Valley to share their remembrances of Jim Bridwell.
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Three Black Canyon routes in 24 hours: raising money for the Climbing Grief Fund
On Memorial Day, May 28, Madaleine Sorkin and Mary Harlan will descend more than 2,000 feet into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison with the goal of completing three big routes in 24 hours. They intend to climb Astrodog (V 5.11+, 14 pitches), Scenic Cruise (V 5.10+, 10 pitches) and the Russian Arete (IV 5.9+,…
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Highlights from Climb the Hill 2018
On May 9-11, some of the nation’s most prominent climbers took off their down jackets and donned suits on Capitol Hill to advocate for public lands, outdoor recreation and environmental issues. Nick Mott recaps some of the highlights along with some of the challenges ahead.
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The Ortovox Col Becchei Jacket: Well-made with top-notch materials
Mike Lewis finds that the Ortovox Col Becchei softshell jacket is well designed for alpine and rock climbing as well as backcountry skiing, but he has concerns about the $320 price tag.
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Brette Harrington and Rose Pearson follow their ‘Life Compass’ to complete a new route in a 21.5-hour push in the Canadian Rockies
Brette Harrington and Rose Pearson completed a new route on Mt. Blane–Life Compass (IV 5.10a M4+ 80 degrees, TD+, 980m)–in Alberta, Canada, in a 21.5-hour car-to-car push on April 25. They named the route for the series of life events that brought them together and the solace that Harrington sought in the aftermath of a…
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Access Fund, Alpine Club and pro climbers return to lobby Capitol Hill
The Access Fund and American Alpine club are gathering once again in Washington, D.C., this week with a host of high-profile climbers to lobby Congress on a handful of national issues affecting public lands, the environment and outdoor recreation as part of the third annual Climb the Hill event. The list of participants expected to…
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The American Alpine Club announces 2018 Excellence in Climbing award recipients
Doug Chabot, Danika Gilbert, David Roberts and Jeff Jackson are to be honored at the American Alpine Club’s Excellence in Climbing Celebration in Denver on June 2. Tickets are now on sale for the event, which includes a dinner, auctions, live music and more, with all proceeds supporting the AAC Library and the Bradford Washburn…
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British climbers find ‘Fun or Fear’ in Alaska on Jezebel’s east face after attempting north face
Tom Livingstone and Uisdean Hawthorn went to Alaska’s Revelation Range at the end of March, intent on trying a new route on Jezebel’s north face. After several runout pitches on poor snow, they reached a dead end: a giant chimney filled with vertical snow that had no apparent cracks. Consequently, they abandoned their attempt and…
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Survey: Sexual harassment/assault in the climbing environment
Alpinist, the American Alpine Club, the Access Fund and other climbing organizations across the country are partnering to launch a survey on the occurrence of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the climbing world. Our goal is to quantify the extent of this problem in our community.
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Under Pulse
In this Off Belay story from Alpinist 61, Jerry Auld imagines a close encounter with the gears of a massive mechanical system lurching under the surface of a glacier. The tale was inspired by some of his glacier travel in which he once fell into a crevasse and from a 2013 ski circumnavigation of Mt.…
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