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Walter Bonatti: Citizen of Mont Blanc
In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 69–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Claude Gardien recounts Walter Bonatti’s checkered relationship with Mont Blanc. Gardien writes: “Again and again, on mountains around the world, he’d lived through the hell of alpinists, when the elements unleash and everything becomes suffering, tragedy, grief. On…
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1912-1913: Paul Preuss
In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 69–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–David Smart recounts the bold endeavors of Paul Preuss to complete the longest ridge traverse in the Alps, and his final season of climbing in 1913.
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1876: A Winter’s Tale
In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 69–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Alpinist Deputy Editor Paula Wright describes the first winter ascent of Mont Blanc in 1876, by Mary Isabella Straton, Jean Charlet, Sylvain Couttet and Michel Balmat. “Women are capable of everything,” historian Charles Durier later wrote in his…
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Lowa Alpine Expert GTX boots: Light, comfortable and sensitive
Whitney Clark used the women-specific Lowa Alpine Expert Gore-Tex boots in her snowy stomping grounds of the Sierra Nevada Range. She appreciated their lightness and comfort. The boots weren’t as warm as she would’ve liked, however, and on one occasion the supposedly waterproof boots soaked through while she was postholing and her feet got wet…
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Nolan Smythe killed in rockfall while climbing Logical Progression on Mexico’s El Gigante
Nolan Smythe of Moab, Utah, was killed on March 6 while climbing Logical Progression (VI 5.13, 2,800′) on El Gigante in Mexico’s Basaseachic Falls National Park. He was standing on a ledge that collapsed and cut his rope. His body was recovered March 10.
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Coronavirus concerns prompt American Alpine Club to conduct benefit dinner remotely
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic–which recently reached Colorado–has prompted the American Alpine Club (to make changes to it’s annual benefit dinner (ABD), which is the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year. This Saturday, March 14, instead of eating steak and prawns while rubbing elbows with climbing legends, guests are now invited to attend the event online…
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The Measure of a Mountain
Looking at the role of summits in climbing history, from the early days to twentieth-century discussions and more recent Himalayan news about inaccurate claims, Editor-in-Chief Katie Ives asks: What is the measure of a mountain?
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Matt Cornell free solos Hyalite Canyon testpiece, Nutcracker (M9 WI5+, 450′)
On February 15, Bozeman climber Matt Cornell, 25, free soloed Nutcracker (M9 WI5+, 5 pitches), in Montana’s Hyalite Canyon. Cornell’s solo of Nutcracker was a logical next step after years of soloing in Hyalite, where he began with the classic ice pillars for many seasons before moving on to harder mixed climbs such as Black…
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Climbing Grief Grant application period is now open; 10 apps received within first 24 hours
The application period for the Climbing Grief Grant through American Alpine Club and the Climbing Grief Fund is now open. The grant “offers financial support for individuals directly impacted by grief, loss, and/or trauma related to climbing, ski mountaineering or alpinism.” Ten applications were received within the first 24 hours. Only 15 grants are budgeted…
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Something Yet Higher: Charles Madison Crenchaw Exhibit Opens at the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum
“Something Yet Higher,” an exhibition featuring African American mountaineer Charles Madison Crenchaw, opened at the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum on February 6. Crenchaw was the first Black man to summit Denali in 1964, an accomplishment that remains relatively obscure despite its historic significance. James Edward Mills curated the exhibit.
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The melting glaciers of Koma Kulshan
In this story that was commissioned as part of the Covering Climate Now campaign, Ilana Newman and photographer Matthew Tangeman document how melting glaciers have caused drastic changes to some popular climbing routes on Koma Kulshan (Mt. Baker) in Washington.
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BLM management plan threatens Bears Ears National Monument while lawsuits continue
This year–2020–is anticipated to be the year for the long-awaited court ruling as to whether President Donald Trump’s reduction of Bears Ears National Monument in December 2017 was legal. There appears to be some hope for the people in favor of reinstating the former boundaries of the 1.35 million acre monument. But as the legal…
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Another Outdoor Retailer, another opportunity to call for political and social changes
As Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz prepares to attend Denver’s third Winter Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, he reflects on the rise of conversations about politics and the environment at the biannual trade convention. A climate rally is planned for Friday afternoon at the conclusion of the show, and a recent update was also announced…
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In Search of Lost Peaks
In this Sharp End story from Alpinist 68–which is currently on newsstands–Alpinist Editor-in-Chief Katie Ives goes in search of a secluded alpine basin to retrace the steps of a famous guidebook author, Harvey Manning.
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Kyle Dempster Solo Award and American Alpine Club Live Your Dream Grant open for 2020 applications
Two grant application periods opened this week–the Kyle Dempster Solo Award and the American Alpine Club Live Your Dream Grant. The AAC application period is closing earlier this year, on February 29. KD Solo Award applications are due March 15.
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Avalanches kill hundreds in Kashmir
We are sad to report that a series of avalanches has devastated villages in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir. Steve Swenson, a climber and author who is very familiar with the area, has provided Alpinist with some description about the hazards villagers face in these mountains.
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Wayne Merry (1931-2019): Yosemite legend, teacher and loving steward of wild places
Steve Grossman chronicles the adventurous life of Wayne Merry, who passed away at home in Atlin, British Columbia, early on October 30, 2019, after suffering from prostate cancer. He was 88. Merry completed the first ascent of the Nose on El Capitan with Warren Harding and George Whitmore in 1958. He went on to oversee…
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Melting Giants: La Meije, Massif des Ecrins, France
For 141 years since its first ascent, mountaineers from around the world traveled to climb la Meije in the Massif des Ecrins of France. Meanwhile, the permafrost that held its stones together was melting. On August 7, 2018, rockfall destroyed much of the normal route. In this On Belay story from Alpinist 68, two locally…
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Tool User: Kendal Mint Cake
In this Tool Users story that first appeared in Alpinist 68–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–John Hessler explores the history of an energy bar invented in 1869: the famously (or infamously) sweet Kendal Mint Cake.
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Blood That Dreams of Stone: Antonia Pozzi, Climbing Poet
During the early twentieth century, the talented young poet Antonia Pozzi sought freedom from her family and her society amid the rock spires of the Dolomites and other Italian peaks. In this feature story from Alpinist 68, David Smart provides an introduction to her career, along with translations of three of her climbing poems, with…
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Valandre Troll jacket: As warm as a down coat can be
Scott Coldiron has a lot of experience when it comes to staying warm on frozen alpine routes. He’s been using the Valandre Troll jacket in Montana’s Cabinet Range and reports, “Simply put, this jacket lofts better under all conditions than other down jackets I’ve used, and the resulting warmth it creates is impressive.” It’s also…
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American Alpine Club Annual Benefit Dinner features “climbers uniting for the planet”
The American Alpine Club Annual Benefit Dinner weekend will be in Denver on Friday and Saturday, March 13-14. Tickets are now available on the AAC website. It promises to be particularly special because it will be Phil Powers’ last Benefit Dinner as club CEO. Kris McDivitt Tompkins, former CEO of Patagonia and current president of…
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Local Hero: Katie Sauter
Whether they’ve collected summits, books or memories, many climbers long to preserve records of the past. In this Local Hero story from Alpinist 68–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Paula Wright presents the person responsible for cataloguing and managing one of the most extensive of these collections: Katie Sauter, director of…
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