Derek Franz

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.

Sasha DiGiulian and Edu Marin recently made the second free ascent of Mora Mora (8c or 5.14b, 700m) in Madagascar, which was first freed by Adam Ondra in 2010. DiGiulian said this route represents a recovery from a bad back injury that happened to her about a year ago and that this is the hardest big wall she has done so far.

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).

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).

Hazel Findlay recently made the first ascent of the hard trad route Tainted Love, aka Northern Soul (5.13d R)–a thin and powerful stem-corner that is accessed from the top of the Chief in Squamish, British Columbia.

Canadian climbers Alik Berg and Quentin Lindfield Roberts completed a new route they called The Devil’s Reach Around (M6 5.10, 90°) on the east face of Chacraraju Este (6001m) in Peru in mid-July. It is the first route on the face to be completed without aid, and the two men did it in just two days, with part of that time spent waiting out the hot midday temperatures. This is also only the second route to breach the headwall, as opposed to joining one of the ridges near the top.

Carsten Von Birckhahn–a respected member of the international climbing community and brand manager for Edelrid–died in a paragliding accident in northern Italy on July 15 while vacationing with his wife and kids. He was 49. His friends Martin Kroussottsi (with translation by Rolando Garibotti), Josh Huckaby and Malcolm Daly share their memories of the influential man.

Mariano Galvan’s family organized a continued search effort after he and Alberto Zerain disappeared on Nanga Parbat (8125m) June 24. The men are presumed to have died in an avalanche at around 6000 meters while attempting the second ascent of the long, technical Mazeno Ridge. Alex Gavan, who knew the men and was climbing a different route on the mountain at the time of their disappearance, helped organize the primary helicopter search and shared his report and photos with Alpinist.

Colorado officials and Outdoor Retailer executives announced July 6 that Denver will host the huge, lucrative OR Summer Market trade show for the next five years starting in 2018. Denver is also hosting the OR Winter Market in conjunction with the SnowSports Industries America Snow Show, a merger that was announced in May.

Mariano Galvan and Alberto Zerain are presumed to have died in an avalanche at around 6000 meters on Nanga Parbat (8125m). The two climbers had gone missing on June 24 while attempting the second ascent of the long, technical Mazeno Ridge.