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Derek Franz

Carlo Traversi places protection on Magic Line (5.14c), Yosemite Valley. [Photo] Christian Adam / Black Diamond

Carlo Traversi is first to have sent both Magic Line and Meltdown (5.14c) in Yosemite

Carlo Traversi has once again proven himself as one of the best all-around rock climbers in the world, with his recent redpoint of Yosemite’s Magic Line (5.14c) on February 27. Traversi is the fourth person to send the route, and the third to do it placing all the thin gear on lead. This ascent also makes him the only person to have sent both Magic Line and Meltdown, another thin crack in Yosemite (first climbed by Beth Rodden in 2008) that has earned the grade of 5.14c.

American Alpine Club Awards logo

American Alpine Club’s Annual Award and Benefit Gala resumes in-person event in Denver after two-year hiatus

The American Alpine Club’s Annual Award and Benefit Gala is returning to an in-person event in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday, March 26, but people will still have the option to tune in online this year. Jordan Cannon and Mark Hudon are this year’s keynote speakers, and the awardees are Pat Ament, Sean Bailey, Natalia Grossman, John Heilprin, John Kascenska, David Nyman, Rick Reese and Joe Terravecchia. Arlene Blum and Steve Roper are receiving honorary AAC memberships.

The image shared with the open letter against the Russian invasion that was posted on Mountain.RU. The photos are portraits of Ukrainian climbers.

Russian and Ukrainian climbers speak out against the invasion of Ukraine

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, some Russian climbers have publicly spoken out against their country’s aggression. In a country known for reprisals against people who openly oppose President Vladimir Putin’s regime, this act involves personal risk. Meanwhile Ukrainian climbers confront the attacks on their country. The Russian climbing website Mountain.RU posted an open letter, which hundreds of people had signed by March 2 and other professional climbers have shared statements of their own.

Outline of Ukraine, based on a UN map of Ukraine and the Flag of Ukraine. [Image] Courtesy of the United Nations Cartographic Section; Alex Khristov, Wikimedia

International climbing organizations cancel events in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the International Olympic Committee called for the cancellation of all sporting events that were scheduled in Russia and Belarus. In turn, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) have cancelled the World Cup sport and ice climbing competitions slated to take place in March and April.

Charles Dubouloz summits the Walker Spur of the Grandes Jorasses after soloing Rolling Stones (5.10 A3, or M8, 1100m) over six days in January. [Photo] Seb Montaz Studio (@sebmontazstudio)

Charles Dubouloz completes the first solo winter ascent of Rolling Stones on the Grandes Jorasses

From January 13 to 18, Charles Dubouloz completed what is likely the first solo winter ascent of Rolling Stones (5.10 A3, or M8, 1100m) a rarely repeated route on the fabled north face of the Grandes Jorasses above Chamonix, France. He spent six days with five bivies on the wall, pressing on through strong winds and low temperatures of -30°C (-22°F), sustaining some frostbite to a big toe.

The red line shows the approximate route of Frozen Fight Club (M7 A3, 780m). [Image] Marcin Tomaszewski collection

Polish duo endures severe cold on big wall for 11 days to complete Frozen Fight Club

Polish climbers Marcin “Yeti” Tomaszewski and Damian “Dany” Bielecki completed a new big wall aid route in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range on a 700-meter cliff known as the Uli Biaho Gallery. They spent 11 days establishing Frozen Fight Club (M7 A3, 780m) on December 5-16. Frozen Fight Club might be the first big wall route in the region that was climbed during the coldest season.

Bronwyn Hodgins nears the top of El Capitan (Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La) in May 2021, when she became the third woman to free climb Golden Gate (5.13a, 34 pitches). [Photo] Nick Smith

Yosemite Dreams

In this On Belay story from Alpinist 76–which is now on newsstands and available in our online store–our digital editor Derek Franz travels to Yosemite to climb through layers of historical and personal past, and witnesses some history in the making.

Derek Franz on the rim of the Black Canyon in 2020 after finishing a route during which he wore his new Black Diamond Crack Gloves for the first time. [Photo] Morgan Williams

Black Diamond Crack Gloves have it covered from hand cracks to offwidth sizes

Mountain Standards Gear Review: Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz has been using the Black Diamond Crack Gloves to jam cracks across the west for the past several months. He writes: “I’ve used these gloves in Yosemite, Black Canyon and Utah desert, and also crammed them into some sharp, crumbly choss cracks near my home on Colorado’s Western Slope, and they’re holding up well, much better than I predicted based on how thin they felt when I first tried them on…. I found these puppies to perform well in thin hand cracks as well as for offwidth teacup fist jams.” Five stars.

Book cover: Emilio Comici: Angel of the Dolomites by David Smart. Hardcover. Published September 1, 2020, by Rocky Mountain Books. 248 Pages. $32.00 CAD.

Interview with David Smart, author of the Mountain Profile for Alpinist 76 and winner of 2021 Boardman-Tasker Award

David Smart’s book, Emilio Comici: Angel of the Dolomites, received the Boardman-Tasker Award for Mountain Literature in November. The biography was published in 2020 and provided some of the inspiration for Smart’s Mountain Profile on the Cima Grande in the Dolomites that was recently published in Alpinist 76. In this feature, an interview with Smart explores topics related to Emilio Comici: Angel of the Dolomites, the Cima Grande profile and Smart’s writing and climbing career.