Derek Franz

On June 13-14, Katie Bono completed a round-trip ascent of Denali’s West Buttress in 21 hours, 6 minutes. This is likely a female speed record, and it is the third or fourth fastest known time overall. Bono made the ascent in difficult conditions with heavy wind and drifting snow that forced her to break trail on the way up and down, sometimes navigating in a whiteout. She sustained mild frostbite to her face.

Spanish climber and ultra-runner Kilian Jornet completed two rapid Everest ascents without using fixed ropes or bottled oxygen on the North Col route in one week, on May 21 and 27. He pushed on through illness and windy weather, summiting in 17 hours and returning to advanced base camp in 28:30 on his fastest attempt. This story includes an interview with Jornet and a look back at some of the history of rare fast and light Everest ascents.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s interim report on Bears Ears National Monument recommends “revising” or reducing the monument’s boundaries while keeping some areas protected. On April 26, President Donald Trump ordered Zinke to review all national monuments designated since 1996 and issue a final report by late August.

Alex Honnold became the first person to free solo El Capitan via the Freerider route (VI 5.13a, 3,000′) on June 3, which is indisputably a landmark in the history of climbing. Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz recounts climbing with Honnold before he became famous and interviews him about scaling El Cap without a rope.

The Legacy Restoration Project is an emerging program to clean up forgotten routes as a way to remind climbers of the potential that still lies beyond the obvious classics. The program has resulted in four new high-end free climbs in Yosemite Valley since last September, starting with the West Face of the Sentinel. The most recent addition is a 14.5-hour ascent of the Misty Wall (5.13, 1,700′) by Jon Cardwell, Sasha DiGiulian and Marcus Garcia on May 27.

Emerald Expositions–the company that owns Outdoor Retailer–announced May 24 that it has acquired the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show and that the winter OR trade show will now be held in conjunction with the SIA show in Denver in January. This announcement is an indication that OR is likely to leave Salt Lake City after July, though a decision about a new venue for the summer Outdoor Retailer has yet to be made.

Though he intended to do some solo climbing, Marek Raganowicz hadn’t planned on spending the entire six weeks alone among the polar bears on Baffin Island between mid-March and May, but that’s what happened after his partner, Marcin Tomaszewski, had some problems with light frostbite on his toes and had to leave a couple weeks after they arrived at Sam Ford Fjord on March 3. His original hope was to complete a climb with Tomaszewski in March, solo in April, and then rendezvous with another friend for a climb in May.

Quinn Brett made what is likely the first female free ascent of Spaceshot (IV 5.13a, 9 pitches) in Zion National Park, Utah, on May 1-2, leading all the pitches with Max Barlerin in support.