The Question: The Direct East Face of Golgotha
The Revelation Mountains, Alaska, during Clint Helander and Jason Stuckey’s first ascent of Apocalypse (9,345′) in April 2013. David Roberts noticed the distant range in 1966, while he was on an expedition to the Kitchatna Spires.
The Gift: Tahu Rutum, West Face, Karakoram, Pakistan
“I always thought it that it looked like a Patagonian spire misplaced in Pakistan,” Dempster says.
The Cold Case: Mt. Herschel, East Face, Antarctica
The unclimbed east face of Mt. Herschel (3355m), an objective that Sir Edmund Hillary once dreamed of, more than a decade after the first ascent of Mt. Everest.
The Mysterious Case of Beka Brakai Chhok
8000ers.com, historian Eberhard Jurgalski describes the uncertain elevations of Beka Brakai Chhok’s three peaks as “truly one of the most confusing subjects in the history of High Asian research.
Unclimbed
Nearly twelve years after Alpinist’s first “Unclimbed” feature, Kelly Cordes reminds readers that there are still plenty of vertical mysteries. Damien Gildea, Kyle Dempster, Tamostu Nakamura, Mayan Smith-Gobat, Harish Kapadia, Pat Deavoll and Clint Helander share a few examples.
The Calling
Growing up poor in Calgary didn’t just encourage dreaming; for one young boy, it necessitated it. Canada’s storied alpinist recounts the climbs and partnerships that sprung from his childhood fantasies.
70 Sendero Luminoso
In January 2014, Alex Honnold free soloed El Sendero Luminoso, a big wall in Mexico’s El Potrero Chico. Today, he looks beyond the momentary purity of ascent at the complex impacts of professional climbing.
