Tool Users: Crack Climbing Gloves
In this Tool Users story that first appeared in Alpinist 70–which is now available on some newsstands and in our online store–Mailee Hung considers the history, and the perceived absurdity, of crack climbing gloves.
In this Tool Users story that first appeared in Alpinist 70–which is now available on some newsstands and in our online store–Mailee Hung considers the history, and the perceived absurdity, of crack climbing gloves.
Alaskan alpinist Clint Helander tested the Mystery Ranch Tower 47 backpack for all sorts of activities. The pack is designed as a crag pack for rock climbing—for which it shines—but Helander also used it for ice climbing and skiing. The pack is big and bulky, he reports, but its durability and functionality make it worth the extra grams. Four stars.
Today marks the release of the long-anticipated film, “A Thousand Ways to Kiss the Ground,” directed by Henna Taylor. The film release is in conjunction with a fundraiser for the Climbing Grief Fund (CGF)–from now until July 20, people who donate $15 or more to the CGF will receive access to the film. There is also an online auction from July 7 through July 20, and discussion panels on July 9 and July 14. The film includes interviews with prominent climbers such as Alex Honnold, Lynn Hill and many more. The project’s aim was “to capture the climbing community’s collective experience of grief and loss, and the nuanced wisdom inherent in each individual’s relationship with grief.”
While the number of COVID-19 cases is declining in some areas of the US, allowing more people to venture outside their homes, some other places are seeing dramatic increases in the number of infections. Meanwhile, gyms have been reopening, restless climbers are venturing out of their home bouldering caves, and many people have been asking how they can start climbing responsibly to avoid the risk of spreading the highly contagious coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a potentially fatal illness. Here is the latest information from doctors who are involved with climbing communities.
Alpinist digital editor Derek Franz has been using the Zenbivy Light bed system for the past year. As a guy who prefers to avoid the constriction of mummy sleeping bags, he sleeps comfortably with the Zenbivy in a variety of environments. His only critique is that the setup can be a little tedious. Four stars.
Ed Roberson is the author of many books of poetry, including To See the Earth before the End of the World. A dedicated mountain climber, Roberson traveled extensively throughout South America in the 1960s and ’70s. He has received several awards for his work and has taught at the University of Chicago, Columbia College, and Northwestern University. His poems “Peru” and “The Age of the Climber” appeared in Alpinist 58 (2017) and Alpinist 67 (2019), respectively.
The American Alpine Club announced yesterday that Mitsu Iwasaki will take over as its Chief Executive Officer on August 3. Iwasaki is replacing CEO Phil Powers, who announced last October that he would be stepping down this summer after serving for 15 years. Iwasaki is has been working as the Executive Director of the Mazamas in Portland, Oregon, since August 2019.
In this feature story from Alpinist 70, Craig DeMartino writes about how he survived a hundred-foot ground fall in 2002. After doctors fused vertebrae in his back and neck, he decided to have his right leg amputated below the knee. He now mentors others who have suffered life-altering injuries, all while making the most of life with his wife and kids.
Alpinist Tad McCrea has been using the latest model of the Petzl Quark ice tools for the past year. As a longtime user of the earlier models, he reports that the tools continue to live up to his expectations. He writes, “If you already have a set of the last Quarks, maybe you don’t need to jump to an upgrade just yet, but if you want a set of axes that handle it all, and are in the market for an alpinist’s dream tool, look no further.” 4.5 stars.
In this fiction story that first appeared in The Climbing Life section of Alpinist 50 (Summer 2015), James Edward Mills imagines a Black 17-year-old named Jamal from Washington, DC, who finds himself dangling from a rope inside a crevasse in Alaska, pondering his attraction to the mountains in spite of what his classmates back home had told him: “Climbing is one of those fool things white people do.”