![Lopsang Tshering Sherpa recalls small perks from mountaineering work: I often came back with clothes that no one else had in Kathmandu. He drank so much tea on expeditions that he was called Tea Lopsang. Now, he grows tea in his village, where everyone calls him Chiya Baje (Grandpa Tea). [Photo] Kapil Bisht](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/a61-local-hero-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
In this Local Hero story from the latest issue, Alpinist 61, Kapil Bisht interviews Lopsang Tshering Sherpa, who began his storied career as an expedition worker in 1959 as a kitchen helper on the 1959 international women’s Cho Oyu expedition; three years later he was among those bridging the gap for Lionel Terray and the first ascent of Jannu.
![Wading across the Virgin River in Zion with the Lowa Approach Pro Los in hand. [Photo] Derek Franz](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/lowa-approach-pro-lo-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
If Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz had to pick just one type of shoe to wear for the rest of his life, there’s no doubt it would be a pair of approach shoes. The Lowa Approach Pro Los have become his first choice to wear everywhere, all the time. Five stars.
![David Allfrey, Kieran Brownie and Paul McSorley's route, El Abrazo de la Serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent; V 5.11c R/X 660m), on Cerro Pajarito is shown in red, as seen from Cerro Diablo. [Photo] Paul McSorley](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cerro-pajarito-2.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
On February 1, Dave Allfrey, Kieran Brownie and Paul McSorley completed a new route up the unclimbed northwest face of Cerro Pajarito in the Cerros de Mavecure in Guainia, Colombia. El Abrazo de la Serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent; V 5.11c R/X 660m) was established ground up, onsight, over two trips. The rainforest heat was the crux.
![The author on the approach to Washington Column with Half Dome in the background, 2015. [Photo] Alex McKiernan collection](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/a60-tcl-the-prow-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Alex McKiernan suffered a spinal cord injury from a car crash in 2014 and he has slowly regained some use of his legs since then. In this story from Alpinist 60, he details the path of his recovery, and how he climbed a Yosemite big wall in 2016.
![Art of Freedom: The Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtyka by Bernadette McDonald. Rocky Mountain Books, 2017. 326 pages. Hardcover, $32. [Image] Courtesy Rocky Mountain Books](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/art-of-freedom-1-scaled.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
“‘Art of Freedom,’ is a brilliant work of insight, not only into the life of the great alpinist, but also about the questions that compel us to the mountains in the first place,” writes Alpinist Associate Editor Paula Wright in her feature about Bernadette McDonald’s award-winning biography, “Art of Freedom: The Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtyka.”
![[Photo] Paul Zizka](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/a60-letter-to-editor-1.jpg?resize=923%2C620&ssl=1)
In this letter to the editor from Alpinist 60, Christopher Elliott describes the solar eclipse that occurred on August 21, 2017, and the fleeting “moment of totality” that he and his fellow observers experienced from the top of a mountain.
![Billy Westbay, Jim Bridwell and John Long after the first one-day ascent of the Nose in 1975. [Photo] Courtesy of StoneMastersPress](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/westbay-bridwell-long.jpg?resize=533%2C620&ssl=1)
Jim Bridwell died this morning, February 16, in Palm Springs, California, after months of suffering from illness. He was 73. Nicknamed “the Bird,” Bridwell has been an icon of American climbing for decades. He arrived in Yosemite as a wide-eyed 17-year-old and learned from the foremost climbers of the day, including Royal Robbins, Layton Kor (for whom he later named his son), Chuck Pratt and Frank Sacherer. He eventually mentored the next generation of climbing legends such as John Long, John Bachar, Ron Kauk, Billy Westbay and countless others. Bridwell was known for ingenuity as well as climbing prowess.
![The Grit and Rock First Ascent Award recipients this year, in alphabetical order, from top left-to-right, are: Katie Bono, Cecilia Buil, Whitney Clark, Ixchel Foord, Ilana Jesse, Josie McKee, Nina Neverov, Caro North, Alena Panova and Anna Torretta. [Image] Derek Franz](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/grit-and-rock-award-2018-1.jpg?resize=700%2C314&ssl=1)
Grit and Rock recently announced the recipients of its 2018 First Ascent Award, a grant that is dedicated to promoting mountain exploration and first ascents by women. The recipients this year, in alphabetical order, are Katie Bono, Cecilia Buil, Whitney Clark, Ixchel Foord, Ilana Jesse, Josie McKee, Nina Neverov, Caro North, Alena Panova and Anna Torretta. The teams plan to attempt new routes in Alaska, India, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal.
![Viewing the sunrise on Mt. Baker with the MSR Advance Pro 2 Ultralight tent. [Photo] Mallorie Estenson](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/msr-advance-pro-2-tent-1-1-scaled.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Mallorie Estenson, an alpine guide and climber based in the Pacific Northwest, has been using the MSR Advance Pro 2 Ultralight–a single-wall, four-season tent–on some ski-mountaineering trips in Washington this winter. The tent is intended to be simple and compact so that it can fit onto narrow ledges found on the side of a mountain. Estenson reports that it was light, easy to set up, and comfortable enough for her to give it four stars.
![The author with the Blue Ice Yeti 50L backpack in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. [Photo] Chris Wood](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/blue-ice-yeti-backpack-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Blue Ice is a small, relatively new company that started in a garage in Europe and now has a presence in North America. IFMGA/AMGA guide Mike Lewis has been using the Blue Ice Yeti 50L backpack, and aside from a few details that didn’t comply with his exact personal preferences, he liked it well enough to award it five stars.
