Skip to content
Home » free » Page 48

free

[Image] Armando Montero

Chilean climbers reach two Karakoram summits near Broad Peak

Three Chilean climbers–Andres Bosch, 29, Armando Montero, 36, and Alejandro “Jimmy” Mora, 39–set out for the Karakoram Range in mid-June to explore some unclimbed peaks directly across the Godwin-Austen Glacier from Broad Peak. On their first trip to Pakistan, over a nine-day period, they made the first ascent of a 6270-meter peak, which they dubbed Mirchi (D+, IV, 45-70°, 1000m), after the Urdu word for “chili,” and Bosh and Mora then made the first ascent (TD+ M3, 50-90°, 1500m) of Praqpa Ri South (7046m).

Ki Gompa (monastery) in Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. In Buddhist Monasteries of Himachal, historian O.C. Handa speculates that construction on the monastery began in the fourteenth century. [Photo] Abhijeet Singh

Shunyata

In this On Belay feature for Alpinist 59, Indian Alpinist Karn Kowshik describes a journey of self-discovery during his time in the mountains of Spiti Valley, India, where he first dreamed of becoming a climber. After gaining experience in other ranges, he then returns to Spiti in search of unclimbed waterfall ice.

J.P. Belanger and Charles Roberge on La Fourchetter Sternal Droite (WI5, 160m). This route was first attempted by Quebec local Patrice Beaudet in 1999. A polar vortex ended his attempt. [Photo] Pete Takeda

#AlpinistCommunityProjectFlashback: Pete Takeda

On August 7-13, 2016, filmmaker, author and longtime Alpinist contributor Pete Takeda shared some images and stories with the #alpinistcommunityproject about ice climbing in Quebec, which you can now see here. He wrote an article about the trip for Alpinist 55 titled “The Country of Winter,” and also produced a short documentary called “Northern Soul.”

Mandi Franz explores the high country with Soleil the dog during an overnight trip on Independence Pass, Colorado. [Photo] Derek Franz

Good To-Go backcountry meals: Nutritious and as good as dehydrated recipes can get

Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz generally avoids the packaged, freeze-dried or dehydrated meals when he goes camping, but he sampled several Good To-Go meal varieties in the backcountry with his wife, and they agreed the recipes were the best they’d ever tried for this type of food. The meals were flavorful and nutritious, replenishing tired bodies after long days of playing in the mountains, but still had the usual drawbacks of dehydrated ingredients, such as texture and digestion. Five stars.

[Photo] John Climaco collection

#AlpinistCommunityProject Flashback: John Climaco

On October 2 through October 8, John Climaco of Park City, Utah, shared some photos and stories about his time traveling and climbing abroad with the #alpinistcommunityproject. The 47-year-old has been climbing for 37 years all over the world and now considers himself lucky to be taking his kids to the mountains. You can now see his photos consolidated into a single feature at Alpinist.com.

Chacraraju Este's east face with The Devil's Reach Around (M6 5.10, 90*) marked in red. [Photo] Quentin Lindfield Roberts

Canadians free climb Chacraraju’s east face headwall with ‘The Devil’s Reach Around’

Canadian climbers Alik Berg and Quentin Lindfield Roberts completed a new route they called The Devil’s Reach Around (M6 5.10, 90°) on the east face of Chacraraju Este (6001m) in Peru in mid-July. It is the first route on the face to be completed without aid, and the two men did it in just two days, with part of that time spent waiting out the hot midday temperatures. This is also only the second route to breach the headwall, as opposed to joining one of the ridges near the top.

Carsten Von Birckhahn in Patagonia. [Photo] Martin Kroussottsi collection

Carsten von Birckhahn is remembered for his kindness, passion and vision

Carsten Von Birckhahn–a respected member of the international climbing community and brand manager for Edelrid–died in a paragliding accident in northern Italy on July 15 while vacationing with his wife and kids. He was 49. His friends Martin Kroussottsi (with translation by Rolando Garibotti), Josh Huckaby and Malcolm Daly share their memories of the influential man.

The altered map from the May 1960 Summit article, An Unclimbed No Name Peak, showing the imaginary location of the mountain. As Ronald Peattie pointed out in Mountain Geography, surprisingly few people agree what a real mountain is, how high and steep it must be for that term: To a large extent, a mountain is a mountain because of the role it plays in popular imagination. [Image] Courtesy of the American Alpine Club

The World as It is Not

During the mid-twentieth century, an ardent conservationist and Cascades mountaineer planted a series of elaborate hoaxes in Summit magazine. He hoped to prod readers to see the mountains in fresh and unfamiliar ways–and to remember the value of wild lands. In this Sharp End from Alpinist 59, Editor-in-chief Katie Ives talks with some of the climbers involved in the story, as well as friends and family members, to learn more about the great imaginary mountains of Harvey Manning (1925-2006).