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With Yosemite Falls rumbling to his left, Jon Cardwell face climbs into the final 5.12 splitter crack on Pitch 13 of the Misty Wall (5.13, 1,700') during a free ascent with Sasha DiGiulian on May 27. Cardwell had previously freed the individual pitches with Marcus Garcia last autumn, but the recent ascent is the first time the route has been free climbed in a continuous push, which took about 14.5 hours. [Photo] Marcus Garcia

Legacy Restoration Project begets another high-end route: Yosemite’s Misty Wall (5.13)

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.

The author as a girl on top of Mt. Azimiyeh, a peak she climbed many times with her dad. [Photo] Shirin Shabestari collection

Tea Song

In this Climbing Life story from Alpinist 58, mountaineer Shirin Shabestari writes about her childhood in Iran, where her dad introduced her to snowy peaks that inspired the dreams she continues to follow.

The Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, will host the Outdoor Retailer at least one more time this July. [Photo] hakkun, Wikimedia

Outdoor Retailer winter trade show is merging with SIA Snow Show in Denver

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.

The east face of the Ship's Prow with MantraMandala (VI A3+, 450m) marked in red. [Photo] Marek Raganowicz

Marek Raganowicz solos two new routes on the Ship’s Prow in Baffin Island

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.

Leslie Hsu Oh is pictured here with her family at the cliffs of red Lockatong argillite and Brunswick shale along the Tohickon Creek, Pennsylvania. [Photo] Joe Forte

K’e yil yal tx’i: Saying Something

In this Climbing Life story from Alpinist 58, Leslie Hsu Oh takes her kids climbing and observes them learning lessons that took her a lifetime to learn. After Oh lost her birth mother and brother to cancer, her adoptive mother had encouraged her to seek a sense of kinship in the mountains.

Chris Van Leuven leads FM (5.11c) in Boulder Canyon, Colorado, while wearing the Ortovox Merino Fleece Light Hoody. [Photo] Paul Gagner

One Flashy Hoody: Ortovox Merino Fleece Light

Chris Van Leuven wears hoodies often and has tested his share of them. His latest review awards the Ortovox Merino Fleece Light Hoody four stars. Van Leuven reports that the Ortovox is lighter than many other tops, but in terms of loft and warmth it’s similar to heavier ones.

The delegation of Colorado climbers walks through the rain from the House to the Senate while lobbying Congress in Washington, DC, on May 11 as part of the Climb the Hill event organized by the Access Fund and American Alpine Club. [Photo] Derek Franz

Climber delegation lobbies Congress on behalf of public lands

Approximately 50 climbers lobbied Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, as part of the Access Fund and American Alpine Club’s Climb the Hill event on May 11. Those in attendance included Quinn Brett, Tommy Caldwell, Peter Croft, Sasha DiGiulian, Caroline Gleich, Alex Honnold, Shelma Jun, Kai Lightner, Mikhail Martin and Libby Sauter. Virginia Senator and former Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine gave an impromptu speech at the end of the day thanking the climbers for sharing their voices in support of public lands. “This was a watershed moment for climbers in terms of our political clout,” said Access Fund Executive Director Brady Robinson.

Derek Franz stays warm at a breezy belay with NW Alpine's Eyebright jacket atop Pitch 4 of Horse and Pony Show (III 5.11d) on the obscure Grizzly Creek Wall in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado. [Photo] Craig Helm

NW Alpine Eyebright Jacket: Burly and ultralight

Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz tested the NW Alpine Eyebright ultralight shell jacket, one of the lightest and most durable in its class because of its Dyneema construction. The jacket was structurally and functionally sound but it left some things to be desired when considering the hefty price tag.