Opening Photos: The Bradford Washburn Museum of American Mountaineering
The Bradford Washburn Museum of American Mountaineering opened last weekend in Golden, CO. The museum will honor the late Bradford Washburn and America’s many mountaineers.
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Readers’ Blog
Bad Climbing Humor at its Finest
I’ve never purported to be the funniest guy on the interweb, but it blows my mind just how bad some of this stuff is. And by “some of this stuff,” I mean this website…
Return of the Yeti
The yeti does exist, but is it a bear or really a missing link?
Red Wine and Climbing
“In amongst the purple Chianti haze, I spot a thin crack in hard rock. Replacing the heel-hook I grab the small wires from my harness and without hesitation bite the green wire. A sickly-battery-taste makes me gag…”
Apparently buildering was invented in 1905. Who Would’ve Thought?
I stumbled across an article on buildering and what it’s perceived to be in the non-climbing community. I was surprised to find out that it’s been around since 1905 when Harry Gardiner started climbing various tall buildings around the world, eventually climbing about 700 around the world.
Climbers Turn Out To Honor Sir Edmund Hillary
It was impressive to see five of the remaining 1953 Everest Expedition at Sir Edmund Hillary’s funeral in Auckland, New Zealand.
Tribute to Sir Ed Hillary From Nepal
Sir Ed Hillary will always live in the hearts and memories of the thousands of Sherpas who know him. As a tribute I wish to share with you some parts of Sir Ed Hillary’s life that has touched me and my family personally.
Gym Climbers Stay Inside
“They should have signs and stuff and trash cans outside,” said Pham, who climbs regularly in the safety of a San Francisco gym. “I don’t think they even clean your rocks off for you out there.”–What?
Wind, Rain and Avalanches
My friend Rob and I, along with our three guides and the other six members of our group had already put on our “crampon compatible” mountaineering boots, gaiters and rain gear. We were part of a program called Summit For Someone, a fund-raiser for Big City Mountaineers. Big City Mountaineers (BCM) takes at-risk students on mentoring trips in wilderness settings.
Namaste and Warm New Year’s Greetings From Nepal
Although Mt. Everest is the highest peak in the world, she is still a fragile “Mother Goddess” in terms of global warming. The first Eco-Everest Expedition 2008 will study the effects of global warming on the Himalayan Glaciers and to document the high risk to the people and the land in case of a glacial lake outburst flood…
Film Montage by John Middendorf
I would like to introduce a selection of outdoor projects I filmed. Projects include TV commercials shot in Zion and Yosemite, TV adventure series and a full-length documentary for the Outdoor Life Network about a first ascent in Baffin Island, where I climbed with three climbers documenting their progress to the summit.
My website: http://www.bigwalls.net
The Magic Purple Cam
November, 2006. Shawangunk Mountains, New York. Damn! The shiny Black Diamond cam slipped from my fingers. I watched as it sailed down, bounced off the cliff and disappeared into the leaves on the talus. I was nearly at the end of the second pitch of Beginner’s Delight, one of those wonderful, easy climbs found only at the Gunks, and had been feeling pretty pleased with myself. I’d gotten up the first tricky (tricky 5.3, Bill?) jam crack, led the famed traverse, and had been trying to impress my long suffering belayer (daughter Karen) with my expertise in placing cams for protection (an art I had practiced exactly once before). Oops, I thought, now I’m looking stupid. She’s going to be less than uber impressed with old Dad for dropping one of our brand new cams. “Oh, well,” I told her, trying to recover a bit of lost dignity, “We’ll just finish the climb and go back to the bottom and retrieve it.”