Base to Summit in 5 Seconds
Why skin up a peak when you could snowkite?
Obsession and Ingenuity, Part IV: Kansas
“We live in Lawrence, Kansas, my friend, a small college town lost in a sea of plains. If by local crag you mean a two-hour drive to some crumbling, dripping limestone in Missouri, then sure, that’s our local crag.”
Arc’teryx R-320 Harness: Everything You Want, Nothing You Don’t
“It’s the single piece of gear I’m excited about buying this year,” said Nic, my gearhead friend, about the new line of Arc’teryx harnesses. It was an unusual comment–the thought of controlled spending–for someone who has a steady job and climbs or skis every day. Nevertheless, I told Nic he had his priorities straight. If I had to recommend a single climbing upgrade for 2008, I’d suggest the Arc’teryx R-320 harness I’ve been testing for the past six months. It has everything I want in a harness–and nothing I don’t.
Dying for Everest
Mark Ingles became the first double amputee to summit Mt. Everest. However, he was greeted not with a hero’s welcome but with media condemnation when it became known that he had passed Briton David Sharp near the summit and left him to die.
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.
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?
Rab Latok Alpine Jacket: Expectations Bested
When I picked up Rab’s Latok Alpine jacket for the first time I was skeptical. The Latok was lighter than any of the performance hard shells I’d worn previously, and the bright orange eVent label on the sleeve made me wary. Adding to my incredulity, I had never heard of Rab. Learning to love the Latok took a good deal of research and a bit of a brand-name leap of faith, but–after a fall and winter season of epic approaches, climbs, bootpacks, hailstorms and vertigo-inducing white-outs–I’ve found I like the Latok; I like it a lot.
