I used the Mithril on glaciers in the North Cascades, and cragging and multi-pitching in Colorado’s Front Range. I took whippers, hung and worked moves, belayed from hanging anchors, and rappelled off Cynical Pinnacle, in Colorado’s South Platte, in an electrical storm.
Between November 9 and 15, we posted Anna Pfaff’s photos and video to our social media pages as part of the alpinist community project.
NO PLACE SUCKS UP SUN like the Johnny Cat enclave at the Cat Wall, Indian Creek. The maroon cliffs are striped with perfect, cleaved fissures like vertical gateways into a hidden world. The desert heat can be oppressive, but in late autumn, the low golden rays cast long shadows over the walls.
JAGGED RIDGELINES DARKEN and blur in the dim light. A palette of blues merges into thick, bland grey. I lean my head forward to rest on the rock wall in front of me. I pay out slack listlessly as the rope twitches to Chantel. In the murk of early morning, we find ourselves 2,500 feet up the Denali Diamond, with another 5,500 feet of mountain above. We’ve taken turns belaying each other as we explore the “snow band” for possible bivy spots. So far, we’ve found only shallow ice over steep rock. After thirty hours of climbing, my fatigue dulls the brilliant Alaskan skyline. I forget the gift of moving in such extraordinary terrain. I might as well be checking out at the grocery store.
As climbers, we expect the unexpected. We know events happen out in the world–a hold breaks beneath a foot, a cam pulls during a short fall, a rock plummets down a mountain couloir, or a cascading avalanche scours a benign slope. We do what we can to mitigate risk and danger, but we know that bad stuff happens during good times.
Between November 2-8, Alpinist contributor Jeff Shapiro posted his photos and stories on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages as part of our Alpinist Community project. Shapiro was instrumental in our most recent issue’s feature story, “Going Home.” He’s been featured in NewsWires including “Grosvenor Sees Third Ascent,” and “Trip Report: New Mixed Route in Glacier NP and the story Searching for Light in the Dark Arts.”
I’ve just recently returned to the US from my second trip to the Nepalese Himalaya. In late September I met up with Ueli Steck in Kathmandu, and the next day we flew to the Khumbu region. Our plan was an alpine-style attempt on the southeast buttress of Nuptse East, the line named “Moonlight Sonata” by its first ascentionists, Valeri Babanov and Yuri Koshelenko. In addition to Nuptse, we had procured permits for Lobuche East and Cholatse, for nice acclimatization options.
While working as a guide I choose footwear that connects me to the terrain, inspires confidence in movement, and is comfortable enough to be worn for long durations. Recently I was able to test out the newest member of Five Ten’s Guide Tennie family, the Mid-GTX. I used the shoe while preparing for, during, and after my AMGA Guide Exam this fall in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
When climbing historian Steve Grossman describes Tom Frost, he calls him a “visionary who redefined climbing style; an engineer who helped revolutionize climbing equipment; an artist whose iconic photography documented the most celebrated first ascents on Yosemite’s big walls; and a conservationist who led the international effort to save historic Camp 4.” Filmmaker Tom Seawell, who worked with Frost on several projects over the years at Frost’s lighting business Chimera, recognizes the similarities between how he managed the company and its employees and how he treats his climbing partners.
Between October 26-November 1, Alpinist contributor Skiy DeTray posted his photos, video and stories on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages as part of our Alpinist Community project. His notable ascents are included in several NewsWires and web features, including: Teams Smoke Speed Records on El Cap, Video: Speed Ascent of El Cap’s Zenyatta Mondatta (video produced by Detray’s cousin Dave Coy), Lion in Winter: Mt. Temple’s North Face and Berg and DeTray Author Illusions of the Raven.
