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Magic Line

by Lonnie Kauk with Paula Wright

The son of legendary climber Ron Kauk and Ahwahneechee descendant Lucy Parker, Lonnie Kauk has long felt a deep connection to the rocks of his home in Yosemite Valley. In this oral history recorded by Alpinist Managing Editor Paula Wright and featured as the cover story for Alpinist 66, Lonnie, friends and family recount his journey from growing up beneath the granite cliffs of Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La (El Capitan) to making the first redpoint ascent of his father’s Magic Line, once considered the most difficult single-pitch climb in the Valley.

Getulio Felipe reaches the end of the via ferrata, which is buried in snow, on Punta Penia's Normal Route, Marmolada, Dolomites, Italy. He is belayed by guide Alessio Nardelotto with his friend Pedro McCardell offering support from behind. [Photo] Stefano Fabris

14-year-old with cerebral palsy summits the Marmolada in Italy’s Dolomites

by Derek Franz

Doctors predicted Getulio Felipe would never walk after a complication at birth left him with cerebral palsy. But the 14-year-old Brazilian learned to walk at age 7, and on Sunday, April 21, he summited the Punta Penia (3343m) on the Marmolada, the highest point of the Dolomites in Italy, after nine hours of climbing in deep snow.

Arne wearing his crack gloves in Yosemite, 2008. [Photo] Derek Franz

Ocun Crack Gloves: Save your skin as well as time and tape

by Derek Franz

Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz used to make fun of people who used rubber gloves to protect their hands while crack climbing, but now he’s become a convert with the Ocun Crack Gloves. He likes that he can easily take them on or off, as opposed to wearing a pair of tape gloves all day, and no time or materials are wasted by making tape gloves that often expire after a day. Four Stars.

Sunrise over Hells Canyon and Idaho's Seven Devils Mountains as seen from the Wal'wa.maXs (Wallowa Mountains) of Oregon. [Photo] Joe Whittle

Gifts

by Joe Whittle

In this Off Belay story from Alpinist 65, Joe Whittle shares a creation story that was told to him by a Nez Perce elder, Allen Pinkham. The story led Whittle to consider his relationship with nature more closely. He writes: “As I listened, I understood that recognizing the sovereignty of other elements in the world–including rocks, plants and water–can weave sustainability into a culture.”

Muhammed Ali Sadpara. [Photo] courtesy of Alex Txikon

Muhammad Ali of Sadpara

by Alpinist Magazine

In this Climbing Life story from Alpinist 62 (2018), Amanda Padoan profiles Muhammad Ali of Sadpara, Pakistan, after he completed the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat with Simone Moro (Italy) and Alex Txikon (Spain) in February 2016. Padoan writes: “Sponsorship never materialized for Ali, however, as it did for his European companions. He doesn’t question why, not out loud. Back in Sadpara, he says he has too much to occupy him: wheat to thresh, potatoes to dig, cattle to feed, walls to mend, roofs to patch and children to educate.”

The two red stars indicate the bivy locations and the smaller red dots mark the approximate line of Ruth Gorge Grinder (AI6+ M7, 5,000') on the east face of Mt. Dickey. [Photo] Alan Rousseau

Alan Rousseau and Jackson Marvell summit Dickey’s east face via “Ruth Gorge Grinder”

by Alan Rousseau

Alan Rousseau wrote the following story about a new route he completed on the east face of Mt. Dickey in Alaska with Jackson Marvell on April 3-5. Their new line follows a prominent corner system between Blood from the Stone and the Wine Bottle; they named it Ruth Gorge Grinder (AI6+ M7, 5,000′).

Cole Lawrence sends Pitch 6 (5.13a) on the first free ascent of Super Ultra Mega, an eight-pitch route on an unnamed buttress in Montana's Bitterroot Range. [Photo] Winter Ramos

Montana climbers tap potential of Bitterroots with “Super Ultra Mega” (5.13a, 8 pitches)

by Alpinist Magazine

Missoula climber Cole Lawrence and several partners completed a vision that began a decade ago when he established and redpointed Super Ultra Mega (5.13a, 8 pitches) on an unnamed, unknown buttress in Montana’s Bitterroot Range last September. The climbers say this is just the beginning of the potential for new, big free routes and that it’s time to put the area on the map.

Sergey Nilov. [Photo] Dmitry Golovchenko

“Unfinished Sympathy”: An interview with Dmitry Golovchenko and Sergey Nilov about their new line on Kumbhakarna’s east face

by Eliza Kubarska

Eliza Kubarska is an alpinist and filmmaker who accompanied Dmitry Golovchenko and Sergey Nilov to base camp during their recent ascent of a new line on the east face of Kumbhakarna (Jannu, 7710m) on March 16 to April 2. The men completed their 18-day round-trip on 14 days of rations and without completing a formal acclimatization period beforehand. Kurbarska conducted the following interview with them as they made their way back to Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 6.

The east face of Howse Peak, Icefields Parkway, Alberta, Canada. [Photo] Courtesy of Parks Canada

Auer, Lama, Roskelley summited Howse Peak before avalanche killed them on the descent

by Derek Franz

Parks Canada reported in a press conference today that Jess Roskelley, David Lama and Hansjorg Auer started climbing M-16 (VI WI7+ A2) on Howse Peak early Tuesday morning, April 16, summited around 12:30 p.m. and were likely killed in an avalanche while descending the east face of the mountain that day. The bodies were found in a field of avalanche debris on Sunday, April 21.

David Lama during acclimatizing on Fox Peak, October 2018. [Photo] David Lama/Red Bull Content Pool

Auer, Lama and Roskelley killed in avalanche on Canada’s Howse Peak

by Derek Franz

Hansjorg Auer, David Lama and Jess Roskelley are presumed to have been killed in an avalanche while attempting M-16 (VI WI7+ A2) on Howse Peak, located on the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada. Parks Canada officials confirmed in a press conference today that a helicopter search was conducted and crews observed signs of multiple avalanches in the area and that “there was strong evidence that the climbing party was involved and that the victims were deceased.”