After being involved in an avalanche that killed a beloved member of her community in Colorado’s Elk Range in 2020, Laura Yale begins a journey to untangle a web of grief. She explores the ways ancient cultures coped with the reality of loss, acknowledging the natural process of death, and brings the old wisdom to bear on her situation. The Green Man “is in the knowing that in the whites and greys and long nights of winter, green will one day emerge again,” she writes.
In honor of Veterans Day, we’re sharing this story from Alpinist 87—which is currently available on newsstands and in our online store. In this short fiction story, Ben Davis depicts a mostly silent conversation between military veterans as they make their way up the east face of Longs Peak (Neniisoteyou’u, 14,255′).
This feature story by Michael Gardner originally appeared in Alpinist 77 (Spring 2022). On October 7, 2024, Gardner fell to his death while attempting Jannu… Read More »Worth the Weight?
[This story originally appeared in Alpinist 87 (Autumn 2024), which is now available on newsstands and in our online store. Only a small fraction of… Read More »Fabulous Roman Candles
In mid-May, after a particularly chaotic start, dealing with postponed visas, plane cancellations and delayed gear shipments, we landed in Islamabad and I was heading to the most challenging climb of my life so far.
In this Sharp End story from Alpinist 86, Derek Franz contemplates the future and finds hope. He writes: “While digging through the Alpinist archive for research related to this issue, I happened upon articles whose words resonated not only with my current situation but with what today’s writers continue to express in different ways. They are reminders that we are not alone, that others have come before and survived whatever we find ourselves facing today. They emphasize greater truths that remain consistent despite all the upheaval we continue to witness in this modern age of technology, climate change and global conflict…. Rereading those stories by different people from different times and places, I noticed a more ancient story begin to emerge, as though one voice were speaking through multiple people across generations.”
Left to Right: Bryan Becker, Ed Webster, Brian Shelton and Stewart M. Green at the base of Supercrack in 2008. [Photo] Stewart M. Green collection
Alan Rousseau shares the story of the first alpine-style ascent of Jannu’s north face, by a new route, Roundtrip Ticket (AI5+ M7, 2700m), with Jackson Marvell and Matt Cornell in October 2023.
With her friend Eliza Earle, Sara Aranda heads into the Wind River Range of Wyoming to watch the solar eclipse of 2017—and finds herself journeying into the darkness beneath existence itself.
Edmund February found success in both the mountains and academia despite being a climber of color during South Africa’s apartheid. In this story from Alpinist 85, Brandon Blackburn interviews February about how he overcame racist norms to pursue his passions, always playing his own game.
