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.
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.
Between October 19-25, Alpinist contributor Marc-Andre Leclerc posted his photos and stories on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages as part of our Alpinist Community project. His notable ascents are included in several NewsWires, including: Solo Triple Linkup on Slesse in Alpine Ninja-Cat Stylee Mountain, Speed Soloing the Chief, Marc-Andre Leclerc Solos Cerro Torre’s Corkscrew Route and Soloists Visit Patagonia in Winter.
Six months ago we posted a slideshow on Alpinists.com by Carl Battreall called “A Collection of Climbed and Unclimbed Alaska Peaks.” His shot of the Citadel, in the Neacola Range, was inspiration for the namesake film by Posing Productions documenting Matt Helliker and Jon Bracey’s new route up the peak’s Northwest Ridge.
Between October 5 and 11, 2015, AMGA Certified Ski Guide and AMGA/IFMGA Aspirant Mountain Guide Christopher Marshall posted his photos and stories on our social media pages as part of our Alpinist Community project. We noticed Marshall’s work when he started tagging us on Instagram. Marshall calls this collection of images “a reflection of the greater shared experience [captured] during dusk and dawn’s golden hour.”
MY BODY IS FALLING APART at the joints. My last surgeon peeled a frayed mess of cartilage off my left humerus as he fixed a torn labrum. The bones of my shoulder socket grind on each other every time I do thumbs-down hand jams.
Death? That wasn’t something I was ready to contemplate. Pain was forcing me out of bed at 2, 3 or 4 a.m. I couldn’t sleep. I felt like a driver in a car skidding out of control. I kept hitting the brakes, but the car just accelerated.
