Climbing
ArchiveWithout a balance bar or safety equipment, Swiss stuntman Freddy Nock walked more than 3200 feet up a two-inch wide cable car wire to reach the summit of Zugspitze mountain…
Here's a great video by Camp4Collective about climbing in Yosemite鈥攑ut together for that other adventure magazine. Jimmy Chin takes you behind the scenes during a dream assignment. –Joe…
Alan on the summit of Elbrus Well, I am back in Southern Russia at my hotel after a very fast and successful summit of Mt. Elbrus at 18,583 feet. As usual I will do a complete trip report but here are the highlights. We…
Bouldering climbs are short, but they demand as much strength, agility, and puzzle solving as anything done on rock. Here are the fine points of a classic challenge鈥擯aul Robinson鈥檚 V16 route Lucid Dreaming鈥攖o show how the game is played.
Back in March, Eric Hansen profiled 87-year-old Himalayan record keeper Elizabeth Hawley for 国产吃瓜黑料. Now there are plans to film a documentary about the woman whose records contain information about roughly 80,000 ascents of 340 Nepalese peaks. She's the ultimate source on…
Last week I posted a review of “The Ledge”, co-authored by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughn. It generated a lot of interest so I'm following up with a short interview with Davidson. But first, a few words about his co-author Kevin Vaughn, who is currently a staff writer…
Living The Dream 2 from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo. This past March, The North Face sponsored climber and videographer Renan Ozturk suffered a skull fracture, partially collapsed lung, and fractured vertebrae when he fell off a cliff while backcountry skiing…
Ashima Shiraishi climbing in Hueco Tanks, Texas (Courtesy Reel Rock Film Tour) Nine-year-old Ashima Shiraishi has a career that a climber three times her age would be proud of. The four-and-a-half-foot-tall New Yorker has sent problems as hard as V11 (until last year, no woman had…
A closer look at mountaineers David Morton and Melissa Arnot failed attempt to summit the world’s fifth highest peak, Makalu.
When 28-year-old Kyle Dempster isn鈥檛 tending to his Salt Lake City Coffee Shop, he鈥檚 scaling some of the world鈥檚 hardest routes.
One of the most harrowing near-miss stories I’ve ever heard came from my friend Jason, an itinerant, sometimes-employed climber from Moab. Jason had taken the German girl he was dating to climb Castleton Tower, a 400-foot sliver of sandstone sitting on a ridge above Castle Valley, Utah. The girl was聽…
Most alpinists call it a great year if they summit one 8,000-meter peak. Last spring, a Swiss mountaineer tried to knock off three.
West Buttress Route on Denali After Everest, Denali was the climb I was most concerned about for the 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer鈥檚: Memories are Everything. You see, it鈥檚 complicated. Dedicating my Everest summit to my mom and all the Alzheimer鈥檚 moms out there will…
Photographer Jeff Lipsky shoots Torah Bright, Courtney Conlogue, Jenna Shoemaker, Sara Mancuso and Alex Puccio for our October issue.
Why did Alex Puccio become so successful as a climber? A move to Boulder had something to do with it.
Photographer Michael Lavine captures an intimate video portrait of Kick Kennedy. For more on Kennedy, check out her climb of Kilimanjaro on summitonthesummit.com…
Read Tim Neville’s profile, Speed Freak, of the Swiss Machine. Join us here tonight at 6 p.m. to watch three climbing flicks from Sender Films and chat with Ueli Steck, Dean Potter, and Sender’s producers.
I'm thinking of buying the Koflach Arctis Expe for trekking and general mountaineering (some technical sections) in the Garhwal Himalayas. But I saw some comments about these being tough to wear when trekking for long distances. Is there another boot I could use for these mixed activities? John New York, New York
The climbing scene at the Teva Mountain Games As a general rule, adventure-sports athletes and dogs get along famously. That wasn鈥檛 the case last Friday evening at the Antlers hotel in Vail, Colorado. Nicky de Leeuw of the Dutch National Climbing Team was one of the 2,500 athletes…
Alan on the summit of Everest, 5:00AM May 21, 2011 I am back in Lukla on our 3rd of 3 days trek from Everest Base Camp. This is an important time for me to process any Himalaya experience. I love walking the Khumbu trails, sharing…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AV6NgCLWKdU%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 Leading Dutch mountaineer Ronald Naar died on Sunday while descending Cho Oyu, Radio Netherlands has reported. Naar had given up his summit bid and was heading down with his team when he reported feeling unwell and collapsed unexpectedly at 26,200 feet. Naar, 56,…
Photo from ilkerender on Flickr Irish climber John Delaney died yesterday on Everest, according to 7Summits-Club, the team with whom he was climbing. The club's…
Climbers Ueli Steck and Don Bowie have given up their Mt. Everest summit bid after encountering cold and windy conditions high on the south side of the mountain. The pair began their final push from their camp at 25,250 feet聽at approximately 11:30 pm. According to a text message posted to…
RMI Guide and First Ascent Climber Dave Hahn summited Everest for the 13th time this weekend, adding another climb to his own record of the most summits by a non-Sherpa. Hahn posted an account of the summit on the…
Everest and Nuptse by Stevehicks on Flickr Nepali tandem paraglider pilot Babu Sunuwar, 29, and climber Lakpa Tshering Sherpa, 35, summited Everest on Saturday and descended via paraglider, according to flying magazine…
The route I took from the Balcony to the summit as seen from Lhotse on the same day I summited. I stood on the summit of Mount Everest at 5:00 AM, May 21, 2011. To say this event had a personal meaning is…
Well, we have slipped our summit day by one day to May 21st. We receive our weather report around 8:00 PM daily and once again after most of us had gone to bed, the report showed very high winds localized at Camp 3 for the time we would be there.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=klkduuguvbs%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 American Alpine Club Executive Director Phil Powers is in stable condition after sustaining severe injuries in a rock climbing accident in Colorado. The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon while Powers was sport climbing with a group in the Highwire…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=rGA1vI2HxTs%C2%A0 This Hulk has nothing to do with angry green superheros. It's the second installment of Big UP Productions and Sender Films' Origins series, where young climbers tackle famous routes with the pioneers who did them first. In this…
A mountaineer died on Friday while climbing Alaska's 20,327-foot Denali. The Italian climber, Luciano Colombo, 67, died of traumatic injuries after falling 1,000 feet during a traverse between Denali Pass and a camp at 17,200 feet. Colombo鈥檚 death is the second on Denali in…
The intro is a little long, but this video of Adam Ondra on the first ascent of Chaxi Raxi (5.15b) is worth a look. Ondra sent the project–a 160-foot line bolted by Chris Sharma in Oliana–late last month. He called it “probably my hardest route I have ever done” and…
Filmmaker Chuck Fryberger has made a name for himself creating visually arresting climbing flicks with some of the sport's strongest athletes. But high-def sparkle isn't enough to satisfy Fryberger, whose film Core last year became the first rock climbing movie to be released on Blu-Ray.
Apa Sherpa summited Everest on Wednesday for the 21st time, breaking his own world record of 20 summits, the Alpinist reports. The 51 year old first reached the summit in 1990 and has stood atop the…
https://www.youtube.com/embed/JJFqRcvq3rw English mountaineer Kenton Cool summited Everest for the ninth time on Thursday, an accomplishment he celebrated by calling his wife on his cell phone鈥攆rom the summit. It was the first cell call made from the top of the world's highest mountain, Wired…
Pummeled by gastric illness and facing an incoming bad weather front, Ueli Steck and Don Bowie pulled off an ascent of Cho Oyu (8,201m) last week, knocking off the sixth-highest peak on Earth and ticking another of their expedition's objective.聽 Cho Oyu is the…
Cho Oyu Alpinists Ueli Steck and Don Bowie of the Himalaya Speed project have summited the world's sixth-highest peak, according to Bowie's ground team. Bowie reported in a satellite phone dispatch that he and Steck made it to the…
Rick Hitch, a 55-year-old California man, died Sunday on Everest, according to the Folsom (California) Telegraph. Hitch's wife, Loretta, told the Telegraph that he was climbing to Camp 3 with six other climbers and two guides when he collapsed…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=NJo7to7KXrU%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 By his own admission, Ueli Steck is one of the most Swiss climbers out there. He's well-prepared, precise, and functions reliably–“like a Swiss watch,” as Steck himself has said. So it makes sense on some level that Steck would get his own…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vVXdC-PY-nw%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 With his 30th birthday now two weeks behind him, Chris Sharma doesn't seem to have slowed down at all. On Thursday, the climber successfully linked two 5.15 routes–one of them a 5.15b first ascent–in a single day. The takedown began after Sharma had already warmed up and unsuccessfully attempted…
I bought a pair of beginner Evolv climbing shoes and they have fared well, but I'm getting better and need something with aggressive heel and toe. What's the next step for a shoe? Greg Freeport, ME
Niccol貌 Ceria flashes Jack's Broken Heart, one of the problems Alex Puccio climbed in Magic Wood. Alex Puccio sent two of the hardest boulders of her career this weekend, climbing Jack's Broken Heart (V12) and The Right Hand of Darkness (V11) in Magic Wood, Switzerland. Jack's Broken Heart is a…
Greg and Alan enjoing some rare sunshine outside the IMG communcations tent What a difference a day (or week) makes! I came down from C3 last Wednesday basically shattered. My upper repository lung infection was taking control and I was in a battle for the…
Between presenting slideshows and speaking to audiences during a recent tour of Europe, Dean Potter found the time to take a leap from the previously unjumped Forcellino lookout near Lecco, Italy. Potter wrote on prAna's blog that Fabio Palma brought him to the…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bxejDyDU7Kw%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 The American Alpine Club announced the winners of the 2011 Copp-Dash Inspire Award on Friday, giving grants to expeditions headed for Alaska and central Asia. The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is named for Colorado alpinists Jonny Copp and Micah Dash who died in an…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5wRUNTg53ZU%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 Well-known Swiss alpinist Erhard Loretan died on Thursday after a fall in the Bernese Alps, the Chicago Tribune has reported. Loretan, who turned 52 on Thursday, was guiding a client up the Gruenhorn when the accident occurred. The pair had approached…
This weekend is the annual 5 Point Film Festival, and there should be plenty to see. With 35 films on schedule, including 10 premieres, attendees have plenty of footage to look forward to. We went through and picked some of the films we're…
Sender Films and Mountain Hardwear just posted a short video on Ueli Steck's 10.5-hour solo of Shishapangma. Steck, who's famous for his speed climbs in the Alps, hadn't originally planned to go to the summit. After leaving advanced base camp,…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=z4puedruucM%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 Brazilian sport climbers have been banned from international competitions this year after the International Federation of Sport Climbing suspended the country's membership over unpaid debts. The Confedera莽茫o Brasileira de Montanhismo e Escalada, which governs sport climbing in Brazil, owes a total of 4,395 euros (about $6,427) to the IFSC.
Adam Ondra sent his fourth 5.15b of the year this weekend, making the first ascent of La Planta de Shiva near M谩laga, Spain.聽La Planta de Shiva adds an extension to an established 5.14b for 148 feet of pumpy, often dynamic climbing. According to 8a.nu news, Ondra…
Alli Rainey has a great post on prAna's blog about dealing with fear. Rainey, a 5.14 climber and Harvard grad, writes that she's struggled with a serious, often-crippling fear of heights since she started climbing in 1992. A troublesome…
For three top alpinists, pulling off one of the most difficult ascents in mountaineering history required speed and daring. Getting down alive took a miracle.
I leave for my first rotation to the high camps in about 12 hours. We will get up abut 3:00 AM for a breakfast of toast and a single fried egg, maybe a cup of coffee. Then along with our personal Sherpa we will pass the puja alter and through…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hk-LBmIUDF8%C2%A0 Swiss climber Dani Arnold has broken the speed record for the Eiger, blazing up the mountain's north face in 2 hours and 28 minutes. Arnold, 27, beat the previous record by nearly 20 minutes. According to Mammut's blog, he soloed the classic Heckmair route, passing…
I'm looking for a backpack for traditional, one-day, multi-pitch climbing. Which is the best one? I'm inclined to the Marmot Ascent 40. AndreaSao Jose
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JCqe96jtExU%C2%A0 After two years of work, Chris Sharma has made the first ascent of his well-known First Round First Minute project in Margalef, Spain. Sharma first began trying the bouldery, 25-move route in 2009. He came frustratingly close to success, and fell off the last move of the climb some…
Climber Scott Bennett has an interesting post up on his blog聽The Big Wide West聽about his recent trip to southern Utah to do the Castle Valley Enchainment. The enchainment links up five desert sandstone towers near Moab: Castleton, Sister Superior, The Priest, The Rectory,…
Ueli Steck – The Swiss Machine from Mountain Hardwear on Vimeo. Swiss alpinist Ueli Steck speed-soloed Shishapangma, the world's 14th-highest peak, racing up the mountain's 2,000-meter south face in 10 and a half hours. Shishapangma is the smallest of the eight-thousanders, at 8,027 m, and is…
Ueli Steck – The Swiss Machine from Mountain Hardwear on Vimeo. Swiss alpinist Ueli Steck speed-soloed Shishapangma, the world's 14th-highest peak, racing up the mountain's 2,000-meter south face in 10 and a half hours. Shishapangma is the smallest of the eight-thousanders, at 8,027 m, and is…
Climber Scott Bennett has an interesting post up on his blog聽The Big Wide West聽about his recent trip to southern Utah to do the Castle Valley Enchainment. The enchainment links up five desert sandstone towers near Moab: Castleton, Sister Superior, The Priest, The Rectory,…
Bottom of Icefall, beginning of Khumbu Valley I walked as far as I could today. OK, that sounded worse than I meant. I walked from my tent to the end of Everest Base Camp at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. As I left the…
A Belgian-American expedition that climbed nine new big walls in Greenland and a Japanese duo that established a new route up Canada's Mt. Logan were the winners of this year's Piolets d'Or. The six-person jury awarded a golden ice axe to聽Yasushi Okada…
While deep water soloing is still something of a fringe practice among climbers, it's getting more and more popular. It was really only a matter of time until gear manufacturers started taking the idea to market.聽 Case in point:…
A 9-year-old Jim Goodwin on top of his first summit, Hopkins Mountain. Adriondacks climbing pioneer and guide Jim Goodwin passed away on April 7 at the age of 101. Goodwin was 11 when he began guiding hikers up the peaks of the Adriondacks, charging as…
Paul Robinson just released the trailer for his upcoming movie The Schengen Files. Shot during the first three months of 2011, the film documents the European leg of Robinson's recent transcontinental bouldering trip, during which he repeated and established hard problems…
Bottom of Icefall, beginning of Khumbu Valley I walked as far as I could today. OK, that sounded worse than I meant. I walked from my tent to the end of Everest Base Camp at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. As I left the…
A Belgian-American expedition that climbed nine new big walls in Greenland and a Japanese duo that established a new route up Canada's Mt. Logan were the winners of this year's Piolets d'Or. The six-person jury awarded a golden ice axe to聽Yasushi Okada…
A 9-year-old Jim Goodwin on top of his first summit, Hopkins Mountain. Adriondacks climbing pioneer and guide Jim Goodwin passed away on April 7 at the age of 101. Goodwin was 11 when he began guiding hikers up the peaks of the Adriondacks, charging as…
Paul Robinson just released the trailer for his upcoming movie The Schengen Files. Shot during the first three months of 2011, the film documents the European leg of Robinson's recent transcontinental bouldering trip, during which he repeated and established hard problems…
A skier in Alaska survived this avalanche using a Backcountry Access Float 30 avalanche airbag backpack. Airbag backpacks, tested聽with much success聽in Europe, allow a skier or snowboarder to deploy airbags聽 from the pack using compressed air, thus decreasing their density and keeping them atop the snowpack…
Everest Base Camp. What does this phrase evoke in your mind? 国产吃瓜黑料, Tenzing & Hillary, mountaineering, 鈥淚nto Thin Air鈥? No matter your association, it is one of the most interesting places on Earth for 60 days each spring. I have been walking around EBC the past two days in between…
Everest Base Camp. What does this phrase evoke in your mind? 国产吃瓜黑料, Tenzing & Hillary, mountaineering, 鈥淚nto Thin Air鈥? No matter your association, it is one of the most interesting places on Earth for 60 days each spring. I have been walking around EBC the past two days in between…
At 25, climber Alex Honnold is already the undisputed master of the most dangerous sport around; scaling iconic rock walls without any ropes. Is he the next great thing in modern climbing? Or a suicide mission in sticky shoes?
As we left the village of Lobuche, the trail was a mixture of rocks, dirt, and a few mud puddles. We gained altitude steadily except for several stretches on steep uphill that reminded us of where we were and the task ahead. The clouds were low, obscuring the view. But…
As we left the village of Lobuche, the trail was a mixture of rocks, dirt, and a few mud puddles. We gained altitude steadily except for several stretches on steep uphill that reminded us of where we were and the task ahead. The clouds were low, obscuring the view. But…
High-line master Andy Lewis will be featured in Reel Rock 2011. Maybe you already have a crazy video from a weekend in Yosemite. Or maybe you just need something to do for the next three months. Either way, submit your wildest climbing-related film to Reel…
Tengboche-Monastery I am here to climb Mt. Everest but the trek to Everest is always a highlight. Unlike my previous times, we are taking our time with acclimatization days built into the schedule allowing for plenty of…
High-line master Andy Lewis will be featured in Reel Rock 2011. Maybe you already have a crazy video from a weekend in Yosemite. Or maybe you just need something to do for the next three months. Either way, submit your wildest climbing-related film to Reel…
Tengboche-Monastery I am here to climb Mt. Everest but the trek to Everest is always a highlight. Unlike my previous times, we are taking our time with acclimatization days built into the schedule allowing for plenty of…
Eric Simonson addressing the Everest 2011 Group (Courtesy AlanArnette.com) Sometimes I think I enjoy writing about climbing more than I enjoy climbing 鈥 that is until I start climbing. The truth is I love both. The opportunity to share with anyone about this…