FEATURED POST
Ultra-Alpinism: 50 Hour Push on Pangbuk Ri
Loading ...At 10 p.m. November 10th, 18 hours into their attempt at the first ascent of Nepal’s 6,625-meter Pangbuk Ri, Chad Kellogg and David Gottlieb faced a dead end. They had anticipated a long single push of ice, rock, snow and mixed climbing up the south face to get to the peak’s 21,735-foot summit. From the [...]
Karakoram Expedition, Part III
Loading ...We checked the climbing potential near Saser Kangri II, the world’s 2nd highest unclimbed peak, called “Baby Ruth” for its similarity to Alaska’s Ruth Gorge. Up and over a high col to the South Shukpa glacier we find stunning unclimbed peaks in every direction.
2011 Karakoram Expedition, Part II
Loading ...“On a snowy ledge at almost 19,000ft, Janet, Kirsten, and I curl together to wait out a clear, cold night high above the Sakang Lungpa glacier…” The all-women’s team returned from the Karakoram successful but not how they intended.
Faces at Fourteen Thousand: Portraits from Denali
Loading ...In November, 2010 a friend asked me to join his month-long NPS patrol on Denali. I don’t like sitting in a tent if I’m not sleeping and I hate being cold. I said yes, of course… Mountaineering is a weird sport, both thrilling and ridiculous. We spent 25 days walking and waiting to get to a summit that we stood on for three minutes. Then we walked back down. That sort of elected suffering incorporates patience, determination, ego, grit, money, time, gear, self-reliance, self-absorption, an anti-stir-crazy syrum (in our case, Hearts and Bananagrams). Along the way I tried to meet the people who do this sport. From 14 Camp, meet some mountaineering people…
Women’s Karakoram Expedition
Loading ...Elation + apprehension: This is my first climbing trip outside N America, above 14,000′, away from the Northeast. And most notably, on an all women’s team.
Alaska Expedition 2011: Kahiltna
Loading ...Mark and Graham returned to Alaska as team “Pirates of Rad” to explore new and classic routes of the massifs of the Kahiltna Glacier and let the jolly roger fly again.
Rainier Climbing Season Begins!
Loading ...Another climbing season on Mt. Rainer is just around the corner. On the mountain, Camp Muir is showing signs of life, spring skiers are still getting their turns in, and the ever present fox is lurking in the shadows waiting for a free lunch! Here’s a look at what goes on behind the scenes of guiding before the Rainier season starts.
Women’s Alpine “Next Step” Camps
Loading ...As we grouped up in the Wilcox Campground parking area along the Icefields Parkway, the rain started to come down, first lightly, then a full socked-in cloud of gloom. This was our day 1 of 5 days of the Women’s Next Step Alpine Camp sponsored by Outdoor Research, and this was not the ideal [...]
The Motivation of a Child
Loading ...“Where does your motivation come from?” The alpine realm is beyond anything enticing. People are drawn to mountains regardless of their intent with them; I have always been drawn to them out of curiosity and exploration…A mountain presents an unknown that creatively gets puzzle-pieced together….
Into The Khumbu: Ama Dablam
Loading ...“21,000ft and moving too fast. 3 years since I’d been exposed to this altitude and the feelings were all coming back. Going for the summit of Ama Dablam, we felt very alive.” IFMGA Guide Mark Allen leads an IMG team to one of the world’s highest peaks.
