Climbing
ArchiveClimbers Martin Ploug and Kristoffer Szilas were the first to summit Ren Zhong Fen, a mountain in Sichuan province, China. Climbing Magazine has the story and photos from the climb. The 5,800 meter mountain was unknown to climbers until Japanese explorer Tamotsu Nakamura made them aware of…
Welcome to the 2010 Everest Coverage. I will be posting summary updates on 黑料吃瓜网 Online and detailed posts on my site at www.alanarnette.com. Even though most teams willnot arrive in Kathmandu until late March, climbers are busy training,finalizing expedition members, organizing logistics and for some,making huge plans.
The most often asked question of anyone who does a dangerous or unique undertaking is “Why?” My altimeter watch shows that I have climbed over 500,000 vertical feet, 90,000 on Everest expeditions alone. I must like it! Today, I climb to raise Alzheimer's awareness and research funds but also I…
We lost another great climber in November, Lino Lacedelli at age 83. He and Achille Compagnoni were the first two men to summit K2 on July 31,1954 – a year after the first Everest summit. He died in his hometown of Cortina d鈥橝mpezzo, Italy. Their summit brought great pride…
One never to give up, the former record holder for the oldest Everest summit, Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura, is now targeting another summit at age 80 – in 2013. This according to a report today from AFP. He wants to climb the north this time after previously…
Recently while designing new business cards, I considered my title. With my early retirement after 30 years in high tech, I needed a new title and 鈥渞etired鈥 just didn鈥檛 fit. I considered many choices but couldn鈥檛 settle on just one. Thus these three made it…
Lino Lacedelli, one of the first climbers to summit K2, died this past Friday at the age of 83.聽 Lacedelli and his climbing partner Achille Compagnoni made it to the summit of K2 in 1954.聽 Lacedelli published an account of the climb in his book K2 鈥 The Price of…
Yangshuo Climbing Festival Day 3: Steady Drizzle. The morning's scheduled outdoor climbing workshopswere moved to the Yangshuo Kungfu Training Centre. I biked over around 9:30 a.m. to watch Alex Honnold give a lesson on “knee-bar-ing” — using one's knees,rather than feet or hands, to stabilize…
I gearing up to make a Denali summit attempt some time next year and I wondering if my Scarpa Summit GTX boots with a good overboot will be up to the task. I know it is crazy cold up there and I like my toes. What do you think? Kevin Lyndhurst, NJ
Fire and rain bracketed my second day聽at the 2009 Yangshuo Climbing Festival. The former began in the common room of my rustic hotel, a聽4-kilometer bike ride from聽downtown. Someone had聽stored a pile of scrap two-by-fours too close to the wood聽stove.聽When I looked up…
Veteran climber Tomaz Humar was found dead today after being stranded for days on Langtang Lirung in the Himalayas, according to the AP. Earlier today, the flight operations manager for Swiss Air Zermatt confirmed Humar's body was retrieved…
Ni Hao, 黑料吃瓜网 Readers, Mike Ives here —聽a freelance writer based in Hanoi, Vietnam. For the next few days, I'll be filing dispatches from the second-annual Yangshuo Climbing Festival in Yangshuo, China. If my aching聽fingers will cooperate. A little background聽info聽on Yangshuo: This touristy town in Guangxi Province…
Slovenian Tomaz Humar, one of the most accomplished and audacious high-altitude solo climbers in the world, has been stranded since Monday on Langtang Lirung, a 23,710-foot peak in the Langtang Himal of Nepal. Humar, who has some 1,500 ascents to his name and been the…
Mountaineer Fabrizio Zangrilli recently stopped by 黑料吃瓜网's office in Santa Fe to talk about his experience guiding 10 clients up K2 this past fall. Few alpinists have a resume to match.
Welcome to the 黑料吃瓜网 Lab, our new blog dedicated to the intersections of science, sports, education and nature. The connections will sometimes be loose, but that should make it fun. Please comment and ask questions. This week at NASA's Dryden Research Center in…
By Stephen Regenold As recently as five years ago, Army-Surplus wool pants were a stalwart piece in my winter outerwear getup. I’d pair the coarse, jungle-green trousers, which were purchased for $20 to $30 at secondhand shops, with a Gore-Tex shell jacket for ice climbing…
Just a head's up to all of you in the Santa Fe area: Tomorrow, at the Armory of the Arts, Conrad Anker and Jimmy Chin will be speaking as part of The North Face's Never Stop Exploring Speaker Series (sponsored in part…
Rock and Ice reports that the 9th annual Red River Gorge Rocktoberfest fundraiser was a huge success, raising $23,000 to pay off the mortgage on a 750-acre plot of land preserved for rock climbers.聽 This plot of land in…
This past weekend, a group of six people attempted to push a disabled man who was in a wheelchair up to the summit of Snowdon, in Wales, but left him behind when they found the terrain too rough, reports UKClimbing.com. On their way down,…
On Thursday October 8th, French climber Alain Robert scaled Paris's 499-foot Tour Ariana with nothing more than two chalk bags, some climbing shoes, and the clothes on his back, according to Rock and Ice Magazine. Luckily, someone at the scene got video of…
Tommy Caldwell and Jeremy Collins have won the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell in Arkansas, ClimbingNarc.com reports. This grueling comp pits paired off climbers against the clock, with the goal of finishing as many clean climbs as possible during 24 hours. There are…
This is the start of the third day since we came off the mountain. I鈥檓 finally starting to feel semi-normal. The first two days, I had trouble getting out of bed. I hadn鈥檛 really slept in two weeks, and getting out of the shower–well, I finally exited when…
On September 30th Chris Waddell became the first paraplegic to summit Mount Killimanjaro. Videos of Waddell and the One Revolution Team will be made available on the One Revolution blog. Waddell is the most decorated paralympic skier in history.聽 Read more about Waddell's…
Alex Puccio has won the first event in the Spot Series Bouldering Competitions, Rock and Ice reports. Adam Markert won the men's comp for this event, called “The Gun Show.” The series is held at The Spot, a…
Charlie Houston, who was part of the first ascent team at 25,643-foot Nanda Devi in 1936, has died, Climbing reports. He was 96. Houston was a pioneer in altitude research. He wrote influential works on the process of acclimatization for climbers and the health…
I'm writing from 18,000 feet on what promises to be a pretty chilly evening. Left at 6 A.M. with a variety of expectations. Consensus had us staying at Hans-Meyer, and that looked optimistic after our first adventure on the winch. The first quarter mile took about…
You can enter to win a chance to climb Mt. Rainier with Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker on a five-day expedition. First Ascent is sponsoring the contest and will outfit the winner with gear. See details here, and check out Viesturs's 黑料吃瓜网…
Ouch. Long day: 10.5 hours. Technical from start to finish, and unrelenting. I did a series of about 1,000 three-to-four-second sprints at 12,000 feet and 3,300 vertical. I didn't use the winch. We're saving it for the upper mountain. The Harken winch is a great mechanism. We're still…
Is an expedition or burly mountaineering tent (such as The North Face Mountain 25 or Mountain Hardwear's Trango) needed for Aconcagua? Will a sturdy four-season tent suffice? Azad Los Angeles, CA
What do you think about the Lowa Mountain Expert GTX Mountaineering Boots? I used them on Mt. Rainier and they kept my feet plenty warm, but I was wondering if you thought they might be suitable for Pico de Orizaba in Mexico. It is about 4,000 feet higher than Rainier. I don't relish wearing double plastic mountaineering boots anywhere, and hey, the red color of the Lowa is, well, cool . . . Stan El Dorado Hills, CA
Climbing K2 is the next biggest thing. We refuse to whine about it.
I purchased a pair of Scarpa Summit GTX mountaineer boots, kind of on a whim (I'm a gear nut). I plan on climbing Rainier and some other smaller peaks in the northwest, and I'm wondering: Do people trek in these boots all the way to the top, or do they change in to larger mountaineering boots on summit day? David Seattle, WA
I will be going up to 23,000 feet and need to do a documentary film there. Which camera and battery set do you recommend for HD shooting. Huma Beg Islamabad
India's Shark's Fin is a 6,500-foot rock route that's twice as long and just as steep as anything on El Capitan, and once left me defeated. When I took it on for the second time, at 45, a blizzard promptly pinned our team to the wall like insects. Which made me wonder: was the mountain telling me something?
Ski and climbing guide Michael Silitch is the only American working for the Compagniedes Guides de Chamonix, the exclusive, secretive outfit that runs the show in France's most extreme winter-sports town. It's a good life, but like any outsider, he knows that no matter how hard he works, he may never make it all the way in.
At only 24, Seattle's Colin Haley has turned heads around the world with career-making alpine climbs, including an unprecedented team traverse of Patagonia's torre massif. He's driven to be the best-risky business in an era when the cutting edge leaves no margin for error.
Tommy Caldwell needed a challenge, so he decided to hoist his clanking gear rack and free-climb one of Yosemite's hardest routes鈥攁 punishing 5.14 called Magic Mushroom鈥攊n 24 hours or less. Matt Samet was there from start to finish to watch the planning, training, and performance of a superhuman athlete at the top of his game.
I’m attempting to summit Aconcagua, over 22,000 feet and known to be very cold and windy. Which ccorder can I safely use at this altitude? Brendan Chicago, Illinois
Is the Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Parka good for Denali? Eduard Burleson, Texas
The key to staying warm and stuck to the ice? The right stuff.
I climbed Rainier in June of 2008 and hated the plastic boots. I鈥檓 returning to Rainier next summer and looking for a good pair of non-plastic boots that take crampons. What do you suggest? Dayton Baltimore, Maryland
This month's 560–page Fallen Giants, by professors Maurice Isserman and Stewart Weaver, is the most exhaustive narrative history of Himalayan climbing to date. It's also the subject of this month's quiz. Pencils out—begin!
A degenerative nerve disease is destroying the body of Jeff Lowe, one of climbing's greatest athletes and innovators. He's seen hard times before, on mountains and in life. But how do you keep going when there's no way up?
Over the winter, in Yosemite Valley, the 28-year-old superclimber from Davis, California, notched the country's hardest trad climb, meaning she used nuts and camming devices only to catch her falls. It took Rodden 40 days and more than 80 attempts to scale Meltdown, a 70-foot, overhanging, finger-width crack rated 5.14.
I’m climbing Kilimanjaro this summer. Does it make sense to use a silk liner on the inside of my sleeping bag and a vapor barrier liner on the outside of the bag? Lauren Edmonton, Alberta
I have a pair of Montrail ICE 9 insulated boots that I used on Aconcagua with insulated gaiters. I'd like to take them to Denali with a full overboot. The guide outfit, however, recommends double boots only. Should I go ahead with my set-up? Dean Bittern Lake, Alberta
To set up your own anchor for a climbing top rope (or slackline, or car stuck in a ditch), all you need is a 20-foot piece of webbing, a carabiner, and a tree.
June 5鈥8, bouldering’s World Cup returns to the U.S. for the first time in two decades, at the Teva Mountain Games, in Vail, Colorado. And Chris Sharma, who’s been living in Spain of late, comes with it. The 27-year-old Californian is one of the world’s strongest technical climbers but has…
I'm climbing in the Cordillera Real of Bolivia this May, and I know I need to have a down jacket. I hear it can get really cold there. What type of down jacket would you recommend? Xavier Charlotte, North Carolina
I'm planning a summer ascent of Mount Shasta and want to know what you recommend for a backpack and sleeping bag. Is a zero-degree bag warm enough? I lean toward being a cold sleeper and prefer synthetic. I was told by the guide service to have a 4,500-cubic-inch pack. But I’m a petite woman, so isn't that a bit large? Julie Aliso Viejo, California
I about to take on a few mountaineering trips involving Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, and some of the Colorado 14ers. What is your recommendation for decent pants that are waterproof and breathable and will hold up to wearing a harness for an extended period of time? E.J. Dallas, Texas
I'm attending a Himalayan Mountaineering Course in Nepal next month, and ski goggles are recommended on the gear list. I’ve always relied on my Julbo sunglasses. What are the merits of goggles, and can you recommend a type? Paul Perth, Western Australia
After a Pakistani military helicopter plucked stranded Slovenian super-alpinist Tomaz Humar from Nanga Parbat in 2005, detractors lambasted him for milking the rescue as a reality drama to draw millions of visitors to his Web site. But in November, Humar, 38, returned to the Himalayas and nabbed an astounding solo…
When Pete Absolon, the Rocky Mountain director of NOLS, set out for a climb in Wyoming's Wind River Range, life couldn't have been better. A deadly mistake by another man ended it all in an instant鈥攁nd started a nightmare that's never going to stop.
This past summer, American climbers Cedar Wright, 32, and Renan Ozturk, 27, combined two ambitious expeditions on two continents into a novel summerlong quest they dubbed Alaskastan ’07. Starting in Alaska’s Ruth Gorge, near McKinley, on June 17, they completed four first ascents of granite big walls in 13 days.
Can you recommend a good mountaineering boot for women (specifically for those of us with small, like size five, feet)? I have seen debates about plastic boots and double boots. What will the guru say? Jing Boston, Massachusetts
I’m climbing Mount Washington for the first time this winter. I have The North Face’s Mountain Light Jacket and Denali Jacket. Do I need a down jacket too? Dan Wilmington, Vermont
You were told that Everest base camp is an insult to the true spirit of mountaineering. (Harrumph.) But why weren't you told about the excellent bars, the butter people, and that friendly Playboy bunny from Poland? The author spends a month at the world's most exclusive party town.
I’m new to climbing and have been to several stores both local and online looking for gear. I concerned with safety and see all different brands (SMC, Petzl, Omega), shapes, materials, and sizes of carabiners. Which one is best? Don Bellingh, Washington
Out of Bounds columnist Eric Hansen found out firsthand what it takes to be a Himalayan porter in the June feature story, "Dead Weight." Here, listen to Hansen read his story and see a gallery of his photos from the trip.
I’m climbing Denali via the Muldrow Glacier in May 2008, and I’d like to start breaking in some boots (and my feet). Unfortunately, I’m a size 14 and having trouble finding double-plastic boots large enough. Any chance that my old (c. 1982), but well cared for, double-leather boots would be adequate? Glen Ann Arbor, Michigan
I seem to remember climbing shoes for kids being available years ago, but now that I actually have a kid I can't find them. Does anyone still make climbing shoes for children? J Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
What's the best alpine climbing pack out there for multi-day trips, carrying no more than 50 lbs? I'd like it to have good back ventilation and do double-duty: light-weight backpacking trips up to a week and winter mountaineering. Anything meet this criteria? Joseph Torrance, California
Can a reluctant climber avoid his fate? In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, The Eiger Obsession, John Harlin III faces his legacy—and the mountain that killed his Father.
The Alps Trailer: When director Stephen Judson, 61, decided to follow John Harlin III up the Eiger for the stunning new Imax film The Alps (opening in March), he enlisted the best in alpine filmmaking, putting Farther Than the Eye Can See…
Which sturdy but lightweight boots are suitable for summer ascents of mountains such as Rainier and Hood? Tim Chardon, Ohio
The loss of a climbing party last winter raised a mountain of questions. Namely: What was all the fuss about?
I'm just starting to get into gym and rock climbing. Could you recommend a pair of all-purpose shoes and a harness that would serve me well in the gym and outside? Jesse Indianapolis, Indiana
I’m climbing Aconcagua this December and need a warm parka. It seems I have a prejudice against down, because I’m drawn to synthetics such as the Mountain Hardwear Voodoo Belay and the Patagonia DAS parkas. Do you have a preference? I keep coming back to you because no one has reached your level of gear consciousness. Stan El Dorado Hills, California
Most people suggest plastic boots for winter mountaineering, and I was wondering if this is an absolute, considering new materials for non-plastics. Also, I'm typically hard to fit (narrow heel). Your opinion? And any suggested boots? Brian Pequannock, New Jersey
No glove sponsorship? No problem, says ice-climbing guide MARK MILLER, who reveals how he keeps his hands warm for less.
I鈥檝e done a small amount of mountaineering and have been trained on how to use an ice axe. But now I鈥檓 getting more into the sport and would like to buy my own equipment. How do I pick out an ice axe?
What type and size backpack do you recommend for climbing Mount Rainier? Dan Ann Arbor, Michigan