Table of Contents

profile

Taulliraju

Taulliraju inspires thousands of Peruvian trekkers every year, but far fewer alpinists have partaken of its beauty. Mick Fowler, who cut his teeth on the mountain, provides the historical perspective, while new routers Robert Sennelier, Saburo Mizobuchi, Herve Thivierge, Constantino Piazzo and Charlie Fowler share their adventures on the Ice Flower of the Cordillera Blanca.

climbing notes

ANNAPURNA III

SOUTH TOWER, EAST FACE

GRAND TRAVERSE

ACONCAGUA

WEST SUMMIT OF FENRIS

MOUNT SNOWDOME, NORTH FACE

ARGENTINE PATAGONIA

editors note

The Real Thing

letters

Letters

The loss of the ideal and a call for better paper.

faces

Catherine Destivelle

She started on the boulders of Fontainebleau, graduated to the top of the World Cup and then left it all behind for the mountains. Ladies and gentlemen, may we present to you Catherine Destivelle.

climbing life

The Climbing Life

Postcards from the vertical.

inmemoriam

In Memoriam

Paul Scaife, 1952-2003

off belay

Off Belay

The metamorphosis of a mountain guide.

features content

Deep Down and Dirty

Shite rock, tedious snow-plodding and horrific bivouacs: an Anglo-American trio leaves the fixed ropes behind in search of their own legacy among the Annapurna group.

The Adventures of Hardy Grimper

Forrest is back, this time on his ultimate project—but can a reunion with Hardy be far behind? Join us as we journey to the Valley, where Bridget has plans of her own.

Little Mother up the Morderberg

You alpinists take these blessed mountains too seriously. They're larks and you've got to lark with them. With illustrations by Andreas Schmidt.

A Night in the Open

Is the art of the bivouac in danger of being lost? One American climber celebrates his moments beneath the stars, from Patagonia to Pakistan.

Moonlight Sonata

The southeast pillar of Nuptse East I has been one of the coveted ascents of modern alpinism. The master of tenacity, Valeriy Babanov, climbed it over the course of three attempts, finding it was just a matter of providence all along.

Troll Stories

Norway's Troll Wall, watched over by creatures of fantasy, brought one young man into a life of his own. Today the Troll Wall is falling apart. Trollveggen aficionado Aslak Aastorp offers up a Norwegian eulogy for the wall that inspired his dreams.