Weekly Feature Archives

Andrew McLean Remembers Alex Lowe, David Bridges and the 1999 Shishapangma Avalanche

Posted May 6, 2016

Andrew McLean shares his reflections on the 1999 expedition, the avalanche that killed Alex Lowe and David Bridges and the void left by their passing.

Memorial Services to be Held for Eric Klimt

Posted April 3, 2016

Eric Klimt, a climber, teacher and videographer from Baltimore, Maryland, passed away in a climbing accident in Zion National Park on March 9. His family remembers him as an adventurer who projected routes around the globe. To remember Eric and his adventures, the Klimt family will hold two services.

Mountain Profile: Zion National Park, A Photo Essay

Posted March 30, 2016

In 1904 the artist Frederick Samuel Dellenbaugh wrote of the landscape that became Zion National Park: "Never before has such a naked mountain of rock entered into our minds!... There is almost nothing to compare to it. Niagara has the beauty of energy; the Grand Canyon, of immensity; the Yellowstone, of singularity; the Yosemite, of altitude; the ocean, of power; this great temple, of eternity."

Namesake: Tricks are for Kids

Posted March 28, 2016

During the mid-1980s, Steve Hong was finishing his medical studies at the University of Utah, but he wasn't yet done with his youthful antics. On weekends, he and his partners explored Indian Creek's arid landscape of silent towers, crimson walls and grazing cattle. There, they found fissures that would eventually rank as iconic desert climbs. One was a 160-foot crack leading skyward up a smooth panel of maroon and orange varnish

Mingma Gyalje Sherpa's Solo Ascent of Khang Tagri (Mt. Chobutse)

Posted March 16, 2016

ONLY A FEW CLIMBERS have seen Mt. Chobutse, the 6686-meter mountain above my village in the Rolwaling Valley of Nepal. In Tibetan scripture, the original name of the peak is Khang Tagri. Although the north and south ridges rise in gradual arcs, the west face looks as sharp as an upturned axe.

1998: Leaving Llamaland

Posted March 10, 2016

JANUARY: SHADOWS AND SILENCE fill the canyon of Zion National Park. Within the Emerald Pools amphitheater, icicles clatter to earth. I pull out my binoculars. A gently overhanging prow on Mt. Majestic catches wan winter sun. Bracketed by deep clefts, the sleek, southeast-facing buttress rises through dark-red sandstone and mahogany iron stains.

1998-1999: Cracks in the Walls

Posted March 8, 2016

COFFEE LIFTS ON THE AIR. A dog marks time (and place) in the distance, its tail a silent metronome. The cold air, gently sinking, pulls a breeze across my face. I don't like it. I want to crawl deeper in my bag. From the floor of the living room in John "Deucey" Midddendorf's Hurricane home, I can just see the top of Mt. Kinesava, I think, starting to light up in the eastern sun.

1967—Anguished Moans; Occasional Songs: Mt. Tyree, Antarctica

Posted February 24, 2016

This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1966 American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition. This is John Evans's story of the first ascent of Mt. Tyree—one of six unclimbed peaks the AAME team summited.

Through the Field: A Photo Essay

Posted February 17, 2016

We reached out to Graham Zimmerman, author of "Through the Field: The First Ascent of Changi Tower and The Southwest Ridge of K6 West," in our latest issue, Alpinist 53, and asked him to share additional photos for us to post online.

Mooncakes and Rice: Qionglai Mountains

Posted February 15, 2016

Qionglai Mountains, China. After several weeks of effort spread out between bouts of rainfall, Szu-ting Yi and her husband Dave Anderson completed their new route on the South Face of Eagle Peak East (5300m), calling it Secret Moon Cake (5.10 R, 760m).