Weekly Feature Archives

Arctic Rage

Posted June 26, 2015

This week we are re-posting Kevin Mahoney's account of Arctic Rage, (WI6+ R A2, 4500'), from Alpinist 8. Mahoney and partner Ben Gilmore climbed this new route on The Mooses Tooth in March 2004.

Interview with Angie Payne

Posted June 24, 2015

Angie Payne, a multi-time national bouldering champion and the first woman to climb V13, recently took a break from bouldering to go on an adventure with expedition climber Mike Libecki. Together they climbed her first big wall, the 3,264-foot rock spire called Poumaka on an island in French Polynesia.

Mike Libecki Interview

Posted June 18, 2015

Last week we posted a piece about Mike Libecki and Angie Payne's ascent of 3,264-foot Poumaka on the island of Ua Pou in the South Pacific. Here, we interview Libecki to find out more about the expedition and his personal background.

Solo on Friable Rock on Cerro Marconi Sur

Posted June 16, 2015

On April 16, several days after his partner Thomas Bubendorfer experienced foot problems and the pair aborted an attempt on Cerro Torre, Austrian alpinist Markus Pucher made the first ascent, solo, of the remote West Face of Cerro Marconi Sur. The 8,150-foot (2484-meter) peak is the high point of a jagged ridge in the Cordon Marconi range northwest of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre on the eastern edge of the Patagonia Icecap.

Dean Potter's First Visit to Patagonia

Posted June 11, 2015

It was 1999, and this was our first climbing trip to Patagonia. His dark, unkempt hair hid his eyes, and his jaw betrayed no emotion. But as the plane's wheels screeched along the tarmac, he looked over at me with concern and asked, "How do you say 'bathroom' in Spanish?"

Mystery Brings Adventure: Film Highlights Libecki-Payne Ascent of Remote Spire on French Polynesian Island

Posted June 10, 2015

When the unlikely pair of Mike Libecki and Angie Payne teamed up to climb the south face of 3,264-foot Poumaka on the jungle island of Ua Pou in French Polynesia, they knew it would push them beyond their emotional limits.

No Guarantees

Posted June 3, 2015

At noon on April 25, 2015, I was walking with my client on a rocky trail in the valley between the Nepali villages of Chukhung and Dingboche. The air smelled of wood smoke and juniper. A handful of shaggy yaks grazed in the distance. There was no wind. The ground shook without warning. I lurched sideways. Rocks the size of pickup trucks crashed down the valley walls to our left and right, bouncing like rubber balls before shattering into splinters.

Video: Speed Ascent of El Cap's Zenyatta Mondatta

Posted June 2, 2015

On October 3, 2014, David Allfrey, Skiy DeTray and Cheyne Lempe climbed the 16-pitch A4 El Capitan testpiece Zenyatta Mondatta, shaving several hours off the speed record. Yesterday, DeTray's cousin Dave Coy sent us an 8.5-minute film, containing footage he captured during their climb.

"Give Everest a Break:" An Interview with Norbu Tenzing Norgay

Posted June 1, 2015

We talk with Norbu Tenzing Norgay, son of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (who summited Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953), to learn about the unfolding humanitarian crisis on Everest.

Reflecting on A Friend's Climbing Path

Posted May 28, 2015

Ten years after a brutal fall left him shattered, James Lucas achieved a life-long goal: a free ascent of Freerider on El Capitan in a single day. Jens Holsten reflects on his friend's accomplishment, and on a life committed to climbing.