Weekly Feature Archives

The Calling: A Life Rocked by Mountains

Posted October 9, 2014

In 2006, Barry Blanchard wrote "The Calling" for Issue 15. In writing his new memoir, The Calling: A Life Rocked by Mountains, Blanchard used the Alpinist feature story as a springboard to continue exploring the climbs and partnerships that developed from his childhood musings growing up in Calgary.

Barbara Washburn: Accidentally Adventurous, Deliberately Brave

Posted October 3, 2014

As a mother, wife, climber, cartographer and self-described "accidental adventurer," Barbara Washburn was the antitheses of a '40s housewife. "Sometimes [my] home would be in an igloo, at 12,000 feet, sharing Tang-flavored fig pudding with my husband; or as the lightest climber going first to test the cornices on a narrow exposed ridge; or staring out at summit views that no one else had seen."

The Patagonia Climbing Season is Coming

Posted October 1, 2014

As the austral summer approaches, videographer and climber Tad McCrea reminisces about climbing seasons past and offers a bit of advice to climbers everywhere: "[S]cour the interwebs for cheap airfare, unearth your passports, patch your gear and pack your bags."

Amazing Grace: A Tribute to Brian Delaney

Posted September 29, 2014

Patrick Horne remembers his friend Brian Delaney, a New England climber who transformed his ambling gait into graceful movement whenever he touched rock.

The Sunlit Ledge

Posted September 24, 2014

A regular illustrator for our print magazine, Jamie Givens advises how to begin the monumental task of following your dreams. "Start with what you love," he says. "Most people don't realize that the knowledge they have about something that they are passionate about, the years spent memorizing information, physical skills developed, expertise, is all a marketable commodity."

Surviving the Best Pitch in the Pickets

Posted September 17, 2014

Blake Herrington adds his own saga to the story of Picket Range climbing.

Early Season in the Mt. Blanc Massif: A Photo Gallery

Posted September 15, 2014

Fred Degoulet and Benjamin Guigonnet lead the charge into a promising winter season in the Mont Blanc massif, and come back with photos.

Lessons from 40 Years of Accidents: An Interview with Jed Williamson

Posted September 11, 2014

Jed Williamson is retiring after four decades as the editor of Accidents in North American Mountaineering. Having dedicated some 5,000 hours to the journal, he may know more about North America's climbing accidents than anyone else on the continent.

More Important Than the Summit

Posted September 8, 2014

Mugs Stump Award recipient Kyle Dempster returns from Pakistan, not with a fresh routeline to draw up The Shining Wall of Gasherbrum IV (7925m), but with a story about choosing a friend over a summit.

A Tribute to Fly'n Brian McCray

Posted August 27, 2014

Chris Van Leuven calls up a few friends of his mentor Brian McCray to share memories and create an outline of the late climber's character and legacy.