Weekly Feature Archives

Video: Revelations Climbing, A Day in the Life

Posted July 10, 2014

Songwriter and videographer Evan Phillips tells the story of a Revelation Mountains first ascent—without any hype.

Scenes from the Alpinist Office on Deadline

Posted July 7, 2014

After months of working with writers to edit, revise and fact-check the stories that make up Issue 47 of our magazine, all that's left for editors Katie Ives, Gwen Cameron and Shey Kiester to do is proofread.

Soloist Jes Meiris on Going Up the Nose and Falling Down

Posted July 3, 2014

"I wanted to climb it solo in a push, without hauling or sleeping, and I knew that if I was successful I would break the record.... It was appealing because no woman had done it in that style before, and besides, let's face it—hauling sucks."

Slideshow: A Busy Season in the Revelations

Posted June 26, 2014

Following years of quiet climbing, Alaska's Revelation Mountains see their most active season on record.

Video: 'A Tribute to Discomfort'

Posted June 24, 2014

Cory Richards, a regular Alpinist contributor, considers the realm of the uncomfortable along with the realities of modern alpinism.

Hermann Buhl: A Hero Undiminished

Posted June 17, 2014

Jerzy Porebski and artist Ewa Labaj explore the great alpinist's life in a comic strip. For many, including Reinhold Messner, Buhl was, and always will be, a legend. "When Buhl was declared missing I cried, too," Messner wrote.

The Illusion of Control

Posted May 30, 2014

Harvey Carter's words become a catalyst for writer Chris Van Leuven's quest to understand how climbing prepares us for the challenges of ordinary existence, the approach of old age and the unavoidability of loss.

The Life, Times and Scary Climbs of John Turner (1931-2014)

Posted May 15, 2014

Fifty-five years ago, the famous Recompense at Cathedral Ledge was first climbed with wooden wedges. It was by the imagination and British boldness of this gentleman, John Turner, who injected new life into a stagnating New England climbing scene in the 1950s. Another New England great, Ed Webster, recounts Turners' more venturesome climbing tales in this web feature.

The End of the Everest Myth

Posted April 28, 2014

To look behind the layers of mythology that still gather around Mt. Everest is not merely a matter of pointing out differences in mountaineering styles. To the degree that Sherpas and other local guides remained invisible in international Everest stories, their concerns, their risks and the value of their lives appeared invisible, too.

Three Springs

Posted April 25, 2014

"[I]n 'post'-colonial democracies where ethnic minorities carry the burden of insidious and vicious prejudices at every turn, Sherpas are fortunate. Everyone loves us, everyone trusts us, and everyone wants their own collectable one of us...."