Woodward “Woody” Kingman died from stroke complications at age 91 on December 29, 2016, near his home in Belvedere, California.Woody is well remembered as a gentle and strong, principled man whose generosity of spirit and unfailing optimism earned...
Between July 21 and 25, Polish alpinists Artur Paszczak and Adam Pieprzycki made what is likely the fastest crossing of the complete Tatra Ridge by a roped pair. The two took 106 hours 38 minutes to travel from Zdziarska to Hucianska Pass, across ...
In July 2015, after climbing a new route on Asatiani with Giorgi Tepnadze, I was surprised by a fine morning on July 15 and hurriedly packed a rucksack for a long traverse. (I carried 7mm and 9mm ropes, some gear, a little bit of kitchen and bivou...
In September 2015, Giorgi Tepnadze and I climbed a new route on the north face of Agmashenebeli (3,854m, one of the highest peaks in the Chaukhi), which we dedicated to Alexander Ruchkin, who had recently been killed in Peru. Davit Agmashenebeli (...
After staying a few days in the Ratsek Hut, Giorgi Tepnadze and I hiked up to the Korona Hut, a demotivating place due to its poor condition and interior design. We first went to the foot of Free Korea Peak to inspect a route we planned to try on ...
In April a group of aspirant guides underwent UIAGM training in the mountains of Bolivia, during which time they spent nearly two weeks visiting the Quimsa Cruz. They repeated several lines, and the Bolivian instructor Roberto Gomez, along with gu...
In November 2015, Italians Marco Maggioni, Paolo Marazzi, and Simone Pedeferri completed a 400m route up the El Chamán (Shaman) face at El Salto. The route was started about two decades earlier by Mexican climbers Paco Medina and Alex Patino. The ...
In early 2017, Pete Fasoldt and Jonathan Schaffer established a nine-pitch sport route on the northeast face of Pico Independencia, between the older routes La Norte and Directisima. “The route was bolted ground-up, sussed top-down, and subsequent...
Rolando Larcher, one of my regular traveling companions, suggested the idea of climbing in Mexico. After some research on the Internet, Rolando was drawn to a stunningly beautiful wall in Huasteca Canyon and, without knowing anything about it what...
Kim Schmitz was a force of nature and life. I first met him in the Tetons, in 1979, during a trip to climb the east ridge of the Grand. He came roaring out of his tent cabin on the old Guides’ Hill and his presence was stunning. His piercing stee...
On January 3, the AAC lost one of its past presidents, Jim Henriot. He will be much missed by all who knew him, on or off the mountains. A distinguished attorney, an outstanding outdoorsman and mountaineer, a wise counselor, a loyal friend, a le...
Glen Dawson was born on June 3, 1912, in the Mt. Washington area of northeast Los Angeles, the same birth year as his two most notable climbing partners, Jules Eichorn and Dick Jones. The Sierra Club was then only 20 years old, John Muir was s...
Toward the end of the day on November 19, I started up a 5.10c trad route called Star Action in the Trapps. At the crux, I went for the jug but fell off. Though it should have been a short, clean fall, my leg slid along the rope and intersected a ...
An experienced local climber, age 68, was leading Peak Season in Harlem (5.8/5.9), a nine-bolt sport route, in June. He attempted to take a rest by hanging at the ninth bolt, but when he sat back on the rope, he fell to about the height of the fou...
Situated between Pangnirtung and Kingnait fiords on Baffin Island’s Cumberland Peninsula, 35 kms northeast of the village of Pangnirtung, is a rugged, glaciated group of alpine peaks: the Gateway Glacier complex. Here, glaciers have carved an impr...
In 1995, a Russian-Swiss team made a long exploratory journey through the eastern end of the Western Kokshaal-too. The team was Otto Chkhetiani, Vadimir Nikitin, Dmitry Oborotov, and Felix Weinstein, all from Moscow except for Weinstein, who is Sw...
After a trip to the Terskey Ala-too with Callum Nelson, he had to return to Europe, so I decided to continue alone to the At-Bashi. With my excellent ITMC driver Sasha, I came in from the south and chose a final destination as we approached: the K...
Top alpinists have two main “practice climbs” within Japan to prepare for the Himalaya. “Pachinko” involves a linkup of 200m to 600m walls and mixed ridge climbing in the Mt. Hotaka region. Pachinko means “pinball,” and the climbs are so named b...
The Mirror Wall (center) has only one known route, climbed in 2010. The Citadel is at left and Great Sail Peak to the right. David “Pelut” Palmada and I flew to Baffin on April 27, 2010, and traveled by snowmobi...
Red line: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2016). Yellow line: Apocalypse Now (2015). Will Mayo Collection On March 7, 2015, Anna Pfaff and I completed Apocalypse Now, a traditionally protected mixe...