On July 24, a 22-year-old female climber fell on steep snow while descending the Southwest Couloir Route on the Middle Teton (12,809 feet). The fall occurred while the climber was traveling on a shortcut to avoid the usual path to the saddle below...
In recent years, Frenchman Coulee, a.k.a. Vantage, has emerged as a destination climbing area, with sport routes and superb crack climbs on columnar basalt. Pictured here is a popular area known as the Feathers. The density of routes and ease of...
On June 29, I (male, 35) and two partners (both male, 40 and 36) were descending the Emmons Glacier after a summit attempt. A little after 7 a.m., a serac collapsed higher on the mountain. We were around the 11,000-foot level, near the top of the ...
At 1:30 p.m. on June 6, Mt. Rainier climbing rangers were notified about a satellite SOS activation on Liberty Ridge. The incident commander was able to directly message two climbers, who were stranded at 9,700 feet. Rockfall had hit one climber i...
Being mindful of one’s rope position is always important. The photo shows a later re-creation of an accident on a granite sport climb near Leavenworth, Washington, in which the leader’s rope wrapped around their arm immediately prior to a fall. ...
In rare circumstances, girth-hitching anchor cord around a rappel ring can lead to anchor failure. Manipulating the rappel ring in certain ways (pulling outward on the top of the ring in this illustration) can cause the girth hitch to "flip," es...
Climbing accidents are a painful yet consistent measure of the state of our sport. Accidents mirror trends in climbing culture, reflect areas of its growth, and follow a shifting demographic. As climbing encompasses a bigger, more varied populatio...
On August 3 at approximately 2:40 p.m., the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office notified North Cascades National Park climbing rangers of a potential rescue situation on Thornton Peak. Initial information was that a 36-year-old female had a lower leg ...
T.C. Price Zimmerman seemed to live a charmed, or at least exceptional, life. He was, concurrently, president of the American Alpine Club and dean of the faculty at Davidson College. He had graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College; studied a...
Blue Sheep Couloir on the northeast face of Changuch (6,322m). The trio continued to the summit by the northwest ridge, first climbed in 2009. Photo by Marko Prezelj. This has never been climbed,” Dhruv tells us. A passionate local climber an...
Kei Narita follows a thin crack up the steep slab at 6,400 meters on Thui II, a key to the route. He is carrying two packs because the leader, Suzuki, had left his pack below the crux of the pitch. Photo by Yudai Suzuki. These days, becoming ...
Cassou, Whittaker, Villanueva O’Driscoll, Warren—and Kurakami—on top. Photo by Seán Warren. It had been a 50-day odyssey to get from Oban, Scotland, to the massive shield of granite called Mirror Wall on the Renland peninsula of East Greenla...
Kajaqiao (left) and Manamcho seen from the northwest over the Manam Valley. The first-ascent route on Manamcho (Fowler-Ramsden, 2007) faces the camera. The 2024 route up the southwest face and ridge lies near the right skyline. Photo: Lai Xingzh...
The northwest face of Jiongmudazhi (6,590m) and the line of the first ascent in September 2024. Photo: Tong Haijun/Wang Yongpeng Less than a month after climbing Chuchepo (see report here), Tong Haijun and Wang Yongpeng returned to the area i...
Chuchepo (6,613m or 6,650m) with the northeast face, climbed in August 2024, in shadow. Photo by Tong Haijun/Wang Yongpeng The Nyanchen Tanglha East is a vast area of unclimbed 6,000-meter peaks, some of which are spectacular. In the southwe...
Sir Duk from the southeast. (1) 2024 ascent to the west shoulder. (2) 2000 ascent up the south ridge, the first ascent of the 6,614-meter mountain. The summit route climbed in 2009 up the south-southwest face is hidden behind route 2. Photo by F...
Dane Steadman about 1,300 meters up the north pillar of Yashkuk Sar I at the end of the second day on the route. Sax Sar, climbed during acclimatization, is the high peak in right center. Photo by August Franzen. Crashhhh! rang through the pe...
The 1,670-meter southwest arête of Kaqur Kangri (6,859m), with bivouacs shown. The summit is hidden behind. The team descended along the northwest ridge (left). Photo by Spencer Gray. I was not expecting so much delight. Ryan Griffiths, Matt...
Barbara (Babsi) Zangerl near the top of Free Rider on day four of the route’s first flash ascent. Photo by Miya Tsudome for Highpoint Productions. Over the years, my partner, Jacopo Larcher, and I have spent a lot of time on El Capitan, but s...
Ondra Húserka approaching an ice smear during day three on Langtang Lirung’s east face. The ice was bypassed on the left to reach the site of the pair’s third bivouac. Photo by Marek Holeček. The dramatic events of the days on Langtang Lirun...