Just the coolest backyard woodpile sculpture ever created. Alastair Heseltine is an extraordinary sculptor and basket artist from British Columbia. For a visual treat, page through all the photos of his work under the "sculpture" heading on his website.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Apropos of Nothing
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Wildest Idea
The “First Look” department in the May issue of Outside has my story speculating about the possibility of a free-solo ascent of El Capitan—a buzz that surged in intensity last year after Alex Honnold’s free solo of the northwest face of Half Dome. The story naturally focused on Honnold and Dean Potter, who has begun exploring freeBASE ascents in Europe and North America (soloing with a BASE-jumping rig to give a possible second chance in case of a slip). Both men acknowledged they have pondered an El Cap solo, and both also indicated there was a very good chance they'd never attempt the feat.
Any time you feature such a dangerous act as free-soloing El Capitan—or the prospect of such an climb—in a high-profile venue like Outside, you will hear complaints that by “glorifying” the act you raise the chances that someone will attempt it, with the all-too-possible chances of fatal consequences.
When I interviewed him about El Cap, Potter told me, “The motivation should just be as pure as possible on this, and I think journalists might want to respect the mental process of a soloist, and not give them any extra motivation one way or another, and just kind of see what happens one way or another.” When he hears people ask him when he’s going to solo El Cap, Potter went on, “It doesn’t make me feel like, ‘Oh yeah, I should do it.' It makes me feel like a part of something that kind of disgusts me.”
But Potter and others are thinking about how and when someone might solo El Cap, and to me that’s a super-compelling story. I simply can’t imagine the skill, self-confidence, and self-control that would be required to free-solo El Cap, and so I find it fascinating to consider the possibility that any person might have what it takes. And as much as we abhor death and injury in climbing, the potential for such consequences is part of what makes climbing so compelling. Nowhere is that possibility more starkly illustrated than with free soloing. Of course I’d be horrified if someone died while attempting an El Cap solo, but I’d also be thrilled and inspired if someone succeeded. Like it or not, that contradiction is intrinsic to the sport.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Alpine Briefs 3 Published
We published the third edition of Alpine Briefs last week. We exceeded our self-imposed guideline for sustainability—"maintain low expectations"—and went hog wild with good new content. Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Early Spring in the Park
After a long office hibernation forced by too much work, it was great to get out Sunday and climb in Rocky Mountain National Park. Greg Sievers and I climbed a probable new route on Andrews Tower, the big rock formation just south of the frozen tarn below Andrews Glacier. We'd been eyeing this one for over a year, and it was fun to have it come together more or less as planned. Our line took a hidden gully on the north face, just left of the skyline in the photo; we descended snow on the east face (facing the camera) and then down right along the lower northeast face..jpg)
The route began with some easy snow climbing and then three mixed pitches up the north face (the right-hand line in this photo). The crux second pitch was steep, sustained M4 and M5, and the third pitch required some artful dodging to bypass the three big cornice pillows that sat atop the face. 
We chose this climb for Sunday in part because it hadn't snowed in the Park for over a week and the forecast was for cloudy skies (wrong), so we hoped the cornices would be stable. Nothing budged, but we were happy when we finally got out from under them. A long moderate snow and mixed pitch gained the rock saddle between Andrews Tower and the main ridge, and then a short pure rock pitch led to the top. 
We had expected to climb out of the notch and continue across the ridgeline to the Continental Divide, but it was already midafternoon and the ridge looked much harder than we'd expected. After a bit of debate, we decided to downclimb the snowy east face. The sun was off the face and the snow conditions were excellent, and we were able to simulclimb the whole way down in two long "pitches," reaching the ground in less than an hour. This face would make an excellent moderate mountaineering route in good snow conditions, with the final rock climb to a rarely reached summit giving it a true Alpine feel. Ideally, you'd continue out of the notch to the Divide, but that would add at least one more technical pitch (probably several) and a few hours of climbing.
Yesterday I was very tired and nursing blisters on both heels from skiing up to the tower in my climbing boots, but it was so worth it to get out and once again explore some new ground in old, familiar places.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Kennedy on Alpinist
My "informed speculation" on the new Alpinist was off the mark a bit, says Michael Kennedy, the magazine's new editor. Here's how Kennedy described his vision for the resurrected magazine in an email this morning (quoted with permission):
"I'd say the new Alpinist is going to be more like the old Alpinist than the old Climbing magazine. The trim size may end up like that of the Surfer's Journal (9.5 x 11.5 inches rather than the current 9 x 12 inches), since that's the more common "journal" size for publications printed in the U.S. The cover price will remain $12.95, although Alpinist will be offering special relaunch subscription offers with the first 'new' issue.
"True, the new Alpinist may have a few more ad pages, but the content will remain every bit as beautiful and compelling as ever. You'll still see plenty of stories and photos of cutting-edge alpine climbs. In seeking to appeal to a broader spectrum of climbers, my intention is to open Alpinist up a bit in tone and voice, to focus on what climbers have in common, to inspire and express the very best of the climbing experience at all levels. It's a much more subtle shift than you suggest.
"Nothing is set in stone, so much of the appeal, for me, is in the adventure of working with the rest of the Height of Land team to shape and hopefully improve the magazine, building on the foundation that Christian [Beckwith] developed for Alpinist."
It certainly will be interesting to see how Kennedy goes about broadening the magazine's appeal without diminishing the characteristics that endeared it to many readers—it's a tricky step, but also one that I would say is essential for Alpinist's long-term success.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Rumor Mill
Michael Kennedy is going to edit the new Alpinist. Wow.
(Not a rumor. Fact.)
Kennedy edited and published Climbing magazine for more than two decades before selling the magazine in 1997. Along with being one of America's top alpine climbers of the 1970s and ’80s, he created a magazine with authoritative articles and elegant design, and he was rewarded with the largest circulation climbing magazine in the world. Kennedy and the much-admired Alpinist senior editor Katie Ives will make a formidable team.
Informed speculation: The new Alpinist, now slated to relaunch in April, is likely to be more like the old Climbing magazine than the old Alpinist. It may have a smaller trim size than the old Alpinist and definitely will have more ad space, and it will seek to appeal to a broader spectrum of climbers, yet it won't be as ad-packed or as broad-focused as the mainstream mags. It also likely will be considerably cheaper than the old Alpinist's $12.95 cover price.
Update: Announcement made.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Oops, Wrong Planet
"Damnit, Scotty, you set the coordinates wrong again! And what happened to our uniforms?"
[Alex Huber, Stephan Siegrist, and Thomas Huber, left to right, in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Read the story of their three new routes here.]
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Book News
I've been hearing about some very interesting new books in the works, and the one I'm most looking forward to is alpinist Steve House's first book. Called Beyond the Mountain, it will be published in early September by Patagonia Books—House has been a Patagonia "ambassador" for a decade. The book will be comprised of climbing stories loosely organized around House's three expeditions to Nanga Parbat, and it will have 75 photos, including some color. I've worked with Steve on several stories and he's a very strong writer. As the first book from America's premier active alpinist, this should be a winner.
Greg Mortenson, the school-building author of the bestselling Three Cups of Tea, has another book in the works. Mortenson said the first-person book picks up the story where Three Cups left off, including the effects of Pakistan's 2005 earthquake and the Central Asia Institute's work in Afghanistan. Not sure about the release date. Three Cups of Tea has been published in two dozen countries, and this month a 32-page version, Listen to the Wind, was published for young readers. Today it's #172 on Amazon's sales ranking. Wow.
Let's see, what else.... Eric Hörst, the training and guidebook author, has finished a book (slated for February 2010) called Maximum Climbing that's about "maximizing experience and pursuing mastery...very brain oriented with lots of neuro, motor learning, and mental stuff," Hörst told me. Lazy climbers like me probably won't read this one, but those who care about improving should check it out.
Fans of the Colorado mountains will have a fun read this spring when Mark Obmascik's Halfway to Heaven appears. This is the tale of an out-of-shape writer taking on all 54 of Colorado's highest peaks—it's Bill Bryson meets the fourteeners. Coming from most writers this might be awful, but fortunately Obmascik is talented enough to pull it off. I was a big fan of his first book, the birding adventure The Big Year.
Finally, this week the folks at Alpha Books, a Penguin imprint, hired a complete idiot to write the Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking. That idiot is me. The book will be out in April 2010.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Alpinist Lives
As predicted, Vermont-based Height of Land Publications has purchased the assets of Alpinist. As not predicted, the new owners plan to bring back the magazine in much the same style and format that readers once enjoyed. The press release follows:
Jeffersonville, Vermont—January 16, 2009—Height of Land Publications (HOL), owners of Backcountry and Telemark Skier Magazines, closed on a deal today that lays the groundwork for the resurrection of Alpinist Magazine.
Alpinist, a premium quarterly celebrating mountaineering and the climbing life, closed its doors this fall, just prior to the release of Issue 26. The new owners, HOL, plan to release Issue 26 on March 1, and will honor all current subscriptions.
"Alpinist fits perfectly into our family," says HOL president and publisher Jon Howard. "We feel climbers, mountaineers, and backcountry and freeheel skiers all share the same DNA. It's, at times, about being bold; at times about being cautious. Kind of like how we do business."
And at HOL, they feel it's a great time to be bold.
Jon and HOL partner and Backcountry editor Adam "Howie” Howard are currently in negotiations with the editorial staff at Alpinist to determine who will be at the helm.
"We've asked Christian Beckwith to stay on as Editor," Adam says. "I reached him in Mexico where he's doing some non-profit work. After seven years of grinding, he's enjoying some relative downtime. But he's genuinely excited that we're carrying his creation forward. We'll be meeting in person in the next few weeks. Should he not come on full time, Alpinist readers can be assured that someone of comparable skills and pedigree will fill his shoes."
Readers can also look forward to the same quality of paper and a large format size.
"We want to honor what the Alpinist team has done," Jon says. "It's a piece of art. And we plan keep it that way."
Stay tuned to Backcountrymagazine.com and Alpinist.com for more information.
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