As the climbing world turns! Jonathan Thesenga, former editor of Climbing magazine, is returning to the magazine as its new editor. Fans of the ongoing climbing-magazine soap operas will recall that Thesenga was fired in 2003 by corporate boss Primedia after a New Year's Eve party at Joshua Tree where he set fire to some white gas poured on a campground rock face. It will be amusing to see how JT's phoenix-like rebirth is greeted; I can hear the moaning and gnashing of teeth now from certain quarters. Obviously, his stunt was stupid, but he has expressed sincere contrition for it and he paid the price, including a hefty fine and the loss of his job. Personally, I reacted the same way I do when someone I know gets nabbed for drunk driving: It's completely inexcusable, of course, but who among us hasn't been over the limit at some point and just managed to get away with it? I felt Primedia overreacted with its summary execution of JT, and I find it fascinating that they're now willing to take him back—and willing to take the resulting heat.
Fact is, there just aren't that many good editors out there with strong climbing backgrounds. I'm biased and my opinion is suspect, of course, because I do a lot of work for Climbing and hope to continue under JT's new reign, so anything I say might be considered sucking up. But even though JT was only at the helm of Climbing for a single year, and thus didn't have much chance to exert his full influence, I liked what he was doing. He brings some youthful vitality to the mag but also a deep appreciation for the full range of the climbing experience, from bouldering to the biggest mountains. And he's a good writer: His story about Czech sandstone climbing in R&I 144 (Sept. 2005) was one of the funniest climbing stories I've read in years. I haven't talked to him yet, but I'll bet he's been thinking a lot about what Climbing magazine could and should be. It's not often you get a second chance like this one. I hope Thesenga makes the most of his return from exile.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Thesenga Returns to Climbing Mag
Lafaille Now Believed Dead
French media are now reporting that a helicopter has spotted Jean-Christophe Lafaille's tent above 7,000 meters on Makalu, with no signs of life. It seems likely that he died somewhere between there and the summit. A very sad day indeed.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Lafaille Missing
Jean-Christophe Lafaille, who is attempting to solo Makalu in winter, has not called in on his sat phone since Thursday, when he arrived at a high camp at 7,600 meters. In a call to his wife, Katia, Lafaille said he hadn't been able to sleep for three nights because of intense cold and wind, but he was planning to head for the summit early Friday morning. It's certainly possible that the batteries in Lafaille's phone have died (he said on Thursday they were low) and that something has delayed his return to basecamp. But the weather is good on Makalu, and he should be down by now. According to Lafaille's website, a plane was supposed to do a fly-by today to look for his small tent at 7,600 meters—if the tent is there, the conclusion may be that he fell into a crevasse between his high camp and the summit. Lafaille is certainly a survivor: In 1992, he downclimbed for days with almost no gear and a broken arm to escape the South Face of Annapurna after his partner fell off. But the situation on Makalu is looking increasingly dire.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Friday Morning Time Waster
I'm a sucker for web cams, and this one of Ouray, Colorado, is a real beauty. Not only does it offer a superb view of one of America's most beautiful mountain towns (home of the famed ice park), it also hosts a "movie" of two days' worth of images. Yesterday's movie, as a storm that dumped a foot of new snow blew out of town, is particularly mesmerizing.
No More Blisters
Last year I put in huge trail miles training for ultramarathons. In the past, I've always had some problems with blisters, but I learned two tricks from veteran runners that have eliminated my blister problems—both for running and for hiking and skiing. The first is Sport Shield. It comes in a tube like roll-on deoderant, and it works like Bodyglide or other anti-friction solutions, only much, much better. You just apply a thin coat anywhere you normally get blisters (heels and toes for me), pull on your socks, and you're ready to go. The big difference between Sport Shield and Bodyglide is the former seems to last much longer; I reapplied it once during a 50-mile race and didn't get any hotspots. Even better news for me is that it seems to prevent any blisters in my stiff old leather ski-touring boots and on long approaches in mountaineering boots. Highly recommended!
I have less evidence supporting the other running trick, but it makes sense and seems to work. Mike Monahan, a runner with 10 finishes at the Leadville Trail 100, recommended wearing nylon stockings as ultrathin, friction-beating liner socks. I bought knee-highs and rolled them down around my ankles, and I used them on two huge runs in Rocky Mountain National Park and during my attempt at Leadville (86.5 miles in 26 hours). No blisters. Was it the nylons? I don't know. But they feel good!
One final "trick": Wear the best socks you can afford. I used to buy three-packs of white "athletic" socks at Costco. Now it's SmartWool all the time. Worth every penny.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Alpinist Team to Launch Outdoor Mag
This is from a press release at the Outdoor Industry Association website:
"The publishers of Alpinist Magazine today [Jan. 24] announced that beginning in August, 2006, they will publish a new title focused on the adventure lifestyle. Called Wild, the magazine will explore 'the deeper side of wild,' where outcomes are still uncertain and dreams remain to be discovered. 'While Alpinist Magazine was born in Jackson, Wyoming, and raised in the mountains of our backyard, the people who work at Alpinist are far more than just climbers,' explained Alpinist editor and Wild founding editor Christian Beckwith....
"Beckwith noted that most outdoor athletes feel the mainstream outdoor publications are directed toward the periphery of the lifestyle. 'We recognize the journalistic and business niches of these titles. At the same time, we believe they leave a vacuum, one that the core of the outdoor community yearns to have filled,' Beckwith said....
"According to [publisher Andy] Leinicke, Wild will have limited ad pages; only 26 full page ads will be available per issue."
In other words, the Alpinist model. No word yet on the format or cover price. (Alpinist is oversized and $12.95.) Wild should be a beauty. Can it work? No doubt, the mainstream mags burn a lot of pages on gear "reviews," superficial "best of" articles and other fluff; many readers would welcome a deeper look at the outdoor world. Yet it's extremely unlikely Alpinist has returned a dime on the investment of founder Marc Ewing, and Wild will require even deeper pockets. This is an idea many magazine people have dreamed of pursuing for years. I applaud the Wild team's courage and wish them great success.
The Great Indoors
With global temperatures rising fast, indoor ice climbing may be the future. Check out these photos from around the globe. Clockwise from the top, that's the Ice Factor in Kinlochleven, Scotland; the Toyota Ice Hall at Vertical Chill in West Yorkshire, England (there's also a Vertical Chill in London); and O2 World in Seoul, South Korea.
This is real indoor ice, not that unsatisfactory plastic stuff that a few gyms have installed. I visited the Ice Factor gym in Scotland a couple of years ago and it's a bizarre experience, like climbing inside a giant, glass-walled meat locker. 
Most of the artificial stuff is more like snice (a snow-ice mix) than water ice, which is great practice for Ben Nevis but won't do much to prepare you for the fragile columns of the Canadian Rockies. But it's better than nothing—if you live in London, for example, it's at least half a day's drive to reach even the fickle ice of the Lakes District; it's 12 hours to Scotland. More and more gyms also are offering dry-tooling practice areas. This crack at the PowerPlant in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, looks like good action.
Indoor skiing also is moving onto genuine artificial snow (unlike the plastic mats in use for some years). The amazing, 25-story Ski Dubai just opened in the United Arab Emirates, with a quarter-mile-long slope, quad chair, ersatz Swiss village for your hot cocoa, and fake glades. What's next? Indoor bump runs? Dog sledding?
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Cold Day in Vail
Charlotte Fox's avalanche dog, Max, chose a red down vest from The North Face to stay warm yesterday at the base of the Rigid Designator in Vail.
Leashless update: I climbed four pitches "sans dragonnes" in Vail. My hands stayed warm on a cold day (7°F at the car) because placing and removing gear was so quick and I could shake out anytime I wanted. But I got pumped silly on Vail's steep, sustained ice, and after two routes I was really wishing I had leashes. Methinks some specific training is called for!
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Whipper of the Week (Division of Miracles)
John Christie once took a 70-foot fall but didn’t blow the onsight. How is this possible? John was climbing a run-out pitch on Glacier Point Apron in Yosemite. Just before clipping a bolt, he slipped on the slick granite slab and started sliding backward. Somehow he managed to stay on his toes, and the angle was so low that he never picked up too much speed during his ass-backward slab schuss, yet he couldn't stop either—he slid 30, 50, 70 feet. Suddenly he backed onto a shallow ledge, rocked a few times, and stood. After gathering his wits, he climbed back up and finished the pitch. Since he never weighted the rope, he figures he still got the onsight.
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