Win a Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent
ENTER NOW for a chance to win a Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent! The winter mountaineering standard for over a decade, Trango tents are extremely refined shelters for two, three and four people. Featuring Atlas Scandium XL poles combined with our four-pole design and including our patented tension shelf for added strength, Trango tents excel in the toughest conditions.
Deep Down the Kaibab Trail
By Richard F. Fleck - Deep within the spruce and fir,
I make my camp along the North Rim,
but before I eat my supper, I walk
over to the nighttime edge of the
Grand Canyon to peer three or four
thousand feet down to see a tiny
flickering campfire way below that
will lure me down very early the next
day from a chilly forty degrees into
heat of mid-summer and then some—
from Canadian forest to Mexican
desert with shoulder-high prickly pears
and Spanish bayonets
November 2009 - 280 - EPICS ISSUE
BROKE-DOWN MOUNTAIN- In their final Climbing story, the late Micah Dash and Jonny Copp give us a rare, raw glimpse of their 2008 Alps season; AMPED - Three severely wounded Iraq War veterans rebuild themselves; LOSE YOURSELF - Alex Honnold describes climbing Half Dome unroped; SIDEWAYS - Les Calanques sea cliffs, near Marseille, France; PLUS: Two MINI-EPICS - NO REASON WHY and LOVE ON THE ROCKS
PENMEN Cartoons
Updated 10/30/09 - Climbing.com is pleased to present the PENMEN Cartoons by Colorado Springs climber Gary Blehm. Visit his website penmen.com for posters, animations, music videos, games, and more...
Gear Loopiness
No one likes fumbling with a
guidebook (or crumpled-up
Xeroxed page) on route still,
it’s better than straying way off
line. A handy new solution: the
GEARLOOPTOPO ($2.99 per route,
gearlooptopo.com), a collection of
laminated, 4”x6” cards detailing
nearly 150 multi-pitch classics in the
US and Canada.
2009 International Mountain Summit - South Tyrol
The IMS is an international platform of information, communication and presentations dedicated to everything about mountains and alpine sports - and of course a real hot spot for mountain fans: Along with mountaineering legends like Reinhold Messner, a number of young talents will attend the summit meeting from November 3-8 in the Italian town of Bressanone/Brixen (South Tyrol). Many more top mountaineers like Stefan Glowacz have recently confirmed their presence at the IMS.
The 2009 Triple Crown Bouldering Series
The biggest and most bodacious outdoor boulder series is back again - for the 7th time! Hound Ears in Boone, NC went down on October 3rd, Horse Pens-40 in Steele, AL on November 7th is next, concluding with the Stone Fort in Chattanooga, TN on December 5th. The Triple Crown is dedicated to maintaining climbing access by supporting the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and The Carolina Climbers' Coalition.
Gunks Climbers' Coalition Vulgarian Poetry Slam Benefit Soirée
On November 7, 2009 the Gunks Climbers' Coalition will host a Vulgarian Poetry Slam Benefit Soirée to cover costs associated with the Rosendale Waterworks Bouldering Area Acquisition. The evening will include a Vulgarian poetry slam/spoken word by: Burt Angrist and weather permitting the evening will also include a special guest performance of fire by Mark-of-Fire of Gardiner NY. For more info visit: www.gunksclimbers.org
Fall Highball Eastside-Way Cool
The American Alpine Club and Friends of the Inyo are hosting the Fall Highball Eastside-Way Cool event in Bishop, CA on November 7-8, 2009. The event will kick off Saturday with Adopt-a-crag in the Buttermilk from 9:00am to 1:00pm at Peabody Boulder 6.6 miles up Buttermilk Road.
Caliente! A Night of Salsa Dancing to Benefit Kismet Rock Foundation
The valley will only be getting hotter this fall leading up to Caliente! A Night of Salsa Dancing to Benefit Kismet Rock Foundation, presented by Polartec, LLC, on November 7, 2009. If Boston’s best salsa band, Los Sugar Kings, and a free salsa dance lesson aren’t quite enough to convince event-goers, the lineup of food and auction donors certainly must be.
Fifth Annual Adventure Film Festival
On November 12-14 in Boulder, Colorado, the Fifth Annual Adventure Film Festival will premiere the most exciting and inspiring award-winning independent films from around the world. The festival is dedicated to all aspects of adventure from serious exploration to environmental heroism to gripping tales from the edge of the believable. Visit: www.adventurefilm.org
MOUNTAIN AND NATURE PHOTOGRAPH CONTEST
11/05/09 - Two decades after its first edition, the María Luisa Memorial renews its traditional appointment with all mountain and nature photographers.
8th Annual Climb4Life Raises Over $80,000
11/05/09 - Over 100 climbers and 66 volunteers gathered for our three-day signature event, which uses climbing as a vehicle to focus attention on ovarian cancer.
Petzl Launches Tikka2 "Power of Light" Photo and Video Contest
11/04/09 - Petzl, the originator of the modern headlamp, today announced the launch of a global “Power of Light” Photo/Video contest, in line with the launch of the new series of Tikka2 and Zipka2 headlamps.
GoLite Announces Active-ist Contest Winners
11/02/09 - GoLite, the premier manufacturer of high performance apparel and equipment that’s light on the planet, launched a contest in September to find four everyday outdoor athletes to be featured on its interactive new website and in the company’s marketing communications.
Robert "Bobby" Model Jr. 1973-2009
Robert “Bobby” Model, Jr., 36, of Cody died Sept. 16, 2009, at his home after complications from a brief illness. He had been recovering from a traumatic brain injury sustained in an accident in South Africa more than two years ago. Bobby had defied all odds and was making incredible progress in his recovery.
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OCEANIC OMAN
Limestone and DWS on the Arabian Peninsula - OMAN IS A CRESCENT-SHAPED chunk of rock and sand framed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen to the west, and the Arabian Sea to the east. It sits across the Strait of Hormus from Iran and Pakistan - still, Oman’s one of the Middle East’s safest countries.
Two Giants Break World Records on Kilimanjaro
The Guinness Book of World Records might soon add two giants on its lists of record breakers. Chris Waddell pedaled and Tajiri Mungaya hobbled recently to the top of the snow caped Kilimanjaro, the highest mount in Africa, becoming the first paraplegic and amputee respectively to reach the 5,895 meter summit unassisted.
THE BIRTH OF ALPINISM
The English Alpine Club began in 1857 - This new ‘Gentleman’s Club,’ formed by a few wealthy young men in London caused immediate interest in the Alps of Switzerland. Twenty-seven year old Leslie Stephen became one of the charter members. Having finished Cambridge, he immediately followed his ambition to conquer many Swiss glacier-laden mountains. Stephen was one of the most prominent figures in the Golden Age of Alpinism (the period between 1857 and 1875).
In Living Color
Now hear this: three key Southwestern areas see their first full-color photo guides this year. First is Boulder Canyon Rock Climbs ($35, wolverinepublishing.com), by Bob D’Antonio. Right above Boulder, too, are the Flatirons, richly documented in Climbing Boulder’s Flatirons ($32, sharpendbooks.com), by Jason Haas, who for years chased down Beta and climbed almost all the vast area’s gems. And finally, there’s Zion Climbing: Free and Clean ($29.95, supertopo.com), by Bryan Bird.
Updated 11/03/09 with Erica Lineberry's 3rd blog from Vegas
"Red Rocks was a new destination for us, and the scenery was spectacular! Our first day was spent in the Black Corridor. We were the first ones there, but as the day progressed, the corridor got REALLY crowded – we started to wonder if anyone in Vegas had real jobs, but upon talking to everyone, they were all from out of town too – everywhere from Alberta and Quebec to Colorado and California." Erica Lineberry Meet the Team and subscribe to their RSS feeds: Susan E.B. Schwartz; Bruce Willey; Misty Murphy; Martin Gutmann; Sarah Jane Alexander; Sara Lingafelter; Gregory Bahr; Daniel Holz; Niles Barnes; Emmanuel Lacoste; Greg Burns; Erica Lineberry
The Beta: Super Mario and Mystery Groove, Stone Fort, TN
Video by Andrew Kornylak - In this fourth Beta video, Colorado native Andy Wellman tells us how he ended up in Chattanooga, Tennessee by way of Horse Pens 40, Alabama, and shows how to crush two Stone Fort (aka Little Rock City) classic V4's, Super Mario and Mystery Groove. Hound Ears in Boone, NC went down on October 3rd, Horse Pens-40 in Steele, AL on November 7th is next, concluding with the Stone Fort in Chattanooga, TN on December 5th.
American Lifestyle: Joshua Tree
Video by Romain Desgranges - Join French climbers Romain Desgranges and Fred Rouhling in a 20-minute video as they explore the wild and wondrous quartz monzonite boulders of California's Joshua Tree National Park. There's footage of everything from JTree's classic problems to the many V-hard, tip shredding and highball testpieces found throughout the nearly 800,000-acre park. Even a local bobcat and coyote make an appearance in this inspiring video, narrated in French, that seeks to capture the experience of bouldering in the heart of the Mojave Desert.
Huntley Ingalls
Desert Pioneer, Tower Master, Cave Explorer, Geophysicist, Mathematician; Boulder, Colorado - Stop to chat with the desert pioneer Huntley Ingalls and you quickly sense the lifelong hunger for exploration that fueled his 50-odd first ascents. In 1956, working for the National Geological Survey, Ingalls discovered the untapped potential of eastern Utah’s vast desert. He met Layton Kor in 1959, and the pair went on to first-ascend such formations as: Castleton Tower’s Kor-Ingalls (III 5.9; September 1961); the Titan’s Finger of Fate, (IV 5.8 A3; Ingalls, Kor, George Hurley; May 1962); and Monument Basin’s Standing Rock (IV 5.7 A3; Ingalls, Kor, Steve Komito; October 1962).
Climbing in Suesca, Colombia
Photos by Sebastian Mejia, Ricardo Ernesto, Nestor Contreras, J. Cruikshank and Carole Lunny - Colombia is a country full of legends and myths, and Suesca, just 45 kilometres north of Bogotá, has its fair share of ghost tales, supernatural drumming, and flying witches. Suesca is a popular weekend destination for climbers of all levels. It is the best area in Colombia for both traditional and sport climbing, and boasts over 400 routes from 5.4 to 5.14. The walls are up to 125 metres high and follow the railway tracks and a small river. Read Ghosts, the Rock Gods, and Colombian Climbing by Carole Lunny for more.
Climbing in Northern California
Photos by Alton Richardson / www.altonrichardson.com - This gallery features climbing from all around Northern California including Yosemite, Mickey’s Beach, Tahoe, Castle Rock State Park, Berkeley, Sonora and Bishop and also features many nor-cal climbers and local strongmen like Eric Sanchez and Jessie Palomino. Alton Richardson is a Northern California based photographer with a passion for documenting climbing and evolving the ways that climbing is photographed. His work is about being creative and organic while incorporating the natural elements of the outdoor world with a vision of innovation.
CROSSING THE LINE - The Mexican Guide - Part 2
By Preston Tierradulce - Climbing isn't always about the crux, sometimes it is about the journey. At Lovers Leap, a Northern California crag, that trad climbers paradise, The Line is a three pitch 5.9 masterpiece. Steep, thin, often a first lead a testpiece of confidence for the apprentice - it's all technique, no technology here will save your ass. Or the first lead could be a noviates nightmare. At the U.S. Mexico Border, we climbed across The Line one night knowing we could be arrested.
The Continuum Project - Trailer
Video by Chris Alstrin / alstrinfilms.com - Shot entirely in High Definition, watch as Guy Lacelle, Audrey Gariepy and Mathieu Audibert establish terrifying new ice routes in Norway and Rob Pizem and Mike Anderson crush brawny off-widths and delicate face climbing in Zion. Get on route with Ines Papert and Cory Richards as they blitz Kwangde Shar in Nepal and witness Majka Burhardt and Sarah Watson free the Beckey Route on Elephant’s Perch in the Sawtooths. Discover the rewards and risks of exploration with Jon Walsh and Ian Welsted as they establish a beautiful new mixed line in the remote Icefall Brook range of British Columbia and cool down on the difficult sport routes of Lions Head in Ontario with Sam Elias, Emily Harrington, Leslie Timms and Lauren Lee.
Tech Tip - Training - TARGETED OPPOSITION
TENDONITIS LIKE IT OR NOT, if you’re an avid climber, at some point
you’ll feel that deep, dull ache in your elbows or shoulders, a sign of
inflamed tendons. The constant tugging is what does us in using loads
of pulling muscles (lats, shoulders, biceps, forearms) while neglecting
the pushing muscles (pectorals, anterior deltoids, triceps), thus placing
unidirectional strain on your tendons.
Austrians In Rocklands, South Africa
Photos by Emanuel Moosburger - Emanuel Moosburger of Innsbruck, Austria recently amassed an impressive ticklist from July 27 September 12, 2009, during a trip to the sandstone bouldering mecca, Rocklands in South Africa. Highlights were about 30 problems V10 and harder including: 11 V11s, 6 V12s, 5 V13s and a V14 repeat (at night by headlamp) of Fred Nicole’s Mooiste Maise that was believed to be unclimbable after a crucial hold had broken. One of Moosburger’s prized days consisted of sending Royksopp (V11), Armed Response (V13) and The Vice (V13) all in a single day. Shown in this gallery are some of the problems from his trip mentioned above plus: Tea Lady Roof (V9), Pinotage Sit (V10), Roof is on Fire (V5), Caroline (V10), Human Energy (V6/7) and more.
UTOPIAN VISTAS
Taos: a basalt, granite, and conglomerate paradise in northern New Mexico - They say you can tell a lot about a climber by his dog. And if Jay Foley’s German shepherd, Lupita, is any indication, he’s put up a lot of routes.We’re near Taos, northern New Mexico, on a hot May afternoon - 85 F, blistering for 7,000 feet elevation on a plateau lapping against the Sangre de Cristos (Rockies).
Kor-Ingalls (III 5.9) - Castleton Tower, Castle Valley, Utah
The desert spire that helped launch a revolution - “I WAS STARTLED THERE COULD BE SUCH A THING,” says Huntley Ingalls, the first climber to spot the 400-foot (now) desert icon Castleton Tower. It was 1956, and Ingalls had happened upon Castleton, the Fisher Towers, and the Six Shooters during a gravity survey for the United States Geological Survey. His other impression? “That Castleton was beautiful,” says Ingalls. “It struck me as a classic.”
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