March 2009 - 273

FEATURES

GALLERYPhalanx of Will, monster dyno whipper, Hebrides trad gnar, Sedona’s steepest, and two bloodcurdling highballs — yeah, we’ve got it.

PLANET XThe science (and the why) of high-end headpointing, as revealed during a gripper first-ascent mission on the domes of Vedauwoo, Wyoming.Introduction and Photos by John Dickey Captions by Eric DeCaria and Matt Segal

NOBODY’S FOOLOn April 1, 2008, Alex Honnold free-soloed the 1,000-foot 5.12+ Moonlight Buttress, in Zion, a beyond-the-pale ascent many still struggle to comprehend. What makes this hyper-talented but complex young climber tick, and where will he take the sport next?By Chris Weidner

GET SHORTY!A shout out to America’s five finest sport routes in miniature, celebrating the oft-overlooked (but long-relevant) ropedbouldering genre.By Matt Samet

DEPARTMENTS

CONTRIBUTORS Brian Solano, Kristin Marine, Andrea Sutherland, and Matt Segal

EDITORIAL Stay sharp: gravity doesn’t sleep.

LETTERS

BASECAMP JUST OUT HOT FLASHES OFF THE WALL PLAYERS TEN THINGS WHIPPED SPORTING LIFE SUSTAINED

CLASSIC CLIMBSTraitor Horn (5.8; four pitches), Tahquitz Rock, California — alpine dreaming in the San Jacinto Mountains

TECH TIPTrad: the Soft-Man Link-Up — enchaining Half Dome and El Cap all-free in a day . . . for mortals

REVIEWS Books — Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite and Humpty Dumpty Climbs Again; film — Rumbling Bald

PERSPECTIVE Christian Griffith: climber, craftsman, artist, business owner; Boulder, Colorado