It was my second summer in Chamonix. I’d met up with Alex and Julian, my climbing partners from the previous season, they had driven down from Munich. We had big aspirations that year. The Walker Spur and Peuterey Integral were on the top of our list, both significant objectives. Before those, we’d need to get…
During my inaugural visit to Chile, at some point in the early months of 2013, I caught my first glimpse of the iconic spires of Cerro Castillo. Aptly named, the crenelated ramparts share an undeniable likeness with the profile of a medieval castle, complete with moat, turrets, and a fortified keep guarding the summit. This…
It blows me away that we live in a world where people understand what this means… and yet there is still confusion about what the symbols relating to climbing ropes mean. I get it… It’s only the object standing between you and certain death. No big deal. Anyway, today I’m going to take a brief…
In the wee hours of 30th October 2016, the Arthur’s Pass Lodge rang with a cacophony of alarms. Would-be ascensionists rose from their bunks in a pre-dawn stupor, pouring caffeinated beverages into their gullets in an attempt to instigate a mental spark. The cavernous interior of the Great White Van had been loaded the previous…
“Tell me, Mr. Bowman, in your opinion do these men climb to prove their manhood, or is it more a matter of compensating for inferiority feelings?” The Eiger Sanction is a less of a movie than it is a time capsule. Everything about it is totally anachronistic by modern standards, from the outdated gear and…
We awoke to the sound of frenzied movement and dozens of excited voices chattering in several different languages. It could only mean one thing… the weather had cleared and our departure from this goddamn glacier was nigh. The four of us had been lying in our tent at Kahiltna International Airport (KIA) for so long…