We are very sad to report that we lost two very good friends and amazing climbing partners. Yesterday morning Ben Horne and Gil Weiss’ bodies were found by the search team. They were putting up a first ascent of a new route on the South face of Palcaraju Oeste in Peru. We would like to say thank you to everyone who helped in the search effort in the many ways they could. We are proud to be part of such an unbelievable community.
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Camping out in Alabama Hills, LeeAnne and I were planning on heading back to the Whitney region in the next day or two but had no idea what we wanted to do. I was going through guides and the mountain project app on my phone looking for inspiration, and eventually came across a comment by Ben on the Star Trekkin’ page. From there I re-read his TR on star trekkin’ and with new motivation, by the morning it was decided we’d give the Star Trekkin’ – Mithral link-up car to car a shot. It had been a while since my last C2C day, I was overdue for another anyway. More »
The Cordillera Blanca is world renowned for its high altitude mountaineering. But almost as awesome as the mountains themselves is the motley crew of international climbers who come to try their hand at getting high, on big peaks, cheap and fast. Example #1, Marko, from the Czech Republic. Hands down, the zaniest Eastern European caricature imaginable, complete with “Borat” accent and a lust for liquor. He climbed in a cotton sweatshirt and used a bandana as sunglasses…aka a blindfold. Marko eloquently explained the great physical difficulties of climbing in the area in said Borat accent: “If my knees had hands, they would punch face!” More »
When I came down from a week in the Cordillera Blanca to learn that Michael had died while soloing in the high Sierra Nevada, my reaction was one of sadness tinged with the stoic quiver of knowing that a friend died doing the things he loved the most. In the brief time I got to know him, I discovered that Michael and I shared an ever-waning appreciation for the romantic intricacies of the human spirit upon which climbing has the ability to shed light; A deep respect for metaphor, the awareness of self which inevitably flowers from the absurd and often dangerous situations we put ourselves in, and the power of that awareness to let us sympathize with our fellow adventurers and those who have risked and thrived in so many other arenas. More »
For many people, the Mt. Whitney region is quintessential High Sierra, the end of the John Muir Trail and the highest point in the 48. For others, the Incredible Hulk, with Yosemite-quality climbing in the backcountry is the best the Sierra has to offer. Those more romantically inclined will name Tuolomne or maybe the Evolution range as the Sierra’s best for their incredible beauty. For many in Pullharder, Lone Pine Peak is the Sierra’s gem. But for some of us, the Palisades are synonymous with this great range. And the best way to take it all in is to climb ‘em all. More »
The one thing that was noticeably absent in 2011 was time spent on El Capitan. This, however, was all about to change. Stein was visiting the SF bay for business and Yosemite was on the menu. The days preceding the weekend were filled with rain so free-climbing was out. We tossed around a multitude of ideas including the Nose, trying to figure out what might be “dry”. It was the first time we had considered climbing route so I didn’t think too much of it. More »
Consider this, the hint of the century, consider this: “…” Then Michael Stipe stops. He does not tell us the hint of the 20th century. Curses! Well how about I’ll tell you the hint of the 21st century: More »
Ben saw a woman who resembled the Wicked Witch of the West, or maybe Mary Poppins, riding a small tricycle in the night. Our bumper was barreling down at her at 60 miles per hour through the fog. May Day, May Day!
“One tower is worth five big walls” said Layton Kor. Then is Moses, the highest and most shapely tower in Canyonlands National Park, worth five climbers? Since Shay emphasized how much of a cluster it was to climb Moses’ Primrose Dihedrals route as a party of three we decided to go as a party of five! Hopefully two more people could solve those logistical issues… Right? More »
This post is inherently NOT about climbing, but it is about me finding limits I don’t even know exist yet. More »
