Alpinist 16,  Summer 2006

Language: English
Country: USA
Published 4 times per year
Web site: www.alpinist.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS

FACES: GIULIO MALFER
Russian climber Alexander Ruchkin seeks out untouched rock from the Himalaya to the Arctic, yet the peaks of Central Asia remain to him a perpetually unknown country – and the home to which he always returns.

THE CLIMBING LIFE
Observations from the field.

FEATURES

First Ascent: Irene Arête
In 1957  a pioneering female physicist teamed up with a bookish medical student to establish a Teton classic. But Irene’s Arête is more than a route; it’s a testimony to a woman’s transformation.
by Irene Beardsley

Mountain Profile: The Matterhorn
So archetypical it’s nearly a cliché, the Matterhorn has retained its power over the imagination for more than a century. Hervé Barmasse and Luca Maspes spin Cervino’s tale, while Alessandro Gogna, Marco Barmasse, Catherine Destivelle and Patric Gabarrou recount their adventures on the world’s most iconic peak.

The Ark of the Winds
To the climbing media, the enduring controversy of Cerro Torre’s 1959 “first ascent” represented the point of the north face. For three of the Patagonia’s most devoted aficionados, however, it was simply the most beautiful line they could imagine.
by Ermanno Salvaterra

Passion&Beauty: Heinz Zak
Over thirty years, a photographer’s quest for the perfect image has led to encounters with climbing’s most striking places and people. Herein, some of the results.

Victors of the Unwinnable
Mountaineering awards have existed for hundreds of years, but in the past decade one attempt to reward the essence of climbing has dominated the stage: the Piolet d’Or. A three-time nominee explores the reality of this quixotic, and controversial, award.
by Ian Parrel

Killing Legends
When a writer discovers one of climbing’s legendary historical figures still getting after it, his research turns into an unplanned-for adventure. But what if he kills his own subject?
by Steve “Crusher” Bartlett

Sum Equals Zero
Nanga Parbat’s Rupal Face offered one man the chance to push beyond his limits. The danger would come if he failed to emerge from his own success.
by Steve House

CLIMBING NOTES
New routes, November 16, 2005 – February 28, 2006

THE SHARP END
Ueli Steck’s first lead gave him an appreciation for self-reliance and autonomy. Good thing: the solos that followed would demand both.
by Ueli Steck

OFF BELAY
A final brush with beauty.
by Heinz Zak