Climbing, October 2006

Country: United States
Language: English
Web site: www.climbing.com

EDITORIAL

LETTERS

HOT FLASHES
Ines Papert redpoints Pellisier, 11 pitches of overhanging madness in the Dolomites; McNeely, Ninov, and Potter blitz El Cap’s hardest aid route, the Reticent Wall; Uli Biaho, 7,200 feet of Slovakian big-walling in Pakistan; and Michael Reardon free solos a 5.12+ Suicide testpiece.

FEATURES

Fear Is Ruling Here
A bloody civil war has turned once-peaceful Nepal into a political and military chaos that has killed more than 13,000 people. Yet, those who tackle the country’s high peaks climb safely above it all – or do they?
by Jordan Campbell

Psicobloc: Mallorca
How high – and how hard – are you willing to push it ropeless above the waves? Chris Sharma and friends visit Mallorca, Spain, the world’s deep-water soloing paradise, in search of an answer. Plus: Es Ponats arch, Sharma’s ultimate Psicobloc project.
Text and photos by Boone Speed

Cease Fire
With Afghanistan open to climb, former mujahidin and others have put down their guns, realizing their future lies in guiding the Hindu Kush, not in killing.
by Brian Calvert
Photos by Ash Sweeting

Do Not Enter: The World’s Sketchiest Climbing Areas
The lowdown on the six continents’ travel trouble spots, where kidnappings, drug wars, terrorist attacks, and a host of exotic maladies (ever had Ebola?) might take you down before you even reach the climbing.
by Ted Callahan

TECH TIPS:
Sport: Push and pull: how to recover from a wicked flash pump
Trad: Rig this: uncamming an auto-block belay device

OFF THE WALL  
The dark art of bunker climbing in Berlin, Germany; innovative new techniques for rehabbing landings from across the Pond; HERA goes big; 140-foot whipper; Overheard; hide your daisy chains – they just made the Note list; more…

EQUIPMENT
Nine belay devices – five auto-blockers and four mechanical-assist – for advanced rope management

CLASSIC CLIMBS
Take The Line up one of California’s premier moderate crags, Lover’s Leap, via 400 feet of sublime splitters and granodiorite sills.
by Andrew Burr

ROADKILL
How much bleach does it take to kill a houseful of cockroaches?
by Joe Kinder and Colette Mcinerney

JUST OUT
Tame the alpine zone with Kahtoola cramps, Montrail approach boots, OR insulation, and a Mountainsmith women’s pack. Also, Evolv’s new women’s shoe, and a top-notch bouldering DVD from Europe.

GEAR YOU NEED
No going home tonight – de rigeur gear for suffering in style at an open bivy.
by Mark Synnott

10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT…
Rifle Mountain Park saunters into our crosshairs as we revisit tales of gluing, chipping, hangdogging, red tags, spats, murder, and all-out insanity as America’s most famous – and infamous – sport-climbing venue.