Alpinist 18,  Winter 2006 - 2007

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

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS

FACES: GIULIO MALFER
Patrick “Gab” Gabarrou’s ascents epitomize Alpine climbing at its best. Gab’s aspirations, however, go beyond his routes to a deeper connection with the natural world in which he moves.

THE CLIMBING LIFE
Observations from the field.

FEATURES

First Ascent: Michael Kennedy
The Ames Ice House, an ethereal classic, shouldn’t have been in at all during the unusually mild winter of its first ascent. To three young climbers from Aspen, its good condition was only the first surprise.

Mountain Profile: The Central Tower of Paine
Home of the world’s first Grade VII, this centerpiece of Chilean Patagonia has a bold future with ahead of it. Steve “Shipoopi” Schneider recounts the history thus far, while Sir Chris Binnington, Paul Fatti, Alan Kearney, Mario Manica and Ramiro Calvo regale us with their adventures on one of the planet’s proudest blades of stone.

The Weight of Thin Air
The hardest part of climbing in the Himalaya is not the technical challenge; it’s the burden of the decisions up high. For young climbers, that weight can sometimes be too much to bear.
by Andrej Štremfelj

The End of the Beginning
While the media glorified the hunt for numbers in the 1980s and 1990s, a quiet cadre of climbers searched for something more profound. The rewards of their quest are now beginning to show.
by Abbey Smith

A Short March to the Hindu Kush
Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush captured the fascination of a budding alpinist when he was only eight years old. Thirty years later, he would find himself embedded with the US Marine Corps in the land of his dreams.
by Ed Darack

Bird’s Eye View
No climber has had a greater influence on American climbing than the Bird. The view from the top, forty years on.
by Jim Bridwell

CLIMBING NOTES
New routes, May 16 – August 1, 2006

THE SHARP END: JOZEF “DODO” KOPOLD
From the turf climbs of the High Tatras to alpine-style ascents in the Himalaya, this Slovakian climber finds his edge where everyone else turns around.
by Jozef “Dodo” Kopold

OFF BELAY
And you thought you had problems with heights.