Features

On November 30 my dear friend and climbing partner, Benji Fink, died in his sleep in Vail, Colorado. Apparently, he just drifted off peacefully, exactly the way he lived. He was 44 years old.

Fritz Stammberger was a leading alpinist in the 1970s, unafraid of pushing boundaries regardless of the cost. Then he vanished mysteriously in the Himalaya, leading some to believe that he had run afoul, possibly even captured as a spy. Jeff Long, who was with Stammberger on his last expedition digs into the mystery.

In July 1938, when Anderl Heckmair and Ludwig Vörg arrived with a secret intent, the North Face of the Eiger had been seriously attempted by eight climbers and only survived by two, which included Vörg himself. The year 1936 had seen a particularly wrenching drama when the Bavarian mountaineer Toni Kurz, struggling to the end, died within sight of his frantic rescuers. The below article introduces us to Heckmair, the force behind the great breakthrough ascent of that foreboding face. On their ascent, Heckmair and Vörg, both from Germany, found themselves preceded by a day by two Austrians, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek. Aided by fixed ropes, the second party caught up with the first, and the rival teams joined forces. Heckmair then navigated and led the upper, most difficult, pitches. Their success was hailed by the international media and even led to a personal congratulation by the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. In 1989, the American climber and writer David Pagel, a self-deprecating humorist (vastly quoted by other climbers), climbed—much to his apparent surprise—the Eiger Nordwand, which led to the realization of an even bigger dream: meeting Heckmair. Ten years later, Ascent published “Dinner.” Heckmair died in 2005 at age 98.

When the first international competition came to these shores, it was a big unknown, with many opposed. It could have been a bust. One guy saved it.

Andrew Bisharat dissects the art of the gear review, and relates some of his more memorable (mis)adventures during the process of gear testing.

Will The Future of Alpinism Belong To Runners?

Outside called Brad Gobright “The next great free soloist.” Now that it’s time to take up that mantle, does he even want to?

For years Klem Loskot was a driving force in the evolution of bouldering, raising standards in some of the world’s most famous areas. Then he dropped off the map. Ten years later he resurfaced, still hovering near a ceiling that’s difficult to define.

How a chipping and route-chopping war put a Wyoming climbing area on the radar of federal land managers, prompting new regulations. A look at how it all went so wrong.

Simon Carter gives eight tips for improving your climbing photography.

"When I accepted a belay from a stranger, my life changed forever. Severely injured, I lay on the ground, while my unknown belayer vanished."