Features

Limestone, Lariats and the New West Wild Iris

For over 50 years, one thread connected every major expedition to the Nepal Himalaya. Elizabeth Hawley was a mountaineering icon, revered by the likes of Hillary, Bonington and Messner. Her words changed Himalayan history.

The following article about the making of one of Hollywood's first climbing films originally appeared in the 1975/1976 edition of Ascent.

A young alpinist raised on climbing’s heroic tales finds himself a player in his own story.

John Bachar died in 2009, at the age of 52, from a fall while free soloing. This feature was his last major interview.

Niall Grimes meets Alex "I-Onsighted-9a-before-Adam-Ondra" Megos, Eurowads and the Legends of Lycra in Kalymnos.

The secret to living with a serious climber is don't take it too seriously.

Josh Wharton is one of our most accomplished, least recognized alpinists. Embracing a disaster style of minimal equipment and a bold go-for-it attitude, he's amassed a roster of big ticks the likes of which you've never heard.

Fifty years ago a team of top American climbers participated in a botched CIA operation that lost a plutonium spy device high in the Himalaya. Here's  Pete Takeda's account of that bizarre expedition and his attempts to uncover the truth about what really happened...

Any wannabe badass worth his weight in Andro knows about the Tough Mudder races. But why should the dirt donkeys and quagmire queens have all the fun? Can’t we climbers get in on the masochistic action too?

What you are about to read contains a plethora of illegal activities, dangerous climbing techniques, despicable acts of violence, and unsavory lifestyle choices that are in no way condoned or promoted by the editors of Rock and Ice magazine. Read at your own risk.

A great climbing road trip begins at the end of your comfort zone. When you enter the airplane, leave your house and its furnishings at home.