Alpinist Magazine Issue 71 – Autumn 2020
Features:
Terra Arcana
It seems only natural that climbers drawn to the mountains are also drawn to
art that depicts them. In this brief survey of artists who recreate in the
landscapes they render, Mailee Hung considers the articulation of the
unknowable in climbing and landscape art. Featuring art by Jeremy Collins,
Lizzy Dalton, Rhiannon Klee Williams, Craig Muderlak, Renan Ozturk and Rachel
Pohl.
The Line of Shadow
In 2016 alpinist Brette Harrington received a message from her partner, Marc-
André Leclerc, containing a photo of an unclimbed crescent line on Torre
Egger in the Southern Patagonian Icecap. Years later, Harrington traveled to
the massif with Quentin Lindfield Roberts to complete an ascent of the line
they named MA’s Visión.
Beyond the Field Notes
Born in 1939 in Pittsburgh, poet Ed Roberson nurtured a «burgeoning curiosity
for the world» from a young age. On his first major mountain- eering
expedition, he made the second ascent of Nevado Jangyaraju III in Peru.
Herein, Sarah Audsley interviews Roberson about how his notes from the field
came to shape some of his prize-winning work.
Mountains of Grief
«When the mountain community…grapples with the accidental death of one of
its members,» Anna Callaghan writes, «only one thing is certain: it’s going
to happen again.» Through interviews with several climbers who’ve lost loved
ones to the mountains, Callaghan explores the ways in which people across the
climbing community are banding together to address grief and support the
bereaved.
Departments:
Sharp End
Of monuments and mountains.
Letters
Our readers write.
On Belay
Along the Tennessee Wall, a trio of difficult roof cracks known as the Triple
Crown had yet to be climbed by a woman when Kathy Karlo first visited the area
in 2014. Years later, in the aftermath of a painful experience, Karlo returns
to the Tennessee Wall to heal—and to make a historic ascent.
Tool User
What’s a glass instrument measuring four feet long and filled with mercury
doing in your rucksack? Caroline Schaumann and Bruce Willey reveal the history
of the glass barometer.
The Climbing Life
Erin Connery shares a mysterious ascent. Stephen Kurczy visits Seneca Rocks.
Erin Smart becomes an IFMGA guide. Matthew Shipton reveals ancient
mountaineering stories. And Miranda Oakley seeks out moments of peace in the
wadis.
Full Value
Alpinist Scott Coldiron had little interest in ice climbing until an incident
in 2008, when he suddenly found himself stuck on an icy slope with a broken
crampon and no easy way down.
Wired
In the face of ongoing uncertainty and the threat of climate change, Diné
climber Len Necefer journeys to the peaks to find new ways to meld his
ancestral cultural ceremonies and the mountain sports he loves.
Local Hero
Khamsang Wangdi Sherpa was an essential member of numerous high-altitude
ascents in the 1950s and 60s. Herein, Deepa Balsavar and Nandini Purandare
recount some of the accomplishments of this unsung hero.
Off Belay
Stuck indoors? Try Mountains & Monsters, Alpinist’s first adventure
roleplaying game, where the only dangers (and dragons) you’ll face are in your
own imagination.