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K2 1938: The First American Karakoram Expedition

Crag Development During Deployment: A Story from the Live Your Dream Grant

PC: Joseph Stuart

Joseph Stuart received a 2023 Live Your Dream grant from the American Alpine Club to help start a mountaineering club and develop a crag while deployed in Iraq.

*This article was originally published in the Blah, Blah, Black Sheep newsletter and is lightly edited for clarity.

How have the 250th FRSD (Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment), who call themselves the "Blacksheep," been spending their downtime in Iraq, you might ask? We started a mountaineering club! It all began when our fearless orthopedic surgeon and climbing extraordinaire, MAJ Griff Biedron, discovered a uniquely shaped rock crag formation about two miles away from our living quarters. It's located in an infrequently trafficked corner of the base, just off the road. The rock face is about 90 feet wide and 25 feet tall, with steep overhanging sections. The crag is sandwiched between sloping hills, so it is easy to hike or scramble to the top if approaching from the side. On top of the ridge, MAJ Biedron discovered some massive boulders and imagined the mountaineering possibilities. He quickly requested that his family back home ship his modest collection of climbing gear including climbing shoes, ropes, carabiners, and harnesses. When the gear arrived, MAJ Biedron started training his teammates to climb cracks between T-walls to familiarize themselves with the equipment and belay techniques. 

Pc: Joseph Stuart

The Club was officially founded when MAJ Biedron and co-founders CPT Armstrong (veterinarian), SGT Johnson (medic), and 1LT McCarthy (ER nurse) returned to the crag for their first outing. SGT Stewart (preventive medicine tech) joined shortly after and became the Club's deputy. We anchored ratchet straps around boulders at the top of the ridge to serve as a static rope. Then, we harnessed up and sunk our full body weight into the rope to test the holding capacity of the boulders, and the static line was solid to a fault. Next, we tested the hand/footholds on the rock face and discovered that "rock" is a generous way to describe this formation—maybe siltstone is more accurate, like a ragged chunk of sedimentary silt and clay. Many seemingly solid holds broke right off in our hands. Climbers who wore T-shirts or shorts quickly regretted their attire as the jagged surface repeatedly abraded their exposed skin. Nonetheless, the climbers put up several routes on their first excursion and were motivated to keep climbing!  

During the early days of the AAAB Mountaineering Club, the crag was laden with trash and debris. We made quick haste of the mess by organizing a work party. In one day, our crew picked up 50 pounds of trash. Since then, we have made numerous improvements to the site. We carved out a trail leading from the base of the crag to the top of the ridge and installed some flat rocks as steps. We dug a fire pit and lined it artfully with rocks. We positioned larger boulders around the fire pit for resting and spectating. We installed several bolts in the rock to practice lead climbing. We scrupulously cleaned and dusted the rock face so climbers don't get peppered with dirt as they ascend. 

We have since dubbed the rock "Canine Crag" because the area is close to a dog den, and we often see Iraqi dogs passing by, traveling in packs of six. In addition to naming the crag, we have also named all eight of our routes. In the tradition of mountaineering, the person who is the first to "on-site," the route gets to name it. The names and naming members are as follows: 

PC: Joseph Stuart

Pelvic Binder - Karen McGrane 

Northeast Face - Griff Biedron 

Bridget Midget - Ryan Johnson 

Dog Leg - Gordon Armstrong 

Bird Sh## Traverse - Joseph Stewart 

Allagash White - Brandon Barnes 

GH - Griff Biedron  

Rabid Otter Ridge - Karen McGrane 

Our club quickly gained popularity through word of mouth and a flyer posted at the gym. Now, our club has garnered a base-wide following! Member participation ebbs and flows, but right now, we have 27 members in the active club and 23 members in our fan club. In addition to climbing on the weekends, we host weekly movie nights on Fridays, where we watch a climbing movie. So far, we have watched Free Solo, The Alpinist, Touching the Void, and The Dawn Wall, among others. We have many goals to keep growing and improving! 

We received the American Alpine Club Live Your Dream Grant. With this grant funding, we hope to purchase more equipment to develop sport lead climbing and install better top roping anchors. We hope to provide a safe and supportive environment for other soldiers to learn the art of climbing and route establishment.

 An Excerpt From a Subsequent Newsletter That Provides a Further Update on this Club's Climbing Activities: 

PC: Joseph Stuart

The AAAB Mountaineering Club has grown in terms of membership and scope of activities. Currently, there are 51 members in the active club and 28 members in the fan club. We advanced from climbing the siltstone rock formation we call "Canine Crag" to climbing a vertical sedimental wall with ice axes. This crazy idea was the brainchild of MAJ Biedron, an avid ice climber, who figured he could keep his ice-climbing skills sharp by training on the tall sediment walls in Iraq. 

Unfortunately, MAJ Biedron already departed Iraq by this time, but MAJ Armstrong and SGT Neiffer spearheaded the creation of an ice axe climbing route on a 50-foot-tall sediment wall.  

For members who had never climbed with ice axes before (most of us), picking up the skill was pretty simple compared to rock climbing. Actually, it was a lot more approachable because although it required some technical skills and endurance, it involved much less strength than negotiating the overhanging cliffs at the rock crag. 

The first few climbers that ascended the route used the adze of the axe (the butt end) to chip out some good foot holds, so it became easier and easier for all the subsequent climbers. Despite the sturdy foot holds and the wall's gentle downward slope, climbers still got to feel the wrist burn that quickly ensued from clinging onto the axe shafts, with the weight of their body suspended on its narrow picks. Climbers ascended slowly and methodically, tapping their picks into the sediment wall until they found secure cracks in the rock. When climbers finally reached the top, they dangled the ice axes from their harnesses and relaxed into the rope as the belayer lowered them 50 feet to the ground. It was an exhilarating experience, for sure! 

An Ultraneering Challenge in the Cordillera Blanca: A Story From the Live Your Dream Grant

Out for a glacier stroll the day before Alpamayo. PC: Nick Nasca

Adapted from the 2023 trip report by Nick Nasca

Mike in a meadow with the Husacaran Massif in the background on our first day in the range. PC: Nick Nasca

In the Summer of 2023, I went to the Cordillera Blanca with my friend and climbing Partner Mike Buyaskas. We were supported by the AAC's Live Your Dream Grant and the Loa Fund. We intended to complete an ultra mountaineering link-up. I spent countless hours researching the terrain via satellite imagery and corresponding internet photos, messaging with Peruvian guides via social media, and reading obscure trip reports I'd found from buried corners of the internet. We planned to pre-stock four camps and make a three-week push, summiting eight mountains along the way. In addition to the mental and logistical prep, Mike and I followed a training program for the six months before our expedition.  

On June 18, we landed in Lima with a ridiculous amount of luggage. One bus ride later, we were in Huaraz packing the bags that would be used for our restocked camps. We hung out around the Andean Kingdom and the Casa de Guias to learn about recent mountain conditions. We soon met Manuel Bernuy Ponte, a young Peruvian guide and owner of Peruvian Climbs. He was our most helpful connection in Huaraz. Manuel made himself and his experience in the range incredibly accessible, giving us an accurate picture of what to expect in the stretches where our route departed from the usual trodden paths of the Blanca. He also helped us secure a driver, safely stash our gear in multiple locations, and find fair prices on bulk supplies we needed.

Chopicalqui

We prepared nonstop for two days, then launched into the range with a plan of acclimatizing and stashing resupplies. We were scouting terrain between Huascaran and Chopicalqui five days later when we decided to adjust plans. A snow bridge had collapsed on Huascaran, killing a guide in the process. The prospect of equipping a ladder crossing was on the table, but there was no telling if or when that would occur. Furthermore, our on-the-ground appraisal found that linking Huascaran and Chopicalqui would require traversing extremely dangerous and highly technical terrain. The conditions that would have allowed for a more reasonable attempt simply no longer exist due to the rapid melt-out in this range. Here, we conceded our first route change, deciding to drop the first leg of our ultraneering challenge and to ration our food to stay longer and make an attempt on Chopicalqui's summit while we were at the moraine camp. 

Nick posing for a sunset picture at Chopicalqui base camp. PC: Mike Buyaskas

Knowing how slowly we moved in our barely acclimatized state, we started from moraine camp at 10 p.m. We plugged along the most extensive glacier we had ever walked on all night until we found ourselves 400 feet short of the summit by sunrise. We had fought the effects of altitude for the entire push when they finally caught up to us in the form of a costly miscommunication, which ended in our rappelling. We broke down our camp that afternoon and hitchhiked back to town by night.  

Quitaraju and Alpamayo

Nick revelling in the sunset and stoke underneath Alpamayos West face. PC: Mike Buyaskas

After a day and a half of rest, we packed enough supplies for a week, intending to climb Quitaraju and Alpamayo. The climb from Moraine camp to the Alpamayo Quitaraju col was strenuous. We climbed two pitches of low-grade alpine ice with heavy packs, which made for a more challenging day than expected. Before we could drop our packs at Col camp that afternoon, a giant ice mushroom cleaved, sending an avalanche careening directly down the runnel that contained our intended climb. These factors combined to make Alpamayo loom in my heart the same way its western face would loom over our tent for the next few days. Unfortunately, the next morning, Mike woke up altitude sick, and we decided to rest instead of attempting Quitaraju. The day after, we climbed Alpamayo. The climbing in the upper runnel was fantastic, and it felt like the whole world rotated on the axis of single moments between swings and kicks. I topped out on the summit ridge, and due to time constraints, we rappelled from there, despite the ridgeline traverse posing no more difficult climbing. 

Rest days

The next day, we got into town, and the day after that, we went for a trail run to celebrate Mike's birthday and take a break from the expedition. We reveled in our further acclimatization and returned to the base of Huandoy and the Pisco refugio, where friends were looking after the bag filled with our first stocked camp. Our ultraneering traverse received the final nail in the coffin when we observed our route up Huandoy's East Face nearly melted out, exposing bands of heinous chossy mixed climbing that otherwise would have been ice and snow. Our route would be too dry when we were poised for a summit attempt. We had yet to make a true summit but now believed ourselves to be acclimatized, so we set our sights on doing Tocllarajus W Face Direct (D+) in a faster and lighter style. 

Tocllarajus

Nick roping up for the hike back from Tocullaraju high camp, The line Nick and Mike attempted on Tocullaraju's W face climbs the icey path directly through the rocky pinch high on the climber's right side of the face.

We approached the base camp in one speedy push the night we returned from our trail run. The next day, we reached glacier camp directly underneath the face. We watched our route for a day and planned a detour from the original line to thread a safer needle between seracs high on the face. We heard the route had just yielded its first successful summit days before, after turning around many this season. We started at midnight this time, and after delicately climbing the giant icey flower petals of the upper bergschrund, we suffered excruciatingly cold and exposed belays up the sheer ice face. About two pitches from the summit ridgeline, as the sun rose, Mike began to feel too altitude sick to continue. Using zero threads, we were able to bail down the face relatively quickly. 

Expedition Changes

Mike had to leave Peru early due to a personal situation developing at home, which greatly limited our options for the remainder of the trip. We now had ten more days, and due to Mike's altitude issues, we eventually settled on a smaller, more technical route. We decided to try what we thought may be an unclimbed line on the south face of Vallunaraju's south summit. It involved 300 feet of 70-80 degree mixed climbing, which gave way to 3-400 more feet of easier mixed terrain. 

Vallunaraju

Nick finding the start of the potential new line we attempted to climb on Vallanaraju Sur. PC: Mike Buyasakas

We attempted the peak in true alpine style, starting from the gate for the national park at the mouth of the approach canyon and going gate to gate. I led an awesome M4- pitch at the start of the technicalities on beautifully striated granite. Still, we again bailed due to dangerous deep-faceted snow lurking underneath trapdoors of semi-firm crust on the upper face. Over the summer, we found that the south-facing slopes were the most likely to have that terrifying, completely unstable Peruvian snow.  

Huamashraju

We had time for one more climb before Mike's departure, and we chose to switch things up and try the classic Sins-Hanning route on Huamashraju. It is a five-pitch 5.9 on a splitter granite wall that finishes up a moderate snow ridge to the summit. We approached in the evening and bivied in a boulder cave at the very base of the route. The rapidly melting glaciers in the Blanca have formed a small pool at the base of the wall, allowing us to advance past basecamp and skip out on melting snow. The following day, we led in blocks, with Mike tackling the delicate slabby corner crux of the lower wall while I got the pleasure of pulling a fantastic roof and bumping our only #4 up the back of the offwidth squeeze pitch. We started simuling when we got up high, and once atop the ridge, we found nothing but smooth low-angle granite for another three rope lengths. These 3 pitches are apparently a new development even compared to just two years ago when it was reported that snow was reached at the beginning of the ridge. We transitioned into our crampons and soloed to the summit. Unfortunately due to a crampon malfunction Mike decided to stay behind and set up our first rappel. The final snow ridge included a 100 foot long steep airy traverse across calf high penitiente.  The Penitiente gave way to a final rope length of easy mixed climbing requiring a couple of easy blocky mantles on rock.  At the top I admired Nevado Huantsan for a moment before turning around to start the descent: a snowy down-climb proceeded by 4 rope stretching double rope 70 meter rappels. One very long hike later, we were back at the trailhead around 11 p.m., where the onset of giardia rocked me the minute I sat down on the side of the road.

Leaving the Andes…

Our driver Freddy, a cousin of our host in Caraz. Freddy enjoys Mountain Biking through the canyons of the blanca, and his company was much appreciated during the few down days we had in Caraz. PC: A Passing Tourist

Mike left the next morning, and after five days of being sick in bed, I finally recovered. For my last adventure in the Andes, I took a long, all-day trail run up a lesser-known Quebrada. I had a hunch of where I might find water ice based on locations where I'd seen some ephemeral smears over the past two months. Right where I was expecting, I found an ice line that was even better than I could have imagined. This line of nearly 1000 ft of steep ice was the best-looking ice climb I'd seen in Peru. There is a small vanishing serac above it, and judging by pictures I found of the same face in 2013, the overhead danger will continue to decrease in the coming years. This experience had me leaving Peru with lots of stoke in my heart for the many lifetimes' worth of adventures to be had here on our planet. Overall, I learned a great deal on this trip. I now understand how to look at prominent, snowy peaks from a distance and estimate where the most sensible weakness may be and what the terrain will entail. I also got my first taste of leading out into entirely unknown terrain and am hooked. 

On the upper slopes of Chopicalqui, shedding layers before continuing the descent. That evening we would make it back to the canyon floor and haggle/hitchhike our way back to Caraz. PC: Mike Buyaskas

In terms of our ultraneering challenge, the goal is still accomplishable. I don't know if I will ever attempt it again. It required massive amounts of logistical challenges as well as blue-collar prep work. I underestimated just how demanding the conditions might be between 8 different mountains. Although all of the routes we intended to climb would go at some point during the season we spent there, being able to climb all of them safely in the same three-week window would be a rare occurrence. If one were to fly off the summits of these peaks using a wing, the ultraneering traverse would become much more feasible and enjoyable. Hopefully, one day, I will get the time and resources to begin learning the art of flying, but I must return to the ordinary world via the booter. Thank you, American Alpine Club, for helping me have a once-in-a-lifetime summer in the Andes. 

This could be YOU! Apply for the Live Your Dream grant before it closes, on April 30. Don’t wait, your dream expedition is just an application away!

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The Line — April 2024

The 2024 AAJ has just gone to press, which means we’re on schedule to deliver AAC publications at the end of this summer. (It takes months to print and ship the thousands of copies of this 368-page book.) In the meantime, we plan to share stories from AAJ 2024 in “The Line” throughout this spring and summer.

Let’s start at the back.

The back cover of this year’s book features four photos from various stories that will appear inside AAJ 2024. Here’s a preview.

Daniel Joll on Adventure Tourism, a new 14-pitch line on the Airport Wall near Milford Sound. Photo by Llewellyn Murdoch.

NEWS FROM NEW ZEALAND

Photo by Ben Dare

The photo above is from our yearly round-up of big-wall and alpine climbing in New Zealand. Our New Zealand report has been written for the past nine years by Ben Dare, one of that country’s top alpine climbers. In fact, one of Ben’s own climbs appears in this year’s summary: an 1,100-meter new route called Apparition on the east face of Flat Top Peak, climbed solo. Dare previously soloed the first winter-conditions ascent of this face, by a direct line called Soulfly, to the right of Apparition, reported in AAJ 2022.

Photo by Jasper Gibson

This year’s New Zealand report also covers the first ski descent of the big, steep east face of Malte Brun (3,199 meters), the sixth-highest peak in the country. Sam Smoothy has been on a quest to ski all 24 of New Zealand’s 3,000-meter peaks, and he ticked the east face of Malte Brun on October 20 with Will Rowntree and Jim Ryan. The 2024 AAJ includes a couple of spectacular photos from that day; here is Jasper Gibson’s photo of the three skiers looking back at Malte Brun after completing their line, which linked spines and chutes just to looker’s left of the big rock buttress above them.

Want more alpine news from New Zealand? Head to the AAJ website to read this year’s report.

Portaledge camp on the northeast face of Pico do Itabira in Brazil. Photo by Murilo Vargas / 100 Limite Filmes.

A SPECTACULAR SPIRE IN BRAZIL

The line of Ao Ao (9 pitches, 5.13c A12), established in June 2023. An earlier route to the right was climbed in 1999. Photo by Murilo Vargas / 100 Limite Filmes.

Pico do Itabira is a stunning granite tower about 1,000 feet high in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. It has a long climbing history—the first ascent, involving some crafty ironwork as well as traditional climbing techniques, was in 1947. In June 2023, British climber Gareth “Gaz” Leah teamed up with Neni Gabbardo from Brazil to establish a new nine-pitch line up the northeast face. Their route, Ao Ao, has a mix of bolts and traditional protection. The hardest pitch that was free climbed was 5.13a, and the eighth pitch is estimated to be at least 5.13c.  

Filmmaker Murilo Vargas (100 Limite Filmes) captured some spectacular photos of the spire and the climb. More of Vargas’ photos and a pitch-by-pitch description of the new route will be available soon at the AAJ website.

Ratmir Mukhametzyanov on day four of the first ascent of the southwest face of Pik Voennyh Topografov. Photo by Alexander Parfyonov.

AN ALPINE BIG WALL IN THE TIEN SHAN

Last summer, Russian climbers Ratmir Mukhametzyanov, Alexander Parfyonov, and Aleksei Sukharev climbed a huge wall on a 6,873-meter mountain near the Kyrgyzstan-China border, with the Soviet-style name of Pik Voennyh Topografov, the Peak of Military Topographers. The trio spent six days climbing the rock wall, and their round trip from base camp took ten days.

Not only was this an impressive ascent—it won the Russian Piolet d’Or for climbs in 2023—but it also yielded some remarkable photos, mostly by Parfyonov, who wrote our AAJ story, with help from Anna Piunova of Mountain.ru and Kat Tancock, an American translator. We used many of Parfyonov’s photos in the upcoming 2024 AAJ, and we’re happy to share a few additional photos or different crops here.

THERE’S MUCH MORE ONLINE…

Photo by Marc Hanselman

The fourth photo on the 2024 back cover is an image from the first ski descent of the north face of Mt. Breitenbach in Idaho, by Marc Hanselman and Jon Preuss. We highlighted this descent in the November Line, and you can read the full report at the AAJ website, so head to those pages for all the details.

Every AAJ report ever published gets posted online, and the web stories usually provide additional photos, topos, maps, and other bonus materials. Most of the new reports from the 2024 edition will be posted at publications.americanalpineclub.org by midsummer, even before most people receive their books.

The Line is the newsletter of the American Alpine Journal (AAJ), emailed to more than 80,000 climbers each month. Find the archive of past editions here. Contact Heidi McDowell for sponsorship opportunities. Questions or suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

Characterizing the Effect of Elevation on Climate Records in Denali National Park, Alaska 

A Research Grant Report

by: Inga Kindstedt, PhD Student in Earth and Climate Sciences (University of Maine); Liam Kirkpatrick, Dartmouth College '22, PhD Student in Earth and Space Science (University of Washington) 

*This report has been lightly edited for clarity

Our field camp on the summit plateau of Begguya (13,000 ft). Photo credit: Emma Erwin.

The American Alpine Club supports scientific endeavors in mountains and crags around the world through our Research Grants. Landscapes and ecosystems are a vital part of climbing. We believe in the importance of funding projects that enrich our understanding of these places, contribute vital knowledge to the management of climbing environments, and improve the health and sustainability of the climbing community.

Definitions:

  • Ice cores are cylinders of ice drilled from ice sheets or glaciers that are essentially frozen time capsules that scientists can use to reconstruct climate far into the past.
  • Firn is snow at least one year old that has survived one melt season without becoming glacial ice.
  • Isotopes are used to measure past climate properties

Ten miles south of North America's highest peak lies Begguya (Mt. Hunter), or "Denali's Child" in the Dena'ina language. To climbers, Begguya is known for its extremely committing and technical routes; only a handful of teams attempt it each season, compared to the hundreds on Denali. To our team of four researchers, Begguya is also known as the site where researchers recovered two surface-to-bedrock ice cores* in 2013.

The 2013 Begguya cores likely contain at least ten thousand years of the region's climate history, including records of snow accumulation, wildfire, and atmospheric pollution. Still, the interpretation of chemical signals in the ice can be challenging. This information is also supplemented by a firn* core recovered on the mountain's summit plateau in 2019.

Drilling and processing firn cores on the plateau. Photo credit: Emma Erwin.

In May of 2022, our team traveled to the Alaska Range with dual purposes: 1) to recover surface snow samples covering a span of elevations and 2) to recover another firn core from the Begguya summit plateau. We spent the first leg of our season on Denali's West Buttress, ascending to 11,200 ft. On the way, we collected surface snow samples for isotope* analysis. Our goal with these samples was to examine the relationship between elevation and the isotope signal recorded in the snowpack, thereby providing regional context for the isotope signal measured in the Begguya cores.

The climb also allowed us to acclimate before being transported via helicopter to the Begguya summit plateau (13,000 ft), where we spent the remaining two to three weeks of our season. Our objective on the plateau was to recover two 18m firn cores containing a climate record from the past several years, bringing the existing record to the present and allowing us to assess the impact of COVID-19 on atmospheric pollution recorded in the ice. 

Liam’s graduation day on the plateau. Photo credit: Emma Erwin.

During our time in the field, we successfully recovered both surface snow samples on the West Buttress and two firn cores on the plateau. We returned one core intact frozen to Dartmouth College for analysis and sampled the other in the field to transport back melted in vials. It was a remarkably successful field season—we even celebrated Liam's graduation from Dartmouth on the plateau! 

The Dartmouth Ice, Climate, and Environment Lab melted the intact core months after our return from the field. Some measurements (e.g., electrical conductivity, dust) were available in real-time as the ice melted. Both electrical conductivity and dust show distinct seasonal cycles, helping us develop a depth-age scale for the core. However, most of the meltwater was collected in vials, which have been sent to labs across the country to measure a wide range of chemical proxies.

We look forward to receiving back a variety of measurements, which will address topics ranging from pollution levels and sources to wildfire activity to plankton productivity in the North Pacific. 

Learn more about the impact of this research here. 

-Inga Kindstedt

Our fieldwork was conducted on the native lands of the Dena'ina peoples under a Denali National Park permit. It would not have been possible without the support of Denali National Park Rangers and Talkeetna Air Taxi. In addition to the financial support provided by the American Alpine Club, funding for this project was provided by the Sturgis Exploration Fund, the University of Maine Graduate Student Government, Maine Space Grants, the Dartmouth Outing Club, the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, and NOLS. 

The Prescription—April

Denali (20,310 feet) is the highest peak in North America. The name is derived from Koyukon, a traditional Native Alaskan language, and means “the tall one.” Photo: NPS/ Tim Rains

The Denali climbing season is imminent. The peak’s high latitude, extreme altitude, and arctic climate present hazards that challenge even the most experienced climbers.

Our April “Prescription” is a Denali National Park accident summary, accompanied by an altitude illness report from the peak’s most popular route. While mishaps involving crevasses, avalanches, and falls plague climbers every year, altitude illness is the most preventable cause of incidents on Denali.

This following summary and report will be published in the upcoming 2024 Accidents in North American Climbing. The book will also include a special feature titled Acclimatization and High Altitude Illness, written by Dr. Peter Hackett and ANAC Senior Editor, Dave Weber.

Denali National Park Accident Summary

Denali mountaineering rangers treated a total of 33 patients during the 2023 climbing season in the Alaska Range. The following list provides a breakdown of the diagnoses* from this past rescue season:

  • Traumatic Injury – 11 cases (includes one facial laceration, three shoulder injuries, one traumatic brain injury, one case of fractured ribs, one neck injury, and four patients with various musculoskeletal injuries)

  • Frostbite - 11 cases

  • Medical - Six cases (includes two hypothermia, one diverticulitis, one spontaneous pneumothorax, one possible case of anxiety, and one case of anaphylaxis)

  • High Altitude Cerebral Edema – Three cases

  • High Altitude Pulmonary Edema – Three cases

*Some patients had multiple diagnoses resulting in a higher number of diagnoses than the total number of patients.

Twenty-one patients required helicopter evacuation from Denali National Park. Three patients were evacuated by NPS Rangers on the ground and nine patients self-evacuated after receiving treatment.

There were three mountaineering-related deaths in the Alaska Range during the 2023 climbing season, with an additional post-evacuation fatality. One occurred when a solo skier was caught in an avalanche. Two fatalities occurred due to a fall from the Moose’s Tooth in the Ruth Gorge. On Denali’s West Buttress, one climber suffering from severe altitude illness was treated and evacuated, but subsequently died in hospital (see below).

While some accidents are difficult to predict and prevent, many of these medical illnesses and traumatic injuries are preventable with prudent decision-making and a reasonable ascent profile during climbing expeditions. Additional information regarding the prevention, recognition, and treatment of common mountain medicine maladies can be found online in the Denali mountaineering handbook: https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/part2medicalissues.htm

(Source: Denali Mountaineering Rangers.)

The highest peak in North America is a perennial favorite among domestic and international climbers. Photo: NPS/Kent Miller

Alaska | High Altitude Cerebral Edema

Denali, West Buttress

On May 31, an independent expedition camped at 14,200-foot camp notified rangers via radio that one team member, a twenty-four-year-old Coloradan, had an altered mental status. The team stated that they had been dropped off by fixed wing aircraft at Base Camp (7,200 feet) on May 27. Immediately upon landing, they embarked on the West Buttress route, reaching 14,200-foot camp a day and a half later on the evening of May 28. The team stated that upon reaching camp, all members were feeling “ok.” On the afternoon of May 30, teammates alerted NPS rangers that the Coloradan—after reportedly feeling “groggy” with a slight headache—began exhibiting severe symptoms of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) and pulmonary edema (HAPE). A second team member was experiencing moderate symptoms of HAPE.

Weather conditions were not flyable on the night of May 30. A team of NPS rangers and volunteer patrol members performed 18 hours of advanced life support on the unresponsive HACE/HAPE patient throughout the night. Treatment included a hyperbaric chamber, medications, supplemental oxygen, and mechanical breathing assistance.

On the morning of May 31, the patient was evacuated by helicopter. An Air National Guard Pararescue Specialist from the 212th Rescue Unit served as the medical attendant. The patient was flown to Talkeetna and was then transferred to a LifeMed air ambulance for advanced care. Unfortunately, the patient succumbed to the effects of HACE/HAPE in the hospital.

ANALYSIS

As many do, this team made the assumption that living at a relatively high altitude (5,000 feet) and maintaining a high level of fitness would prepare them adequately for rapid elevation gain. This incident is an extreme example of the inaccuracy of this assumption. Even those who live at elevations far higher than 5000 feet may not be adequately acclimatized for a climb up Denali. The human body begins losing its altitude adaptions in a matter of days, an interval that many climbers spend while traveling to Alaska and Base Camp.

The Wilderness Medicine Society recommends that while ascending above an altitude of 9,000 feet, climbers should limit their daily elevation gain to no more than 500 meters (~1,650 feet) between sleeping locations. They also recommend spending an extra night at the same elevation for every 3,300 feet of elevation gained.

Every season, many extremely fit climbers attempt Denali. While physical conditioning is an important factor in risk management and success, the overestimation of fitness as a determinant factor gets many of these same climbers into trouble.

Unfortunately, an individual’s degree of fitness does not determine whether or not they will suffer altitude illness. Only a conservative ascent profile and proper acclimatization will prevent this.

(Source: Denali Mountaineering Rangers.)

Though Denali’s West Buttress is considered a “walk-up” in technical terms, the route still offers plenty of steep climbing. Photo: Dave Weber

THIN AIR ON DENALI: THE EDITOR’S STORY

I climbed the West Buttress in 2003 as an intended acclimatization for another route. Looking back, I fit the profile of the individual involved in the above accident—I lived in Colorado at above 5,000 feet, I was fit, and I trained consistently prior to the trip. While I knew that the West Buttress was technically moderate, I also knew that the relative atmospheric pressure of the 6,190 meter (20,310 feet) summit was the equivalent of over 7,000 meters in the Himalayas.

We made fairly rapid progress and my fitness served me well on the way up to14,200-foot camp. When we arrived, I felt “off.” Having spent considerable time in the Himalayas climbing above 6,000 meters, experience told me that I could use a few restful days and nights to acclimatize. My partner however, was feeling spry and was eager to carry on to the next higher camp at 17,200 feet. He wanted an advantageous position for a summit bid.

Sometimes you get lucky—the ongoing debate on whether to immediately go higher or stay put, ended when a storm rolled in. By the time the weather cleared, we were rested and acclimatized enough to skip 17,200-foot camp and successfully dash to the summit and back. The forced delay had paid off, as did the solid path beaten into the fresh snow by the dozens of summiteers, whose ranks had swollen during the days of bad weather. Had we pushed higher sooner, I may have gotten altitude illness. This would have negated a summit attempt and/or endangered myself and my partner. This episode was a reminder that mountains do not care how hard you trained, nor how tight your schedule is.

—Pete Takeda

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Queer Mountaineers, Kulshan Climb: A Story From the Catalyst Grant

PC: Sarina Pizzala

Queer Mountaineers is a Pacific Northwest based non-profit that aims to provide community, events, resources, and a safe space for outdoor enthusiasts of all backgrounds, genders, and sexualities. Founders and directors Sarina Pizzala and Jude Glenn had a dream to put on one of the first all-queer climbs of Kulshan (Mount Baker) in the North Cascades.

Kulshan is known as a mountaineering training ground with a relatively straightforward and beginner-friendly approach. They met Jack Bynum at Indigo Alpine Guides, who shared the same passion for creating safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+(Lesiban, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual) community. Together, the three of them planned a four-day course that would cover basic mountaineering skills with funding from The American Alpine Club Catalyst grant.

Join the Queer Mountaineers for a climb up beautiful Kulshan and read their story below!

Immaterial Climbing: A Story From the Catalyst Grant

Reported by Sierra McGivney

Photos by Ben Burch

Ben Burch climbing, featured in Immaterial Climbing. PC: Ashley Xu

In the backdrop of Northern Appalachia, Ben Burch (he/they) drove to nowhere. Like most high schoolers, driving was a source of relief and independence in the wake of an angsty breakup. Eventually, Burch needed to stop at a gas station, and the one they picked happened to be next to a climbing gym. Bored of driving aimlessly in their car, Burch wandered inside the climbing gym, opening the door to climbing and its community.  

Burch continued cultivating their passion for climbing in Philadelphia when he went to college. There, he worked with other queer climbers to create PHLash, a community-based, peer-led group that aims to bring together LGBTQIA+ individuals to climb and socialize. Burch found he loved leading and being a part of that community. It was a space that held community and understanding in a sport that traditionally has not always provided that. 

The mood shifted last year when West Virginia attempted to pass a law banning events based around queer affinity. West Virginia is only a stone's throw from Pennsylvania and hosts Homoclimbtastic, the world's largest queer-friendly climbing festival. Burch and his friends found themselves distressed about the status of Homoclimbtastic. This event, like PHLash, had enriched their climbing experience. It kept Burch climbing and invited others into the community. But now, they didn't know if it would ever exist again. Instinctively, Burch thought, I need to document this. 

"I just needed to have something recorded down so people know that this event was here and that we were here," said Burch. 

Their idea was to take photos from affinity groups and events they attended and post them on Instagram to exist somewhere in the ether. On a whim, Burch applied to the American Alpine Club's Catalyst Grant and was chosen. Their photos would no longer live just online but in a physical book: Immaterial Climbing: A Queer Climbing Photography Zine. 

Burch embarked on an East Coast climbing adventure, photographing and memorializing queer events, meetups, and climbers. 

Ultimately, the version of the bill that would outlaw Homoclimbtastic did not pass; however, the bill that did pass put restrictions on queer events. Minors are not allowed to be involved in any way in drag shows in West Virginia, and drag show organizers are responsible for checking the age of attendees. At the Homoclimbtastic Drag Show, participants had to wear a wristband and have their IDs checked. 

Despite the political backdrop, the high-energy drag show and dance party at Homoclimbtastic was one of the most fun nights Burch had in years. For some photographers, when they capture moments through the pictures they take, their memories bend to how they remember them. That night, Burch took a photo of someone dancing surrounded by a bunch of people, all wearing wristbands, and titled it Armbands Around Salamander because the person dancing in the center has a salamander tattoo on their shoulder. This ended up becoming one of Burch's favorite photos in the book. 

"They're really kind of lost in their moment of dance, and for me, even though it is kind of a reconstructed memory, I really think about that dance party as this moment of freedom and expression regardless of the circumstances that were trying to repress that," said Burch.

In the book, Burch focuses on his home base, too. 

One moment stuck out to Burch. A participant at PHLash wearing a Brittney Spears t-shirt said that climbing in Pennsylvania is like Spears' song …Baby One More Time. The rock climbing in the northeast is generally not friendly. Outside of Philadelphia, one of the main climbing areas, Hayock, is home to Solid Triassic Diabase, a type of rock that requires precision on unforgiving edges. Philadelphia feels like a city that embeds grit and determination in its residents, much like the climbing in the area. The lyric hit me baby one more time embodies the rough climbing and the determination of the climbers in the area. 

Photo by Ben Burch

Burch became interested in the idea that the city you're from—not just the culture–is reflected in the climber. In the book's PHLash section, he mixes photos from living in Philadelphia with climbing photos from the meetup. 

Next, Burch changed their aperture, widened their depth of field, and traveled down to Atlanta, Georgia, to the southeast bouldering scene. 

"[Bouldering in the southeast] is truly this perfect marriage of texture and shapes that force precise body positioning and control, mixed with the raw power to get through the fact that they're all just slopers disguising themselves as crimps," said Burch.

There, he participated in a meetup with the affinity group Unharnessed, an LGBT+ and allies climbing club. At this meetup, Burch was more of a wallflower; he had a couple of friends in the Atlanta area but was not a deep group member in the same way as Homoclimbtastic or PHLash. He listened in on the conversation between climbs and found it was not the idle talk that normally existed at the crag. People would talk about the climb or the person climbing, but then the conversation would shift to asking if anyone had extra food to put in the Atlanta community fridge or about the community resources near the gym. He was so struck by how focused the group was on building community through resources and knowledge. 

It reminded him of a quote by bell hooks, "I think that part of what a culture of domination has done is raise that romantic relationship up as the single most important bond, when of course the single most important bond is that of community."

In their portrait section, Burch created a shallow depth of field, softening the background and pulling queer climbers to the forefront. Andrew Izzo is a crusher. He has recently sent Bro-Zone (5.14b) in the Gunks and Proper Soul (5.14a) in the New River Gorge and is a consistent double-digit boulderer based in Philadelphia. He only came out recently and is featured in Immaterial Climbing: A Queer Climbing Photography Zine. Burch thought that taking and publishing these photos of him almost served as a coming-out party. Izzo felt like there was no better way for him to come out. The intersection of being part of the queer community and part of the climbing community showed all of him. "That was a special moment in taking these photos, serving as a space for someone to embrace all of themselves," said Burch.  

Everyone featured in the book's portrait section was chosen for their excellence in community work or climbing. Burch wanted to highlight these individuals who were balancing so many aspects of their identity and achieving so much within the climbing community.

The book revolves around the community Burch is most familiar with—that he could really speak to without fear of misrepresentation. 

"I think all climbers are in constant chase of flow, of that feeling when you are climbing, and it feels like your body is in perfect response to what it needs to do with the rock—this immovable object that you have rehearsed and understood. For me, the East Coast Climbing Scene feels like that state of flow.

“It feels like a place where you are understood, and people know who you are, even without thinking about the larger circumstances. It's this, like, perfect moment of escape in the larger challenge of—to complete the metaphor—trying to finish the climb," said Burch.

More about Immaterial Climbing: A Queer Climbing Photography Zine and Ben Burch (he/they): 

PC: Ben Burch

Burch is a photographer and climber currently based out of Washington DC. Part of queer affinity groups since they began climbing, he wanted to use this zine as a love letter to the spaces that gave him so much. For more of their photography, please follow them @benjammin_burch on Instagram.

Immaterial Climbing is a photography zine which explores the world of queer climbing. Taken over the course of 2023, this book explores meet-ups, affinity groups, and climbers who are creating their own space of belonging. The project features the event Homoclimbtastic, affinity groups Unharnessed and Phlash, as well as portraits of queer climbers. It is a lovely coffee table book, a book to add to your gym's collection, or a reminder that we'll always be here. Grab your copy.

This project was made possible through the American Alpine Club and the bravery of the queer climbing community.

CONNECT: Mo Beck on the Impact of Adaptive Climbing Fest, and Retiring from Competitions

Adaptive Climbing Festival (ACF) is crafting a shift in adaptive climbing. Not only is it easier than ever for a person with a disability to TRY paraclimbing, but through ACF, there are also now more opportunities to build skills and depth in the paraclimbing community, deepening the knowledge and expertise that adaptive leaders can use to empower future generations of adaptive climbers.

We sat down with Mo Beck, one of the organizers of ACF and a pro athlete, to talk about how Adaptive Climbing Fest started, its impact, and why ACF is such a meaningful finalist for the AAC’s Changemaker Award. We also chatted about Mo’s climbing philosophy, the emotions of retiring from competing, trolls on Mountain Project, and how she’s seen the sport change over 25 years of climbing.

CLIMB: Katie Lamb Dives Deep on Her Send of Box Therapy, and Losing Anonymity

In 2023, Katie Lamb sent Box Therapy. It was a definite level-up for her personal climbing, and with this ascent, she became the first woman in history to climb a boulder that many consider to be V16. Her landmark send made waves, and that’s why she is a finalist for the AAC’s Climb of the Year Award. We chatted with Katie about all that went into projecting Box Therapy, her climbing philosophy, how to use excuses to your advantage on bad days, what it was like to lose anonymity, her secret to work-climbing balance, the experience of everyone talking about you on the internet, and being authentic in the current climbing world.

Journey to Mount Ritter: A Story From the Live Your Dream Grant

Provided by: Erik Hamilton

"Throw the damn axe!" I beckoned Alanna as the once infrangible glacial ice deteriorated into slush, quickly becoming a four-inch-deep, wet avalanche under our twelve-point crampons. As the seconds ticked by and dawn grew near, the conditions were growing perilously unfavorable. That morning on the southeast face of Mount Ritter, at 10,600 feet, it took every ounce of practice, patience, and know-how to retreat safely down the mountain."

After receiving the Live Your Dream Grant, Erik Hamilton and his partner Alanna set off on a journey traveling from the forested mountains of the East Coast to the majestic Sierra Nevada’s of California, intent on climbing Mount Ritter. Hamilton reflects on the meditative nature of being in the mountains and what he truly finds important while traveling through the Western United States.

Come along for a scenic ride of Mount Ritter, by reading the story below…

The Live Your Dream Grant is Powered By:

Grant Spotlight: The Cornerstone Grant

PC: Grey Satterfield

In this article, writer Holly You Tung Chen captures the energy and effort that goes into sustainably developing a new bouldering area. Thanks to the AAC’s Cornerstone Grant, the Carolinas Climber’s Coalition was able to build trails and develop a parking lot for the McKinney Gap and Weaver Knob boulders. Dive in to hear about the process of discovering the boulders, sending and first ascents, and marshaling resources to responsibly open access to climbers everywhere.

CLIMB: Babsi Zangerl's Secret to Her Exceptional Yosemite Resume

"I like to suck" Babsi says...and this mentality means she's constantly trying climbing styles and skills that she's bad at. And with that sense of curiosity, she acquires a breadth of mastery that is evident in her Yosemite accomplishments...

In many ways, Babsi Zangerl has flown under the radar here in the United States. She doesn’t like to brag—she just wants to climb hard. But her dedication to climbing has resulted in an astonishing Yosemite resume. She has 6 free ascents of El Cap to her name, including the first female free ascents of Zodiac, El Nino, and Magic Mushroom. In this interview, we talk about some of these iconic climbs, what inspires her and her goal-setting process, how she taught herself to crack climb in Indian Creek so she could climb in Yosemite, the magic duo that is her partnership with Jacopo Larcher, and her perspective on the ground-up ethic of big wall climbing. She also admits to why she’s been avoiding the Monster Off-Width pitch and gives us a hint of her ambitions for future Yosemite trips. Dive into this episode to hear from one of the most accomplished modern Yosemite climbers—and honestly, she’s just getting started.

The Prescription—March 2024

This month we have an unreported accident from a few years ago. This incident occurred at Mt. Woodson near San Diego. A climber atop one of beautiful granite boulders that sprinkle the area was lowering his partner when the unthinkable occurred.

Thibault Philippine leads the mega classic Robbins Crack (5.10a) at Mt. Woodson. This boulder was the scene of a serious lowering accident in 2021. Visible in this image is the sloping summit and the barely discernible anchor bolts, six feet below and to the right of the top. Note: Philippine was not in any way involved in this accident. Photo: Philipp Arndt

Ground Fall | No Belay Anchor

San Diego County, Mt. Woodson

On February 24, 2021, Dawson Riley (21) and his friend (19) were enjoying a day out at Mt. Woodson. Riley, an experienced climber, had taken this friend climbing a few times before. Riley first led the 35-foot route Robbins Crack (5.10a) and attached a quad anchor sling to the bolts atop the large boulder. His friend then followed, with Riley belaying from above on a Grigri. Riley then adjusted the position of the anchor so that they could lower each other and climb Lie Detector (5.12a/b), another crack route (the analog to Robbins Crack) that shares the same bolt anchor. After each climber took a turn on Lie Detector, they sat together on top of the boulder.

Shortly after, Riley removed his quad anchor from the bolts. Unanchored and with the Grigri clipped directly to his harness, Riley began lowering his friend down the Robbins Crack side of the boulder. The rope began feeding rapidly through the Grigri. Riley released the brake handle to block the rope and started to slide off the boulder. Riley fanned out his body in an attempt to increase friction but was quickly launched off the boulder. He fell approximately 25 feet and landed on his right side. His partner, still tied to the end of the rope, had fallen approximately ten feet and was uninjured.

On impact, Riley suffered a seizure and remained unconscious. Others nearby heard his partner yelling for help. They called 911, and nearby CAL FIRE first responders arrived. They placed Riley on a stretcher and onto the flat bed of their truck, then transported him to a nearby airport. There, they met a Mercy Air medical helicopter, who flew him to the Palomar Health trauma center.

Riley sustained multiple injuries including a concussion, an open fracture of both bones in the right forearm, a lung contusion, and three pelvic fractures. He was not wearing a helmet. He required multiple surgeries but has fully recovered and continues to climb.

Dawson Riley sitting atop the Robbins Boulder last week. He has fully recovered from the 2021 accident. As you can see, this time Riley is safely attached to the anchor bolts. Photo: Alex Sanson

Analysis

The Robbins Boulder requires lowering or rappelling to descend. The large and deceptively angled summit can give climbers a false sense of security. Dawson recalled having removed his quad anchor from the bolts while he and his friend sat and relaxed after climbing Lie Detector. The quad anchor gear remained attached to his harness, while his friend remained tied into the rope.

Complacency plays a role in many accidents, and this incident might be no exception. In this case, Riley’s familiarity with the climb (he’d been on top of the Robbins Boulder many times) and the large, comfortable summit belied the hazard. In any perilous position, it is critical to establish and maintain a safe anchor, perform safety checks with your partner, and assess/test the system before detaching from the anchor. It is also wise to redirect the rope through the anchor while lowering another climber from a braking device that is directly attached to the harness. This technique creates extra friction and allows more control of the lowering speed and the force on the belayer.

A safer alternative might have been a rappel from the bolts. As Riley recalls, “Looking back, the only way I had descended the route [previously] was by rappelling. On that day, my brain wanted to lower my partner because I noticed he was still tied in and the rope was running through my Grigri. But muscle memory was getting me ready to rappel, so I removed the quad then began lowering without registering that I was unanchored.” 

(Source: Dawson Riley.)

Learn More About Safe Lowering Techniques

John Godino at Alpine Savvy has created climbing and navigation content for years. Below are some good tips on lowering at alpinesavvy.com.

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“The Prescription” is the monthly newsletter of Accidents in North American Climbing. Join the American Alpine Club email list to get it right to your inbox.

The Line — Kichatna Special

Alaska season is almost upon us, and this issue of The Line is focused on Alaska’s legendary Kichatna Mountains. Four first ascents in the Kichatnas from April and May 2023 will be featured in the upcoming AAJ. Here are highlights of those climbs, including a custom story-map from AAC partner onX Backcountry (see “Explore These Routes” below).

Augustin Peak, North Buttress

On April 20, 2023, Nelson Neirinck, Kurt Ross, and Michael Telstad climbed a long route up the north buttress of Augustin Peak, a summit of about 8,600 feet above the Trident Glacier, on the east side of the Kichatnas. Backed by an AAC Mountaineering Fellowship Fund grant, the trio climbed and descended the 4,600-foot route in one long day—creating one of the longest routes in the Kichatna Mountains.

Kurt Ross and Michael Telstad navigate a mixed step low on the north buttress of Augustin Peak, as morning sunlight scrapes across the face. Photo by Nelson Neirinck.

Joseph Hobby takes a moment to enjoy the incredible view down to the Shelf Glacier and beyond after completing the first ascent of the Borealis Face on the Citadel. Photo by Zach Lovell.

Citadel and Rise and Shine

During this same period in April, Joseph Hobby and Zach Lovell flew onto the Shelf Glacier with Paul Roderick of Talkeetna Air Taxi—the first time climbers had landed on this glacier. This gave them easy access to two previously unclimbed lines: the northwest face of the Citadel (8,520 feet), which they called the Borealis Face (2,000’, 85° ice), and the first ascent of Rise and Shine, a previously unnamed formation south of the Riesenstein. This challenging route, Superfly Couloir, went at AI5 M6 A2 in about 10 hours.

Silvia Loreggian cruising the opening of pitch three (5.12 A0) on Cemetery Spire, a “fantastic headwall with good rock quality,” writes climbing partner Stefano Ragazzo. Photo by Stefano Ragazzo.

Cemetery Spire

In mid-May, Italian climbers Silvia Loreggian and Stefano Ragazzo flew onto the Cul-de-Sac Glacier, aiming for a climb of towering Kichatna Spire. Heavy snow at the start of their trip ended those plans. Scoping for alternatives, they found the southwest face of Cemetery Spire. Once the weather cleared, the pair fixed two pitches up the steep rock face and then returned the next day and climbed Gold Rush (600m, 5.12a A1+), with one bivouac on the way back down.

Explore These Routes

Learn More

Zach Lovell’s report about new routes on the Citadel and Rise and Shine is available now at at the AAJ website. The Augustin Peak and Cemetery Spire reports will be published online in the coming weeks and will appear in the Alaska section of AAJ 2024.

The Line is Supported By

The Line is the newsletter of the American Alpine Journal (AAJ), emailed to more than 80,000 climbers each month. Find the archive of past editions here. Contact Heidi McDowell for sponsorship opportunities. Questions or suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

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Fixed Anchors: What's Next?

A Brief Update on What’s Next When it Comes to Fixed Anchors in Wilderness

Photo by Sterling Boin.

The climbing community is collectively holding its breath while we wait to find out what the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service are going to do with their proposed regulations on fixed anchors. Now that the public comment period is over, and the agencies are categorizing, and reviewing the thousands of comments, we wait. The gravity of these proposed regulations is not lost on any of us, and we want the agencies to take their time and appropriately consider the issue from all angles.

As we wait, many of you are wondering, “What’s next?” There are a few different paths this issue can take. After reviewing the public comments, the agencies could implement the regulations as written, making no changes at all. The agencies could consider the specific issues the public noted and modify the regulations. The agencies could do nothing and could delay implementation pending further consideration of the issue.

One move the agencies could take, which the AAC hopes they strongly consider, is a committee-based resolution. Utilizing the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), negotiated rulemaking process, or similar collaborative process, an appointed committee could tackle this complicated and nuanced issue head on. The committee could consist of agency representatives, wilderness advocates, climbing advocates, and any other appropriate groups, and would address fixed anchors and their usage in Wilderness. The AAC, Access Fund, Outdoor Alliance, AMGA, Wilderness Society, and many others made this recommendation to the agencies in our public comments and believe it to be a viable option for the agencies to address the proposed regulations through a collaborative process. The AAC is working to activate our volunteer network and climbing advocacy volunteers towards sharing their own thoughts on the potential of the FACA process.

In the interim, the AAC will communicate with the agencies, land managers, and legislators and keep the climbing community informed. If this issue is important to you, continue to contact your legislators and tell them why it matters. Stay tuned!

EDUCATE: Hazel Findlay on Yosemite, Magic Line, and the Theory of Flow

We sat down with the master of climbing mindset, Hazel Findlay. Hazel has made many significant free ascents of El Cap, and is one of the very few to climb the storied single pitch trad test piece, Magic Line. In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Hazel about her history with Yosemite, the projecting process for Magic Line, and of course, tips and tricks for building a strong mind. She shares some of her best insights about finding flow; a new concept that compliments flow, called clutch; first steps towards building a personal sending philosophy; and even a few practical exercises you can put into practice right now to start working on your headgame. And of course, how this all got applied during her own projecting process for Magic Line, because Pro’s struggle with headgame too!

2024 Annual Benefit Gala Awards

MEET THE AWARDEES

Discover their incredible stories, then join us for the 2024 Annual Benefit Gala to hear more!

The Climb of the Year Award

For pushing the limits of climbing, whether that is the grade or the most epic story—the redemption arc, the new frontier, or defying the odds. This award is determined by public voting.

The 2024 nominees include:

  • Round Trip Ticket (M7 AI5+ A0 2700M), Jannu (7710m), Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell, and Alan Rousseau

  • B.I.G. (5.15d), Jakob Schubert

  • Aletheia (D16), Kevin Lindlau

  • Box Therapy (V16, contested), Katie Lamb.

The Community Changemaker Award

For the movers and shakers, the innovators, the loud voices and the doers. The people who, no matter the size of their platform, are making an outsized difference in shaping the future of our climbing community.

The 2024 nominees include:

  • Tommy Caldwell

  • Adaptive Climber's Festival

  • Marcus Garcia

The Robert Hicks Bates Award: Matt Cornell

For an Outstanding Accomplishment by a Young Climber

Matt Cornell grew up in Michigan, where he began climbing at the age of 13. Once he turned 18, he headed west to climb full-time, following the seasons from Bozeman to Yosemite, and then on to Patagonia and the Himalayas. In 2021, after steadily building his skills and experience, he and Jackson Marvell (Robert Hicks Bates Award recipient in 2020) established two new routes on Pyramid Peak in Alaska's Revelation Range, Techno Terror (AI6 M7+ R A0) and Smoke' Em If You Got 'Em (AI5+ A2+); Austin Schmitz and Jack Cramer joined the latter ascent. Cornell received the American Alpine Club's Cutting Edge Grant for this trip.

In late March 2023, with Marvell and Rousseau, the three climbed a new route on the east face of Mt. Dickey in Alaska's Ruth Gorge over three days, Aim For the Bushes (AI6 M6 X). Then, in early October, roping up with Marvell and Rousseau over seven days, they climbed a new route on the north face of Jannu, 7,710m, in alpine style. They called their line Round Trip Ticket (M7 AI5+ A0).

Angelo Heilprin Citation: Alison Osius

For Exemplary Service to the Club

"We chose [Alison] from a list of candidates we've carefully curated over the years. As many can attest, she's shown exemplary service to the Club by devoting countless hours in various recent and past roles, including as the Club's first woman president, from 1998 to 1999." -Selection Committee.

Alison Osius has been devoted to the Club for decades. She attends board meetings, annual dinners, panel discussions, and Club events. She's a trusted authority, a keeper of institutional knowledge, and vital to the community. Osisus is known for her engagement and mentoring of younger climbers and writers in their careers and her ability to relate to people from all walks of life who enjoy different climbing styles. 

As the Club's first female president (1998-1999), Alison led the AAC’s first extended public outreach campaign and continued the effort into rule-making on fixed anchors in Wilderness. Her many years of elegant writing and superb editing for prominent publications have delighted climbing and outdoor audiences. She is a senior editor at Outside and a former editor at Climbing and Rock and Ice. Osius has written for CNN.com, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. 

Her strengths as a storyteller, communicator, and role model build on her many years of climbing experience, including her previous work as a climbing guide in the U.S. and U.K. and becoming a three-time national champion in sport climbing, X Games finalist, and top-10 World Cup finisher. Rooted in her love of climbing, her abiding curiosity and exploration of our world, and her empathetic and inclusive approach to others, Alison's exemplary service to the Club has dramatically strengthened the AAC. 

Honorary Membership: Kitty Calhoun and Geoff Tabin

Honorary Membership is one of the highest awards the AAC offers. It is given to those individuals who have had a lasting and highly significant impact on the advancement of the climbing craft.

The Honorary Membership Committee has selected Kitty Calhoun and Geoff Tabin as our 2024 nominees. Both are well known and recognized for their amazing climbing achievements, exemplary service to their communities, and lifetimes of noteworthy activities which reflect well on climbing—Tabin in medical outreach to underserved peoples often in mountain regions and Calhoun in her leadership actively supporting the development of women in climbing during the last 30 years.

Kitty Calhoun is honored to receive this award and happy to share her most proud accomplishments. She received an MBA from the University of Vermont, where she found her passion for ice and alpine climbing. This led to a 40+ year career as a guide for the NC and CO Outward Bound Schools, American Alpine Institute, and Chicks Climbing and Skiing. Calhoun founded Exum Utah Mountain Guides and later became co-owner of Chicks Climbing and Skiing. She is also an ambassador for Patagonia, SCARPA, PMI ropes, POW, and Lion Energy. Additionally, Kitty has been a member of the American Alpine Club since she can remember, has served on the Board of Directors, was Chairperson of the Expeditions Committee, and has received the AAC's Pinnacle Award. 

Calhoun's mountaineering achievements include a rare ascent of the Diamond Couloir on Mt Kenya, the first American female ascent of Dhaulagiri, three new Grade VI rock routes in Kyrgyzstan, and a new route on Middle Triple Peak in Alaska. She attributes her successes to applying the power of teamwork, which she learned through alpine climbing.

Geoffrey Tabin began climbing at Devil's Lake, Wisconsin. He went to college at Yale University, where he explored the rock and ice climbs of the Northeast from New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont, in addition to trips out West. He joined the American Alpine Club in 1977. He then went to Oxford University in England, where he and his climbing partner climbed the classic hard routes of the Alps. He received grants from the American Alpine Club and Oxford University to climb in Africa and Irian Jaya, Indonesia. They climbed the Ice Window route on Mt. Kenya and the first ascents of three long rock routes on the Mt. Kenya Massif, including the first free ascent of the Diamond Buttress on Mt. Kenya (V 5.11). In Indonesia, they climbed all five of the highest peaks in the Carstenz range, including the first ascent of the North Face of Puncak Jaya (Carstenz Pyramid). In 1983, Tabin was part of the American team that made the first ascent of the Kangshung East Face of Mt. Everest. In 1990, he became the 4th person to reach the top of all seven continents. Along the way, he also completed first ascents of rock or ice routes on all seven continents, including the first ascents of five 6,000-meter peaks. Tabin attended Harvard Medical School, trained as an ophthalmologist, and then worked as an eye surgeon in Nepal. He established the Himalayan Cataract Project, which is dedicated to overcoming needless blindness through education, training, and establishing a sustaining infrastructure. After returning to the United States, Tabin taught at both the University of Vermont and the University of Utah while spending three to four months per year working in Asia and Africa. He is currently the Fairweather Foundation Chair and Professor of ophthalmology and global medicine at Stanford University.

The H. Adams Carter Literary Award: James Edward Mills

For Excellence in Climbing Literature

James Edward Mills is a National Geographic Explorer and a contributor to National Geographic Magazine, a Fellow of the Banff Center Mountain & Wilderness Writing Program in Alberta, Canada, and a recipient of the Paul K. Petzoldt Award For Environmental Education. He has worked in the outdoor industry since 1989 as a guide, outfitter, independent sales representative, writer, and photographer. He is the author of the book The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors and the co-writer/co-producer of the documentary film An American Ascent. Mills is a contributor to several outdoor-focused print and online publications such as National Geographic, Outside, Rock & Ice, Alpinist, SUP, Elevation Outdoors, Women's Adventure, the Clymb, Park Advocate, High Country News, Appalachia Journal, The Guardian, The New York Times, Sierra, and Land & People. 

In recognition of his work sharing the important history and legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers and their efforts at the dawn of the National Park Service, James was named a Yosemite National Park Centennial Ambassador in 2016. Currently, Mills is a faculty assistant at the University of Wisconsin Nelson Institute For Environmental Studies and teaches a summer course for undergraduate students on diversity, equity, and inclusion in outdoor recreation and public land management called Outdoors For All. His climbing accomplishments include two ascents, one solo, of the mountaineers' route on California's Mount Whitney, sport climbing routes on the Gheralta Massif of Ethiopia, a team ascent of Mt. Baker, and a trek to Everest Base Camp.

The committee believes it's hard to overstate the importance of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors in shaping the discourse around justice and equity in mountaineering since it was published in 2014, which is why James Edward Mills absolutely deserves to be celebrated with the H. Adams Carter Literary Award for this year.

The Pinnacle Award: Steph Davis

For Outstanding Mountaineering and Climbing Achievements

Steph Davis is a rock climber, BASE jumper, and wingsuit flier. She began climbing as a freshman at the University of Maryland in 1991. After receiving a master's in Literature, she moved out to Moab, living in her grandmother's Oldsmobile. Some of her notable ascents are the First Female Ascent of Freerider, the First Female Ascent of the Salathe Wall, free solo of the Pervertical Sanctuary on the Diamond of Longs Peak, and the first American woman to summit Fitzroy. Davis started skydiving and BASE jumping in 2008; human flight is her second passion. She is one of just a few people in the world, and the only woman, to combine free solo climbing with base jumping and wingsuit flight. She is the author of High Infatuation and Learning to Fly.

The David A. Sowles Memorial Award: Roger Schaeli, Matteo Della Bordella, Thomas Huber, and Roberto Treu

For Unselfish Devotion to Imperiled Climbers

The Cerro Torre Rescue

Patagonia is considered by the world’s best climbers to be one of the most difficult and dangerous climbing areas in the world. Climbers who attempt Cerro Torre, Fitz Roy, and other notable climbs understand an accident here requires self-rescue, as an organized rescue is unlikely or uncertain at best. Two teams established two new routes on Cerro Torre on January 27, 2022. The teams had climbed the last 1,000 feet with each other, summiting together. The Italian team, Matteo Della Bordella, David Bacci, and Matteo De Zaicomo, decided to bivy up on the summit of Cerro Torre and descend the next morning while the other team, climbing guides Tomás Aguiló, 36 (Argentina), and Korra Pesce, 41 (Italy) decided to descend in the dark to mitigate the danger of rock and icefall. 

As Aguiló and Pesce descended, on the morning of January 28, they were hit by an avalanche of ice and rock. Pesce was paralyzed, while Aguiló was seriously injured, but able to move. Aguilo continued to descend, eventually finding his satellite device and calling for help. 

Unaware of Aguiló's satellite device message for help, someone had seen a headlamp's SOS signal high on the mountain and got together a group of ten to hike the two hours to the glacier's base and investigate. Some of the group continued on to the base of the east face, where they saw Aguiló slowly descending to a triangular snowfield about 1,000 feet of technical climbing above the glacier. A drone was used to pinpoint Aguiló's location, and a rescue operation was formed. 

By 5 p.m. on Friday, Della Bordella's team had finished rappelling 30 pitches from their summit bivy and met up with the rescue party. Upon learning the news, Della Bordella, alongside Thomas Huber (Germany), Roger Schaeli (Switzerland), and Roberto Treu (Argentina), climbed the first seven pitches of the Maestri Route in three hours to reach Agulió. Around midnight, Treu and Huber descended with Aguiló, while Della Bordella and Schaeli waited for any sign of Pesce. A storm was approaching, and the two only had one rope between them. As the weather worsened and exhaustion set in, the two decided to descend for their own safety around 3 a.m. Unfortunately, Pesce perished. Rescuers carried Aguiló down to the bottom of the glacier, where he was helicoptered to a hospital.  

The American Alpine Club is honored to recognize Matteo Della Bordella, Roger Schaeli, Thomas Huber, and Roberto Treu with the David A. Sowles Memorial Award for their voluntary actions to rescue Tomy Aguiló and Korra Pesce on Cerro Torre. The David A. Sowles Memorial Award is the American Alpine Club’s highest award for valor, bestowed at irregular intervals on climbers who have "distinguished themselves, with unselfish devotion at personal risk or sacrifice of a major objective, in going to the assistance of fellow climbers imperiled in the mountains.” The recipients’ voluntary actions to rescue Aguiló and Pesce at great personal risk is the embodiment of why this award was created. 

About the Rescuers

As soon as Roger Schaeli began walking, the mountains became his fate. For Roger, climbing is passion, a sentiment, a strong emotional confrontation with the mountain, life, and himself. Schaeli is an IFMGA(UIAGM/IVBV) Mountain guide and Swiss Alpinist. Schaeli has many notable ascents all over the world, including more than 56 ascents on the North Face of the Eiger, the first ascent of Odyssee (5.14 1,400m), and the linkup of the six most prominent North Faces of the Alps (Eiger, Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses, Grosse Zinne, Piz Badile, and Dru) in a non-stop, unsupported trek over 45 days. 

Matteo Della Bordella began climbing at 12 years old, thanks to his dad. In 2006, he joined the group of Ragni di Lecco and had the opportunity to grow both as a mountaineer and a person. He likes to climb technically difficult big walls in the most remote places on earth. Bordella's proudest achievements as an alpinist are the first ascent of the route Brothers in Arms on Cerro Torre's east and north face, the first ascent of the west face of Bhagirathi IV (6192 m) in the Indian Himalaya, the "by fair means" expedition to Greenland which involved 200 km of kayaks and the first ascent of Shark Tooth north face, the first ascent of Torre Egger West face in Patagonia, summiting the Cerro Torre three times, and Cerro Fitz Roy four times. 

Thomas Huber is a German climber and mountaineer. Huber is known for his speed records and first ascents. Of his most notable climbs are the FA of the direct north pillar of the Shivling (6543m) with Iwan Wolf, which won them the Piolet d'Or, and the first ascent of El Niño and the first free ascent of Zodiac on El Capitan in Yosemite. 

Roberto Treu "Indio" is originally from the province of San Juan, where he found his passion for the mountains. He is an IFMGA Mountain Guide at Patagonia Ascent and the director of the technical committee of the AAGM (Asociación Argentina de Guías de Montaña). Some of his most important achievements have been the Cerro Standhardt, Herron, Egger traverse, and the Directa Huarpe, a new route on the West Face of Cerro Torre. In addition to these climbs, Treu has climbed Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy numerous times.

The President's Award: Steven Swenson 

For Extraordinary Accomplishments in the Climbing World

Steve Swenson grew up in Seattle and started climbing in the nearby Cascade Mountains at age14. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Civil Engineering. He has been climbing for over a half-century with over twenty expeditions to South Asia, including ascents of K2 and Everest without supplemental oxygen. He was part of a team that won the 2012 Piolet d'Or award for the first ascent of Saser Kangri II (7518 meters), and a team that won the 2020 Piolet d'Or for the first ascent of Link Sar (7041m). He is married with two sons. He is retired after a 35-year consulting engineering career in project management, design, policy-making, finance, and communications consulting related to water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Since his retirement, he has served on several nonprofit boards and has expertise in governance, fundraising, and strategic planning. His book titled Karakoram: Climbing Through the Kashmir Conflict was published by Mountaineers Books in 2017. 

American Alpine Club award winners will be honored with bespoke, sustainable, custom-made awards by metal artist Lisa Issenberg. Lisa is the owner and founder of the Ridgway, Colorado studio, Kiitellä, named after a Finnish word meaning to "thank, applaud, or praise." Lisa has been providing custom awards for the American Alpine Club since 2013. Kiitellä's process includes a mix of both handcraft and industrial techniques. To learn more, visit kiitella.com

To hear more from these awardees, join us for the 2024 Annual Benefit Gala in Los Angeles, CA, on April 27, 2024.

GAME DAY: Hueco Rock Rodeo

It’s about to be game on for the 28th annual Hueco Rock Rodeo, and so we had our own Game Day panel to talk shop about strategies for the competition, the major players to look out for, and how the condies are shaping up. We had Nina Williams and Jon Glassberg on the pod to chat podium predictions, climbing rivalries, whose injured, and whose coming in with momentum, and whether Daniel Woods is really going to win the Hueco Rock Rodeo, AGAIN. Dive in to get all the beta on the top competitors, funny stories from past competitions, performance tips, competitive vibes, trash talk, and more.

Show Notes

More about the Hueco Rock Rodeo

More about Nina Williams

More about Jon Glassberg

The Prescription—February

The ice and mixed season is in full swing. While offering a dazzling range of sights, sounds, and textures, winter climbing arguably presents the highest risk to life and limb of any crag-oriented climbing genre. Ice is an ever-changing medium. The clothing and tools required deprive climbers of the accustomed “feel” for the climbing medium—so critical to fair-weather rock climbing.

This month we have two accidents from 2023. Both involved collapsing ice formations. One had an injury-free ending. The other ended in tragedy.

Code Red (WI 5) in Hyalite Canyon, before and after a dramatic collapse in January 2023. The two climbers involved in this accident fortunately emerged unharmed. Caption:  Photo: Lauren Olivia Smith/Climbing magazine

Fall on Ice | Collapsed Pillar

Hyalite Canyon, Montana

On January 27, 2023, Lauren Olivia Smith and Bailey Lasko, both of Bozeman, Montana, were climbing Code Red (WI 5) in nearby Hyalite Canyon. This single-pitch ice pillar has a longer approach than other popular venues in the canyon. The approach, combined with the avalanche hazard, made for a more serious outing. 

Smith was leading. As she reported to Climbing magazine, “(From the approach gully)…the pillar looked funky and off-kilter, in a shape I’d never seen before…. I remember thinking it doesn’t look quite right, but the part that was leaning seemed quite big, and we had a big freeze-thaw [cycle], so I figured it was well-attached.”

From a closer vantage, Smith confirmed that Code Red appeared well-attached to the rock and “gave its stability no further thought.” At 15 feet up, Smith heard a cracking noise from above. The bottom half of the pillar then collapsed, toppling “like a falling tree.” Smith said, “I remember seeing a chunk of ice fall past me with my tool still in it.” 

The point of detachment was 35 feet above Smith. With no intermediate protection, she—and the unanchored Lasko—"rocketed down the 30-degree approach slope.” Smith had been climbing on the lower-angled (left) side of the formation, and the inclined column fell away from her, so she avoided being crushed. The pair slid alongside the pillar before self-arresting after 100 feet, and they emerged unharmed.

ANALYSIS

Smith did well to assess temperature patterns in the days prior to the outing. She also chose a line that was well-bonded to the top of the cliff. While Smith was surprised at the collapse, it’s worth noting that the unusual crooked profile indicated the pillar had previously cracked and toppled partway before refreezing at a Pisa-like tilt. Inclined columns are subject to axial compression, shear forces, and in this case, buckling. Smith says she now completes a full 360-degree inspection of any free-standing ice pillar before climbing.

(Sources: Climbing magazine, The Editors.)

Fall on Ice | Collapsed Pillar

Right Fork of Indian Canyon, Duchesne, Utah

On April 2, 2023, Meg O’Neill (40), a member of a party of three climbers, was killed when struck by a collapsing ice column on Raven Falls (WI4), near Duchesne in northeast Utah. According to the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, O’Neill, who was standing nearby, saved the belayer’s life by pushing her out of the fall zone. The leader was seriously injured.


Sean McLane (34) was on lead near the top of the second pitch when the accident occurred. He was belayed by Anne Nikolov (21), while O’Neill was spectating.

Sean McLane climbing Raven Falls (WI 4) on an earlier ascent. This two-pitch climb near Duchesne, Utah was the scene of a fatal accident in April 2023. McLane wrote, “On the day of the accident, it looked about the same (as in this photo). Photo: Sean McLane

McLane wrote to ANAC, “It had been warm for a couple days, and this was to be my last climb of the season. We were a group of three. Meg was experienced and a regular climbing partner of mine. Anne was new and had climbed a couple times with Meg.”

McLane led the first pitch and brought the other two up. The base of pitch 2 was a broad snow ledge about 100 feet above the top of the first pitch.

“The second pitch was an ice column that formed at the lip of a cave. The column was 40 feet high and 15 feet in diameter. I saw no signs of instability. I didn’t see or hear any significant running water. There was little to no cone at the bottom, although a 15-foot radius of ice was present at the base. I stomped on it to test for anything being undercut, but it felt solid, likely because it was a couple feet thick and my weight wasn't enough to stress it.”

“I led out the back of the ice and corkscrewed around to the side. Anne (Nikolov) was belaying and Meg (O’Neill) was walking around, taking pictures. As I [was nearly] top[ping] out, there was a significant density change in the ice. It went from wet, one-swing sticks, to dense… dinner-plating [hits]."

McLane climbed above the point where the ice was attached to the rock. As he swung an ice tool into an already dinner-plated placement, the pillar fractured, breaking two or three feet below the point of the pick’s impact.

According to McLane, the collapse took “my other tool and both my feet with it. Meg was in the cave behind the pillar, and Anne was to the side. Most of the column went downhill, but falling ice buried Meg.”

Climbing magazine wrote that O’Neill “noticed the ice fracture, and… may have heard it cracking just before the formation broke.” She then pushed Nikolov aside, and as also reported in Climbing magazine, “Her quick thinking undoubtedly saved Anne’s life.” 

McLane recalls, “I had placed screws in the pillar and was pulled off by the rope. The main column fell down the slope away from me, and I came straight down. "I hit the ground... land[ing] on my back [atop] a large chunk of ice. [This] broke my spine at L2... That was my only injury besides scrapes and bruises. I put myself in recovery position as Anne tried to get to Meg.”

The closest cell signal was driving distance away. McLane showed Nikolov how to fix a rappel line and then gave her his phone along with directions to access the car keys. Nikolov safely descended, drove to town and contacted SAR and local climbers. About six hours after the accident, some Salt Lake climbing friends arrived. McLane was long-lined by helicopter to the road. He was then loaded into another helicopter and flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City.

*Editor’s Note: This is an example of a hidden ice climbing hazard called a False Pillar. To learn more, click the link below.

 ANALYSIS

Alpinism and ice climbing are perhaps the most dangerous of climbing games. As mentioned above, frozen water is a fickle, ever-changing medium. And, as demonstrated in these two accidents, the hazards are often invisible. In no small way, luck was a determinant factor in the different outcome of these two accidents.

On Raven Falls, McLane—a very experienced climber who had safely climbed the route twice previously—visually assessed the ice and stomp-tested the base to ensure the column was attached. He wrote to ANAC that, “In retrospect, to fail as it did, the pillar must have been melted out from underneath.” The solid-looking column was basically a free-hanging, bus-sized chunk of ice.

McLane has physically recovered; it took about six months to get back to normal climbing.

McLane notes:

  • Running water underneath an ice formation can render a solid and fully attached flow free-hanging and unstable. Figuring out if ice is undercut can be hard to impossible to do, without seeing the running water or the gap between the bottom of the pillar and the base. Several days of warmer temperatures can create this dangerous situation. 

  • Large variations in ice quality and density (on the route) may signal stability issues. 

  • (When belaying or spectating) Position yourself farther away than you might think in order to stay out of the way of falling ice. A cave is not necessarily protected if the ice collapses.

  • Carry an extra layer (pack it with you on your harness or in your pack). Since it was a warm day, I left my puffy at the base, a pitch below. I got very cold lying on ice and not moving for many hours.

  • If you might need something on a multi-pitch route, don’t leave it at the base. A satellite communicator and warm layers with me on pitch two would have made a bad situation more manageable.

(Source: Sean McLane, Climbing magazine, and The Editors.)

To Climb or Not to Climb?

More people than ever are ice climbing. At the same time, climate change is dramatically affecting geologic stability in the mountains. Changes include rock fall, glacial recession, and waterfall ice collapse. The intersection of ice climbing popularity and effects of climate change can cause accidents.

This flowchart was developed by Derek DeBruin. It was first published in the 2023 ANAC. This tool can assist in managing hazards by helping determine the stability of the ice, the effectiveness of ice screw protection, and the quality of ice tool placement. Downloadable PDF and image are available through the link below.

The Prescription is the monthly newsletter of Accidents in North American Climbing. The Prescription brings you monthly unpublished accident reports, tech tips, links to new online educational resources, and much more—all aimed at helping you become a safer climber.

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A Little Extra Spice: Stories from the World of Competition Ice Climbing

Catalina Shirley Climbing in Ouray. PC: AAC Member Nicholas Moline

By: Sierra McGivney

Ice cascades into the Uncompahgre Gorge, creating an ice climber's paradise. With more than 150 manmade ice and mixed climbs across almost 2 miles of terrain, Ouray Ice Park is an ice climbing playground, and the Ouray Ice Festival is the ultimate celebration of that. This year, the ice fest kicked off on Thursday, January 18, with a Barbie pool party and lasted through the weekend. Pros and ice climbing connoisseurs taught clinics, pushed grades, and had fun, but Ouray is also often the first and only time rock climbers try ice climbing. All types of clinics are offered, demo gear is included in an all-access pass, and volunteers belay at the walk-up wall, making the Ouray Ice Festival an accessible entrance to the sport. 

That's precisely how Ian Umstead, now a USA Ice Climbing Team athlete, tried ice climbing for the first time two years ago. He originally wasn't sold on ice climbing. He had fun but thought it was sketchy. But something clicked when a friend invited him to go dry tool at a local crag in March 2023. 

"It's like sport climbing with a little extra spice," said Umstead. 

Ian Umstead Climbing in Korea. PC: Provided by the UIAA

Umstead is primarily a sport climber, so he had strength built up from sport climbing that translated into dry tooling. A couple of athletes on the Ice Team encouraged him to try out for the team even though he had only been dry tooling for three months. Umstead was surprised they suggested it but thought: If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right. So, he put off his sport project and trained on tools for eight weeks. Then, he went to tryouts and made the team. He was stoked. Umstead returned to training for his sport project, and after five weeks, he sent his first 5.14. Umstead has a semi-professional bike racing background, so he eats and breathes training and competing. 

"I'm a projecter's projecter," said Umstead. 

He picks challenging projects, trains, and tries hard. Drytooling fulfills that, adding an element of goofiness. The movements feel silly and fun and keep Umstead engaged. 

Umstead is one of many athletes who started in Ouray. Connor Bailey first tried ice climbing in Ouray at eight years old. He remembers his crampons falling off because his boots were too small, but he liked it. Scratch Pad, a dry tooling gym in Salt Lake City, contacted his climbing team and asked if anyone wanted to try out for the youth ice climbing team. He and one of his friends, Landors Gaydosh, decided to check it out.

 "I thought it was going to be just ice climbing," said Bailey. "I was pretty excited. I went in there and saw all the different holds and was like—huh?"

Left to right USA Ice Team Athlete’s Connor Bailey, Tyler Kempney, Mathius Olsen. PC: Provided by Stephanie Olsen.

The holds and movements were similar enough to rock climbing that Bailey found success. Initially, the comps had no age requirements, so he could join the team and compete. Unfortunately, this past year, the youth age requirements changed, and Bailey, who is 12, falls below the youth age requirements. Thankfully, he could still compete in Ouray. 

Bailey sometimes questions why he chose this sport, especially when it's cold, but once he begins swinging his tools and warms up, he loves each movement.

From the snow-covered bridge leading into the vendor village, the giant competition wall rises up from the gorge. Starting from the bottom of the gorge, competitiors climb on rock and ice, until they reach the artificial wall, where they begin placing their tools on holds made of various materials. The Ouray Ice Festival is a crucial competition for the USA Ice Climbing athletes as part of the UIAA Continental Cup Series. On the Saturday of the festival, commentators and spectators gather, and above the din of music playing, people cheer on the competitors in the finals. 

Catalina Shirley began her climbing career young—like most of us do—climbing trees and doorways, scaring the sh*t out of our parents. When Shirley began venturing to the roof of her parents' house, her mom drew the line and signed her up for summer camp. Shortly after, her family moved to Durango, Colorado, where she joined Marcus Garcia's team. Garcia was working on building out the USA Ice Climbing Youth team. Shirley began training and went on to compete in France the following year when she was fourteen. 

"I love the kinds of moves that you can do in ice climbing that you can't quite get in rock climbing—like the crazy floating underclings and gastons and, of course, figure fours and anything on swinging features," said Shirley. 

Shirley likes the thought required for every move and the freedom of movement in dry tooling. Climbers can put their feet anywhere, regardless of body size or strength. But in Ouray, the competition wall reminds Shirley of a puzzle, with only one right way to solve it. Part of that puzzle in the Ouray Finals was a dyno. Shirley set up for it, looking out at the crowd. Then she jumped and closed her eyes, landing slightly above the hold but sticking it. When she opened her eyes, everyone screamed, infusing her with energy. With one minute left on the clock, she went as fast as she could, letting the crowd's energy flow into her. She placed first in the women's lead competition. 

"I feel like I perform the best when I'm under a little bit of pressure," said Shirley. 

Catalina Shirley Climbing. PC: AAC Member Nicholas Moline

The weekend before, January 12 through 14, Shirley placed second in both lead and speed in Cheongsong, Korea. She is the first American to make the lead podium—man or woman. The competition setting is her style: long figure fours, roof climbing, and endurance-based; climbing fast is one of her strong suits. She got to the top of both qualifier routes. She was one of three women to do so, next to Marianna Van Der Steen and Woonseon Shin, both of whom Shirley had been watching since she was a kid. 

But in the Cheongsong finals, Shirley had fallen three moves from the top because she missed the dyno. Sticking the dyno in Ouray means that much more. She credits her team as a big reason why she made the podium. They provided support for her all weekend, from food to encouragement. Her team had her back.

"It really felt like the whole team's medal," said Shirley.  

Shirley believes there are four main challenges to competitive ice climbing: strength, problem-solving, fear of falling, and fear of failing. It's what keeps bringing her back. In "regular" life, rarely are all those elements compounded.

"Overcoming all of that is the best feeling in the world," said Shirley.  

Sam Serra Climbing. PC: AAC Member Nicholas Moline

Each person on the USA Ice Climbing Team has their own story. 

Sam Serra attended an intro to ice climbing class hosted by the Ice Coop in August 2021. Tyler Kempney was teaching it and asked if anyone wanted to try dry tooling. Serra had a blast. 

"I went to get into ice climbing, but I feel like I really got into dry tooling," said Serra. 

He didn't get on ice until two months later. As Serra spent more time at the Ice Coop, he got dragged into competing. His first competition was in Michigan, only a couple of months after he began climbing. It wasn't his strongest competition, but he found climbers he wanted to surround himself with. The community kept him around until he learned to like dry tooling competitions. Serra grew to love the movement and style of competition dry tooling. The unique way of using your ice tools pushes the climber to be creative in a way that differs from traditional ice climbing. 

Sam Serra being lowered. PC: AAC Member Nicholas Moline

"When It comes to dry tooling and really competition style dry tooling–it just opens the door to so many new movement patterns that they don't even exist outside–they almost can't exist outside," said Serra.  

Phoebe Gabrielle Tourtellotte's story looks a little different. Tourtellotte had to drop out of speed climbing due to a joint condition in the fall of 2021. She felt aimless. At the time, she lived across from the Ice Coop in Boulder. Her boyfriend encouraged her to try that dry tooling thing. Despite inner doubts about how she would look or perform, she went. 

In the first couple of months that she was learning to dry tool, she had to confront why she was still climbing at all after speed climbing hadn't worked out. Then it hit her: here was an opportunity to start over.  

"It's so cool getting to learn all new stuff," said Tourtellotte, "There are so many tiny nuances I never would have expected to learn about in this sport."

She had gone from one of the fastest disciplines to one of the slowest and methodical. Coming from a speed-climbing background, Tourtellotte moves more dynamically. At the Ice Coop, she gets beta and technique spray-downs from everyone in the gym. Her teammates are open to mentoring each other, even if they're competitors. 

The USA Ice Climbing Team in Cheongsong, Korea. Provided by the UIAA

The small community of competition ice climbing supports and uplifts one another. It brings together people of all ages and backgrounds, connected through their niche passion for ice climbing and dry tooling. The team will continue to swing tools, compete, and celebrate their love of climbing through silly and unique movements. 

Ouray Ice Fest Results 

Catalina Shirley placed first in the Women's lead final, with Corey Buhay in Third. Tyler Kempney placed first in the men's lead final, with Sam Serra placing second. They both topped the finals route. The Ouray Ice Festival competition is a special place for the team, for everyone to gather and celebrate. The USA Ice Climbing team will end their season at the World Championships In Edmonton on February 16 through 18. Tune in to the UIAA YouTube channel to livestream the event and support the USA Ice Climbing Team.

UIAA Ice Climbing Continental Open - Ouray, USA: Top Three

The Women's Lead Final

1 Shirley, Catalina USA 1 [1] 1 [36.100]

2 Louzecka, Aneta CZE 4 [12.0] 2 [31.000]

3 Buhay, Corey USA 3 [9.0] 3 [28.100]

The Men's Lead Final

1 Kempney, Tyler USA 1 [1] 1 [TOP (0:00)]

2 Serra, Samuel USA 2 [4] 2 [TOP (0:00)]

3 Howe, Tyler CAN 3 [15] 3 [33.000]

The USA Ice Climbing Team is Supported by