Alpinist 71: Autumn 2020

Cover: Kathy Karlo climbs Hands Across America (5.12c), Tennessee. The climb is one of three roof cracks at the Tennessee Wall that make up the Triple Crown series. Karlo became the first woman known to complete an ascent of all three in December 2019. [Photo] Andrew Burr

Features

Terra Arcana

It seems only natural that climbers drawn to the mountains are also drawn to art that depicts them. In this brief survey of artists who recreate in the landscapes they render, Mailee Hung considers the articulation of the unknowable in climbing and landscape art. Featuring art by Jeremy Collins, Lizzy Dalton, Rhiannon Klee Williams, Craig Muderlak, Renan Ozturk and Rachel Pohl.

The Line of Shadow

In 2016 alpinist Brette Harrington received a message from her partner, Marc-André Leclerc, containing a photo of an unclimbed crescent line on Torre Egger in the Southern Patagonian Icecap. Years later, Harrington traveled to the massif with Quentin Lindfield Roberts to complete an ascent of the line they named MA's Visión.

Beyond the Field Notes

Born in 1939 in Pittsburgh, poet Ed Roberson nurtured a "burgeoning curiosity for the world" from a young age. On his first major mountain- eering expedition, he made the second ascent of Nevado Jangyaraju III in Peru. Herein, Sarah Audsley interviews Roberson about how his notes from the field came to shape some of his prize-winning work.

Mountains of Grief

"When the mountain community...grapples with the accidental death of one of its members," Anna Callaghan writes, "only one thing is certain: it's going to happen again." Through interviews with several climbers who've lost loved ones to the mountains, Callaghan explores the ways in which people across the climbing community are banding together to address grief and support the bereaved.

Departments

Sharp End

Of monuments and mountains.

Letters

Our readers write.

On Belay

Along the Tennessee Wall, a trio of difficult roof cracks known as the Triple Crown had yet to be climbed by a woman when Kathy Karlo first visited the area in 2014. Years later, in the aftermath of a painful experience, Karlo returns to the Tennessee Wall to heal—and to make a historic ascent.

Tool User

What's a glass instrument measuring four feet long and filled with mercury doing in your rucksack? Caroline Schaumann and Bruce Willey reveal the history of the glass barometer.

The Climbing Life

Erin Connery shares a mysterious ascent. Stephen Kurczy visits Seneca Rocks. Erin Smart becomes an IFMGA guide. Matthew Shipton reveals ancient mountaineering stories. And Miranda Oakley seeks out moments of peace in the wadis.

Full Value

Alpinist Scott Coldiron had little interest in ice climbing until an incident in 2008, when he suddenly found himself stuck on an icy slope with a broken crampon and no easy way down.

Wired

In the face of ongoing uncertainty and the threat of climate change, Diné climber Len Necefer journeys to the peaks to find new ways to meld his ancestral cultural ceremonies and the mountain sports he loves.

Local Hero

Khamsang Wangdi Sherpa was an essential member of numerous high-altitude ascents in the 1950s and 60s. Herein, Deepa Balsavar and Nandini Purandare recount some of the accomplishments of this unsung hero.

Off Belay

Stuck indoors? Try Mountains & Monsters, Alpinist's first adventure roleplaying game, where the only dangers (and dragons) you'll face are in your own imagination.