If you’ve ever thought of climbing Mount Rainier, chances are you’ve heard of Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI). The company has been guiding clients up the mountain since 1969 and until somewhat recently was the only game in town. Even today, the company guides the vast majority of the people that climb Rainier every year. Figuring…
In the wake of the extremely controversial summit of Everest by 13-year old Jordan Romero, China has instituted age limits to those allowed to summit Everest. The China Tibet Mountaineering Association that regulates the permitting process for climbing the north side of Everest released the new restrictions Thursday. From now on, climbers must be between…
I’m not quite sure what I expected from Medicine for Mountaineering when I read the synopsis online. Perhaps a field guide to basic first aid in the mountains that you could stuff in your pack. When the book arrived in the mail, I was surprised to see more of a textbook than a field guide….
With the recent tragedy on Mt. Hood in Oregon, the debate as to whether personal locator beacons should be required for all climbers has been revived. The issue was actually brought to the forefront back in 2007 when Oregon’s legislature introduced a bill that would require winter hikers to carry the beacons with them.
The National Park Service has been considering increasing the climbing fee for those attempting to climb Mt. McKinley (Denali). Currently, there is a $200 fee but the plan is to increase it 150%, to $500.
There’s a fantastic article regarding the choice to take the drug Diamox for high altitude adventures over here at the AAI blog. I took the drug on an expedition to Peru and have a bit of personal experience with it as a result.
Way back in 2006, I went climbing in Peru. One of the guides (Christian Stoll) at the guide service I used just completed a rather gnarly climb of Huascaran Norte earlier this month with a friend of his (Mark Smiley).
Like many other outdoor enthusiasts, I have been following the First Ascent team’s climb to the summit of Everest, and have enjoyed the live blog updates from the mountain. Yesterday, the team, comprised of Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker, Jake Norton, John Griber, and Gerry Moffat, successfully climbed to the top of the world at about 8 am Nepal time on May 19, 2009.
Julbo, a French company, has been making glasses for alpine mountaineering and high-altitude glacial exploration since 1888. In more recent times, they have expanded their line to include a vast array of active lifestyle optics, from cycling glasses to snowboarding goggles. About two years ago I got a pair of Julbo’s Epic glacier glasses. While…
This summer will be the first season on K2 where commercial climbing will be available by a partnership between Colorado-based climberFabrizio Zangrilli and Field Touring Alpine. At 28,250 feet, K2 is the second highest peak in the world, and known as one of the most difficult and technical mountains to climb.