Climbing August 2017

CLIMBER Allen Riling ROUTE Blanca—Little Bear Traverse (5.0) FA Joe Merhar and Dale Norton, 1931 LOCATION Sangre de Cristo Range, Colorado Colorado is known for its airy “sidewalks in the sky,” connecting ridges that link its many Fourteeners. The most famous outings are the Mt. Wilson–El Diente Ridge, the North Maroon–South Maroon Traverse, the Crestone Needle– Crestone Peak linkup, and the king daddy: the mile-long Blanca— Little Bear Traverse. The Blanca group is special: Here, the four 14,000-plusfoot summits lord over the vast, flat San Luis Valley 7,000 feet below. Unlike many of Colorado’s high points, these peaks do not get lost in a sea of ranges and summits. You can run the ridge in either direction, though it’s common to start with Little Bear (14,037 feet), tag Blanca (14,345 feet; top right), and mop up with Ellingwood…

[Kelly Cordes] When Kelly Cordes (That One Time, p.26) stumbled upon climbing during grad school in Missoula, Montana, he discarded any semblance of a respectable lifestyle. He lived in dingy apartments, worked dead-end jobs, and chased anything frozen with abandon, earning the nickname “Sketchy Kelly.” He has since moved to Colorado and diluted his enthusiasm with a modicum of caution. [Annie Wislowski] Wyoming-based nursing PhD student Annie Wislowski studies high-altitude illnesses and volunteers for the University of Colorado’s Altitude Research Center. Intrigued with altitude physiology since her first climb in the High Sierra, she wrote this issue’s clinic on mountain sickness (p.48) after realizing many visitors are misinformed and poorly prepared to deal in the alpine. [Mark Jenkins] Mark Jenkins (“Forlorn Pinnacle,” p.72) climbed Devils Tower in 1975 with his swim coach, Layne Kopishka. Coach…

IF YOU’VE SEEN Ingmar Bergman’s film The Seventh Seal, you’ll recall the chess match Antonius Block plays with Death. Death must let Block live as long as the match continues; if Block wins, Death must let him go. It’s easy in the earlier phases of one’s life to shove notions of impermanence aside. But as you age and people begin to get sick and die around you—or to suddenly, tragically lose their lives—it becomes more difficult to deny the truth: In the end, death always wins. Two disciplines covered in this issue—alpinism and free soloing—have the stiffest consequences. Avalanche catches you in a couloir? You’re gone. Hold breaks 1,000 feet off the ground? You’re gone. There’s no sidestepping reality. On the subject of risk, Chris Kassar’s feature “Committed” follows Mark and Janelle…

MOOD BOOSTER Your Off the Wall story [no. 352; climbing.com/therapy] about mental health was a truly inspiring read. As someone who suffers from depression, I can relate to the mental uplift I get when I climb. There is a clear individual and social benefit to providing these alternative and progressive programs to help treat and rehabilitate mental health issues. They deserve strong advocacy. —Steven Thomas, via Facebook ARCHES RULES Regarding “Towers of Power” (climbing.com/moabtowers) in no. 353: I appreciated the photos and write-up of one of the most visually stunning outdoor-recreation areas on earth. John Evans’s article reminded me of how pretty Moab is, particularly Arches National Park. However, the story neglected to mention that Arches has very strict climbing regulations. Numerous arches and sensitive rock formations have been defaced and damaged by rogue…

Avery Walden, the youngest girl (age 9) to reach the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet), leading us to the summit. —CHRIS WALDEN The final pitch of Martha’s Route (5.4 WI2+ M2), Longs Peak, RMNP, Colorado. —JONATHAN BURTON Tanguy Locqueneux from France finishing off our free ascent of the Grand Traverse of the Remarkables Range near Queenstown, New Zealand. —LEVI HARRELL “Diamonds are forever”—a benediction from the Diamond of Longs Peak (14,259 feet), Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), Colorado. —FRITZ NUFFER Mark Stockinger heading to the top of Mt. Baker (10,781 feet), Washington. —MATT STOCKINGER Stephen Clark throwing a belay for Teslin Bruhn on Dragon’s Tail Couloir, Flattop Mountain (12,362 feet), RMNP, Colorado. —STEPHEN CLARK Climbing high on the Southeast Ridge of Mt. Shuksan (9,131 feet), Washington. This was my first alpine rock experience, and I was fortunate to share it with…

WHILE WE CLIMBERS only camp hanging on a wall when we have to, for many in the non-climbing public, portaledge camping ticks a box on their bucket list. Three years ago, Kent Mountain Adventure Center (KMAC) in Estes Park, Colorado, began offering one-night Cliff Camping excursions ($800–1200 per person). The idea, says KMAC’s founder Harry Kent, is to spend the night on a portaledge 150 feet up nearby Deville Rocks while a guide takes care of logistics. (Clients can either climb to the ledge or rap down.) Meanwhile, they offer a scaled-down version called the Cliffnic ($425–850 per person), a picnic lunch on the ledge. KMAC typically leads around six to eight Cliff Camping and Cliffnic trips each throughout the summer. We caught up with Kent to hear his thoughts…