What We're Reading, 2026 vol. 1
ESCAPE ROUTE
So far this year, we've gotten a glimpse into the mind of Reinhold Messner, let Jeremy Collins' words and sketches transport us around the world and adventured with the Explorer's Club. Perhaps you'll be inspired to pick up a copy of Against the Wind, Eventually a Sequoia or Letters from the Edge while we're busy at work on Alpinist 94. Happy reading!
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Finding Solace in Small Things
The First Free Ascent of Karma Sutra
Alpinist 94 | Summer 2026
Cover: Steph Davis climbs Glad to be Trad (5.13) in Utah's Mineral Canyon. "A pitch so long, I jumped off the top, because why not?" Davis recalled on social media. Chris Noble
MOUNTAIN STANDARDS GEAR REVIEWS
YETI's Sturdy Organizers and Bottles Provide Ease and Reliability on Expeditions and Weekend Getaways
YETI sent us a duffle, gear case, water bottle and cooler to see what we thought. IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested these items through the winter and early spring including a six-week ski trip to Canada, mountain bike day trips, Flatirons scrambles, day hikes, and cragging days. He can summarize his experience with the…
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FEATURES
Off the Shelf 2025: Alpinist's Year in Reading
This year, Sonnie Trotter brought us back to 2006, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), as his fingers flexed against steep granite on the first free ascent of Cobra Crack. We stood next to Mimi Zieman in a whiteout as she waited for her teammates on Chomolungma (Everest) in 1988. Lisa Roderick gave us an intimate look at Denali's...
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In this Sharp End story from Alpinist 92, Derek Franz writes of his experience climbing in the Swiss Alps with The North Face team last September and learning about everything that went into developing the Advanced Mountain Kit Summit Series 2.0.
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In this On Belay story from Alpinist 91, Will Gadd shares the details of how he and Kirk Mauthner uncovered some of the best ice climbs of their lives close to their homes in Canada. The pair spent three years snowmobiling into the Kootenays, swinging tools into steep ice and skiing through complex avalanche terrain.…
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In this Full Value story from Alpinist 91, Christopher Elliott interrogates the history of climbing in the Brenta Dolomites, the Nazi preoccupation with mountains and the responsibility of individuals in the face of fascism. He writes: “The history of alpinism in the Brenta Dolomites is a dramatis personae of characters who ‘achieved’ things that are…
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In this Sharp End story from Alpinist 91, Derek Franz considers recurring themes and the responsibilities of storytelling, and announces his trip to Nepal. He writes: “Storytelling is at its highest form when done in service to the bigger picture that goes beyond one person’s benefit; when the threads intertwine and connect, creating a fabric,…
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Kelsey Gray – A World of Routes
When Kelsey Gray tells people he grew up in Houston, they immediately think he’s talking about the city in Texas. But he’s actually referring to Houston, Alaska. Though he spent a lot of time outdoors as a kid, he didn’t venture into the mountains until later.
He started rock climbing when he was a student at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Around 2008, Gray serendipitously overheard a conversation about how Alaska needed a new rock climbing guidebook. He volunteered for the task. As part of his research for the first edition of the Alaska Rock Climbing Guide, Gray climbed more than 340 routes in one summer. He realized many of them were riddled with old, unsafe hardware and has since dedicated a lot of time and money to replacement.
He’s now published several guidebooks and books of poetry while climbing and developing routes around the world. We connected with Gray while he was in Thailand.
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Alita Contreras – Woman Warrior
In this conversation, Alita Contreras discusses the challenges of navigating identity after living in seven countries, and speaks to the incredible biodiversity and climbing communities found in Colombia. We also talk about her involvement in the making of Guerreras, a documentary that takes an intergenerational look at women climbers in Colombia.
Alita guides us through her tactics for visualization, and speaks to how being engaged in a climb is often the only way she can clear her mind of mental clutter.
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Heavy is the Hand: New Route on Mt. Dickey's south face
From March 27-28, Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell and Alan Rousseau climbed a new route on Mt. Dickey. They named their route Heavy is the Hand (VI 6+ M6+ A1, 5,000').
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