Sneak Peak RSS
Faces of a Mountaineer, the Natural Progression
By Jim Gile A climber looks at 50: In your 20's you're all about youthful power and exuberance with little technique and minimal mental fortitude. In your 30's your power levels off but you make up for it with better technique while each new adventure contributes to your mental fortitude. In your 40's your power decreases as your endurance increases, you hone your technique and forge your mental toughness. As you approach your 50's, your body starts to feel the effects of a lifetime of use and abuse pursuing your passion for the mountains. Everything starts to hurt, you can't...
Wild Snow Review on Fischer Hannibal and Trans Alp Skis: Light is right, weight and price
Wild Snow Review: Fischer Hannibal and Transalp 88 Skis Wild Snow Review: Fischer Hannibal and Transalp 88 Skis Guru legend and author of Wild Snow gave the Fischer a great review this AM for the Hannibal and Trans Alp models. To distill it, the skis are among the lightest in the business and because Fischer is the oldest established major ski manufacture in the world, and that these are the top sellers in Europe, the price is just as light. Check out the review and then we will have our own take in the near future....
The Draw to Climb and Ski Shishapangma, Memory Burn.
May 2000, Shishapagma, 26,335 feet, 14th highest peak in the world. Steve Marolt, Jim Gile, and Maxut Zhumayev pondering the objective from afar on the Tibetan plateau. The north east ridge sticks out like a soar thumb center photo and considering at that moment that this was an attempt at a first American ski from 8000 meters, we were not feeling overly cocky. But that nervous respect is what draws you there. The process of taking it step by step until you know you can or can't is a combination of tremendous satisfaction and adventure that humbles you. It makes...
Risk Reward in the mountains.......how do you look at it?
Camp 2 Manaslu 22,000 feet. The point of no return. We looked at the ice cliff 3000 feet above this camp and the 45 degree loaded slopes and despite the dollars and time spent to get there, decided it was too much risk. If it went, there would be little or now chance. It's extremely easy to go, but very difficult to back off, especially when the objective is exotic and difficult to get to. That was a miserable discussion that day and in the eyes of about a hundred people that stayed didn't make it any easier. But...
