A personal story from my recent trip to Ecuador on Alpenglow’s Ring of Fire Ski Expedition. While this was an epic and transformative opportunity for me to properly advance from a ‘backcountry skier’ to a ‘ski mountaineer’, it was also immensely challenging at times, and not just physically. At 18,000 feet, I was forced to confront parts of myself that I have wrestled with for years, and more intimately understand the relationship between my mental health and chasing extremes.
Meet Jaime Avíla, IFMGA-certified mountain guide and Alpenglow Expeditions’ longest serving expedition leader.
Veteran Alpenglow guide Jaime Avíla was three years into business school when he led a group of hopeful mountaineers to the summit of Cotopaxi (19,347’/5,897m). Unbeknownst to Jaime, these were paying clients, and it wasn’t until his friend and co-trip leader sent him $100 a few weeks later that he learned he’d been guiding in the first place.
A detailed account of climbing Citlaltépetl / Pico de Orizaba, the highest peak in Mexico and third-highest in North America.
We moved methodically at 18,000 ft. Incoming weather pushed us to keep pace and not move too slowly. Altitude kept us from moving too fast.
Climbing at altitude is like a dance in this way, and the mountain always leads. Learn the language, read the signs, listen to your body, and focus on taking one more step.
“We have to focus on the ability of people to dream, to push through projects, to make the unimaginable become real. Climbing has the power to change our culture.”
Through Alpenglow Expeditions, I spent some time interviewing Esteban “Topo” Mena. He’s honest, humble, passionate, and cares deeply about the people who put the trust in him. With first ascents in the Andes and the Himalaya, multiple summits of 8000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, he’s also one of the most accomplished guides and athletes in the world. This is a deep dive into the Topo’s story, how he’s found success as a mountain guide, and what keeps him going toward bigger and bolder objectives.
More than 70 climbers competed in Amman, Jordan in March 2022
A new regional climbing competition is a momentous occasion in the growth of the global climbing community. The Climbing Initiative connected with Marwan Maayta (Routesetter and Judge), Abdelqader Al Dabbas (Competition Organizer / First Place Finisher), Dr. Ghassan Alami (JCF founding member and Fundraising Manager), and Sharaf Kilani (JCF President and Climbat Amman founder) to talk about both the competition as well as expansion of the Middle Eastern climbing scene.
An excerpt from my untitled memoir from three months spent on a training expedition in Nepal.
I woke up at 12,000 feet and immediately knew something was very, very wrong. Nothing like crippling stomach pain when you’re 100 miles from anything.
Drop me your email if you’re interested in more! This memoir is currently in the editing stage, all feedback is highly valued.
Elbrus4Alpinists plans to bring sustainable alpine tourism to the remote valleys of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic of Russia
By his own admission, Matt Johnson, 46, is not a trained mountaineer. He works as a truck driver out of Madison, Wisconsin, hauling mail as a USPS contract driver—and he “loves it.” In fact, when we spoke, he humbly referred to himself as a “complete outsider” with regard to the mountaineering community. Or, at least he was before 2011, when he decided to do an unsupported summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and a solo, unsupported traverse of Aconcagua shortly thereafter in 2012.
The Recreation Project uses climbing to address trauma and foster resilience
In Northern Uganda, a youth-centric nonprofit is using climbing and outdoor adventure to provide transformative experiences for children and families in a region affected by a long history of adversity.
An Interview with Dom Mullins of Full Circle Everest
As of 2021, there have been over 10,000 summits of Mt. Everest, but only 8 by Black climbers. The Full Circle Everest expedition plans to change the future of mountaineering as the first all-Black team to attempt the world’s tallest mountain.
Read the story that started it all.
My guide for the weekend, Diego, picked me up from the corner of Granados and Isla Marchena, the streets where I live here in Quito, Ecuador. My host mom is waiting with me to make sure that Diego is a real guide and not someone who wants to sell me.