"Nobody climbs faster than Swiss superman Ueli Steck... Steck is a mutant combination of the finest climbers out there, past and present. He has Reinhold Messner's high-altitude endurance, can climb 5.13 without a rope, and has the brains and prudence of Ed Viesturs."
"At 18, Steck tackled his first real test, the north face of the Eiger, doing the Heckmair Route in a day and a half. By 21 he was racing up stiff lines on the Mönch, and in 2004, at 28, he and a partner linked the three north faces of the Mönch, the Eiger, and the Jungfrau in one 25-hour push. Things really picked up after he free-soloed a wildly exposed line called Excalibur—a 750-foot-long 5.10d over Wenden, Switzerland."
Image from www.pierramenta.comAfter a very good start to the season and a few days before the start of PierraMenta, Jornet told us that: “The start of the season was perfect. The results couldn’t have been better and I have felt really good in all the races. In the last two weeks I have been training to get ready for the second part of the season, in which races are longer and more technical. Good weather conditions have enabled me to do sound mountain training, on technical routes in Mont Blanc, Aguille Verte, the Tacul, Tour Ronde and Buet. Last week I trained really hard a total of 30h and 20.000m. Now it’s time for me to rest and arrive feeling fresh on Thursday. Besides this, last week Marc Pinsach came to my house in Chamonix so that we could prepare the race together, especially the technical stretches and the descents.”
Kilian himself says how delighted he is to race alongside his great friend Marc Pinsach: “After winning the race 3 times (together with Florent Troillet and Didier Blanc) it is a great pleasure to run with a close friend this year. It’s a boost to my motivation. The goal is not to win the race, since there are some very strong teams, but to try and finish as far ahead as possible. Marc will be a great champion in forthcoming years and it is always highly motivating to give a hand to those who are coming up behind you. Florent Troillet did the same for me four years ago”.
Kim has skied on all seven continents, with first descents on four, and adventured in more than 50 countries. During her travels, she has climbed and skied big peaks in the Himalaya & the Karakorum as well as the highest mountains across the US, with first descents both at home and abroad including in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Kim's tips, based on advice from ten of the world's greatest backcountry guides appears in Outside Magazine.
Noah Howell climbs steep snow on a windy day Photo: Jim Harris
The recommendations of famous guides like Doug Stoup, Kris Erickson, and others, really lays out the prime skills the novice backcountry skier needs to master for safety and to get the full experience.
Chris Davenport belays Seth Wescott on a steep pitch Photo: Jim Harris
The 51-year-old Apa, who like most Sherpas uses only one name, is trekking the length of Nepal to warn villagers to prepare themselves for change. A third of the way along his 120-day journey, he has already seen many lakes that look ready to spill.
"If it happens again, many villages would be washed away and lives lost," he said during a break in his trek in Tatopani, a resort village near the Tibet border.
Apa's 21 ascents of the world's highest mountain have given him a unique up-close view of conditions in the Himalayas. Read the full story here.
Thanks Apa Sherpa for going where few have gone, and for carrying your message across the world.
Suunto Ambassador Conrad Stoltz just racked up another great win in the XTERRA race series, this time in South Africa.
