 Tahoe Adventure Film Festival 2009
South Lake Tahoe - Cinematography is the medium. Action sports and adventure is the subject. Well known as a breeding ground for elite athletes and year-round adventurers, Lake Tahoe is the stage for the 7th Annual Tahoe Adventure Film Festival to be held December 12, 2009 at Montbleu Resort Casino & Spa in South Lake Tahoe.
 Five College Outdoor Festival
The Five College Outdoor Festival is a yearly celebration of outdoor sports, wild places, and the spirit of adventure on February 26-27, 2010. Our goal is to inspire the Five College and western Massachusetts community to engage in human-powered outdoor recreation.
 Gear Loopiness
No one likes fumbling with a
guidebook (or crumpled-up
Xeroxed page) on route — still,
it’s better than straying way off
line. A handy new solution: the
GEARLOOPTOPO ($2.99 per route,
gearlooptopo.com), a collection of
laminated, 4”x6” cards detailing
nearly 150 multi-pitch classics in the
US and Canada.
 Feline Grace
Although I have some years before “cougar” status, I purred for the new
LA SPORTIVA WILDCAT ($100, sportiva.com). This lightweight mountain
runner is perfect for quick approaches, cross-training trail runs,
and — my favorite — jogging into the Flatirons for a pre-work scramble.
 Tikka + 2 = Light!
Petzl invented the modern headlamp back in 1972 and has been upgrading
the technology since. Their newest offering, the PETZL TIKKA
PLUS 2 ($39.95, petzl.com), is a light (2.5oz), tough, and super-smart
headlamp that builds on the popular Tikka platform.
 Tech Tip - Alpine - The ultimate alpine kitchen
Cooking is the art of necessity in the alpine world. Given the choice, I’d rather have linguine with sun-dried tomatoes, clams, and parmesan cheese than ramen noodles any day, especially when I’m fueling up for a big climb.
 Tech Tip - Alpine - Stayin' Alive
By Dave Sheldon - The pitches flew by on Polar Circus, our one-day Canadian Rockies winter objective. So when my partner said he’d forgotten his headlamp, I didn’t sweat it. Then, a few hours later, I dropped our shared thermos (bummer). But when my crampon’s toe bail snapped and a falling rock halved our ropes, our day climb morphed into a grovelfest replete with unplanned bivy.
 Tech Tip - Alpine - Making a point
There may be no situation more dire than slipping in a whiteout and careening down an icy, 55-degree snow slope, possibly without your axe.
 Tech Tip - Alpine - Of snowfields and glaciers
By Martin Gutmann - A descent through a whiteout is usually remembered in two ways: over a cold beer with friends or as a bestseller written by the sole survivor. In fact, descending a snowfield or crossing a glacier in a whiteout can be a complete horrorshow: the ground and the air blur into one, leaving you disoriented ...
 Living Dangerously
By Nick O’Connell - Routinely cited as one of the best mountaineering books ever, Lionel Terray’s Conquistadors of the Useless ($21.95, mountaineers.org), newly reissued in 2008 (but first printed in 1961), expresses the nearly inexpressible: what motivates mountaineers to pursue this seductive and often dangerous sport.
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 THE BIRTH OF ALPINISM
The English Alpine Club began in 1857 - This new ‘Gentleman’s Club,’ formed by a few wealthy young men in London caused immediate interest in the Alps of Switzerland. Twenty-seven year old Leslie Stephen became one of the charter members. Having finished Cambridge, he immediately followed his ambition to conquer many Swiss glacier-laden mountains. Stephen was one of the most prominent figures in the Golden Age of Alpinism (the period between 1857 and 1875).
 Whispering into a Roar
By Majka Burhardt / MajkaBurhardt.com - This is a story without a conclusion. Maybe that will change by the end. At this point, I’m not betting on it. Four weeks ago, I wrote a piece about trying to understand death in the face of more death, and in spite of life. I thought that, by writing it, I would move on from it - be released from it. But here’s the thing about writing about death: it creates conversation about death. And when you write about death and climbing, it creates a roar.
 Traverse of Africa's Ruwenzori Mountains
Trip report and photos by Felix Berg / Summitclimb.com - July 2009 - Our plan was to traverse the Ruwenzori Mountains, the third highest African peak, from the West to the East. Not due to technical difficulty, but for political reasons, this route has most likely not been done for the last 20-30 years. After 16 years of civil war, maybe even longer unrest, we have used the late seize-fire-agreement to explore this long-forgotten mountain from the unknown Congolese side and traverse the highest peak, Mount Stanley (5100 meters), to the more traveled Ugandan side.
 2010 MUGS STUMP AWARD OPENS FOR APPLICATIONS OCTOBER 1, 2009
18th annual alpine climbing award opens grant cycle to small climbing teams with fast and light alpine objectives - Established in 1993 to honor the late alpinist Mugs Stump, the Mugs Stump Award annually awards grants to a select number of individuals and teams whose proposed climbs present an outstanding challenge - a first ascent, significant repeat, or first alpine-style ascent - with special emphasis placed on climbers leaving no trace of their passage.
 The Ultimate Guide to Digital Photography in the Mountains
Text and photos by Alexandre Buisse - In my (very biased) opinion, mountains are the most beautiful environment on the planet, and certainly a very important source of great photography. But besides their intrinsic beauty, those big stacks of rock have another attribute that makes them of special interest to imagemakers: they are inaccessible. Or rather, very difficult to access, requiring special knowledge, equipment, and physical abilities. Which means that the perspective from mountains is likely to be very unique, only having ever been seen by a very select few.
 Alaska - Unscripted - From The Alpine Briefs
In celebration of the recent Alaska mountaineering season, The Alpine Briefs presents several videos of climbing and other antics in the 49th state. Shown here are Brits Jon Bracey and Matt Helliker as they bag two new routes above the Ruth Gorge, William Finley pointing out the landmarks and Polish climbers Marek Klonowski and Tomek Mackiewicz as they traverse Mt. Logan. The Alpine Briefs is an international newsletter from the American Alpine Journal
 The Dirtbag Diaries - Episode 29: The Dreamer
By Fitz Cahall - "I had convinced myself at that point that my goal was so important it was worth dying for," says alpine master Steve House about his 15-year-old dream of climbing the Rupal Face. Big Dreams require big commitment. We may not all dream on the same scale and commitment levels, but we all share dreams. They pull us through our lives on solid ground.
 Eternal Mountain Landscapes
Photos by Brooks Institute student Richard Tyler Gross / www.rtylergross.com - The images of R. Tyler Gross reflect a vision into his soul through which he invites others to share in his experience. Landscape and wildlife photography were initially what ignited the fire, what is now an eternal flame, of his photographic career. He feels that the more he can connect with the natural world, and its energy, the better he can express the undying beauty of this land and his vision. His passion for photography and the outdoors is an ongoing quest of finding the perfect balance within himself, nature, and the subject being photographed.
 Los Glaciares National Park - Argentine Patagonia
Photos by David Albert - David Albert is a mountain guide from Córdoba Argentina who works out of El Chaltén in northern Patagonia. While based in this beautiful place during the climbing and guiding season (our winter / their summer), Albert is able to capture some stunning images of the FitzRoy Massif, Cerro Torre and other familiar scenes in the northern part of Los Glaciares National Park.
 All Mixed Up, Thatchtop Mountain, RMNP
There are few perfect introductions to thin alpine ice climbing. Most are too thin, too slabby, or too fat. All Mixed Up is one of the few. Situated high on the east face of Thatchtop in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park ...
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