Cover: Looking down at high camp on the southeast ridge of Ama Dablam. Vitaliy Musiyenko

Features

A Matter of Perspective

On March 13, 2010, Vitaliy Musiyenko trudged through fresh snow to stand on top of Mt. Whitney for the first time. He carried a new ice axe and a point-and-shoot camera. The experience marked somewhat of a turning point—from a childhood complicated by health issues to an adulthood driven by pushing his limits in the mountains. Musiyenko shares the story of his evolution as a climber and photographer, and how he’s come to understand that impossible is just a word.

On Light and Wisdom

Marked by four Piolets d’Or, Marko Prezelj’s climbing career has been widely celebrated. But he’s also long questioned the very concept of such awards. “Judging any ascent is senseless,” Prezelj wrote in Alpinist 21. “The essence of a climb burns out in the moment of experience. The core of an alpinist’s pursuit will always lie in ashes.” Prezelj speaks with Paula LaRochelle about his philosophies on climbing, the ways it shapes him and the people who are part of it all.

Born to Break Barriers

At just under 8000 meters, Gasherbrum III was the highest unclimbed peak in the world in 1975. The mountain in Pakistan is the site of some groundbreaking history that was largely overlooked by Western climbers at the time, when Wanda Rutkiewicz led a team of men and women to overcome social and economic barriers, stormy weather, internal conflict and self-doubt to stand on its summit. In this story, Bernadette McDonald breathes new life into a forgotten past.

Departments

Sharp End

Derek Franz considers the responsibilities of storytelling.

Escape Route

Max Miller and Abbey Collins share reading recommendations. Franz interviews Soline Kentzel. And Miller pulls a famous shoe out of storage in the Gunks.

On Belay

Will Gadd spent three years quietly developing the best new ice climbs of his life with Kirk Mauthner. Now, he’s talking.

The Climbing Life

Anton Korsun gets lost in America. Hannah Provost confronts a bear. Collins shares magic with her parents. Akihiro Oishi opens Pandora’s box. And Chris Ketchum writes a poem.

Full Value

Christopher Elliott weighs moral responsibilities.

Local Hero

Kapil Bisht visits with Chewang Rinjing Sherpa.

Off Belay

Anna Hazlett finds Love on Medlicott Dome.