“In 1976, Nanda Devi Unsoeld, the daughter of legendary alpinist Willi Unsoeld, died while climbing the massive Indian peak for which she was named.”
mountaineering
The Controversial King of Hardcore Climbing
“Nims Purja has become the first celebrity mountaineer of the social media age—and the most controversial figure in the global climbing community.”
Disaster at 18,200 Feet
The U.S. has seen an increase in National Parks visitors in recent years, as well as an outdoor climbing boom. At Denali National Park, that also means a surge in less experienced climbers: “more summit chasers, fewer wilderness seekers.” In this story for Insider, Kelsey Vlamis recounts the experience of four climbers attempting to summit […]
Finding Answers about Life and Love in the Mountain Death Zone
“There’s no reflective surfaces when you’re climbing. You’re just who you are.”
The Traffic Jam on Mount Everest that Cost 11 Lives
“The crowd seemed incredible—like a bag of Skittles had been scattered down the slope.”
A Mountain and a Range of Memories
“After Lathrop died, I could not bring myself to delete his phone number.”
Make Way for Meera
She bounded up a mountain humans can only slog up, and she’s the second-best dog in the world (after your dog, obv).
Maintaining Mental Health as a Rescuer in the Grand Tetons
“What was important was that each of us had been there; we all, in another way, had blood on our hands—we had all shared the same experiences. We needed each other.”
Bringing Home the Bodies: Deliverance From 27,000 Feet
How 12 sherpas recovered two bodies from the 27,000-foot mark of Mount Everest.
Deliverance From 27,000 Feet
In May 2016, four Bengali mountaineers attempted to achieve a lifelong dream: to summit Mount Everest. After an egregiously late start to their summit attempt, they were abandoned by their guides and left to die on the mountain. Only one survived. John Branch reports on the ill-fated expedition and how a team of sherpas recovered […]