AMBITION By Christian Santelices   It was an audacious plan – to climb twenty of the Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, a list of the fifty best climbs based on aesthetics and history compiled by Allen Steck and Steve Roper. My good friend Hans Florine got a hold of the book and originally thought […]

PROFESSIONALISM By Andy Bardon   Climbing was a major part of my life for a number of years before I was asked to join a guide service. I would hit the road for weeks on end pushing myself both physically and mentally to attain personal goals with only intrinsic rewards. No money, sponsors, or recognition. […]

EFFORT By Angela Hawse   Imagine the effort it takes to climb Mt. Everest.  Weeks of acclimatizing in ever thinning air above Base Camp at 18,000’.  Going up and down.  Deteriorating physically from too many days at altitude and mentally taxed from the hazardous Khumbu Icefall and covering the same terrain again and again.  Wondering […]

by Rob Hess    As mountain athletes, leadership is something that is at the heart of all our endeavors and interactions with ourselves and others. We are lucky to live in an environment of exceptional people with exceptional character. As we travel around the country/world on our various pursuits we must be mindful of the […]

DISCIPLINE By McKenzie Long    I stood in a little rock alcove, looking out at a number two cam wedged in a crack that traversed out of a big roof. The cheerful yellow metal was taunting me. I hate roofs. But I had to go out there, clean the cam and pull the roof. I’d […]