Alpinist Magazine Alpinist 90 | Summer 2025 Back Issue

Issue 90 features Pete Whittaker's story about a sailing expedition to Greenland with Seán Villanueva O’Driscoll, Sean Warren and Julia Cassou, in which they completed a new route on Greenland’s 1200-meter Mirror Wall. The bold and prolific Japanese climber Keita Kurakami was supposed to be part of the team, but he died of a heart condition weeks before the scheduled departure. Whittaker writes about how they carried on in a style that honored the legacy of their departed friend, naming the route Ryu-shin (5.13d R A2+).

Elsewhere in the magazine, Russian journalist Anna Piunova reflects on Russia’s complicated climbing history and the losses that accompany it. After growing up climbing in “a world that no longer exists,” as she puts it, through political and cultural changes, she saw a robust system of government support for alpinism fade away, resulting in a deadlier learning curve for the next generations. National Geographic photographer Jayce Kolinski writes about meeting a friend named Dustin Sutton who changed their perspective on the big picture. Confronting the realities of climate change, Christian Kiefer grapples with the age-old question: Am I the asshole? That is, is his lifestyle as a climber making climate change worse?

Meanwhile, Derek Franz writes about finding adventure close to home. Paula LaRochelle, Katie Ives and Franz share reading recommendations. Abbey Collins interviews Julia Cassou. And Carolyn Tillie looks into the eccentric expeditions of Aleister Crowley.

Fay Manners ventures across fast rivers, through dense forests and up dirty granite to get closer to the unknown. Matt Samet considers the futuristic influence of light-up training boards. Lauren DeLaunay Miller makes the case for truth. Laura Case Larson reflects on her path to copy editing. Rosie Bates shares a poem. Chris Deuto rope solos the Diamond in winter. And much, much more.