Alpinist Magazine Alpinist 81 | Spring 2023 Back Issue

Issue 81 features Tino Villanueva’s account of completing the first alpine-style ascent of Tengi Ragi Tau (6938m) with Alan Rousseau in Nepal in 2019. Before reaching the highpoint of success, they had to cross valleys of near misses and failures. In this story Villanueva shares some lessons he learned through a decade of visiting the Greater Ranges.


Elsewhere in the magazine, Alison Jean Lester and Pasang Yangjee Sherpa consider what the photos and writings of 1963 American Mt. Everest Expedition member James T. Lester reveal, not only about himself but also about the journeys of the Sherpa men he met. Lucas Roman pays tribute to his friend Brad Gobright, who earned fame for his bold rock climbing before he died in 2019. McKenzie Long looks at national monuments to explore what’s at stake for Indigenous communities, climbers and the future of public lands.


Meanwhile, Derek Franz seeks a balance between safety and boldness. Andy Munas remembers a lost climber. At six weeks pregnant, Erin Smart considers the adventures that lie ahead, both on the wall and in her life, as she sits perched near the summit of the Doigt de Dieu on la Meije. Matt Samet explores the development of technical rock climbing grades. Erin Connery brings us along a climb in the dark. Talley V. Kayser writes a poem. Shehla Anjum shares stories from some of the Pakistani women finding their power amid the country’s high peaks. John Porter revisits the 1921 British reconnaissance of Mt. Everest (Chomolungma) and some of the friendships and scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for expeditions to come. Abbey Collins celebrates Steve Gruhn’s commitment to preserving Alaska mountaineering history and sharing it with climbers across the globe. Luka Lindič free climbs a humanlike rock face in Slovenia. And much, much more….