Alpinist Magazine Issue 59 | Autumn 2017 Back Issue

Autumn 2017Inside Alpinist 59 are more than 121 pages of daunting climbs and ambitious adventures. Erin Smart explores the climbing history of la Meije, considered the "Matterhorn" of the Massif des Écrins and the last of the great Alps to be summited—by an all-French team in 1877. Meanwhile, Claude Gardien and Paula Wright profile a few of the many who dreamed of making the first ascent of this long "impossible mountain." Eager to explore routes in his own country, Karn Kowshik searches for ice in Spiti Valley, India. Clint Helander recounts the first ascent of the complete south ridge of Mt. Huntington with Jess Roskelley—a journey haunted by the brooding past of this great Alaskan peak. Marc-André Leclerc recounts a close escape, while Ana Beatriz Cholo reflects on becoming an accidental mountaineer. Editor-in-chief Katie Ives recalls moments from the life of Ueli Steck (1976–2017), a man who was much warmer and more human than his oft-repeated nickname, the "Swiss Machine." Alpinist Digital Editor Derek F