Hardwear Sessions

By Sam Magro, Photographer/Guide

Of the routes that went up over the past few months the first winter ascent of Ravens Crack was the highlight. Stephen Koch and I skied in at 4am in January climbed 600' of ice (Prospector Falls WI4) and steep snow to the base of the Ravens Crack. There we embarked on 1,200' of spectacular sustained mixed climbing topping out at WI5 M7. We didn't complete the climb the first go and returned 2 weeks later to complete the route in a 22 hour round trip day. The route has some history so if you want to put it on the blog I would like to include that as well

I came back to Bozeman this year on Thanksgiving Day after 2 months of cragging in Kentucky and Tennesee. It was a drastic change from my standard West Coast rock n road trip. Primarily the rock is all cragging with no multi-pitch or marathon days. I was missing the long days and longed to be back in MT among the mountains.

While I was climbing on steep sand stone pockets and the infamous cracks of the T-wall, my Montana Brethren was starting to scrape around on alpine ice. I was back in town for less than a week when Aaron Thrasher and myself decided to try a new mixed line on the north face of?????? The idea was hatched and a date was planned to head deep in to the Beartooth Mountains. The weekend came and along with it a brutal cold snap of -10 in town which would be around -20 on the north face of ???? Having the luxury of being locals we simply opted to wait for prime conditions.

It came one week later just before the Bozeman Ice Festival. This round we invited my brother Whit to join. We got to the trailhead by 8pm and went straight to bed. The temps were quite pleasant and the amount of snow fall was minimal enough to merit using shoes on the initial approach.

We awoke pre-dawn and by 5 am were hiking up East Rose Bud canyon in the fading light of the massive moon.

Sam Magro climbing frozen moss and thin ice on FA of Moon Burn (WI4, M5, 300m) Beartooth Mountains, MT | Photo by Aaron Thrasher

Sam Magro entering the crux roof pitch on first known winter ascent of Raven Crack on Prospector Mountain of Death Canyon, Tetons, Wyoming | Photo by Stephen Koch

Sam Magro nearing the end of a long day on first winter ascent of Raven Crack in Death Canyon, Tetons, Wyoming | Photo by Stephen Koch

Whit Magro on FA of Golden Throat, Beartooth Mountains, WY | Photo by Sam Magro

Justin Griffin on pitch 2 of the Golden Graham Wall, Beartooth Mountains, WY | Photo by Sam Magro

Erik Weihenmayer, Blind Adventurer and Team Lumber
Click here to visit Erik's Website

The race kicked off with a brisk swim across the mighty Colorado River to a raft waiting on the other side. Teams then piled into the raft, flipped it and climbed back in. The clock stopped when each team successfully beached their boat back on the near shore. The fastest teams were not necessarily the strongest swimmers or paddlers, but rather those with the best strategy in navigating the current, and using the eddy along the shore to their advantage.

Race organizer, Ian Adamson, began his introductory remarks with a reminder, "Teamwork is the hallmark of adventure racing. As individuals, no team is faster than its slowest member, but as a team, you are much stronger."

Erik and his teammates paddle hard to the finish of the prologue on Day 1. | Photo Courtesy of Erik

The following two days took athletes by mountain bike, raft, and by foot deep into the Colorado wilderness as they navigated through a series of checkpoints. The level of teamwork was apparent as paraplegic athletes gave directions to blind athletes, who in return, helped push their special one-off hand cycles up steep hills. Teams used specially modified bungee cords to tow one-offs and even runners; this is a technique often used in adventure racing which enables a tired team member to rest while the other keeps up the pace.

By Ueli Steck

Photo Courtesy of Ueli Steck

July 9, 2009

Almost exactly three years after in 2006, I summited the east summit of Gasherbrum II (7772m), I reached the main summit of 8035m high Gasherbrum II. In 2006 Hans Mitterer, Cedric Hählen and I first ascended - coming from the Chinese side - a new route. It was the first route from the north side.

After my wife Nicole and I spent two months in the States climbing, we flew to Pakistan on June 8, 2009. In America I red pointed the legendary route „Golden Gate" at El Capitan. This was another success in my career as a professional alpinist. I nearly missed being the first person to climb a route on sight at the monolith of granite in the Yosemite National Park. I fell off a crack in a relatively simple pitch. Several pitches in the 10th grade of difficulty I climbed all in the first try. Rock climbing legends such as Yuji Hirayama or Tommy Caldwell needed different tries, to climb these difficult passages.

Now the situation is completely different. For my preparation and acclimatisation I climb Gasherbrum II main summit. It is my first peak of a mountain over 8000 meters. In autumn I would like to fulfil my long lasting project and climb a mountain over 8000 meters over a technical demanding route solo.

By Eric Aaholm, Youth Enrichment Strategies (YES) Executive Director

Youth Enrichment Strategies (YES) is a Richmond, California non-profit agency that enriches the lives of low-income children and families by bringing them to outdoor summer and family camps. Since 1999, YES has provided opportunities for thousands of Richmond and West Contra Costa County children ages 8 to 16, by having them attend summer camps all over Northern California.

In 2004, YES started weekend Family Camps for kids and their parents at YMCA Camp Loma Mar near Half Moon Bay, California. Outdoor camps provide an incredible opportunity for local kids and families to establish a connection with nature, with loved ones, and with themselves through a myriad of recreational and life-skill activities. Camps give participants the opportunity to find respite and joy in settings that are both safe and supportive - conditions that are often lacking in some of their Richmond neighborhoods where poverty and violence can dictate day-to-day life. Check out YES's 10th anniversary video "Camp, Connection, Community" by visiting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFrbU6Jtbd0.

For the past four years, YES has been a proud grant recipient of Mountain Hardwear's Gives Back program and looks forward to involving Mountain Hardwear employees with volunteer opportunities in their own backyard. This fall, YES will offer two Family Camps to children and families from Peres and Verde Elementary Schools in Central and North Richmond. Both Alex Baires and Ryan Hodgkin from Mountain Hardwear are planning to volunteer at the camps.

Baires attended YES's 10th Anniversary annual dinner in May and speaks highly of the organization. "YES is truly making a difference in the very city Mountain Hardwear calls home by introducing community members to nature and the outdoors. The youth and families that YES servers do not have many opportunities, if any, to enjoy the outdoors so I am especially appreciative by YES's mission and ability to get youth outside and away from the daily routine. It's exciting to be able to support a local non-profit that falls in line with Mountain Hardwear's philosophy and values."

To learn more about how to get involved, visit www.yesfamilies.org or contact Eric Aaholm at eric@yesfamilies.org / 510-232-3032.

Associate Editor Shannon Davis learns to love his outdoors-centric bowling shirt!

Shannon Davis, hard at work with beer and watermelon for backup.

Online Editor Anthony Cerretani extolled the virtues of his baby-vomit-proof North Face suite of shirts. In Part 2, Associate Editor Shannon Davis tries out the bowling-shirt-esque Mountain Hardwear Wicked Snap ($40, 6 oz.).

Read more at Backpacker.com

Mountain Hardwear's WICKED SNAP SHIRT
Koolknit™ wicks moisture, dries quickly and keeps you cool. Ideal for all high energy activities. Check it out here.

Pat Deavoll completes first ascent of Karim Sar, a 6,180-meter peak in Pakistan's Karakorum Range. Read an account of Pat's climb on Climbing.com.

Karim Sar (6,180 meters) as seen from the Baltar Glacier area to the north. Photo Pat Deavoll Collection

Deavoll racking up | Photo Pat Deavoll Collection	The upper south side of Karim Sar, with the route from high camp (5,100m) to the summit marked in blue. | Photo Pat Deavoll Collection, Intotherocks.net

UCLIMB is a fun event dedicated to bringing people across the country closer to the outdoors. Learn to climb in a comfortable small-group setting with other amateur climbers. Professional instructors will guide you through the basics of climbing, safety and conservation. This weekend adventure is ideal introduction to the world of rock climbing.

Click here to learn more about UCLIMB.

New River Gorge, WV - August 1-2
Red River Gorge, KY - September 12-13

Enjoy a weekend of camping and camaraderie. Learn climbing techniques, how to use climbing gear, voice commands, knot tying, belaying, and etiquette. Have fun and climb hard!

By Mountain Hardwear Athlete, Fredrick Wilkinson | Blog The Nameless Creature.

Rescuers boarding a Black Hawk during a SAR in the winter of 2007. Although the New Hampshire Air National Guard volunteers their time for rescues, they are frequently deployed overseas and unavailable, necessitating more costly measures. | Photo Courtesy of Fredrick Wilkinson

It's fair to say Scott Mason bit off a little more than he could chew.

In April, the Eagle Scout embarked on an ambitious one day traverse of the northern Presidential range in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Early into his hike, he twisted an ankle, but chose to continue. A few miles later, Mason re-considered and opted for a quicker route back to the road, only to find the trail blocked by numerous streams swollen by spring snow melt.

While the young hiker settled down for an uncomfortable night without a sleeping bag, ensolite pad, or tent, a search effort was launched. His parents reported him missing, and soon New Hampshire Fish and Game officers, aided by an army of volunteers, were combing the mountains. A helicopter was brought in from neighboring Maine. Finally, after three long days and nights of difficult back-country travel, Mason reversed his route and rendezvoused with a search party not far from the summit of Mount Washington. When he was reunited with his parents, several network television crews and a phalanx of reporters were on hand to capture the drama.

It appeared that the Mason SAR had reached a happy conclusion. The boy was found, alive, and while he had certainly made a serious error in deciding to continue into a remote area after spraining his ankle, he also exercised some good judgment that allowed him to emerge from the experience unscathed. The embarrassment at making the A-section of the Boston Globe and being on the evening news seemed like the right dose of punishment to ensure that he would learn from his mistakes and mature to become a better prepared outdoorsman. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, meanwhile, got to bask in some positive PR. And dozens of volunteers got to skip work for the day and play hero.

Then came the fallout: two weeks ago, Mason received a bill for $25,238 from the State of New Hampshire. "It was his negligence that led to him getting into that predicament," Major Tim Acerno of the New Hampshire Fish and Game recently said, adding that a helicopter used in the search significantly increased the cost of the mission. Mason has until August 9th to pay settle up or challenge the bill in a court of law. His family has declined to comment further on the matter.