Attempting the Seven Summits: An Aconcagua Trip Report

Feb 27, 2023

After climbing the six great north faces of the Alps, I was on the lookout for my next big project. The Seven Summits is the collective name for the seven largest mountains, one on each continent—I decided this would be a good goal. More remote and higher altitude but less technical than the six north faces, the Seven would test me in different ways. My wife Ewa and I ticked the African peak Kilimanjaro off the list in 2022 via a lesser-known route. Next on the list for us would be Aconcagua in Argentina, which at 22,838 feet (6,961 meters) would be the highest summit we have attempted so far. Here is the trip report of our Aconcagua summit attempt. Day 1  The town of Penitentes is a sleepy ski…

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Why Rest Days Matter

Aug 30, 2022

The ache in my toes was subtle at first. I came off of a multi-pitch climb in California, unlaced my shoes and noticed a new tenderness in my joints. But I was rock climbing. Didn’t something always hurt while I was rock climbing? Cramming my feet into narrow blocks of rubber was just part of the process. Over the following weeks, I alternated between taking rest days and partaking in light activity to give my feet the chance to recover from their ailment. But it wasn’t long before I was back on the wall, exploring the limits of my body. Early on in my life, I learned that if you just put your head down and move forward through the pain, things usually get better. In my experience, doctor’s visits…

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Trip Report: Climbing in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range

Dec 22, 2021

Travel Chaos Our Pakistan expedition started out with high stress levels, to say the least. Our bags were painstakingly packed—gear organized, packed, organized again, double-checked, and repacked. As we celebrated our last night in the US with some friends in Denver, Colorado before catching our morning flight, Allen received a terrible email—our flight was canceled! When we had started planning our expeditions to Pakistan’s Karakoram range, we figured it’d be a long shot in light of ever-changing COVID restrictions and complications. We kept a hawk-eye on climbers that we saw were getting into Pakistan and bombarded them with questions. Countless hours were spent trying to communicate with officials in Pakistan and researching any info we could find online. Months prior we had booked our flights and now tickets were thousands…

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Bolting Climbs: The Ethics of First Ascents

Jul 6, 2021

Evaluating the ethics behind first ascents begged the question of whether or not we’re creating safer climbs by “conquering routes”. Were we providing positive accessibility by bolting walls? Or just flaunting our abilities?

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Himalayas: Preparing for and Hiking at High Altitude

Oct 10, 2017

I’ve joined friends and photographers, Dan and Janine Patitucci for a ten-day Himalayan adventure trek across the Gangotri Glacier organized by Ruck Sack Tours. This glacier is one of the main sources of the Ganges River, and one of the largest in the Himalaya. However, it is rapidly receding. We scramble over rock and rubble where ice once stretched to reach Tapovan, at the base of Shivling, the mountain we’ve come to admire. Itinerary basics: Gangotri Glacier Trek with Ruck Sack Tours 3-day drive, 1 free, 10-day trekking, 3-day drive, 1 free in Delhi Two main base camps in high meadows Four nights at Tapovan (4300 M) at the base of Shivling Three nights at Nandanvan (4400 M) at the foot of Bhagirathi Two nights at camps on the way…

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Second Ascents: The McNerthney Pillar

Aug 7, 2013

Photos and Story by Ben Kunz On July 20th, 2013, Tim Halder, Joe Sambataro and I completed the second ascent of the McNerthney Pillar on the north face of Mount Waddington in British Columbia’s Coast Range. This prodigious rock pillar was climbed by the Northwest’s own McNerthney brothers, Pat and Dan McNerthney, back in 1986. Despite the appeal of this beautiful rock pillar and “providing far and away the most powerful climbing line of this face of Waddington”, it had yet to see a repeat ascent. Climbing a big, steep route like the McNerthney Pillar was a huge undertaking for the three of us. Despite forays into the other Great Ranges (Peru, Alaska, Alps, Himalaya), none of us had climbed such a technical, once-touched line on such a colossal mountain…

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Climb for a Cause profile: Summit for Someone

Mar 15, 2013

Mountaineering can be a selfish endeavor but there are programs out there that help combine one’s love for the summit with aiding a noble cause. Big City Mountaineer’s program, ‘Summit for Someone’ aims to improve the lives of under-served urban youth.  Funds that are raised through SFS climbs allow Big City Mountaineers’ to lead transformational wilderness mentoring expeditions to thousands of urban youth across the country in need of “positive adult guidance in challenging and restorative environments.”

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