I’m surprised I haven’t seen more people talking about this. I just very recently found out Mammut was actually bought out by a Chinese Investment firm this July. What do you guys think of this? Do you think it will affect gear quality? Personally im a bit worried, Mammut has been one of my most reliable outerwear companies and it would suck to see it go down the same path as Arcteryx.

Arguably one of the prettiest mountains in Pongau. I've already thought about it one, or two years ago, but wasn't ready at the time. After a recent trip to Switzerland I finally gathered the confidence, to do it solo.

Hekla is situated in the south of Iceland, positioned within the eastern volcanic zone where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates converge. It stands as an imposing ridge that rises to an elevation of approximately 1,491 metres above sea level, making it a prominent landmark visible from much of the surrounding southern lowlands. The mountain is technically classified as a stratovolcano, but its unique morphology resembles an elongated crest or an overturned boat, stretching along a 5.5-kilometre-long fissure system known as Heklugja. This geographic positioning places it in close proximity to popular Icelandic areas like Landmannalaugar and the southern highlands, surrounded by expansive lava fields created by its own frequent historical activity.

The mountaineering history of Hekla is deeply rooted in local folklore and early scientific exploration. For centuries, superstitious beliefs and the church's declaration that the volcano was the literal entrance to Hell deterred locals from attempting to climb it. This taboo was decisively broken in the summer of 1750 when Icelandic naturalists Eggert Olafsson and Bjarni Palsson successfully completed the first recorded ascent of the peak. Today, despite its unpredictable nature and the constant risk of sudden explosive eruptions, Hekla is a highly popular destination for hikers and mountaineers. The ascent generally takes around three to four hours from the base, crossing a stark landscape of contrasting black volcanic ash, rugged lava formations, and persistent snowfields near the summit ridge.

Pretty cool!

Did a 2 day trip in Pyrénées, to climb mont perdu(3355m), cylindre de marboré(3335m) and the astazous(3015m and 3071m)

The glacier has vastly diminished especially this summer, there are no more seracs and the bottom glacier has disapeared.

The top part is flat with no crevasses either so only the middle part is still real active glacier but for how many years 🥲

This pic was taken to the North of the Dhaulagiri Himal, either by telephoto or from within the valley of Chukring Khola.

I don't know of any attempts to climb the pyramid, but the now-largely-forgotten Dhaulagiri IV (7661) has one of the bleakest histories in the Himalaya. While not especially prominent, it's far secluded from the other numbered 'giris (save VI) along the main ridge of the massif, recessed behind steep gorges on all sides and the dramatic wall of Gurja Himal to the south. According to a source on the sub, it's reportedly also the most technical of the group, and for all of these reasons it's understandable that it was omitted from the very impressive Japanese traverse of Dhaulagiris II, III and V in 1979, led by one lady Michiko Takahashi.

The intensive approaches from all sides, but particularly the "normal" Kunabang Khola gorge to the southeast, greatly impeded the ability of expeditions to get help quickly whenever things deteriorated on the mountain... which they did, with alarming frequency. In a seven-year period, the mountain saw no fewer than fourteen deaths due to falls, avalanche, altitude sickness and (most infamously) the disappearance of six people from an Austrian expedition without a trace in 1969, likely due to a cornice break along the summit ridge.

The 1975 first ascent fared little better, with two Japanese climbers radioing their team that they had reached the summit, but then being forced to bivouac overnight along the ridge due to one of the range's signature storms. After contact was lost, the bodies of the pair were eventually spotted together at the foot of the South Face.

If there is any softer footnote to its climbing history, the "curse" of Dhaulagiri IV seemed to break later that year with its second and last ascent to date: Another Japanese expedition repeated the route in October, getting eleven people on the summit, this time without any loss of life. One of the earliest expeditions to DIV also took a humorous (and likely merciful) bent in 1962, when a certain J.O.M. Roberts unsuccessfully attempted the nearby Dhaulagiri VI after confusing it for its deadlier sister peak.

Since 1975, Dhaulagiri IV has essentially been ignored by the climbing community, allowing its eye-watering 108% fatality ratio (with 14 deaths to only 13 official summits) to stand unaltered in the present day.

Unlike other peaks such as Peak 29, Annapurna Fang, or Thulagi Chuli, which draw similar or even higher fatality rates from much smaller sample sizes, the excellent "Himalaya by the Numbers, 1950-2024" analysis by Liz Hawley, Bierling, Salisbury et al. ultimately decided that Dhaulagiri IV's stats were too consistently grim to exclude from the data pool for death rates. Therein, they pretty bluntly state their opinion that it historically ranks as the "'most dangerous mountain in the entire Himalayas'", moreso than any other seven- or even eight-thousander.

Additionally, roughly a third of the fourteen deaths on Dhaulagiri IV expeditions were Sherpas, underscoring the need of foreign expeditions to consider the risks their objective may pose to the lives of their employees.

Hey everyone, I am planning a trip to mt washington, Cotopaxi, mt rainier, mt hood, and pico de orizaba over the next year. I have already sorted my base, mid, insulation and belay but i’m missing my shell. Would a Beta AR or an Alpha be a more appropriate jacket for these summits? and if you have noticed a difference in sizing with layers on that would require upsizing. Thank you!

Summer scramble up Mount Constance in the Olympic national forest. Some spicy exposed stuff. Always wear a helmet!

Anyone been up Shuksan Sulphide route in September and have a general estimate of what the glacier might look like? I also keep hearing different reports on how difficult the easiest line on the summit scramble is, I hear anything from 3rd class to low 5th class.

My resume (all solo) includes
Rainier C2C (WA)
Jefferson(OR)
Baker(WA)
North Sister(OR
Washington(OR)
3FJ(OR)
Capitol Peak(CO)
Glacier Peak C2C(WA)

So definitely some solid experience but not an elite alpinist by any means. Just trying to get a feel for what Shuksan’s September conditions and difficulty level may feel like.

​

In 1953, Austrian climber Hermann Buhl set out to climb Nanga Parbat (8,125 m), one of the most dangerous mountains in the Himalayas. On July 3, he left Camp V at around 2:30 a.m., completely alone after his climbing partner Otto Kempter had turned back. Buhl climbed without supplemental oxygen, battling extreme cold, exhaustion, and the effects of altitude. After approximately 17 hours of climbing, he finally reached the summit at around 7 p.m., becoming the first person to make a solo ascent of an 8,000-meter peak.

But reaching the summit was only half the ordeal. Buhl began his descent as darkness approached, carrying no proper equipment for spending the night on the mountain. During the descent, he became severely exhausted and took Pervitin, a methamphetamine-based stimulant, to fight off sleep and keep himself moving. At one point, he was forced to spend the night standing untethered on a tiny pedestal of rock, too small even to crouch on, at the edge of a roughly 60-degree ice slope. He survived the night exposed high on the mountain and continued descending the following day, eventually reaching Camp V after an extraordinary 41-hour ordeal.

Buhl’s achievement became one of the great legends of Himalayan mountaineering. The ordeal left him with severe frostbite, eventually requiring the amputation of parts of two toes, but he had accomplished what no one had done before: a solo ascent of an 8,000-meter peak. British mountaineer Chris Bonington later called the feat “a magnificent achievement.” Remarkably, Buhl’s ice axe, which he had left behind on the summit as a proof was discovered decades later in 1999 by a Japanese expedition and was eventually returned to his widow.

I did the Netravati trek today!
I was solo, so I got put into a random group, which happened to have two foreigners. One is from Spain, named Maria. The other looks African but is actually from Nepal.
I remember watching a reel/interview about this guy before. After the trek, we were chatting while getting dropped off at our homestays, and I casually asked him, “Do you want to be Nimsdai?” He goes, “I actually did.” 😭
Then he showed me a tattoo with mountains and “Nepal” on it. My dumb ass asked if it was Annapurna Base Camp. He said Everest. He told me he summited Everest in 2017.
He told me his name, but of course I don’t remember it properly. I remember it started with Shiv/Shiva idk Shivnath or something.
I then casually asked him, “Are you that guy from the reels who was interviewed?”where they asked him where he was from and he said Nepal(because he looks African but is actually Nepali) , then they ask him if he can speak in Hindi and he actually speaks.”
He said yes it was me.😮‍💨

Did not take any pictures with them but they did take many with me and our random group.

Extra clues; he said he was brand ambassador for quechua in 2017 but no one knew him then. But people recognise him now.

So… who the hell did I just trek with? 😭
If anyone recognizes this guy, PLEASE tell me his name. I genuinely feel like I accidentally trekked with a bigshot and only realized after the fact.

Mount Mahler in the Never Summers of CO

If money was no object (within reason) would the Helly Hansen Alpine SAR 45L be a suitable casual mountaineering & hiking backpack?

Are there any drawbacks I should know about for the average user who doesn't work for search and rescue?

Is there any taboo against casuals using a SAR backpack (in colour only, no SAR logos or anything)?

I'm rather fond of the colour and high Viz nature and especially the front opening clamshell feature.

Please be honest and not judgemental, I'm coming for advice before I think about buying anything! :)

Hey everyone!

I'm looking for a backpack for 1–3 day trips, alpine climbing and winter mountaineering — things like Grossglockner, Gran Paradiso, winter Zugspitze, Mont Blanc / Dufourspitze and many more 4000m peaks in the future.

I need enough space for things like:

• helmet, harness, (via ferrata gear)
• crampons + ice axe
• rope when needed
• (2L bladder) + 2x1L bottle
• shell + down jacket + gloves
• sleeping bag + liner
• food + stove + pot
• first aid / personal items / spare clothes

Requirements:

• ~45L minimum when fully expanded (e.g. 40+5, 38+10)
• durable materials
• not excessively heavy
• good ice axe / helmet attachments
• comfortable with a harness
• large side or front zip access is very important to me
• bonus for a removable/convertible lid for summit pushes

I'm currently looking at:

Millet Prolighter 38+10, Ferrino Summit 48+5, Mammut Trion 50, Ferrino X.M.T. 40+5, Grivel Alpine Pro 40+10, Ortovox Peak 45, Blue Ice Stache 50, Gregory Alpinisto 50, Millet Peuterey 35+10, Ferrino Instinct 40+5, Deuter Guide 44+6.

I'm not even sure what size pack I actually need, as the information online is really confusing around this topic....

I already own a Ferrino Triolet 25+3 for 1-day hikes and via ferratas, and I also own an Osprey Atmos 65 AG LT, but it's more of a trekking pack. I'm trying to fill the gap between the two.

What would you recommend, and what would you buy?

Thanks! 🏔️

hey everyone im look to buy some wooden drytools and i just cant find any places to drytool around portland. does anyone know any? and how can i politely ask gyms near me?

Mount Vaux is a massive 3319-metre mountain summit located in the southwestern corner of the Ottertail Range within Yoho National Park, British Columbia. Pronounced "Vox" (rhymes with box), it towers prominently over the Kicking Horse River valley and is highly visible to travelers driving along Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway). The peak is bounded to the east by the vast Hanbury Glacier, which feeds into Ice River, and its closest higher neighbor is the towering Mount Goodsir, situated roughly 11 kilometers to the southeast.

The peak was first named in 1858 by geologist James Hector during the historic Palliser Expedition, who honored William Sandys Wright Vaux, a British Museum antiquarian who secured funding for the expedition's final reports. The mountain's first successful ascent was achieved in 1901 by an elite mountaineering party consisting of Charles E. Fay, James Outram, and J. Henry Scattergood, guided by the legendary Swiss guide Christian Hasler Sr. Today, Mount Vaux is pursued by experienced mountaineers as a grueling, non-technical scramble requiring a punishing 2,200 meters of vertical elevation gain through steep, notoriously unstable scree gullies. This is also probably one of my favourite objectives in yoho or maybe even the entire southern rockies. Go check it out!

Pretty cool!

Am heading back to Nepal and will be tackling Mera peak with a goal of eventually getting up to 7000m or even 7500m. Am wondering specifically about gloves at those heights. Have been looking at the OR Alti II and the BD Absolutes.
Anyone get one or the other and wish they had gotten the other one, or what's your general impression of them?
I already have a thin phone friendly liner pair and a pair or Hestra Army Leather 5 fingers, plus a pair of MEC mitts (which i want to replace with the OR or BD).

tia