Month: August 2010

Jimmy Chin LIVE

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

It was not entirely what I expected, though the slide show was fantastic!  As I announced last week, I went to see adventure photographer, skier and mountaineer Jimmy Chin present at the National Geographic Society.  I would have gotten my photo with him and displayed it in this post, but considering the makeup of the crowd, I decided against it. 

After a “champagne reception” (odd for these events), Chin told a story of how he got to be the adventure photographer he is known for, and also about some of his current work.  He was born in peakless Minnesota, where he said he built up the tolerance to be an alpinist: “The coldest I’ve ever been was when I was waiting for the bus,” then he added, “wearing a jean jacket.”  After attending a “normal” four-year college he took a year off to get his new climbing hobby out of his system.  It lasted longer than a year and he never looked back, though his parents had doubts about his pursuits after he was living out of his car for several years. 

Jimmy explained that after earning the rite of passage through a couple of years of sending in Yosemite, he and some friends looked toward the other big walls and mountains of the world.  He eventually ski descended Everest and started “shooting” pictures everywhere along the way. 

The presentation on his attempt to summit the perpetually unclimbed Shark’s Fin route on Meru in Northern India was the real highlight.  He interspersed comments throughout a film made by climbing partner Renen Ozturk.  It was similar to this one of Jimmy on El Capitan:
http://vimeo.com/8370536.  They planned for an eight-day climb and ended up being on the mountain for 20 days.  And no matter what happened Jimmy had a good sense of humor. 

The crowd at the NGS event surprised me the most.  I’ve seen a number of other authors and adventurers in the climbing community present in and around Washington, DC, but never with an audience like this.  Usually these talks attract other climbers or people knowledgeable with the subject.  It felt more like a Faith Hill concert.  There were at least two girls for every dude present.  This was all thanks to his sponsor… which makes designer sunglasses. Jimmy, it sounds like you’ve got a good gig!

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This Day in 1936

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Mountain exploration has come a long way in less than eighty years.  A significant milestone was reach on August 29, 1936 when a group of four American climbers and four British mountaineers, including legendary Englishman Noel Odell, reached the summit of Nanda Devi (25,643 ft./7,815 m.).  It would be the highest peak ascended by man until the French reached the top of Annapurna in Nepal.

Peak Baggers’ Integrity

/ Andrew Szalay / 1 Comment

Yesterday, it was reported that South Korean mountaineer Oh Eun-Sun was denied the right to have the title as the first woman to have ascended all 14 of the world highest peaks.  According to the Korean Alpine Federation, there were doubts as to whether her final summit of the circuit, on Kanchenchunga (28,169 ft./8,586 m.), were true. 

Whether her ascent was genuine or fabricated, the integrity of what people consider success in hiking and climbing is closely guarded by associations like the KAF and other national alpine organizations.  Does it matter to the rest of the world whether Oh actually climbed all 14 peaks?  It does to the next guy, and certainly to the next woman, who is trying. 

Records of our ascents made, trails hiked and distances kept are important if you are trying to develop a list of accomplishments; if we are going to tout it, we better be ready for the audit.  The validity of climbing and hiking records are often scrutinized similar to a golf score: If you moved the ball, even if nobody saw it, would you call a penalty stroke on yourself? 

I have kept terrible records of my hikes and climbs, but it might not matter for me.  I hike and climb for myself and my closest friends.  I enjoy my friends’ and acquaintances’ eyes going wide when I tell them about the conditions I traversed and what I saw.  The actual experience was personal, but the stories – and the reactions – are a source of satisfaction. 

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Forbidden Climbs: Afghanistan

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Jimmy Chin’s slide show and talk was good, but I was surprised by the crowd that attended the event.  I’ll tell  you more about it on Monday, but I wanted to share this with you first…

The BBC reported yesterday on Alan Halewood’s first ascent of an unnamed peak in the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan.  This is a place known for its remote location and political dangers in Greg Mortenson’s book Stones Into Schools.  Few westerners venture here and many of the peaks have not been climbed.  When more stability is reached, climbers are going to be sending up these walls in droves.

Scenery Junkies

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The majority of my time enjoying the mountains is through photos in coffee table books, Backpacker and Climbing magazines, and my own pictures — and the majority of my own shots are about ten years old now.  The photos the professional mountain photographers give me a glimpse of ranges I have not been to and a sense of the risks of the climb. 

Some of my photos fail to show the true depth of the features or give a sense of the vertical perspective.  I am often left apologizing to my friends when they look at my pictures.  Most of them have never climbed a mountain, so they don’t know what it’s like, so I say, “Well, the picture just doesn’t do it justice.”  But the photos in Backpacker and Climbing often seem fanciful or doctored to the non-hiker/climber.  So it is hard to express how those photos are often a better representation of what I saw.   

Regardless that I sound like a photo-loony to my friends, I appreciate those professional photos immensely.  I like the classic ones by done in black and white by Ansel Adams and Bradford Washburn that accurately show the dimensions of the mountain side with dream-like wonder.  When I flip through Alpinist, Climbing, gear catalogs and some other publications, many of those amazing photos come from mountain photographer Jimmy Chin. 

Chin has been climbing for years and continues to do so.  He’s made ascents in the Himalayas and elsewhere, but it’s what he shares that makes him special to the hiking and climbing world.  He is a gifted photographer that brings the depth, colors and sense of the place to me through his photos. 

He will be at the National Geographic Society headquarters tonight and I am looking forward to hearing his stories and taking in his slide show.  I will let you know how it goes. 

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Mount Washington: Take the Ambitious Way and Avoid Crowds

/ Andrew Szalay / 2 Comments

Despite some down-sides, Mount Washington (6,288 ft./1,917 m.) in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is well worth the visit.  While the crowds can be a bit overwhelming – and the summit itself underwhelming – for we hikers seeking wilderness scenery, the alpine ridges of the Presidential Range are among the longest exposed ridges in the region.  But to avoid the crowds taking the direct trails, rail or the auto road to the summit take the long way up via the Glen Boulder and Lawn Cutoff Trails and take-in an extended tour of the alpine zone.

It has to be noted that the majority of this route is above treeline and will expose a hiker to the threats of the mountain.  Mount Washington has been called the most dangerous small mountain in the world and for good reason: Here the highest recorded wind speed was recorded and many have fallen or suffered from hypothermia in all seasons.  It is recommended that hikers on the mountain know the safest, quickest route to get below treeline if harsh weather comes through.  Bring the Ten Essentials plus a full rain suite, gloves and a wool cap.  The first time I climbed in the range was during the month of August and I used the gloves and the cap against the wind; I was grateful I packed them.

This long route from the east avoids the popular Tuckerman Ravine Trail as well as the auto road well to the north.  The trailhead is located on Route 16 less than a mile south of the AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center.  The Trailhead starts at 1,829 ft./557 m. and within two mi./3.2 km. and an ascent of about 2,800 ft./853 m. the trees give way to the alpine zone.  The trail takes you over Slide Peak (4,806 ft./1,465 m.), a moderately prominent high point along the ridge.  Shortly thereafter, the trail comes to a tee at the Davis Path; going right takes you north toward the summit.  Continue walking along the field or “lawn” of boulders the size of love seats for 1 mi./1.6 km. to the Lawn Cutoff Trail junction.  If the weather is clear you’ll clearly the see the summit and know to continue north for just under 1 mi./1.6 km.  Returning by the same paths makes a round trip distance of 11.1 mi./17.9 km.

Alternatively, if you wish to avoid Mount Washington, its gift shop and antennae altogether, from the Lawn Cutoff junction you can take the Camel Trail to the Crawford Path heading south and bag Mount Monroe’s summit (5,372 ft./1,637 m.).  It is also a reasonably satisfying hike.  The total trip is roughly equidistant.

  • Roundtrip to Mount Washington: 11.1 mi./ 17.9 km.
  • Total elevation gained: 4,459 ft./1,359 m.
  • Roundtrip to trip to Mount Monroe alone: 10.2 mi./17.3 km.
  • Total elevation gained: 3,543 ft./1,080 m.
  • Best Map: AMC White Mountains Map 1 of the Presidential Range

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