I grew up with the Polish Christmas tradition of Wigilia (pronounced with a V and the G is silent — hence Vil-e-ah). On Christmas Eve, after the first star shined, we would sit down to a nine-course meal that included grains and pirogies. Before saying grace we would visit everyone at the table with a rice wafer — an oplatki — that we would break off a small piece after making a wish for the other person for the new year. I’d like to break off a piece with all of my readers and wish you a year of satisfying adventure!

So with that, I decided to list out ten of The Suburban Mountaineer’s most popular posts, particularly for the new Facebook and Twitter followers that might not have read them yet.  Like all of my posts, they cover climbing trends and culture by pulling on the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years from my obsession for mountain wilderness, big ambitious and my dedication to armchair mountaineering.

If you haven’t checked them out yet, I hope you enjoy them…

1. Fritz Wiessner and Dudley Wolfe on K2
2. Lessons from the Yosemite Waterfall Tragedy
3. Why the European Guide Certification is Still the Benchmark
4. Rarely Visited Sikkim: 2010 Expedition
5. The Remaining 8,000ers Winter Ascents
6. Age, National Pride and Everest
7. Recycle Camp Stove Fuel Canisters
8. Mount Fitz Roy: A Mountain Day Dream for Hikers and Climbers
9. Carpe Climb ‘Em: Follow Through on Your Life List
10. Several Perish on Denali in 2011

Thanks for dropping by again. If you enjoyed the insights of this post and the many others, please consider following the Suburban Mountaineer on Facebook or Twitter. Carpe climb ‘em and have a Happy New Year!