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LEMMiNO does a really good analysis of this. He concludes they left the tent due to their homemade stove malfunctioning. A combination of smoke inhalation, CO exposure and alcohol intoxication lead them to believe the tent was on fire / beyond salvaging. They died quickly, some looking for...

Per Jochen Hemmleb's website, at least five people have attempted to climb the second step without using the ladder (not counting the Chinese in 1960 and Mallory/Irvine). All five succeeded. According to climbers testimonies, the Second Step has seen up to four (4) free ascents over the years...

IMG set up a rappel route around the Hillary Step in 2013. Guess it didn't catch on. https://www.mountainguides.com/everest-south13-worlds-highest-rappel.shtml

Also a little surprising that they didn't include a description of him.

Thanks! When I tried this two years ago, I took nearly 5 hrs to get to Madison, and nearly 7 hrs to get to Adams (albeit with a lot of milling about around the hut deciding whether or not to continue). I knew I was moving too slow that day and bailed at Adams. For this trip, I cut my base weight...

Didn't carry or need snowshoes. We scoped out the lower trails the day before (VW and Crawford) and confirmed they were packed out. There were a few very minor drifts up on the ridge, but it was mostly hardened snow or ice. Microspikes were essential.

After countless years boring my non-hiking friends to death talking about it, the stars finally aligned just so this past Saturday, allowing me and a buddy to complete the winter traverse! It was a long, hard day to be sure. Probably the hardest single day I've ever had in the mountains (though...

With the Spring Equinox falling late in the day this year (5:58pm EDST), I was wondering about the "rules" for counting a winter summit. Is it enough to reach the summit before the equinox? Or do you have to return to the trailhead before the magic minute? Per the FAQ section on the AMC website...

Excellent reference.

I did that very thing once. Survived a night out, low 50's with drizzling rain, with a severe leg injury at the bottom of a cliff face after taking a fall. No one knew where I was and I wasn't missed for around 30 hrs. In my case, I was not prepared gear-wise for the situation (was wearing...

North Kinsman Summit I was just up there Monday. Like you, I wasn't 100% sure where the true summit was, and somehow didn't notice the boulder until I was on my way down. Being a bit of a purist, I did scramble to the top of it, nearly losing my balance trying to stand up at the very tippy top...

Gannett Peak, WY Took my first crack at Gannett Peak in late August. First day was ~16 miles with full pack in unseasonably warm weather for the Wind Rivers. Second day we were tentbound while hail piled up around the tent and 50mph gusts threatened to blow it down (severely bent one of my 9-mm...

Sign I climbed Owl's Head in July, 2000. I descended the slide then took the Lincoln Brook trail to 13 Falls. On my way there, I passed two FS personnel who asked if I'd been up Owl's Head and if there was a summit sign there. I said there was, and they infomed me that it was an unauthorized...

As others have noted, canister stoves are generally poor performers in cold weather. Worse still, expansion of the fuel leaving the canister is an endothermic process, which causes the canister to chill even further (assuming no heat reflector is used, of course). Another major issue with using...

A decent class on glacier travel and crevasse rescue is adequate for climbing the standard routes on your own. But its best to have at least three people, many climbers underestimate whats involved in a party of two when one has to rescue the other single-handedly. I couldn't agree more...

I remember running into a whole group of thru-hikers a couple years ago heading up Wildcat. As I recall, the conversation went something like this: Me: Hello Head Hiking Honcho: Hi. We're all thru-hikers. I've hiked the AT twice, and that guy over there's hiked it three times. My trail name is...

Mt. Washington - March, 1997. As I recall, it was -18F at the bottom of the cone. Didn't checkit at the summit. Winds 40-50 mph and occasionally more. This was my first winter hiking experience, and all I had was my normal ski wear - cotton sweatshirt, standard nylon ski jacket, etc. - and two...

Easiest - Tecumseh. Up and back in a flash on a beautiful winter day. Hardest - I would have to say Cannon. I hiked to North Kinsman from the notch, then over to South Kinsman, then to Cannon over those damn Cannon Balls! And it was about 95 degrees and really humid. The rest of my group, none...

Rainier's not too hard, but not all that easy, either. Basically, it's a very long snow slog at altitude. Make sure you are in top cardiovascular condition, and train to maximize your endurance. Read all the trip reports you can find on the web. You'll no doubt dig up a few valuable nuggets of...