Gripped: The Climbing Magazine August/September 2023 Vol. 25 Issue 4

Squamish is always the scene of some of North America’s most impressive climbing, however, this year it seemed especially noteworthy. Over the past few months, there have been some historic sends and a handful of new routes that quickly became classics. There were sport routes climbed trad and hard boulders downgraded. It seemed that every day was full of action. To some, the crystally granite of Squamish is one of the easier rock types to climb. So, it’s no wonder that we saw so much world-class sending early in the year. From Trevor McDonald opening a new 5.13a on Anvil Island, which has been praised as one of the best climbs at the grade in B.C., to Didier Berthod sending one of The Chief’s longstanding crack projects at 5.14, it…

The North Face Base Camp Mules  $114 From weeks-long road trips to overnighters at your favourite crag, this warm between-activity lounge shoe is a must have. They’re simple, warm, durable and can be returned to The North Face to be used in a recycling program called Circular Design. Arc’teryx Calidum 5 Panel Cap  $50 The brand that brings you some of the highest-end technical apparel for the mountains also has their finger on the style pulse. This five-panel hat has the same mesh fabric Arc’teryx uses in their amazing Konseal harness, which makes it a perfect breathable cap for warm days. Petzl Spirit Express Quickdraw  $32 This is still one of the best all-round quickdraws on the market and we’re happy that they’re still available at climbing stores everywhere. If…

Growing up in a small village in the Swiss Alps, Caroline George spent her childhood playing in the mountains. After graduating from law school, she went on to compete in the ice climbing world cup before becoming a mountain guide. She’s climbed new routes around the world, including on Mount Patterson in the Canadian Rockies. In 2006, she and Jon Walsh opened The Shadow, a 220-metre VI WI6+R M6. She’s repeated some of the most classic and difficult alpine climbs and now works as an IFMGA mountain guide based out of Verbier, Switzerland. What were some of the first lessons you learned about alpine climbing? The hardest thing is finding the right partner. The skills you can learn along the way, you can fail and succeed, but who you share…

The first ascent of Mount Kenya’s highest peak, Batian, at 5,199 metres, was in 1899 by a team led by Sir Halford John Mackinder. The climbers in the group included six Europeans, 66 Swahilis, two Maasai guides and 96 Kikuyu. They experienced many setbacks along the way but managed to reach the top on Sept. 13. Gerry Kearns, the author of Geopolitics and Empire: The legacy of Halford Mackinder, points out in his book that Mackinder killed eight of the 90 African porters he had bought from a slave owner to carry his supplies; saying that they were shot at his command. Mackinder and the first ascent of Africa’s second highest mountain is forever marred by his racism. The other major peak on Mount Kenya is Punta Nelion at 5,188…

Sydney Daniels started climbing in his hometown of Nairobi, Kenya, before moving to Canada. He’s now based in Calgary where he’s photographed climbers in local competitions and in the nearby Canadian Rockies. We touched base with him at the start of summer. How did you get into climbing? I got into climbing through a combination of curiosity and a desire for adventure. During primary school, we’d have the occasional hiking and backpacking trips to different mountains in the Rift Valley, namely Hell’s Gate and Mount Kenya. On one of these trips, I decided to give climbing a try. I started at a local crag near Nairobi to learn the basics and to get a feel for the sport. The more I climbed, the more I fell in love with the…

The Aiguille de Midi is one of Europe’s most famous mountains, thanks, in part, to the popular cable car. At 3,842 metres, the entire mountain is a climber’s playground, with dozens of classic routes from 5.5 to 5.13, with one of the best long alpine climbs being the Frendo Spur. It’s considered a rite of passage for young alpinists. If you’ve never been to Chamonix, then you might not know just how accessible the alpine is. From downtown, you can walk from your accommodations to the cable car’s lowest station and board it for a 20-minute ride that takes you from 1,035 to 3,842 metres—it still holds the record for the world’s highest vertical ascent cable car. The ride is broken into two sections, from Chamonix to Plan de l’Aiguille…