Wyoming Towers by Bill Atkinson

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Wyoming Towers by Bill Atkinson

Big Sandy (~9,000 feet) is the trailhead for access to the Cirque of the Towers, an immense glacial basin in the Wind River Range surrounded by spectacular granite peaks as high as 12,000 feet. The Northeast Ridge of Pingora (~11,900') and the East Ridge of Wolf’s Head (~12,200') are listed in Steck and Roper’s Fifty Classic Climbs in North America. We hoped to reach their summits.

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Tales from the Crypt by Nancy Savickas

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Tales from the Crypt by Nancy Savickas

Nancy Savickas shares some of her memories and some of the history of climbing at the Quincy Quarries which has served as the Rock Program's training grounds on and off for the past 30 years. 

A long time ago when I started climbing in the early 90s, there was a longstanding ritual on Wednesday nights. Sometimes when I look back to those early days I feel very old and mummified. Things in general have changed a lot in 24 years. So let me bring you back to the good old days.

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The Existential Terror of Steep Friction and Some Physics Thereof by Bill Atkinson

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The Existential Terror of Steep Friction and Some Physics Thereof by Bill Atkinson

I can guarantee you that any roped free climber, regardless of experience or ability, on a serious and committing friction lead has known the fear to which my title refers. This subject comes to mind in the wake of Daniel Duane’s brilliant piece in the New York Times [1] on Alex Honnold’s free solo ascent of the Free Rider on El Cap. In it are evocations of the primal fear of having to trust the shoes while the hands are essentially useless, and the fatal urge to lean-in toward the cliff face is sometimes irresistible.

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Mountains and Climate Change: From Understanding to Action by Paul Dale (Part 2)

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Mountains and Climate Change: From Understanding to Action by Paul Dale (Part 2)

Snow is disappearing from the High Sierras, what's left is white quartz.

I have been a climber, skier and mountaineer for over 40 years and am now thinking about future outdoor enthusiasts. Climate change is our most important problem. I am writing a series of articles that I hope will educate you about energy and climate change initiatives in Massachusetts and thus move you from agreeing that climate change is a problem to taking action to deal with it, both personally and politically. This article encourages you to speak up in support of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). Please read the article.

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