Ever since he saw The Eiger up close as an 11-year-old, Bruce Miller wanted to be an alpinist. More than half a century later he fulfilled his dream of climbing its fearsome north face, with his friend Brian McMahon.
*article in IG story and on my Facebook page under comments (link in bio, too).
1) Brian soloing the lower slopes of The Eiger’s north face.
2) The “Eigerwand” as seen on the descent.
3) Brian climbing the Exit Cracks toward the top.
4) Bruce on the summit ridge.
I had the privilege of talking with George Lowe - a hero of mine since the 1990s, when I first climbed in Alaska and the Canadian Rockies.
My latest article is about his life in the mountains.
*full text in IG story and in my Facebook page. Link in bio as well.
1) Lowe on the extremely steep Kangshung Face of Mt. Everest in 1983. He led the crux pitches of this new route - the hardest on Everest at the time.
2) Lowe at the 4th bivouac on the north face of North Twin, Canadian Rockies, in 1974. This was probably the hardest mountain route ever climbed in the world. 📸 Chris Jones
3) Lowe during his solo ascent of Dhaulagiri - the world’s 7th highest mountain - in 1990.
4) On Anthill Direct (5.9, 5 pitches) in Eldorado Canyon last October. 📸 Heather Thorne
We sought the same things, just by different means - remembering my dad…
Article in IG story, my FB page (under comments), and link in bio
1) dusk at Camp Muir (10,188’), high camp in the south side of Mt. Rainier
2) Mt. Rainier (14,410’), Washington’s tallest peak, at sunset.
3) my dad on a hike near Juneau, Alaska in the mid-1990s.
4) Me and my dad during a rafting trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho 30 years ago.
Climbing past the politics: the Iran I remember…
Article text in IG story, my FB page (under comments) and link in bio.
1) Jenn Flemming and our new friends bouldering at Bande-Yakh-Chal above Tehran on the first day of our two weeks in Iran in June 2011.
2) The north end of Tehran from the foothills above the city.
3) Setting off from the hut toward Alam Kuh (15,906’), the second highest peak in Iran.
4) Friends pose in front of a historic mosque in Isfahan, 250 miles south of Tehran.
5) Majid, Mohammad and me in the hut below Alam Kuh
A gift for Nepal: Tendi Sherpa and the journey of “Zero to 8848”
*Article in IG story, my FB page and in link in bio
1)Tendi with clients on the summit of Mt. Everest (8,848m), in May 2025, for his 18th time! 📸 Dorjee Sherpa
2) A view of Everest from about two-thirds of the way through the 477-mile journey from near sea level to the top of the world. 📸Tendi Sherpa
3) Tendi near Everest base camp in March 2025. 📸 Tendi Sherpa
4) The route taken in “Zero to 8848,” the award-winning documentary featuring Sherpa culture and a new itinerary through Nepal to the summit of Mt. Everest
Improvement doesn’t care where you are, only that you show up.
*Article in IG story, on my Facebook page (under comments), link in bio.
1) putting in the work
2) during the breath hold competition of the Altitude Apnea Challenge in Idaho Springs early February 📸 @kellon_spencer
3) gym training in a home garage 📸 @celinserbo
4) Jarek Reynolds on his no fins dive during the Altitude Apnea Challenge 📸 @kellon_spencer
5) the author’s last breath before his bifins dive at the Altitude Apnea Challenge 📸 @scottgriesser
For Alex Honnold, Taipei 101 is just another climb…
*article in IG story, on my FB page (full text in comments), and via link in IG bio.
1) waking up on Middle Cathedral, with El Capitan in the background. Alex famously free soloed El Cap in 2017.
2) Taipei 101 in the evening. 📸 Alex Honnold
3) Standing 400 feet tall, Castleton Tower is a popular objective for climbers. Taipei 101 is more than 4 times taller!
4) Alex during a morning run on Elephant Mountain last September above Taipei, Taiwan. 📸 Alex Honnold
One moment from the edge: how intuition saved my life.
*full text in IG story and on FB page under comments. Link in bio too.
1) Bruce Miller on the last pitch of Gambler’s Fallacy (13b, 9p), a route he and I established on the Diamond of Longs Peak over four summers.
2) The Diamond from Chasm View.
3) An unknown climber rappels the north face of Longs Peak in August 2018
What do climbers do for the holidays? Read about past traditions and current climbs in IG story, my FB page (full text under comments) or the link in my IG bio:
1) the Torre group in Argentine Patagonia
2) Heather Weidner on Cobra (8a/13b) in Leonidio, Greece
Breaking trail for women in the mountains: Sunny Stroeer and the Summit Scholarship.
*article in IG story and on FB page.
*link in bio
1) Climbers spell “AWE” for AWExpedtions the night before summiting Island Peak (20,305’) in Nepal, 2019. 📸 @sstroeer
2) Sunny Stroeer, selfie, while guiding for the Summit Scholarship program in Peru, 2022.
3) Sunny and her team of leaders and guides for AWExpeditions in Peru, 2023. 📸 @sstroeer
4) Melissa Estep, who was awarded the inaugural Summit Scholarship, with Mingma Sherpa on their way toward Island Peak, Nepal, 2019.
Finding gratitude close to home.
[*Full text of article in story and on my Facebook page. Link in bio]
1) 3 year-old Dallas Weidner on the east face of Crown Rock at Flagstaff Mountain. He wouldn’t leave the ground without his favorite monster truck clipped to his harness…
2) Late September light in Rifle Mountain Park.
3) Elanra Spiritwind climbing the East Slab of The Dome in Boulder Canyon - the author’s first climb in the Boulder area back in 2001.
![Finding gratitude close to home.[*Full text of article in story and on my Facebook page. Link in bio]1) 3 year-old Dallas Weidner on the east face of Crown Rock at Flagstaff Mountain. He wouldn’t leave the ground without his favorite monster truck clipped to his harness…2) Late September light in Rifle Mountain Park.3) Elanra Spiritwind climbing the East Slab of The Dome in Boulder Canyon - the author’s first climb in the Boulder area back in 2001.](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6729485652695063631367_0_f1927c207a233bed52fac4fcdd15f6d4.jpg?o=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&h=f4f8f09274ed614f5c3c274641ad8309)
