Ash Gambhir

Aegialis, 7c (5.12d). One of the most photographed sport route on the planet! A super-mega classic endurance test piece in the wildly overhanging, Grande Grotta of Kalymnos, Greece 🇬🇷 . 📸: @haley.hikes . . #climbing #rockclimbing #sportclimbing #kalymnos #grandegrotta #greece #limestoneclimbing #climbinglife

Three years ago, while ski touring on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, I caught my first glimpse of the Grand Capucin. That golden-red granite spire rising above the Glacier du Géant, immediately etched into my imagination and ever since, it’s been my dream to climb it! . This season, I finally tied in on its legendary walls, linking the Bonatti Direct with the Swiss Line (6c+). Nearly 500m (1,640 ft) of beautiful vertical granite, splitter cracks; steep, and utterly uncompromising. Every pitch felt like carved straight out of a climber’s dream. . The Grand Capucin (3,838m / 12,589 ft) is one of the most iconic alpine rock towers in the world nicknamed the “Matterhorn of granite climbing.” First climbed in 1951 by Walter Bonatti and Luciano Ghigo. Due to its geometrically vertical and over hanging nature it was once thought unclimbable, until Bonatti proved otherwise. . For me, it now stands as my favorite alpine big wall above the Incredible Hulk, the Elephant’s Perch, Mt. Russell, Mt Whitney, the Citadel, Pingora and various other alpine monoliths of High Sierra and the Wind River Range. Pure granite, soaring cracks, a line that rises straight out of the glacier into the sky. A true cathedral of stone. 🧗‍♂️✨ . Sharing this fantastic experience with my friend Nick ( @nick_kouretas ) made it even more special. He is not just an incredible climber, but an even better human. The kind of partner who makes hard pitches feel lighter and long days feel shorter. Thank you Nick for sharing it all with me 🙏 . . . #climbing #rockclimbing #tradclimbing #alpineclimbing #montblanc #chamonix #chamonixmontblanc #frenchalps #alps #grandcapucin #aguilledumidi #france #italy

For years Nick and I have dreamed of climbing in Chamonix . A few weeks ago we finally found ourselves tied in on the beautiful, golden granite of the Mont Blanc Massif. Moving off the glacier and onto the first pitches of alpine rock felt surreal....One moment we were crunching across ice and the next our hands were sinking into clean cracks that seemed to stretch forever. . The Contamine Route on Pointes Lachenal was everything we love about climbing. Perfect granite, long elegant lines and the feeling of being tucked deep into the mountains with only the sound of the rope sliding through the belay. In contrast the Aiguille du Midi was a different story. The climbing is still world class but the sheer number of people moving through it makes it feel more like a busy circus than a high alpine escape. . Even so the granite here is solid and beautiful and the exposure makes you feel both incredibly alive and impossibly small in the face of these mountains. Every pitch was a reminder of why we started climbing in the first place. . Chamonix has a way of humbling you and inspiring you all at once. This was one for the memory books. . #chamonix #chamonixmontblanc #montblanc #alpineclimbing #rockclimbing #climbinglife #aiguilledumidi #mountainlife

Ice climbing in the world famous Hyalite Canyon, Montana is what’s been up lately. There is just something about climbing ice. Swinging tools, kicking steps, hearing that solid thunk when everything sticks. It feels raw and simple in the best way. . I was told, there is a time and place for everything. A time for clipping bolts when you just want to move fast and try hard. A time for placing solid gear in dry rock, committing and climbing deliberately through the cracks and weaknesses in the rock. And then there is ice climbing, when winter shows up and you lean into the cold and the focus that comes with it. Climbing is basically a cycle of failing and succeeding and then failing and succeeding all over again. You fail. You figure it out. You try again. It keeps you humble and it keeps you growing. The lessons don’t just stay on the wall either. They follow you into the rest of your life. . But none of it really means much without a good partner. Someone on the other end of the rope who shares the stoke. Thank you @bmooney140 Let’s keep on Sending! . . #iceclimbing #alpineclimbing #hyalitecanyon #montana #protectourwinters

The simple life in Montana: Rock and Ice. When it is warm we head over to dry tool. When the cold finally locks everything in place, it is time for ice climbing. Solid placements, and that quiet focus that only comes when the conditions are right. . Trust your tools, your front points and your partner on the other side of the rope. Climb what the season gives you, thats the rhythm ⛏️⛏️ . . #iceclimbing #hyalitecanyon #montana #drytooling

Ice climbing in Bozeman right now feels unreal. Plastic ice but with water pouring down the routes, and anyone who gets on them ends up completely soaked. Lines that should be cold, dry, and locked up in February are instead wet and hollow, with placements that feel unpredictable and increasingly unsafe as temperatures remain far above what a normal winter should bring. . This kind of warmth feels genuinely unprecedented for a Bozeman winter, and not something I ever expected to experience here. . While the American West bakes, the East is buried in deep cold a true “Tale of Two Cities” playing out across the country. These stark contrasts and growing extremes make it impossible to ignore that climate change is actively reshaping our seasons and our winters. . Moments like this are a reminder that protecting winter isn’t abstract it’s personal. If we care about these places and seasons, we have to show up, speak up, and push for real climate action. Our winters are worth fighting for. . . . #iceclimbing #hyalitecanyon #bozeman #montana #protectourwinters

There is nothing quite as magical as winter on the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada. The sheer size and flow of the ice lines is mesmerizing and breathtaking, drawing the eye upward and pulling the mind into that feeling of the sublime as Immanuel Kant once suggested, where awe, beauty, and immensity meet. These frozen rivers of ice command respect and humility, reminding us how small we are in the presence of something so vast. Or as is says on Mountain Project : “probably more square feet of ice on these falls than all the ice in Provo Canyon put together” 😆 . Out here, so much depends on the solar aspects. One day we were completely frozen in the shade, and the next it was t shirt ice weather and the wall was….weeping? . To stand beneath these lines and later watch the aurora borealis ripple across the great northern skies is a rare gift, one that fills us with deep gratitude for being able to experience this place, this light, and this fleeting winter magic. . . . #iceclimbing #alpineclimbing #icefieldparkway #albert #canada

Winter is still very much alive in the Lake Louise, and people know exactly how to enjoy it. Breathing sharp cold air, swinging into solid ice, and settling into that familiar winter rhythm. Louise Falls delivered everything you hope for in a classic and we felt especially lucky to climb it without being stuck in a long line. Just remember to wave at nordic skiers touring by and tourists snapping photos like our own personal paparazzi. This is winter done right. ⛏️⛏️🇨🇦 . . #iceclimbing #louisefalls #lakelouis #banff #chasingwinter

Coming from Utah where winter still hasn’t made a stop this year, it feels unreal to be swinging tools. Climbing in the Canadian Rockies has a way of resetting everything. You feel incredibly small standing beneath rugged, beautiful alpine faces with long ice lines stretching above you and wrapping all around. Everywhere you look is snow, rock and ice that quiet alpine magic that reminds you why you chase winter in the first place. Grateful, humbled, and very cold in the best way. This is what we have been missing all season. . . #iceclimbing #alpineclimbing #canadianrockies🇨🇦 #banff

Been waiting a long time for a day like this in the Wasatch. The greatest snow on earth living up to the hype. After sitting out injuries and watching forecasts like a hawk, it felt unreal to finally drop in. Long skinner, big smiles, and blower turns all the way down. What’s better than earning turns in the backcountry with good friends in perfect snow?⛷️❄️ . . 🙏 Andrew on Follow Cam 🎥 . . #wasatch #wasatchmountains #utah #wasatchfront

Waist deep Utah pow ❄️ ….blower cold smoke, face shots on every turn. Skin track chatter, lap after lap, that familiar burn in the legs.…Out in the mountains with my good friend Josh, everything clicking again….We’re back baby! We’re so BACK ⛷️ . . #wasatch #wasatchmountains #skitouring #powderskiing

Alta magic is real ✨Late start had everyone running to Snowbird or heading home, their loss. Every chair was spinning, other than the first longest line ever on Sunnyside ….all lines were the shortest all season, and Alta delivered. The lower mountain was heavy and dense, but up high powder was to be had ❄️ One of those days that started out slow but turned out quiet, amazing and finally a pow day this season with Haley ♥️⛷️ . . #altaskiarea #littlecottonwoodcanyon #wasatch #wasatchmountains #utahpow