Category: Blog

Alpine Ascents International hosted Steve House, founder of Uphill Athlete and author of the training bible for mountaineers and trail runners, Training for the Uphill Athlete, for a free webinar on February 20th. Steve covered the training approach that he used in his own career as a professional climber which he now uses to help […]

Submission by Avalon Qian. “Tag responsibly, keep the West wild.” I pause mid-mindless-instagram scroll. This is not the first time I have seen this sentiment in an instagram post or an article about leaving no trace: “Tag responsibly.” “Keep the West wild.” What does this tag mean? I understand the fear that wild places may […]

Submission by Andy Souder in the gear department. Double boots are a great step-up from single boots for high-altitude expeditions. They aren’t sufficient for all environments though. Places like Denali and Vinson are often too cold even for double boots! You have two routes depending on your budget, goals, and fit needs:   A “triple/8000m/all-in-one” boot […]

Submission from Uphill Athlete Mountain climbing is an aerobic sport. During a climb that can last hours or days, the energy required to keep moving comes from the aerobic metabolic system. This means that your body consumes oxygen at a rate that matches the supply to your working muscles. Climbers rarely engage in sprints or […]

Submission by Trevor Husted  The memory is vivid, it started with a hollow thump that turned into a heavy roar. The sound dissipated as quickly as it started and when our group of backcountry splitboarders arrived at the ridge we looked over to the next slope and saw that the whole slope of snow had […]

Here are the top 5 questions our guides get asked, and their answers.  Submission by our Alps Director, Jonathon Spitzer.  How challenging is the Matterhorn to climb? The Matterhorn is a technical alpine climbing objective that requires previous technical climbing experience. Climbers need to be comfortable climbing up to 5.7 in mountain boots and 50 […]

Here are the top 4 questions our guides are asked, and their answers. Submission by AAI guide Juliana Garcia. What is it like to climb so close to the equator? Ecuador is the only country on the equator that has glaciers over 20,000 feet, though it is hard to imagine what that might feel like. […]

By Sof Petros (she/they) So you’re thinking about applying to the 2024 Alpine Ascents x Edgeworks BIPOC Guide Development Program? My name is Sof Petros (she/they), I’m a rock climbing guide and instructor based in Snohomish, WA and a graduate of the inaugural 2023 cohort of this BIPOC Guide Development Program. I was truly so […]

With our first Mexico Volcanoes trip of the winter season fast approaching, we sat down with guide Hannah McGowan for her words of wisdom when it comes to this iconic climbing trip. Mexico Volcanoes:  Top 5 Questions What’s the food like? Simply put, the food on this expedition is awesome! We eat at a variety […]

by Elias Zane-Holt Weather! What a dynamic and ethereal thing. As I sat down to share my thoughts with you all, I had two key epiphanies. First, I think we tend to underestimate the impact of weather on our daily lives. Weather is constantly affecting our mood, and swaying our critical choice making each day– […]