Hilary Oliver is a freelance writer, filmmaker and contributing climb editor for the Co-op Journal. Her work has appeared in magazines and websites like Outside, Adventure Journal, Bust, Climbing, National Geographic Adventure, the Dirtbag Diaries, and many others. You can find more of her work at hilarymoliver.com. REI member since 2004.
Sunny Tucson, Arizona is famous for its giant, sculptural saguaro cacti—and for good reason. But did you know the city is also surrounded by five different moun...
A version of this story appeared in the fall 2019 issue of Uncommon Path. This article was updated April 20, 2021.
Just starting out rock climbing at the gym or...
Mike Gauthier’s micro claim to fame, he says, is that he has climbed 31 routes on Washington’s Mount Rainier—probably more routes than anyone else, he suspects....
You could read The Sharp End of Life: A Mother’s Story by Dierdre Wolownick to find out what it’s like to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park at age 66—b...
There’s no arguing Everest is a place of extremes—that’s exactly what draws many people to the world’s highest peak. At 29,029 feet, it tends to attract a drive...
If you’re excited to learn and progress as a rock climber, the first thing you might look for is a mentor. But finding a more experienced climber willing to tak...
Brette Harrington cuts in and out on the other end of the call. It’s late January and she’s in El Chaltén, Argentina, the storied portal to Patagonia’s Cerro To...
Climbing films almost never get nominated for Oscars. But on Sunday, the rock climbing documentary Free Solo won the award for Best Documentary at the 91st Acad...
When Irene Yee, a climber and photographer based in Las Vegas, received an invitation to participate in a pilot course for the American Mountain Guides Associat...
As climbers, we have the opportunity to experience nature more closely than many people do—hiking remote approach trails, perching on belay ledges, sleeping on ...
When Craig DeMartino and his climbing partner miscommunicated, and DeMartino fell from from the anchors of Whiteman (5.11c) on Sundance Buttress in Rocky Mounta...
As I tried to fall asleep, flashes of the ridgeline flickered behind my eyelids. Clips from the videos I’d perused earlier online, images I’d seen on Instagram....
