Sierra Journal » News – International Climbing

Mt. Everest to Get Cell Phone Coverage

Matthew DiPietro — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:23:59 +0000

Hi Mom. Guess what? I've got cerebral edema and I'm freezing to death. How's Dad? That's right. The summit of Mt. Everest is about to be enveloped in a comforting shroud of cell coverage. So you can take the sat phone off your shopping list. That should knock a thousand bucks off the 50k [...]

Sherpa Brothers to Spend 24 Hours on Mt. Everest Summit

Matthew DiPietro — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:20:27 +0000

Scaling Mt. Everest 16 times and breaking a speed record just wasn't enough. Pemba Dorje and his two brothers now not only want to scale it again, they also want to stay on the summit for 24 hours before heading down. That's nutso, but goo

Extreme Skier Shane McConkey Dies in Ski-BASE Accident

Matthew DiPietro — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:55:44 +0000

Tahoe-based extreme skier, Shane McConkey, died yesterday after launching off of a cliff during a ski-BASE attempt. My condolences to Shane's friends and family. Via ESPN's Freeskiing:

Decorated big mountain skier and BASE jump

Nude Hiking Craze Hits the Swiss Alps

Matthew DiPietro — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:22:07 +0000

Here's a great piece from the NY Times on the nude hiking craze that has hit the Swiss Alps. We're so lame here in the US. Think I'm gonna start climbing and skiing in the nude in my usual Sierra haunts. For that, I'm truly sorry.

K2 update: another survivor makes it back

Matthew DiPietro — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:43:39 +0000

Dutch climber Wilco van Rooijen is resting in a Pakistan hospital after narrow escape from K2. His descriptions of the events offer a sobering account of the tragedy. From NY Times:

After the avalanche severed the climbers’ lines acr

At Least 9 Climbers Die on K-2

Matthew DiPietro — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:08:32 +0000

So Sad. From NY Times:

At least nine climbers were reported dead on Sunday on K-2, the world’s second highest mountain, after an avalanche struck them on a steep gully at a height of nearly 27,000 feet, just below the summit.

Tho

Terrible climbing accident in the Alps

Matthew DiPietro — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:53:34 +0000

This has got to be one of the worst climbing accident news reports I've ever read. I can't imagine how this poor woman is feeling. My condolences. One question though: how is it that the woman was un-roped, but her husband and three children were