Mountaineers see global warming up close and personal
Mountaineers are bringing back firsthand accounts of vanishing glaciers, melting ice and flood-prone lakes where glaciers once rose. The observations are transforming a growing number of alpine and ice climbers, some of whom have scientific training, into eyewitnesses of global warming. Increasingly, they are deciding not to leave it to scientists to tell the entire story.

Teen climber's inspiration: Spider-Man
The comic-book superhero Spider-Man is the ultimate climber - swift, graceful, clinging to walls like, well, a spider. No wonder he is Chauncenia Cox's hero. "Yeah, I really like Spider-Man," she says. "The reasons are obvious."

El Capitan is ultimate challenge for big-wall climbers at Yosemite
El Capitan is big - very big. The nearly 3,600-foot-high cliff is an almost-vertical wall of granite, one of the most striking attractions in Yosemite National Park in California.

Osprey Switch 36 ski mountaineering pack
The folks at Osprey seem to have packed almost everything you need into a surprisingly sleek, lightweight package.

Yakima Ground Control Base System
This system can hold up to 800 pounds. Installation requires a screwdriver; an anchor kit is available if you’re installing it on concrete. Buy the base system or a corner unit, and then choose accessories to make all your stuff fit.