Lion's Head rock formation on the shoulder of Mt. Washington, NH

Why the Worst Weather on Earth Is in New Hampshire

A combination of factors makes the weather at New Hampshire’s Mount Washington arguably the most brutal in the world.
Tenzing Norgay

Tenzing Norgay: The Mountaineer Who Refused to be Categorized

By remaining vague about his own biography, Norgay called into question the idea of nationhood and made a deafening point about actions speaking louder than words.
A person hiking off-trail

Off-Trail Trampling Has Lasting Impacts

Sometimes taking the trail less traveled actually does more harm than good.
Mount Everest North Face Tibet

How to Measure a Mountain

It’s not easy to measure a mountain. Mount Everest's height has been known since the middle of the nineteenth century, but how did they figure it out with no altimeters or GPS?
Pico Bolívar

The Last Glacier of Venezuela

Glaciers are retreating around the world. The Andes are no exception: in Venezuela, the ice has mostly already disappeared.
Everest basecamp

Mountain of Trash: Everest’s Environmental Disaster

We often picture the Himalayas as pristine. In reality, Everest's snows cover empty oxygen tanks, wrappers, cans, and an array of debris left behind by climbers.
Southern Alps in New Zealand

How to Make It Rain

The United Arab Emirates is looking into building an artificial mountain in order to stimulate rain. Will it work?
Mountaineer doing a headstand on the summit of Mala Caba

Bosnia in Hiking Boots: A History of Mountaineering Clubs

Through the story of Bosnian mountaineering, an alternative mini-history of Bosnia emerges.