The Cutting Edge

Scott Coldiron is that rare and lucky climber who gets to discover and develop an entirely new area: the massive ice and mixed climbs of the Cabinet Mountains in Montana. After a few years of under-the-radar development, 2018 and 2019 have been the biggest years yet on the Thunderdome cliffs and the alpine climbs nearby. AAJ editor Andy Anderson gets the full story. The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker (hilleberg.com). This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

In mid-November, Chris Wright and Graham Zimmerman spent three days on a new route up Mt. Macdonald, high over Rogers Pass in British Columbia. Just getting onto the mountain required years of waiting for the exact right set of circumstances to line up. In this episode, you'll hear about this wild new route, the tactics and gear required, and the two climbers' strong partnership, which will take them back to Pakistan this summer for a second attempt at one of the world's great unclimbed peaks. The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker (www.hilleberg.com). This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

In late September, Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison completed the first ski descent of Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world. Their route was the stunning Lhotse Couloir, a plumb line from the summit down ontto the vast Lhotse Face, right next to Everest. In this episode, Hilaree talks in depth about their preparation and how they made this impressive descent. The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club. Photo by Nick Kalisz / The North Face

Austrian climber Hansjörg Auer pulled off a rare feat in July: a solo new route on a 7,000-meter peak in the Karakoram. In this episode, Hansjörg talks about his new route on Lupghar Sar West, the pleasures and perils of soloing big mountains, and that terrifying rappel video that went viral last winter. The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

After Brette Harrington's partner, Marc-André Leclerc, disappeared during a climb on Mendenhall Tower in Alaska in March, along with Ryan Johnson, Brette felt compelled to return to the Juneau Icefield in southeast Alaska repeatedly last summer and climbed numerous new routes in the Mendenhall Towers and elsewhere. In September, she and Gabe Hayden completed a difficult first ascent on the rarely climbed Devil's Paw. In this episode, Brette talks with Chris Kalman about this new route and also how her climbs above the Juneau Icefield have helped her through such a difficult time. The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker, with additional support for this episode from Julbo Eyewear. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

On August 9, four decades years after the first ascent of Latok I in Pakistan, Aleš Česen and Luka Stražar from Slovenia, along with Tom Livingstone from the U.K., completed the second ascent of this stunning peak (and the first ever from the north side). We spoke with Luka and Tom to get the full story, including their take on the great north ridge of Latok I. The Cutting Edge is made possible by Hilleberg the Tentmaker. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

In early June, Colin Haley set a new speed record for the Cassin Ridge on North America's highest peak, soloing the 8,000-foot route in a little over eight hours. In this episode, Colin chats with Andy Anderson about the new record on Denali, his previous speed solos of Mt. Foraker and Mt. Hunter, and the future of climbing in the Central Alaska Range. The Cutting Edge podcast is made possible by Hilleberg the Tentmaker and is produced by the American Alpine Club.

Anne Gilbert Chase and Chantel Astorga made the first all-female ascent of one of Denali's hardest climbs, the Slovak Direct, in June. In this episode, Chris Kalman chats with Anne Gilbert about how she got hooked on Denali (she and Chantel attempted this climb two years in a row), the joys of climbing steep ice with a 30-pound pack, and how she feels about first female ascents. The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker and produced by the American Alpine Club.

In early June, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell not only smashed the speed record for climbing the Nose of El Capitan, they also broke the four-minute mile of climbing: the Nose in under two hours. In this episode, Alex and Tommy speak with Chris Kalman about the preparation and tactics for the climb, the risks of speed climbing, and what comes next. Thanks to Hilleberg the Tentmaker and Black Diamond Equipment for sponsoring this episode of the Cutting Edge. This show is produced by the American Alpine Club. Photo courtesy of REEL ROCK Film Tour / Austin Siadak.

In February, Matteo Della Bordella from Italy and Silvan Schüpbach from Switzerland did the first ascent of a very remote peak in Patagonia. But what made their adventure truly exceptional was their "fair means" style, paddling sea kayaks for 100 kilometers to and from base camp, carrying all the food, expedition, and climbing gear for up to a month in the mountains. The AAJ's Chris Kalman spoke to both of them to get the story, including their close call with a tsunami! The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.