All posts tagged: climber

Jim Whittaker, first American climber to scale Mt. Everest, dies at 97

Jim Whittaker, first American climber to scale Mt. Everest, dies at 97

Published by Sam Flores

For 20 minutes of his life, Jim Whittaker was on top of the world. He was the first American to summit Mt. Everest, reaching the highest point on Earth on May 1, 1963, with Sherpa Nawang Gombu. “We were standing in the jet stream, on the edge of space,” Whittaker wrote in his 1999 memoir, “A Life on the Edge.” He returned home a hero, with his picture on the cover of Life magazine, a White House fete and unexpected celebrity. And though life off the mountain didn’t always go smoothly, he disdained regret. “If you stick your neck out, whether it’s by climbing mountains or speaking up for something you believe in, your odds of winning are at least fifty-fifty,” he wrote. “On the other hand, if you never stick your neck out, your odds of losing are pretty close to 100%.” An adventurer until the end, Whittaker died Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Wash., his son Leif confirmed to the New York Times. Whittaker was 97. On March 24, 1965, Robert …

Austrian Climber and Prosecutors Appeal Sentence for Girlfriend’s Death

Austrian Climber and Prosecutors Appeal Sentence for Girlfriend’s Death

Published by Sam Flores

VIENNA, Feb 24 (Reuters) – A 37-year-old climber ⁠and ⁠Austrian prosecutors are both launching ⁠appeals of his suspended prison sentence and fine ​for manslaughter over his girlfriend’s death on the country’s highest mountain while he ‌had gone to fetch help. The ‌couple, identified as Thomas P and Kerstin G, were running ⁠far behind ⁠schedule as they approached the summit of the Grossglockner mountain ​on a freezing, windy night in January of last year. When she was unable to go on out of exhaustion, he left her to fetch help ​in a shelter on the mountain, but also failed to make clear ⁠to ⁠the mountain police that ⁠they ​needed help, and did not respond to calls back and instant messages from ​the police. By ⁠the time rescuers arrived hours later, she had died of cold. A court in the western city of Innsbruck ruled last week that Thomas P should have realised long before they got stuck that his girlfriend ⁠would be incapable of completing the climb, adding that as the ⁠far more experienced mountaineer he …

Marines on training exercise rescue stranded climber in freezing conditions on Ben Nevis | UK News

Marines on training exercise rescue stranded climber in freezing conditions on Ben Nevis | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Marines on a training exercise saved the life of a stranded climber who had begun to succumb to exposure on Ben Nevis in freezing conditions. The team found the man curled up in the snow near the summit of the Scottish mountain on 24 January, as temperatures plunged during a blizzard. The rescue squad consisted of Scottish Royal Marine Reserves (RMR) and the Dutch Korps Mariniers. RMR Colour Sergeant McKenzie said: “Solid blocks of ice clung to his eyebrows, hat, and gloves – evidence of long exposure to freezing conditions. “One walking pole was bent, the other appeared broken or fully collapsed. “When spoken to, he revealed that he had become separated from his two friends and had no idea where they were. “The wind was biting and relentless, and based on conditions we had experienced earlier in the week during Royal Marines mountain training, we estimated gusts to be around 40mph. “Combined with the summit temperature, this put the wind chill somewhere in the region of -15C to -20C, making any exposed skin sting …

U.S. rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei skyscraper without ropes : NPR

U.S. rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei skyscraper without ropes : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., performs a free solo climb of the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25. 2026. Chiang Ying-ying/AP hide caption toggle caption Chiang Ying-ying/AP TAIPEI, Taiwan — American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without any ropes or protective equipment. Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 508-meter (1,667-foot) tower about 90 minutes after he started. Wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, Honnold waved his arms back and forth over his head. “It was like what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day,” he said afterward. “It was very windy, so I was like, don’t fall off the spire. I was trying to balance nicely. But it was, what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei.” Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., raises his fist as he climbs on top of the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. Chiang Ying-ying/AP hide caption toggle caption Chiang …

American Rock Climber Alex Honnold Reaches Top of Taipei 101 Skyscraper Without Ropes

American Rock Climber Alex Honnold Reaches Top of Taipei 101 Skyscraper Without Ropes

Published by Sam Flores

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without any ropes or protective equipment. Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 508-meter (1,667-foot) tower about 90 minutes after he started. Wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, Honnold waved his arms back and forth over his head. “It was like what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day,” he said afterward. “It was very windy, so I was like, don’t fall off the spire. I was trying to balance nicely. But it was, what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei.” Honnold, known for his ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, climbed up one corner of Taipei 101 using small L-shaped outcroppings as footholds. Periodically, he had to maneuver around and clamber up the sides of large ornamental structures that jut out from the tower, pulling himself up with his bare hands. The building has 101 floors, with the hardest part being the 64 …

Who is Alex Honnold? Free solo climber in Netflix’s Skyscraper Live

Who is Alex Honnold? Free solo climber in Netflix’s Skyscraper Live

Published by Daniella Wilson

Netflix is no stranger to hosting live events on its platform but Skyscraper Live is the first of its kind, including for those involved. As teased by the streamer, Alex Honnold will step onto the exterior of Taipei 101 – a 1,667 feet skyscraper of glass, steel and concrete – as he attempts to climb all 101 floors without ropes, all while being live streamed on Netflix. “I’m not really worried about the spectators,” Honnold said ahead of the climb. “Plus, no matter how many people are watching, I’m never going to see the people watching. It’s not like an auditorium of people watching me.” So, just who is Alex Honnold? Scroll on to learn more about the climber and his biggest challenge yet. Who is Alex Honnold? Alex Honnold in front of Taipei 101. Corey Rich Alex Honnold is a rock climber best known for his free solo climbing up big walls. Growing up, Honnold competed in national and international youth climbing championships, previously admitting he hadn’t been a “great climber.” “There were a lot …