Revelation came to me while relaxing with friends. It was after giving a slide show at a climbing festival. “Good story, Kitty, but it didn’t happen that way,” John, my Makalu Expedition teammate, said with a smile. “Yeah?” I asked. Then he went on to describe the events of our climb totally differently than I […]
I am lovin’ the Patagonia Caliza Rock Pants! If you know me, you know that I am loyal to a fault, and can be slow to change. But I have to admit I am, slowly, changing. My new, favorite rock pants are no longer the RPS pants but the Caliza. The Caliza are my latest, […]
When telling stories, I often choose to focus on climate change and sustainability. During a recent Instagram Live session, Brad Wertnz, of Boulders Rock Gym asked me to tell some stories for younger climbers who might not have the depth of experience to process the current times – both in terms of perspective and lessons […]
Back in the day, as a young, pure minimalist climber, I scoffed at mountaineers using trekking poles. “Why buy poles, much less carry them into the mountains, if I have strong legs?” I thought. Then, during one particularly shameful trip to the mountains, my attitude towards poles changed quickly. It all started on the approach […]
Have you ever struggled to remove a stuck cam? When trying to remove a stuck came it helps to know how it got stuck in the first place. Most of the time a cam gets stuck when a leader gets pumped and scared. In a rush, the leader pulls the trigger bars back and rams […]
For years, I climbed cracks in Indian Creek in just a Patagonia Sports Bra. Or, for wide cracks and off-widths, I wore just a Patagonia Sports Bra covered with a long-sleeved shirt to protect my skin from being abraded. I love climbing in a Patagonia Sports Bra! They don’t bind—binding Sports Bras are horrible for climbing. They have […]
I have a Yeti Hopper BackFlip 24 backpack cooler but my husband is always borrowing it. Yeti is one of Chicks Climbing and Skiing’s newest sponsors. A company who in their own words values experiences, restlessness, playfulness, durability and togetherness, Yeti makes a great partner! And now, you’ll have the opportunity to demo Yeti products […]
Ah the benevolence of God to provide mortal climbers with such a place to play as the City of Rocks! One of my favorite things to do is climb during summer solstice in a landscape littered with giant, granite domes and towers! Lucky for me, that is exactly what I’ll be doing this summer solstice […]
The Grivel G Zero mountaineering axe stands in a long, illustrious line of climbing equipment dating back to when climbing equipment was first manufactured. The climbing equipment manufacturing company, Grivel, is over 200 years old! The G Zero is an awesome lightweight classic mountaineering axe, designed and manufactured at the foot of Mont Blanc, the […]
The main tenant when it comes to how to pack for a mountaineering trip is that light is right! Light is right for many reasons not least of which is that light is much easier and more enjoyable to carry. However, light-is-right is especially important to me because I go to the mountains to get […]