By Kelly Cordes | Dec 16, 2014 December 16, 2014
By Kelly Cordes | Feb 20, 2014 February 20, 2014
Dirtbag Diaries: Benighted
By The Dirtbag Diaries | Apr 1, 2013 April 1, 2013
Great stories often have these five words, "and then it got dark." But how can carefully executed alpine starts and planned summits turn into watching stars dot the sky? Well, getting benighted can happen for a few reasons. One: unforeseen circumstances. Two: complete denial of reality. Or three: getting… Read More
By Kelly Cordes | Mar 7, 2013 March 7, 2013
Climbing Season in Patagonia – Patagonia Vertical, the book
Guidebooks come in all forms. The kind that I like the most are more than mere guidebooks; they have bits of history, interesting information and stunning photos. They inspire me. By necessity, they can only be written by a true expert. They don't hold my hand, but they have… Read More
Climbing Season in Patagonia – What We Carry
By Kelly Cordes | Jan 31, 2013 January 31, 2013
I don't know how Brittany does it. Or, if she's being honest – and I think she is – how she enjoys it. I look at the scattered pile of junk in our El Chalten cabaña, and think back to her post. I'm suspicious. You've… Read More
Climbing Season in Patagonia – Season Goals
I came here with one goal. A New Year's goal, despite my avowed no-resolution resolution of a year ago: Don't un-send the Torre. My prolific spray about the single climb I'd done in Patagonia, a link-up on Cerro Torre with… Read More
A Good Ride
By Kelly Cordes | Nov 2, 2012 November 2, 2012
Shadows crept across the pavement, clouds reflected stars and headlamps crawled slowly up the road, bicycles under a full moon at 12,000 feet. A month later – just last week, in fact – I parked my beater Honda and stood on the sidewalk outside of… Read More
Of Ideals and Actions
By Kelly Cordes | Aug 24, 2012 August 24, 2012
Perhaps an overly dramatic title. After all, it's just climbing, and it's supposed to be fun. That's the cliché, anyway. Though often a disingenuous one. Then again, part of what we love about climbing is the escape from the daily b.s. of today's world, the immersion into a place where… Read More
Notes from Squamish
By Kelly Cordes | Aug 2, 2012 August 2, 2012
I am loath to admit it, but Colin Haley was right. He's been singing the praises of the Pacific Northwest in summertime, proclaiming it better than my beloved 'Rado. At last, I humbly concede (although they pay for it the rest of the year, with continual… Read More
Going Monk?
By Kelly Cordes | Jul 9, 2012 July 9, 2012
I gotta dig down, I gotta go monk. Ever seen Zoolander? Of course you have. Me, too – about a hundred times. It's a hilarious spoof on the world of male modeling, and there's that classic scene of the "walk-off" challenge when, between rounds, Hansel digs deep and pulls out… Read More