The NPS has announced an annual cap of 1,500 on Mt. McKinley climbers. Officials believe that unchecked growth in McKinley climbing would lead to intolerable crowding, put too much strain on park resources, cause environmental problems, and compromise climber safety. Are caps on the way in other climbing parks?

November 12, 1958, was an auspicious day for the climbing world and Yosemite National Park. Using siege tactics now considered primitive, a team led by Warren Harding finally conquered El Capitan, a granite monolith that was considered unclimbable. The Nose Route that Harding established is now a classic climb attracting talented weekend climbers, pros, and audacious speedsters.

Why did a man who had nearly three decades of experience teaching others to climb fall to his death in Grand Teton National Park? The only thing investigators can be sure of is that free solo climbing like George Gardner was doing leaves no appreciable margin for error or misfortune. This unattended death might have been caused by a gale force gust of wind.

Zion National Park has become a magnet for canyoneering enthusiasts. With more than four dozen remote and technical slot canyons feeding into Zion Canyon, the park is just about as good as it gets for practitioners of this rapidly growing extreme sport.

When a climber died on the Mount McKinley summit on July 4th, his companions buried his body in one of the least accessible places on the North American continent. It will probably stay there until at least next year, and might be left there for good.

Two fiercely competitive speed-climbers have regained the Nose Route record the Huber brothers wrested from them on El Capitan last October. The new record for the Nose, a big-wall climb that normally takes three or more days to complete, is two hours, 43 minutes, and 33 seconds. While admirers rave, critics grumble.