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Warning:on rock or ice, mountaineering, scrambling, backcountry skiing and other such activities are inherently dangerous. The The activities described in this magazine carry a significant risk to the participants of injury or death. Climbing
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Copyright: 2019 Gripped Magazine: express consent of the publisher. The views included herein are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the
opinions of the publisher, owners and management of of interest to our readers. Gripped. We occasionally make out list available to companies20 Years of Gripped
and Getting Benighted
Gripped is a magazine for climbers everywhere and is cel-
ebrating 20 years of being in print this year. Its core climbing
content has included cutting-edge new routes in the alpine, on
boulders and at the crag. David Smart and Sam Cohen started
the publication in 1999 and since then, we’ve covered stories
from around the world. Gripped has had thousands of contribu-
tors from every walk of life, with climbing being the common
thread. The sport of climbing has changed a lot since the late
1990 s and there are more climbers than ever, which is why we’re
looking forward to the next 20 years of stories, development,
competitions and more.
In the first issue of Gripped in 1999 , the term gripped was
described as “a colloquialism in climbing meaning in a state of
fear.” We’ve all been gripped, sometimes while leading a run-out
pitch, sometimes while descending down a sketchy slope at night
and sometimes during the middle of the night while sleeping on
a tiny ledge which is also known as being “benighted.” It means
that you got stuck on a climb for a night when you were planning
on finishing it in one day. It likely means that you were underpre-
pared, didn’t bring a headlamp or bivy gear and ran out of food
and water. The result can be a very cold night spent on a climb or
descent. I’ve been benighted many times. Nearly 10 years ago, my
friend Matt wanted to go for a climb on a cold Sunday. I suggested
the East Ridge of Temple, a classic 1 , 500 -metre alpine route above
Moraine Lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks.
Matt and I made quick time up the lower ridge and climbed
through the Big Step. It was spring and as we climbed higher,
deeper snow slowed us down. We were on track to make it to the
summit and back down by midnight. We had no bivy gear, limited
food, limited layers and not much water. We had two headlamps.
At the base of the Black Towers, big clouds began to drop from
the west. As I was looking for the right gully to access the upper
ridge, the snow started to fall. Things went from casual to serious
in a matter of minutes.
I hardly knew I was on the ridge when I reached it. I got lucky.
Matt joined me, and I post-holed along the long ridge in sideways
snow and dropping temps. Soon, the sun dropped and our head-
lamps illuminated nothing but falling snow, like headlights on a
highway in a blizzard. After what seemed like hours, I found a big
rock. We were cold and gripped. We couldn’t see where we were
or which way the descent went, so we opted to sleep under a rock.
In the morning, we made our way off the mountain.
Here’s to 20 more years of Gripped magazine and 20 more years
of gripping stories.Brandon Pullaneditorial
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