đĽ Freedom, first ascents & legends we wonât forget
A newsletter for people whoâd rather be outside!
Yoooo STOKED crew!
I spent the weekend riding in Richfield, Utahâhome of the legendary Spinal Tap Trail. Eighteen miles of pure flow, desert drops, and big features.
Spring temps are firing, and this weekâs send is leaning heavy into climbingâeveryoneâs getting after it!
đŁââď¸ A packraft mission thru Jasper
đ Jasper National Park, Canada
This is the kind of mission that makes you start planning summer immediately. Alpine landscapes, remote travel, and a wild ride down the Fraser Riverâstitched together into a proper expedition. Jeffrey Creamer shows what modern adventure really looks like: moving light, going deep, and committing to the unknown.
Based out of Mancos, Colorado, Creamer came into packrafting as a beginner and has since pushed into full-on expedition Class V terrain.
If you donât like the music, mute it!
âąď¸ 4 min
đ§ââď¸ Remembering Stanhope
đ Waddington Range
Let us honor one of trad climbingâs boldest, Will Stanhope, who recently lost his life in a climbing accident. This one hits deep. Alongside Tim Emmett, Stanhope completes the first free ascent of the South Ridge of Mt. Combatantâ4,500 feet of sustained, committing climbing up to 5.12+.
Big wall scale meets pure trad headspace in one of Canadaâs wildest ranges. Add in stunning drone footage and youâve got a massive lineâand a Stanhope legacy that wonât be forgotten.
âąď¸ 5 min
đż Schirmerâs season: POV from the steeps
đ Norway
Think of this as Nikolai Schirmerâs 2025â26 highlight reelâuncut, unedited, and straight from the mountains. Sunrise missions, powder chases, and a full season spent hunting the perfect line, all captured from the skierâs perspective.
Schirmer has built a reputation on steep, technical descents in remote terrain, accessed only by footâand this is what that life actually looks like. No filters, no edits, just the grind and the glory of modern ski mountaineering.
âąď¸ 11 min
đľ Big mountain freeride dream
đ British Columbia, Canada
Big lines. Big effort.
Graham Agassiz and Eric âLornnyâ Lawrenuk head deep into the mountains chasing raw freeride terrain. What they find is exactly what you want it to beâloose, steep, and just barely rideable.
âąď¸ 12 min
đ§ The Mayo King
đ Missoula, Montana??
Roof cracks your thing? Get into this one. A crew of young crushers throwing down on steep, burly lines just outside Missoula, where the âMayo Kingâ gets crowned.
A couple of dudes, techno beats, dance party energy, and pure good vibes baked in. Itâs guaranteed to make you miss days at the crag with your crew.
âąď¸ 7 min
đ§ââď¸ A first ascent on Baffin
đ Baffin Island, Canada
This is your chance to watch a three-woman team take on a true Arctic first ascent. Led by the unstoppable Pachi Ibarra, the crew faces brutal weather and total uncertainty during a fully self-supported expeditionâultimately claiming the first ascent of Mini Asgard.
âNot easy and wet!â, says Pachi.
âąď¸ 7 min
⥠Bonus News
đż The crew at Teton Gravity Research break down the Epic vs Ikon debate, laying out which pass makes sense depending on how (and where) you ski.
đď¸ Chimborazo just got a new route on Ecuadorâs highest peak and one of the farthest points from Earthâs center. Colombian climbers add a new chapter to high-altitude climbing in the Andes.
đť Economists are at it againâthis time putting a price on the Grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park, showing each bear can generate significant economic value through tourism and ecosystem benefits. Itâs a wild reminder that apex predators arenât just iconicâtheyâre financially and ecologically powerful players in the landscape.
đż Winter did not wait in New Zealand where the Hamner Springs ski area opened thanks to an early-season stormâweeks ahead of the usual June start.
đď¸ Fatal falls in Zion National Park happen every year, often on exposed trails and viewpoints where one mistake is all it takes. Even in one of the most visited parks in the U.S., the desertâs vertical terrain demands respect.
đ§ Long Reads & Opinions
Heads up, take your time with these onesâŚ
đď¸ Apa Sherpa: beyond Everest
Everest gets the headlines. The Sherpa carry the weight. This half hour film follows Apa Sherpa, starting as a child porter, risking everything so others can stand on top of the world. Since 2014, over 30 high-altitude workers have died on Everest.
Through the Apa Sherpa Foundation, heâs trying to rewrite that storyâeducation over exposure, future over survival. Heavy, real, and necessary.
đ§ Spider Web Wall, the mini âbig wallâ
Josh Wharton heads deep into Wyomingâs backcountry to take on Mixed Signals (5.13c-ish), a multi-day push on an obscure âmini big wall.â Tight weather windows, grass-choked cracks, and complex routefinding turn it into a full-value alpine experience. More than a gear test, itâs about systems, partnership, and the grind that makes long routes matter.
đ A river system under pressure
What happens upstream doesnât stay upstream. This investigation tracks how Myanmarâs mining boom is pushing toxic runoff into rivers flowing into Thailandâreshaping ecosystems and communities far beyond the source.
A heavy, important read on environmental spillover in a connected world!
đď¸ The business of Everest
Climbing Mount Everest is a full-blown industry. This deep dive breaks down how guided trips now average around $66,000, while newer Nepali operators have dropped prices closer to $38,000, opening the door to a rising wave of middle-class climbers from China and India. Hereâs an excerpt:
âIn the last 5 years, a young generation of Sherpas, tired of playing the middlemen, have launched their own expedition companies and undercut the Western guides.
âThey stood up and said, âWhy are we working for the man? We have the ability to do all of this for ourselves, and they blew up the business model.â
These Nepali-run companies charge around $38k (40% less than a Western guide). This lower price point has attracted a whole new market: emerging middle-class climbers in China and India.â
đ Suffering the FOMO?
(Pssst, this is where you should be right now!)
đ§ Chiapas is calling
Southern Mexico isnât on most climbing radarsâand thatâs exactly the point. Jungle walls, steep limestone, and zero crowds. Chiapas is raw, humid, and still wide open for exploration. If youâre looking to trade packed crags for something wilder, this is your zone.
Rock climbing in Chiapas, Mexico, centers around high-quality limestone sport climbing near San CristĂłbal de las Casas and big-wall adventures in the Caùón del SumideroâŚkey spots like Arcotete offer 30-meter limestone tufas, while the area generally caters to all levels with a growing, yet uncrowded, reputation.
𼞠Backpacking 150km across La RÊunion
Ready for a full island traverse through one of the wildest landscapes on Earth?
The GR-R2 cuts coast to coast across La RĂŠunionâthrough jungle, volcanic ridgelines, and massive cirques. Itâs long, humid, remote, and relentlessâ testing endurance.
These hikes change you experience a place. Need an operator? Check with these guys.
đĽ Stay Stoked. Stay Wild. See you on the next send! Share with somebody who needs stoke!!!
â¤ď¸âđĽ Your StokedAF fam đ¤
PD: Looks like a Minecraft worldâŚ
