Willie Benegas Injured in Avalanche

Many long-time Everest climbers and fans know twin brothers Damian and Willie Benegas, 54, founders of the renowned Benegas Brothers guide company. On March 12, around 12:30 p.m., Willie became seriously injured in a large avalanche. In my interview with Willie, he says, “As I was trapped, I thought, so this is how I will die.”

The Climbing Youth Movement Continues: Matt Moniz

Mike Moniz on Mt-Washington

What did you do on your summer vacation? Well 12 year old Matt Moniz is trying the extraordinary. He and his father, Mike are tagging the highest points in all U.S. 50 States in 50 days. They just completed number 49, Granite Peak in Montana. Next up they leaving for Hawaii to tackle Mauna Kea. If you are curious about your state’s highpoint, take a look at this link. As might be expected, the lowest is Florida’s Britton Hill at 345′ and the highest is Denali in Alaska at 20,320′. The organization, highpointers.org tracks those going for the high points and helps with information.