Alpine Bliss

Written by Kevin Rieck

I had so many nerves getting my last roll of film developed because I knew there were photos of Maya. This was the only one that came out.

Glowing in the sunlight that had just reached our bivvy, Maya eagerly prepped our first rappel.

We were in alpine bliss sleeping above Chasm View Wall and climbing hard routes on the Diamond about a week before she passed.

Nothing was like climbing with Maya, it was some combination of her playfulness, stoke, and gratitude that made every experience with her unforgettable. I always climbed my best with her. It’s hard not to when you watch your partner ALWAYS give it everything they have.

We tackled two routes, Ariana on Sunday and D7 the next day and were absolutely in flow. I can still remember every single move, person, and moment of those climbs.

On the second day we stretched in the sun on broadway ledge waiting for other parties to get a head start on D7. We tied in at noon and quickly caught another party who were planning to bail off pitch 4. Maya started up the stout 11 corner toward the other party. She was pushing through some hard moves about two-thirds up the pitch when it started to hail. To no surprise, the hail and wind only fueled her inner fire as she battled the last 20ft and crux while power screaming through every move. AAAAAHHHH! AAAAAHHHH! AAAAAHHHH! echoed throughout the alpine amphitheater. Every hair on my body was standing straight up as I watched her fight to the anchor. The other party was absolutely speechless hahaha

We were on fire as we continued the climb, onsighting every pitch. We reached the summit at sunset, absolutely giddy from what we had just pulled off.

The loss of Maya has messed me up and changed my relationship with so many places and experiences, but like with so many others who were lucky enough to know Maya I am working through it and hopefully learning to love again with the same fullness as Maya did. I’m grateful to see her again even if it’s just a photo.