🧗🏼‍♀️ Climbing Into History: Two Women Dominate Yosemite Valley

Good morning, Stoke Crew. Whether you're planning your next big adventure or just living vicariously through others, we've got the outdoor updates and mountain stories you need.

In today's report:

• New climbing legends
• 50% expansion for a Colorado ski resort
• Race rundowns and more!

Today’s Stoke Story

🧗🏼‍♀️ Climbing Into History: Two Women Dominate Yosemite Valley

The Report: Two women just rewrote the history books in Yosemite Valley, with Kate Kelleghan and Laura Pineau becoming the first female team to complete the legendary Triple Crown linkup in a mind-blowing 23 hours and 36 minutes! The Triple Crown connects three of Yosemite's biggest walls - Mount Watkins' South Face, El Capitan's Nose, and Half Dome's Regular Northwest Face - covering 7,000 vertical feet of climbing and 18 miles of hiking in what's considered the ultimate test for speed climbers. Kate, a former YOSAR member (Yosemite Search and Rescue), had been plotting this attempt for three years and found her perfect partner Laura through the Valley's tight-knit speed climbing community. The duo faced everything from thunderstorms and lightning to spiders in El Cap's Great Roof, all while maintaining minimal protection and pushing through sleep-deprived conditions that would break most climbers.

Why It Matters: This achievement breaks down one of climbing's most exclusive barriers, joining a list that previously included only legendary male partnerships like Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold, plus Dean Potter and Timmy O'Neill who established the Triple Crown in 2001. The Triple Crown demands not just world-class climbing skills but extraordinary mental toughness and risk tolerance, making it a true test of complete alpinism. Kate’s and Laura’s success proves women can handle the most demanding challenges in climbing and will likely inspire future female teams to attempt this iconic linkup. This was only the 11th successful team overall in the 24-year history since the linkup was established!

Local Stokelight

⛷️ Expansion for Monarch Mountain

Colorado’s 2024–25 ski season officially wrapped with 13.8 million skier visits, the third-highest total since record keeping began in 1978, despite a less-than-stellar winter. Colorado Ski Country USA announced these impressive preliminary numbers, representing nearly a quarter of all skier visits nationwide and highlighting Colorado's continued dominance in destination skiing. The 2024-25 season delivered a true Colorado winter experience - solid November snowfall that got everyone excited, followed by the typical mid-season weather struggles, then a surprisingly snowy spring that kept many resorts spinning lifts well into May.

Why It Matters: These numbers represent more than just statistics, they translate to billions in economic impact for Colorado's mountain communities and demonstrate the state's incredible ability to attract skiers regardless of conditions. With Colorado capturing 22.4% of all US skier visits, the state continues to set the standard for American skiing destinations. The consistency of these high visitor numbers supports the entire ecosystem of Colorado mountain towns!

Get ready for Monarch Mountain to level up in a big way as the beloved Colorado independent unveiled the trail map for No Name Basin, a game-changing 377-acre expansion that will increase lift-served terrain by nearly 50% when it opens for the 2025-26 season! The project, which received Forest Service approval last July after years of planning, features 12 new named runs with 1,000 vertical feet of terrain accessible via the new 3 person Tomichi Lift. What makes this expansion truly special is its location on the west side of the Continental Divide behind the existing Breezeway lift, giving skiers access to both sides of the divide in one day! The new terrain will offer a mix of groomed intermediate runs, advanced bump skiing, and gladed sections, plus amenities like a warming hut and restrooms at the base of the new lift to enhance the guest experience.

Mountain Briefing

What’s Been Happening?!!

Jackson Goldstone and Gracey Hemstreet delivered a stunning performance for Canada at the 2025 Leogang Downhill World Cup, with both riders securing back-to-back victories after their wins in Loudenvielle just five days earlier! Watch race highlights here - Men / women

The women's Adidas Terrex 10K trail race delivered absolute drama on the final day of the Vail Mountain Games, with Courtney Coppinger and Dani Moreno trading places five times over the last seven minutes in an epic battle that came down to the wire! Coppinger, still feeling fatigue from her fourth-place finish at the USATF Mountain Running Championships just one week earlier, held back on the initial climb but eventually pulled away until Moreno reappeared on the final ascent up Berry Picker for an all-out duel through the last mile. Coppinger ended up finishing first with Moreno 8 seconds behind!

Two of North America's most respected wheel / hub manufacturers just became one as Industry Nine officially acquired We Are One Composites, creating a powerhouse combination of rim expertise and hub technology!

Name That Nature

🔍 How to Identify Sky Pilot

🌸 Flowers

• Look for clusters of small, bell-shaped flowers.
• Usually vibrant blue-purple, occasionally pale blue
• Touch gently: leaves and stems have noticeable sticky hairs
• Bloom Time: June to August, depending on elevation

📏 Plant Size

• Compact, grows low to the ground, typically 4–14 inches tall.
• Grows in dense, rounded clusters atop a single stem.

🏞️ Grows in

• Found in high alpine environments, above tree line (~8,000–14,000 feet)
• Commonly spotted among rocky slopes, scree, and mountain ridges.

Trailhead Trivia

When did Vail ski resort open?

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December of 1962