Fighting Goliath
Men's Journal|June - July 2022
Before last summer, no climber had gone the distance with California's Goliath Traverse, spanning 60 brutal peaks of the Sierra Nevada. A crazier challenge? Do it in eight days.
By Chris Van Leuven
Fighting Goliath

I 'm just hoping it won't make me a statistic, says Vitaliy Musiyenko from across my dinner table in Mariposa, CA, just outside Yosemite National Park. The 35-year-old climber is referring to his voracious passion for doing new routes and ropeless climbs in the nearby Sierra Nevada range, while performing endurance feats and Fastest Known Times (FKTs) that boggle the mind.

Musiyenko's magnum opus is the Goliath-an endurance climb so overthe-top that he actually had to coin the name Goliath himself. He's vaguely heard of a few other attempts on this routenone of which came even remotely close to completion. Supposedly one team starting from the north got about as far as Palisade Crest before deciding the rock was too loose and not worth the risk, he says. Musiyenko's colleague Alex Honnold, of Free Solo fame, calls Goliath the longest and most adventurous ridge traverse I've ever heard of. Literally miles of rock climbing. The mere thought of it, adds Honnold, leaves him horrified, repulsed and inspired.

At the table, Musiyenko is donning a chalk-dusted jacket that hides his solid frame. Bloodstained athletic tape is still wrapped around his hands from logging 2,000 vertical feet of Yosemite climbing over the last couple of days. Just a little extracurricular activity while here to share his Goliath experience with me. A journey so long that it fits on two maps. So arduous that only portions of it have been tackled by the world's best, luring in mountaineering luminaries like Peter Croft and Conrad Anker.

That's what attracts us to do hard things, Musiyenko says matter-of-factly.

Bu hikaye Men's Journal dergisinin June - July 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Men's Journal dergisinin June - July 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MEN'S JOURNAL DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Fantasy League
Men's Journal

Fantasy League

Inflation, war and endless political campaign ads got you down? Hollywood wants to take you far away.

time-read
2 dak  |
August - September 2022
The Tug Trip
Men's Journal

The Tug Trip

Chasing grizzlies and pushing deep into coastal British Columbia aboard a uniquely Canadian touring vessel.

time-read
9 dak  |
August - September 2022
Death, Incorporated
Men's Journal

Death, Incorporated

How Putin's mercenary army known as the Wagner Group does the Kremlin's dirtiest work in Ukraine and in conflict zones around the world.

time-read
10+ dak  |
August - September 2022
Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Men's Journal

Cynthia Addai-Robinson

The British-born actor trades the Shire's misty mountains for a fantasy island in Amazon Prime's prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

time-read
3 dak  |
August - September 2022
Idris Elba – Been Around the Block
Men's Journal

Idris Elba – Been Around the Block

Superstar actor Idris Elba hits 50 in September. But we might have not seen his prime yet.

time-read
6 dak  |
August - September 2022
American Ruins
Men's Journal

American Ruins

This country's unmatched and unlimited industrial might helped define the 20th century. But that was then, and this is now.

time-read
10 dak  |
August - September 2022
NICK KROLL
Men's Journal

NICK KROLL

The comedic powerhouse and man of many voices behind Big Mouth and Human Resources returns to the big screen in the star-studded thriller Don't Worry Darling.

time-read
2 dak  |
August - September 2022
HAIL TERRY
Men's Journal

HAIL TERRY

Four-time Super Bowl champion, avuncular television football analyst and all-around entertainer TERRY BRADSHAW's secret to career longevity? Letting it rip.

time-read
3 dak  |
August - September 2022
EVOLUTION OF Z REVOLUTION
Men's Journal

EVOLUTION OF Z REVOLUTION

How Nissan reinvented the smart, soulful sports car.

time-read
2 dak  |
August - September 2022
PLUNGE RIGHT IN
Men's Journal

PLUNGE RIGHT IN

Mallorca's cliff-lined coast is the peak playground for deep-water soloing-as grippingly demonstrated by the emerging sport's top climber.

time-read
2 dak  |
August - September 2022