Alpinism and alpinists, mountaineers and mountaineering, climbers and climbing. What are the lines between these adventurous pursuits, if the lines even exist at all? What exactly makes someone an alpinist? Perhaps you've watched the critically acclaimed 2021 film The Alpinist, which follows the remarkable exploits of Canadian adventurer Marc-André Leclerc as he scales mightily impressive, snowy peaks at speed and on his own. This gives a hint into the nature of alpinism, as opposed to the more traditional and broader pursuit of mountaineering.
But what is alpinism, exactly? In this article, our alpine experts take a look at this fast and light approach to climbing mountains, detailing what sets it apart from other forms of mountaineering.
