Doug Robinson

• Sept 12, 2020: Rock & Ice is providing FREE access to Ascent 2020, and Doug has a terrific piece in it: “Guidebooks Are Still a Problem.”
  David Clifford shot the lovely lede photo, below. Enjoy!


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• May 12, 2020: Listen to tell Doug tell some stories on the Outdoor Biz Podcast episode, “Life in the Backcountry with Doug Robinson.”
  Interviewed by his old friend, Rick Saez, Doug talks about a few of his many backcountry adventures, as well as product design and the outdoor industry.
• Oct. 21, 2019: Doug was very honored to receive an award in the 2019 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. Out of a field of 1,335 entries, his piece, Snowbound, which was a Special Presentation for Outside, won the Bronze prize in the Adventure Travel category. The Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, which oversees the annual contest, posted the following in the Judges’ Comments section:

Bronze: Doug Robinson, “Snowbound,” Outside
The writer provides a gripping narrative with elegant prose and incisive reportage. Set against the epic backdrop of the Continental Divide Trail, Doug Robinson unfolds a heartbreaking story of Stephen “Otter” Olshansky’s hike gone bad. Readers witness his losing battle against nature, read wrenching journal accounts of Otter’s slow death and join a suspenseful, and ultimately failed, search mission. “My intention is to bring the stove inside later and asphyxiate myself,” Otter wrote matter of factly in his journal. “Prolly won’t work. Nothing else I’ve tried has.” But Robinson’s capturing of Otter’s last days certainly does work — often in surprising ways.

• Jan. 25, 2019: The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival has invited Doug to do a presentation about The Alchemy of Action. He’ll be at the Frederic Wood Theatre on Friday evening, March 1. Tickets and additional details are available on the VIMFF site.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• Jan. 17, 2019: Doug will be featured in the Mammoth Mountain Culture Month series. He’ll be doing a presentation about The Alchemy of Action on Sat., March 16 @ 7 pm. Check out the DATES page for details!
• Aug. 28, 2018: “In November 2015, veteran thru-hiker Stephen “Otter” Olshansky was on the Continental Divide Trail in northern New Mexico when winter storms blanketed the area with several feet of snow. Pinned down and running out of food, he scraped his way to a campground latrine, holed up inside, and prayed for help to arrive.” That is the lead of SNOWBOUND, Doug’s beautiful piece about his friend, Stephen, which Outside magazine just published online as a Special Presentation.


 
 
 
 
 
 

• June 19, 2018: Keep an eye out for (or better yet subscribe to) Journal of Alta California. Doug has a feature story, Legends on Stone, in the summer issue of this new quarterly published by William R. Hearst III. And on July 18 Alta and Patagonia are presenting a conversation with Doug and Will about the piece in San Francisco.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Feb. 28, 2018: Tony Mayse’s gorgeous new guidebook Oklahoma Rock: A Climber’s Guide is out. Doug wrote the foreword, “The Other Granite State.” And there’s a limited edition “Doug Robinson cover” version. Only 500 were printed, so get yours now!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Jan. 4, 2018: Backcountry Magazine 120 – The Deep Winter Issue includes Doug’s essay, “Luminous Wilderness” in a collection of pieces about backcountry skiing in the High Sierra.
• Nov. 22, 2017: What does Doug have in common with Keith Richards and Dolly Parton? Well, they all rock, of course—and their portraits have been captured brilliantly by Jim Herrington. Today the BBC World News interviewed Jim about his new award-winning book, THE CLIMBERS.


Reportedly, there were 250 million viewers. Wow.

• May 23, 2017: Doug penned a lovely remembrance of Royal Robbins, which kicks off a collection of great pieces about this recently deceased climbing legend in Alpinist 58.



 

 

 

 

 

• May 9, 2017: Doug has a piece in the AMGA’s Winter GUIDE Bulletin, “The Day Nothing Happened.”
• May 9, 2017: Doug wrote a short article for Black Diamond’s Anniversary Workbook.
• May 9, 2017: Doug’s seminal 1969 essay, “The Climber as Visionary” has been reprinted in ASCENT for their 50-Year Edition (ROCK AND ICE/ASCENT, Issue No. 242, p. 58). It appears along with other classic climbing pieces.



 

 

 

 

• Jan. 8, 2017: Chris Noble’s amazing new book, Why We Climb, is out—and Doug is one of the small group of legends Chris photographed and interviewed for this exploration of “The World’s Most Inspiring Climbers.”



 

 

 

 

• Aug 30, 2016: Because Alpinist, Issue 48, which featured Doug’s cover story Wringing Light out of Stone—a mountain profile about his home range, The Palisades—sold out, the magazine has kindly granted permission to post a link to a PDF here.

  

   

   

   

   

   

• Aug 6, 2016: Doug’s Buttermilk, Sweet and Sour: How did we get here? Where are we going? is the cover story of Adventure Sports Journal, Aug/Sept 2016, Issue #92.



 

 

 

 

 

 

• Aug 6, 2016: In his beautiful essay Between the Earth and the Sky (Alpinist 55, Autumn 2016, p. 30,) brilliant, young, world-champion climber Kai Lightner describes his first multipitch trad climb on Stone Mountain, with Doug as his mentor.



 

 

 

 

 

• Aug 6, 2016: Flatlander Films, who are making a documentary about Tom Frost, are responsible for bringing Kai and Doug together at Stone Mountain. And they made a sweet minute-long video about the climb. Check it out–and take a look at their other wonderful clips, too!
• Aug 6, 2016: Alpinist 55 features a mountain profile about the Wind River Range. Along with legends Royal Robbins, Jeff Lowe, Sibylle Hechtel, Joe Kelsey and Dick Dorworth, Doug contributed a sidebar “Extra Left Klettershoe,” which is about his first-ever first ascent.
• June 8, 2016: Doug’s review of Brave New Wild, Oakley Anderson Moore wonderful new feature-length documentary, which offers an offbeat chronicle of America’s Golden Age of rock climbing, is hot off the presses.
• June 3, 2016: Doug wrote three of the pieces in Outside’s newly published collection, “The 25 Greatest Moments in Yosemite Climbing History.” Doug is also featured in one of the other pieces: Brad Rassler’s “1973: First Hammerless Ascent of Half Dome.”
• April 18, 2016: Doug has a new piece in Adventure Sports Journal—Royal Robbins: The Man Behind the Legend.
• March 25, 2016: Doug wrote a beautiful obituary for pioneering High Sierra mountaineer Glen Dawson for Outside.
• Nov. 4, 2015: Stephen Goodwin, editor extraordinaire of The Alpine Journal from 2004-2013, penned a wonderful review of The Alchemy of Action in the 2015 edition of this UK journal. You can read the full piece here or check out a short blurb on the BOOKS page.
• Jan. 15, 2015: Crazy night here last night. Doug was interviewed FOUR times about Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson’s amazing achievement on the Dawn Wall route of El Capitan. There were even two live TV interviews via Skype. Gotta love technology! Here’s the BBC World News TV interview with Alastair Leithead. (Thank you, Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides, for posting this.) And here’s a link to the BBC World Service Radio story: “The High Water Mark of Rock Climbing.”
• Doug’s mountain profile about the Palisades is the cover story of issue 48 of Alpinist magazine.
• You can purchase Doug’s books and DVDs online at Doug Robinson’s Store. Tell your friends!
• Doug’s book, The Alchemy of Action, is also available as an e-book. In addition to being able to buy the book for your Kindle, iPad or other electronic device, you can peruse the Foreword, Introduction, Table of Contents and first few chapters online.
• Doug’s tour has generated some terrific interviews and write ups. Read more on the REVIEWS page.

Doug Robinson is a professional mountaineer known internationally for his climbing, guiding and backcountry skiing, as well as his poetic writings about the mountains and why we climb them. Closely identified with California’s High Sierra, Doug has been called “the modern John Muir.”

WRITING

The Alchemy of Action
Why do people climb mountains? Because it gets us high! Doug’s long-awaited new book, The Alchemy of Action, offers a fresh—even shocking—explanation of why people climb mountains, by delving into the brain chemistry behind climber’s euphoria. The intriguing story behind why we are so much more than “adrenaline junkies” leads deep into the psyches of all adventure athletes as they push toward the ragged edge of human potential and return with shimmering new awareness from a heady brew of hormonal cocktail that includes the surprising ingredients of home-made organic psychedelic compounds.

A Night on the Ground, A Day in the Open
“John Muir meets Jack Kerouac” is how William Broyles, Jr., (who wrote the screenplays for Apollo 13, Cast Away and Planet of the Apes), summed up Doug’s 1996 book, A Night on the Ground, A Day in the Open. A collection of Doug’s earlier writings about climbing, backcountry skiing and the spirit of wilderness, it sold out of its first edition and received much critical acclaim. In 2015 Dougald MacDonald, the Executive Editor of the American Alpine Journal, included Doug’s first book in his list “Doctor of Climbology: 33 Must-Read Climbing Books” in Climbing magazine.

Other
Doug’s writing and photography credits include National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, Outside, Men’s Journal, California, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Alpinist, Ascent, Climbing, Mountain, Rocky Mountain, Mountain Gazette, Powder, Rock & Ice, with translations in several foreign languages. Co-wrote Climbing Ice with Yvon Chouinard. Co-wrote screenplay “Hard Rock” with William Broyles, Jr.

Recipient of the American Alpine Club’s Literary Award, 2010.

CLIMBING

“The father of clean climbing.”—Climbing magazine

Doug helped lead the “Clean Climbing” revolution in the early 1970s, an environmental movement that changed forever the way climbers anchor themselves to steep rock. Clean climbing eliminated the traditional hammer-driven pitons that were increasingly damaging even hard granite. It substituted aluminum wedges slotted by hand into cracks in the rock. The result has lightened the impact of climbers on mountain environments around the world. Doug’s essay, “The Whole Natural Art of Protection,” sparked the movement. And then his first clean ascent of the face of Half Dome, made in 1973 with Galen Rowell and Dennis Hennek, slam-dunked the revolution when it was featured as the cover story of National Geographic magazine.

Fifty-five years including dozens of first ascents on ice, rock, and alpine terrain. Doug cut his teeth on Yosemite granite during the Valley’s Golden Age in the sixties, a time when all the climbers in Yosemite could fit around one campfire at Camp 4. First Ascent Dark Star on Temple Crag, the longest alpine rock climb in the Sierra. Developed Buttermilk bouldering. First ice ascents V-Notch and Lee Vining Icefall with Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. First ascent Ice Nine, the hardest alpine climb in California. Second ascent of Ama Dablam (22,495′) in Nepal, 1979, filmed for ABC Sports.

VIDEO

“Best-selling rock video of the early Stone age”

Produced, wrote and hosted Moving Over Stone (1988), which was ground-breaking in its fusion of instruction and entertainment, basics to cutting-edge.

GUIDING

“California’s premiere mountain guide”—San Francisco Examiner

First President, American Mountain Guides Association. AMGA Certified Rock and Alpine guide. 55 years experience, US and foreign countries. Guide to Fortune 500 leaders (e.g. William Randolph Hearst III) and corporate training (Apple, Sun Microsystems, Levi’s). Catalyst Consulting Team, corporate climbing programs, 12 years. Palisade School of Mountaineering, 12 years. Royal Robbins Rockcraft, 2 years in southern Yosemite “hinterlands.” Founded Foothill College climbing program. Shaped the adaptation of Nordic ski mountaineering techniques into California backcountry skiing, beginning 1970s, by teaching seminars and leading committed ski treks out of Rock Creek Winter Lodge. Teacher and mentor to apprentice guides. Chief Guide and long-time Board of Directors Member, Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides (SYMG).

SKI MOUNTAINEERING

Led first continuous ski traverse John Muir Trail, 250 miles, 1970. Many first telemark ski descents, including Mt. Rainier, 1980. Current speed record Sierra High Route: 50 miles and over 11,000′ gain/loss in 22 hours. Guides backcountry expeditions.

EQUIPMENT DESIGN

Developed climbing Stoppers and Tube Chocks for Chouinard Equipment, also packs and boots, several patented.

PRESENTATIONS

“You made 400 climbers sit still for what was essentially a poetry reading!”—Jim McCarthy, former president, American Alpine Club.

Inspiring slide shows, lectures, and reading that have headlined at the International Festival of Mountain Literature and the Int’l Climbers Festival.

EDUCATION

BA in English, San Francisco State University, 1969.

FAMILY

Doug loves to hike and backpack, climb and ski with his kids Toryn and Kyra.

HOME

Doug lives in Kirkwood, CA, with his partner Eva Eilenberg.

The Alchemy of Action

By Doug Robinson
With a foreword by Dick Dorworth

Buy the E-BOOK               Buy the PRINT book    

Why do people climb mountains?
Because it gets us high.
But adrenaline junkies we are not,
and beta-endorphin isn’t behind runner’s high either.
The surprising answer reveals natural psychedelic transformations
at work deep in the brains of adventure athletes.

Reviews

“Alchemy is a joyous trip, guided by a knowing roshi who blends the insight of Aldous Huxley (much referenced) and the romance of John Muir with the vernacular of The Dude in The Big Lebowski… With this stimulating and original book it is now Doug Robinson who is the alchemist, turning wit, words and dedicated personal research to wisdom. And as he says of the hormonal cocktail served up on the edge: How could you resist?”
~ Alpine Journal 2015 (UK)

“This is a beautifully written, deeply researched, insightful, and groundbreaking contribution to human understanding (and consciousness). It is a great read about climbing, among many other human activities, but it is bigger than that in the same way contemplation from the summit encompasses more than summit-inspired chest thumping…”
~ American Alpine Journal 2014

“In 1969, Doug Robinson published “The Climber as Visionary.” The article raised the question of whether a climber’s brain, in times of stress or elation, could produce natural drugs that mimicked the effects of recreational chemicals including LSD and marijuana. Forty-four years later, Robinson thinks he has found the answer… The natural high Robinson describes is more one of enhanced visual acuity, a slight sensation of floatiness, an alert mind, a forestalling of time, an amplification of self-efficacy, and a sense of the profound, which is so evident in mountaineering literature.”
~ Ascent magazine 2014

“What [Doug Robinson] is doing is similar to Michael Pollan’s conceit in The Botany of Desire, but he takes it a step further… Doug is urging you to get high on your own brain by simply getting off the couch, putting down the iPhone, and getting outdoors to experience your brain when it’s turned on fully.”
~ Explore Big Sky

Need more of a preview?

Read the first few chapters of the E-BOOK in your browser. You don’t need a Kindle to read a full Kindle book that you purchase: you can download free Kindle apps to read Kindle books on any device.

Read a PDF of the Introduction to The Alchemy of Action.

Read a PDF of the Foreword by Dick Dorworth.

A Night on the Ground, A Day in the Open

By Doug Robinson

“John Muir meets Jack Kerouac” is how William Broyles, Jr., (who wrote the screenplays for Apollo 13, Cast Away and Planet of the Apes), summed up Doug’s first book, which came out in 1996. A collection of Doug’s earlier writings about climbing, backcountry skiing and the spirit of wilderness, it sold out of its first edition and received much critical acclaim. In 2015 Dougald MacDonald, the Executive Editor of the American Alpine Journal, included Doug’s first book in his list “Doctor of Climbology: 33 Must-Read Climbing Books” in Climbing magazine.

The 25th Anniversary Edition – on DVD!

Moving Over Stone, Doug’s instructional-inspirational video about climbing—featuring Lynn Hill, Peter Croft, John Bachar, Todd Skinner, Dale Bard, Bobbi Bensman, Jerry Moffatt and Stephen Glowacz—is the best-selling “rock video” of the early Stone age. The original VHS tape (what’s that, Dad?) came out in 1988, and we released the 25th Anniversary Edition on DVD in 2013. It’s a classic, and it’s still really current. For gym climbers who are interested in transitioning to real rock, it is invaluable.

“Moving Over Stone was a breakthrough video for climbers 25 years ago, but the lessons it taught remain relevant. 
…Every climber should watch it.“

~ Duane Raleigh, President of Big Stone Publishing (Rock and Ice , Ascent, and Gym Climber magazines)

Recent Press About Doug and His Work

The Climbing Zine – Review of The Alchemy of Action, by co-founder Al Smith III, Feb. 16, 2016

“Doug’s book speaks to me because he gets at that natural high in life that we, the ‘conquistadors of the useless,‘ get to experience. I applaud Doug for this book and I hope it inspires the already inspired in the journeys and adventures of our lives.”

Alpine Journal 2015, Volume 119 – Review of The Alchemy of Action, by former editor Stephen Goodwin

“Alchemy is a joyous trip, guided by a knowing roshi who blends the insight of Aldous Huxley (much referenced) and the romance of John Muir with the vernacular of The Dude in The Big Lebowski… With this stimulating and original book it is now Doug Robinson who is the alchemist, turning wit, words and dedicated personal research to wisdom. And as he says of the hormonal cocktail served up on the edge: How could you resist?…”

American Alpine Journal 2014 – Review of The Alchemy of Action, by Dick Dorworth

“This is a beautifully written, deeply researched, insightful, and groundbreaking contribution to human understanding (and consciousness). It is a great read about climbing, among many other human activities, but it is bigger than that in the same way contemplation from the summit encompasses more than summit-inspired chest thumping…”

The Alchemist, by Brad Rassler, Ascent magazine – May 2014 issue, republished on Sustainable Play

“In 1969, Doug Robinson published ‘The Climber as Visionary.’ The article raised the question of whether a climber’s brain, in times of stress or elation, could produce natural drugs that mimicked the effects of recreational chemicals including LSD and marijuana. Forty-four years later, Robinson thinks he has found the answer… The natural high Robinson describes is more one of enhanced visual acuity, a slight sensation of floatiness, an alert mind, a forestalling of time, an amplification of self-efficacy, and a sense of the profound, which is so evident in mountaineering literature.”

TNB: Moving Over Stone With Doug Robinson, by Duane Raleigh, publisher and editor-in-chief,
Rock and Ice magazine – September 16, 2014