Contraindications: Love, risk, community and adventure
Anna Smith was a bold climber who sought a life of spontaneity and freedom in wild places. After Smith's death in the Miyar Valley of India, her expedition partner Alison Criscitiello recalls the story of their friendship.
April 23, 2021
Ahead of me, Anna's body flickered through shadow, then light, as we wheeled through the crusty snow, pedaling and skittering our bikes up the trail to Professor Falls. It was the middle of January 2016. The air was still, a brittle -25°C.
My lungs bellowed. Eventually, Anna tossed her bike next to a larch tree and began running up the narrowing path. Stuffed under the lid of her pack, the rope trailed its tail end in the snow. I ditched my bike and took off after her. It was the first time we had ice climbed together, and I think we both had something to prove: speed, efficiency, strength, hilarity—but that day, mostly speed.