Abby Westling and Kiira Antenucci were devastated to lose their friend Luke to a climbing accident in 2022. But as they learned to cope with this tragedy, they began to dream up something big. In July of 2023, Kiira and Abby set out to attempt The Infinity Loop, an epic endurance test piece that summits Rainier twice and circumnavigates the mountain via the Wonderland Trail. The two have extensive experience as guides on Rainier, and have submitted dozens of times, but this challenge would push them to their limits. They also wanted to do it in memory of their friend, and raise money for the AAC’s Climbing Grief Fund, which had supported them in the early stages of their grief process. Dive into this episode to hear the full story of how they set the female FKT on the Infinity Loop, the emotional ups and downs of such a massive challenge, why the Climbing Grief Fund means so much to them, and the impact of their incredible work in fundraising for the CGF.

Find out more about the Climbing Grief Fund and get resources: https://americanalpineclub.org/grieffund

CONNECT: The FKT of the Rainier Infinity Loop, In Memory of A Friend

The American Alpine Club Podcast is your guide to the climbing community. We're not your typical training podcast. Instead, we're covering the advocacy issues facing climbers, diving into forgotten and niche stories from climbing history, discovering undercover crushers, analyzing trends in climbing accidents, hearing from SAR professionals, and exploring the biggest cultural ideas in climbing with some of climbing's top athletes.