By Phil Powers, AAC Executive Director Fifty years ago today Jim Whittaker and Nawang Gombu stood atop Mount Everest. Jim was the first American to go there. He went in close partnership with his Sherpa friend and employee. Today we see lines of people staked up like ants, tent cities … Read more…
With the snow melting and temperatures warming up, no doubt climbers are psyched to get out of the gym and start pulling on real rock. Another thing to be excited about is a number of community-building stewardship days happening at crags around the country. You can’t get into the full … Read more…
Steve Schwartz is president of Chockstone Pictures, a production company he started with his wife, Paula Mae. He is a producer on such films as Killing Them Softly starring Brad Pitt; Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, starring Viggo Mortensen; and the upcoming Ridley Scott film, The Counselor. Steve served as a … Read more…
by Erin DeMarco, AAC Conservation and Advocacy Intern If you’re looking for inspiration, look no further. Ellen Lapham sets the bar high and she loves sharing the view with anyone who can keep up. From broadening awareness of the importance of alpine conservation to pioneering high tech solutions and leading … Read more…
by Alan Kearney, AAC In 2005 while sorting through my photographs from over three decades of climbing in the Cascades, I realized I had some exceptionally high quality photographs of Cascade glaciers from as early as 1982. I decided I wanted to return to the glaciers, to photograph them today, and … Read more…
Late afternoon sun rays cut through walls of windows, setting prayer flags ablaze. Below, the best-dressed climbers you’ve ever seen filtered into the Craneway Pavilion for a celebration that can only happen every 50 years. Perched waterside, across the bay from San Francisco, the Craneway Pavilion was the venue for … Read more…
By Erin DeMarco and Emma Walker, AAC Conservation and Advocacy Interns Boulder, Colorado attracts climbers from all over the country and it’s easy to understand why: when world-class climbing is in your backyard, it’s too hard to leave. Just minutes from downtown Boulder are two of the most heavily used … Read more…
by Erin DeMarco, AAC Conservation and Advocacy Intern Rumbling Bald, a mountain in Western North Carolina’s Hickory Nut Gorge area has something for every type of climber, but its clusters of metamorphic gneiss boulders, some of them over 30 feet tall, have drawn more and more boulderers to the area in … Read more…
by Erin DeMarco, AAC Conservation and Advocacy Intern The central massif of the Teton Range in Wyoming is an alluring destination for climbers and outdoor enthusiasts. Its ridgeline is symbolic; it’s the Manhattan skyline of the American West. The alpine and sub-alpine regions of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) boast … Read more…
By Abbey Smith Each year, the American Alpine Club gives $100,000 in grants to the climbing community to support the progression of the sport through exploration, development, research, and conservation. If you’re looking to apply, the applications for the AAC’s 13 different grants may seem simple, but take it seriously. … Read more…
by Erin DeMarco, AAC Conservation & Advocacy Intern The Southeastern Climbers Coalition was a recipient of the 2011 AAC Cornerstone Conservation Grant, which funds essential infrastructure to protect and conserve climbing areas. After hard work by local climbers and volunteers, and about $6,000 in fundraising, Boat Rock, an inspiring boulder … Read more…
by Abbey Smith Over the last 15 years, whenever one of the super stars like Chris Sharma, Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Dave Graham, Jason Kehl, and Ashima Shirashi make a significant ascent, Big UP Productions’ Josh and Brett Lowell are always right there, capturing high quality footage. Their high flyin’, … Read more…
By Asa Firestone, AAC As I jump onto the back of Andrew Lenz’s motorcycle, the Rio de Janeiro traffic morphs from a mechanism of stress and tried patience into an exhilarating game of life and death. He weaves in and out of the anti-lanes that compose Rio’s hectic transit to … Read more…
By Jordan Campbell, AAC Flying over South Sudan’s vast and desolate landscape, brush fires blaze thousands of feet below us, wafting smoke over the wings of our eight-person aircraft. The fires are lit intentionally by indigenous tribes to fertilize the parched, unforgiving soil. But the sight of smoke plumes rising … Read more…
By Nathan Brown This past September, I was honored to represent the American Alpine Club at the 2012 Valley Orco International Climbing Meet hosted by the Club Alpino Accademico of Italy. Traditional crack and slab climbing were the focus of the meeting and the Valley Orco crags, 50 kilometers North-East … Read more…
Craggin’ Classic: a Fall Highball in Bishopby AAC Arizona Section Co-Chair, Jeff Snyder On a cool, autumn weekend in November, as part of my never ending quest to explore new climbing communities and meet others who share my passions, fellow Flagstaffian Jack Hereford and I made the trek from Northern … Read more…
Andrew Burr was on the scene to document the AAC’s International Climbers’ Meet this past October. The collection of shots he put together are sure to provide a lifetime of inspiration. Head to Andrew’s blog or to the AAC’s ICM Facebook page to check out hundreds of amazing shots! To learn more … Read more…
It begins each year with the first frost. Around the time the calendar flips to October, I find myself sneaking glances at the high peaks forecast and pulling out my screamers. Rock season is still in full swing, but I start calling a few ice partners to sort out schedules. … Read more…
The Triple Crown Bouldering Series had another eventful and successful year; thanks to Jim Horton, Chad and Rebecca Wykle, all the sponsors, AND the many many volunteers pitching in. This being the 10 year anniversary for the Triple Crown Bouldering Series as a whole, and 19th anniversary for the Hound … Read more…
Live Your Dreams – Choose Your Own Adventure By Jewell Lund Kim Hall and I, hailing from Utah, realize that our learning curve for climbing in the Bugaboos involves more than just climbing. Thus we decide to familiarize ourselves with the area and establish a comfort zone with … Read more…
From the Diary of a Yosemite Climber Steward: NPS Steward Week Three By John Connor Yosemite National Park contains some of the greatest concentration of granite climbing in the world. With 3,000’ faces, over 5,000 routes, and 1,200 square miles of terrain in the park, it’s astonishing that there are … Read more…
By Emma Walker, AAC Conservation & Advocacy Intern The American Alpine Club is passionate about conserving the places you love to climb, and now we’re embarking on greening our home. The American Mountaineering Center in Golden, Colorado houses the AAC along with the Colorado Mountain Club, Big City Mountaineers, the … Read more…
Hueco Origins: Remembering Todd Skinner By Brad Werntz As climbers, we play on a timeless playground. The mountains are eternal. When we grab a hold, we touch ancient magma, or the bed of a sea that dried up eons ago. Things—as they are—seem to be exactly as they were … Read more…
By Jim Donini Last Saturday 70 volunteers (up from 50 last year) wielded shovels, drills and rakes, channeling their inner carpenter, stonemason or horticulturist at the 4th annual AAC stewardship event at Indian Creek. Leading the charge was my wife Angela who hand formed 54 bison burgers loaded with chopped … Read more…
By Emma Walker, AAC Conservation & Advocacy Intern The American Alpine Club is pleased to announce that it has chosen the recipients of the 2012 Cornerstone Conservation Grant. The Cornerstone Grant funds essential infrastructure to reduce climber impacts at the climbing areas we love. Launched in 2011, this new AAC … Read more…
By Carol Kotchek, AAC Accountant and ICM Coordinator Tues Oct 9: Most of the participants took off on longer routes: East Buttress of El Cap, Snake Dike, and Royal Arches. By 9 p.m. all parties had returned except six climbers on Royal Arches. We were concerned but decided to take no action until … Read more…
By Carol Kotchek, AAC Accountant and ICM Coordinator Monday, October 9: After a hectic day at the airport on Sunday, all of the participants have now arrived in the Valley. There are 55 participants in total, including 10 hosts, 23 AAC members from the U.S., and 21 International climbers, in addition to others attending … Read more…
Report from the AAC International Climber’s Meet By Carol Kotchek, AAC Accountant and ICM Coordinator For the last seven months I have been organizing the AAC International Climber’s Meet being held in Yosemite Valley from Oct 8 to Oct 13. The purpose of this event is to form connections with AAC … Read more…
By Scott Braden, CMC Conservation Director With the Presidential debates gearing up for Denver tomorrow, we are eager to hear about President Obama’s plans for his conservation legacy for America. This week’s Denver visit comes on the heels of President Obama’s September 13th speech to voters in this swing state, just … Read more…
This year, artist and climber Renan Ozturk collaborated with The American Alpine Journal to create a limited-edition, hardbound AAJ. The result: a beautiful inset featuring a special print of the Garhwal Himalaya, inspired by Renan’s climb with partners Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker on Meru’s “Shark Fin.” The story of Renan, Jimmy, and … Read more…
By Jon Glassberg. The 2012 Colorado alpine bouldering season was a carbon copy of the last decade of development. Area development often happens in cycles, and “new” zones are discovered and rediscovered in a pattern that can be predicted like clockwork. I have watched countless areas in the high country … Read more…
The new urine separating, solid waste dehydrating outhouse for the Snowbird Hut has been completed and is ready for your visit! The Snowbird Hut Team is testing a new outhouse design for the alpine environment. This design uses a specially crafted toilet bowl shaped with a ’catch chamber’ that drains … Read more…
By Paige Classen. I’m not much of a boulderer, and I’m even less of an alpine climber. So when Marmot invited me to join a team of athletes venturing to Peru to develop unclimbed boulders and climb 6000 meter peaks, I had no idea why I had made the list. … Read more…
Cory Richards wrote to us about his acceptance of the Rowell Award. The Rowell Award—For The Art of Adventure honors an adventurer whose artistic passion illuminates the wild places of the world, and whose accomplishments significantly benefit both the environment and the people who inhabit these lands and regions. It was … Read more…
By Front Range Member Melissa Alcorn The first phase of the cultural exchange between the AAC and the Alpine Club of Iran had highlighted rock climbing and hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park with operations based out of the hostel at the Colorado Mountain School in Estes Park. The bunk … Read more…
Alaska Section Co-Chair Cindi Squire wrote to us about her experiences climbing in Alaska. From the belay, I smile and look back over my shoulder at the immense, sweeping view of the mountains around me. It is amazing to think that some people never get to see this view or … Read more…
Mount Everest isn’t supposed to be a difficult mountain to climb. “Climbing” is often not even used to describe the act of reaching the summit of the world’s tallest peak. “It’s just walking. It’s not hard.” was something I’d often heard through the years. Growing up in the climbing community … Read more…
After just five days, the women participating in the American Alpine Club and Iranian Alpine Club Climber Exchange Program have already accomplished a lot of climbing and significant bonding as women with a common passion for the mountains and mountain sports. After spending a day getting acquainted in the Boulder … Read more…
Like tiny bees swarming a honeycomb, Boulder’s Team ABC has been attacking local and national competitions and world class climbing areas with frightening strength, intuitive movement and absolute enjoyment. Their queen bee, the renowned climber Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou has fine-tuned her methods over two decades and developed a complex curriculum that’s … Read more…
The “Live Your Dream” Climbing Grants are developed and administered locally with community support—each Region of the American Alpine Club has it’s own grant program. In the Northeast Region, the “Live Your Dream” Climbing Grant seeks to support climbers from a range of ages and experience levels, as well as a … Read more…
Climbing rocks is a bizarre and obscure passion. We fall in love with a piece of stone, suffer incredible physical pain and psychological torment, and risk our hearts and lives for the beauty and purity of the rock, the environment, the moment, and ourselves. It’s not an easy task to … Read more…
The “Live Your Dream” Climbing Grants are developed and administered locally with community support—each Region of the American Alpine Club has it’s own grant program. In the Northeast Region, the “Live Your Dream” Climbing Grant seeks to support climbers from a range of ages and experience levels, as well as a … Read more…
Author Olivia Hsu-Richards—AAC Member and Yoga Journal cover-girl—lives, climbs and teaches yoga in Boulder, CO. The wind picks up making it even harder to breathe as I come over the last pass. I can see the tent village, which will act as my home for a week. I have arrived … Read more…
Connecticut boulderer Gary Sorcher was awarded a Live Your Dream grant to help cover his travel costs to Hueco Tanks this past winter so he could work on his dream project: Baby Face (V7). Below is Gary’s report from the field. When I found out that I had … Read more…
Rockfest 2013 is back in Leavenworth! Saturday, June 15th 2013 Come join us in Leavenworth for the fourteenth annual Rockfest climbing festival. Festival participants can enjoy camping at Gibbs Organic Farm Saturday night after climbing during the day or taking one of the clinics led by guides from the Northwest … Read more…
AAC Volunteers Power Southern Appalachian Section’s Rappelling Clinics It takes members like Danny McCracken, Aram Attarian and Patrick Weaver to demonstrate the value of the American Alpine Club to the climbing community at the grass roots level. Over the past six months, these committed volunteers have invested significant time … Read more…
Pat Goodman Slide ShowTales of High Adventure: Pakistan, Canada, and Venezuela Crimper’s Climbing Gym100 Central AvenueChristianburg, VAThursday, April 18 9-10 pm Footsloggers139 Depot St.Boone, NCWednesday, April 24; 7-9 pm Seneca Cinco de Mayo WeekendSeneca Rocks, WVSaturday Night, May 4 Earth Treks Climbing Gym725 Rockville … Read more…
Every climber has goals; whether it is to have fun or crush projects. Climbing has its affects on all … Read more…
The sold-out 2013 Annual Mountaineering Gala was an unforgettable evening hosted by the American Mountaineering Museum and Eddie Bauer First Ascent. The event began with a reception in the American Mountaineering Museum, where guests were surrounded in mountaineering history and lore. There’s no doubt that the Everest Exhibit (sponsored by … Read more…
At the Historic Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood April 20th 6-10PM with special guest John Bragg The 2013 AAC Oregon Section Dinner celebrates the success of the last year and gives members an opportunity to see old friends, make new ones and introduce friends and family to the Club. John … Read more…
by Leigh Goldberg, Conservation & Advocacy Director The AAC has spent 110 years protecting the places we climb. Thanks to our members, we have done remarkable work on behalf of the climbing community, and I wanted to celebrate some of our most noteworthy achievements in conservation and advocacy. The AAC … Read more…
Fred Nicole will be slinging your hot cakes for this one! Check out all the details on this poster. Join the Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/hueco.rodeo?fref=ts Contact: Melissa StrongHueco Rock RodeoPhone 970.227.3321melissaistrong@gmail.com For Immediate Release 17530 Wagon Wheel DrEl Paso, Tx 79938 Hueco Rock Rodeo 20th Hueco Rock Rodeo 2nd … Read more…