Jon Kedrowski from Texas State University spent more than a month on Denali this past season—including a trip to the summit via the West Buttress—in order to conduct a study entitled “Climbers’ Perceptions on McKinley: Crowding Concerns, Hazards, and Climber Demographics.” The researcher handed out written surveys to climbers at … Read more…
Tis the season for ice climbing, and it’s also the season for wondering what the heck is in good shape. Here are a few of our favorite regional sites with frequently updated conditions reports: Northeast Rocky Mountains: Montana Cody Rocky Mountain National Park I Rocky Mountain National Park II Southwestern … Read more…
The Arizona Daily Sun has published a fun article about Bill Putnam, the AAC’s honorary president, and his work as the sole trustee of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. William Lowell Putnam’s great uncle, Percival Lowell, founded the observatory in 1894, and Putnam, a former broadcasting executive, has overseen the … Read more…
There’s no better place to demo ice gear, pick up some technique tips, and hang out with new and old friends than an ice fest. Here’s a schedule of this year’s ice climbing festivals around North America and Europe: Bozeman Ice Festival* Bozeman, MT December 10-13 * Registration discount for … Read more…
For December’s meeting of the book club we are going to be reading Annapurna by Maurice Herzog. This is the story of the first ascent of an 8000 meter peak in 1953 – a very gripping account of the battle to summit, and descend and survive. We are also … Read more…
Japanese explorer and AAC Honorary Member Tamotsu Nakamura and companions have just returned from an extraordinary photographic expedition to the Nyainqentanglha East and Kangri Garpo regions of eastern Tibet. Starting from the town of Qamdo, the team covered 4,800 kilometers in a vast counterclockwise loop over five weeks in October … Read more…
by Susan E. B. Schwartz It was about perspective. At first it seemed like another highly entertaining and enjoyable evening. The guest of honor at the (as usual) sold-out, black tie New York section dinner of the American Alpine Club was Stephen Venables, the first (and only) climber to solo … Read more…
Just wanted to remind everyone that the library has what you need to plan your trip over turkey day. Search the library catalog or give us an email or phone call to pick up or mail order your books now! We’ll be closed on November 26th, 27th and 28th. Hmmm … Read more…
Altitude is a topic common to all climbers and this month we’re especially focused on it: A new exhibit, “THIN AIR – An Exhibit on Altitude and Oxygen,” just opened in the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, CO. Click here for details on the museum exhibit and information … Read more…
The AAC’s Sierra Nevada Section hosted its annual Fall Highball on the East Side over the weekend of November 7-8, and it was a rockin’ good time. A collaboration between the AAC, Friends of the Inyo, the Access Fund, the Eastern Sierra Cimbers’ Coalition, and local land managers from Inyo … Read more…
The AAC and a select group of nonprofits and government agencies are teaming up to host an international conference on managing human waste in wilderness settings. The three-day “Exit Strategies” meeting will be held at the American Mountaineering Center and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado next summer: July 30 … Read more…
The fifth edition of Alpine Briefs, an occasional online newsletter from AAJ editors Kelly Cordes and Dougald MacDonald, is now live: Alpine starts, a new Zion wall route, first ascents in Newfoundland, whipper videos, and much more.
THIN AIR: An Exhibit on Altitude and Oxygen November 2009 – May 2010 Official Opening Reception December 3rd, 2010 6:00 Reception 7:00 Mallory Expedition presentation by Jake Norton $3 CMC/AAC members, $5 non-members, Free to Friends of the Museum and AAC Library RSVP here. MOUNTAINEERING takes grit. It takes tenacity. … Read more…
The second year of the AAC’s Patagonia Sustainable Trails Project has kicked off with a trail-restoration educational course for 17 Argentinean rangers from eight national parks across Patagonia. The course, held October 24 to November 1, was organized by AAC member Rolando Garibotti, directed by Max Ludington, a National Park … Read more…
It’s not often that you’ll find such localized events on here, but the Adventure Film Festival is worth mentioning for all of us out there that share common ideals in living a lifestyle that embraces and embodies adventure. Specifically this year (the festival’s fifth), the Adventure Film Festival hits close … Read more…
Stephen Venables At Book Club Originally uploaded by American Alpine Club Photo Library Aaron Miller, one of the members of the AAC’s Book Club Fight Club, went out on a limb and invited Stephen Venables to come sit in on book club, and he was gracious enough to accept! We … Read more…
Nicholas Clinch sends this book review for your perusal. Please feel free to add your comments! (This book is currently on order and will be available in the library soon!) Himalayan Playground: Adventures on The Roof of the World, 1942-72. Trevor Braham. Glasgow, In Pinn Press, 2008. 107 pages, colored … Read more…
Young climbers Dustin English, Josh Hoeschen, and Todd Tumolo won 2009 Mountain Fellowships from the AAC for exploratory climbing on a rock peak by the Kahiltna Glacier, west of the Pika Glacier in Alaska. But things didn’t go exactly as planned this summer, as Josh Hoeschen reports below. The team … Read more…
The Front Range Section of the AAC, along with the Access Fund and Rocky Mountain National Park, held a super-successful ninth annual Lumpy Trails Day on October 18. Nearly 50 volunteers gathered to work on the climber’s trail to beautiful Sundance Buttress at Lumpy Ridge. Click here to visit the … Read more…
Tuesday night is Book Club Fight Club – 6-8pm, and we’ll have a special guest to discuss Stephen Venables Everest: Alone at the Summit. Don’t miss it! (and if you want your copy of the book autographed, just drop it off at the library with a small donation and we’ll … Read more…
AAC Mountain Fellowship winners Joe Forrester and Jeremy Roop, both 25, have just returned from an excellent adventure in the small African nation of Malawi, where they completed the first free ascent of one route and established a second on the 5,000-foot-plus granite slabs of Chambe Peak. Scoripions, snakes, bloodthirsty … Read more…