Congratulations to April, Our Annual Benefit Dinner Giveaway Winner!

Posted on: February 13th, 2012 by Luke Bauer

On January 26, the Club announced a One-Of-A-Kind Giveaway centered around our March 3 Annual Dinner in Boston, MA. The winner was to receive two VIP passes, an ice axe signed by the Saser Kangri II team, $100 toward the silent auction, and a backpack filled with AAC goodies. Well, the February 6 deadline rolled around and through our typically rigorous “tossing slips of paper off the balcony” method of winner-selection, we determined a winner: April Kisson of Connecticut!

Congratulations to April Umek of Connecticut!

April—and the AAC Staff—was so pleased with the results of the Giveaway, that we decided it would be awesome to extend the same offer one more time before the dinner. So, if you’re a ticket holder to the Annual Dinner before February 20, you could win a unique prize package like April. Full details of this second giveaway can be found on our Press Room page.

Feel like you missed your chance? You didn’t! We’re doing one more round of this unique giveaway!

April will be attending the dinner as a VIP with a guest. We caught up with her via email to ask her a little bit about her climbing life:

April: ”I’m actually fairly new to climbing. I’ve done sports my whole life including (currently) competetive rowing and deck hockey—and I teach yoga. About 6 years ago I decided to take a climbing class through EMS here in CT because I had a great time after a friend took me to an indoor climbing gym. I loved being outdoors and the challenges climbing brought on (including a great workout!).”

“I then met Mark and Teresa Richey while on vacation. I remained friends with them and really enjoyed Mark’s climbing tales.

So in the summer I will do some climbing in CT at Ragged Mountain and my favorite, Pinnacle. In the winter I go to a local climbing gym. Unfortunately I haven’t been climbing in other places but look forward to trying other locations in the near future.”

“I am not a member of the AAC but have met various members through Mark and Teresa.”

“I’m so looking forward to the presentation about the Saser Kangri II expedition. I really respect what it takes to do an expedition like that and I think seeing the presentation will really motivate me to climb more.”

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April has won:

• Two VIP Passes to the Annual Dinner. The VIP reception, overlooking Boston Harbor, is an intimate gathering of North America’s most accomplished climbers and mountaineers. The guest list includes Jack Tackle, Tom Hornbein, Janet Bergman, John Bragg, Jimmy Surette, and more.

• Ice Axe signed in person by the Saser Kangri II team. Freddie Wilkinson, Mark Richey, and Steve Swenson—the evening’s keynote presenters—recently summited the world’s second-highest unclimbed mountain and will sign a special axe to the winner.

• $100 toward the Silent Auction, which includes climbing art, one-of-a-kind trips, and gear packages from The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, and Outdoor Research

• AAC backpack filled with goodies, including a signed hardback of One Mountain Thousand Summits, the award-winning book by Wilkinson. At the dinner, he will premiere The Old Breed, a video masterpiece about the Saser Kangri II expedition. Watch Trailer

The Annual Benefit Dinner is the AAC’s signature and largest annual event. In addition to fine dining and entertainment, the Dinner mingles climbers of all generations and abilities to celebrate the vibrant state of this 110-year-old organization. The event will be held in Boston at the Seaport Hotel and will celebrate a year of change and success through the theme of Partnership: Climbing through the Generations.