Johnny Waldman, a writer based in Boulder, CO, has been visiting the Climbers’ Ranch for over a decade. He even interned there one summer. Waldman put together this video in the hopes of sharing his experiences during Work Weeks past and inspiring volunteers for the quickly approaching 2011 Work Week. Because … Read more…
Plan ahead! The Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch is seeking volunteers for its fourth annual Work Week, June 6-10, 2011. What is Work Week? Work Week is an opportunity for volunteers to prepare the Ranch for its opening–in exchange for free lodging during the month of June. Each year, skilled and … Read more…
As reported previously on Inclined, the American Alpine Club, the Access Fund, and the AmericanMountain Guides Association (AMGA) have been working with Denali and Mt. Rainier National Parks on their proposed mountaineering fee increases. The Club considers the small increases at Rainier to be a win for our and other organizations’ advocacy … Read more…
Mt. Rainier National Park has announced that as of today, March 15, 2011, climbing permit fees will increase $13, to $43. Additionally, a new Annual Youth Permit for climbers under 25 (who make up approximately 5-10% of the annual 11,000 permitted climbers on the mountain) will be available at the … Read more…
In January the National Park Service (NPS) released an updated draft of its wilderness management policies which cover a wide range of topics including provisions specific to climbing fixed anchors. Iconic climbing areas in the U.S.—including Yosemite, Zion, Black Canyon, and Rocky Mountain national parks—will be governed by this new … Read more…
What follows is a guest posting by AAC member John All, PhD, JD, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Geology at Western Kentucky University. Much like fellow member Alton Byers, featured recently in Inclined, Dr. All is a climber-scientist, taking his love of the mountains even further, by … Read more…
Since last fall the Access Fund, American Alpine Club, and American Mountain Guides Association have been working with Denali National Park on their proposal to raise mountaineering fees 150% from $200 to $500. We are concerned that such a high fee at Denali is unnecessary and unfair, and are looking for … Read more…
Since last fall the Access Fund, American Alpine Club, and American Mountain Guides Association have been working with Mount Rainier National Park on their proposal to raise mountaineering fees. We are concerned that the ever-expanding Mountaineering Program at Rainier will require high fees at Rainier, and are looking for ways to cut … Read more…
In 2009 the National Park Service announced that a significant climbing fee increase (from $200 to $500) could go into effect on Denali and Mt. Foraker as early as 2012. On Tuesday night at AAC headquarters in Golden, CO, the NPS hosted one of five open houses on this issue. … Read more…
Denali National Park proposes to raise mountaineering fees 150% from $200 to $500 per climber. As part of the public involvement process, the National Park Service is hosting two open houses in January to provide information on the mountaineering program and how the special mountaineering use fee is used. Representatives from … Read more…
At the end of October I drove from Boulder to Red Rocks for a climbing trip, and to represent the American Alpine Club at the second National Climbing Management Summit, hosted by the Access Fund. About 60 land managers from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and United … Read more…
Fee Increases Possible Both Denali and Rainier National Parks recently proposed fee increases for their mountaineering visitors, citing an inability to maintain present facilities and services for those and other user groups under the present rate structure. Under pressure from climbers and advocacy groups like the AAC, both parks have … Read more…
On September 7, 2010, the American Alpine Club, Access Fund, and American Mountain Guides Association sent the following letter to Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service: September 7, 2010 Jon Jarvis Director, National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 RE: … Read more…
A message from Kika Bradford, executive director of Access PanAm: Our numbers are strengthened by local climbers in almost all countries in the Americas with mountains and stone. The surge of climbing in the North is spreading southward, and most U.S. climbers will eventually make it to the world class … Read more…
The America’s Great Outdoors Initiative was established by Presidential Memorandum, and represents a huge push to reconnect the American people to the outdoors alongside community-level undertakings to restore and conserve outdoor areas. As climbers who use these outdoor spaces, it’s important that we get involved in and pay attention to … Read more…
Back in 2001, AAC member Dr. RJ Fleming saw a need in Nepal. Running a guide service out of Europe and Asia, RJ and his business partner, Ang Kami, saw many guiding companies addressing the environmental issues in Nepal, but did not know of any addressing the needs of the … Read more…
Below is an important message from Linda McMillan, committee chair for the AAC’s Yosemite Committee as well as a representative for the AAC on the UIAA’s Protection Commission. AAC Members, In February, we helped submit comments during the scoping period for Yosemite’s Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan. There will … Read more…
The AAC is about climbers coming together and supporting one another, and for Salavat Rakhmetov, champion Russian climber, the community has never been more needed. Last week in Turkey, Salavat was leading a pitch when a rock dislodged and came down directly on his 5-year old daughter, Zalia. She is … Read more…
We strive to be relevant to the needs of the climbing community and to individual climbers. We frequently get and read comments from members and non-members alike on various blogs, forums, events, and emails. Your ideas and your input help make us better and help us understand the ways we … Read more…
We strive to be relevant to the needs of the climbing community and to individual climbers. We frequently get and read comments from members and non-members alike on various blogs, forums, events, and emails. Your ideas and your input help make us better and help us understand the ways we … Read more…
Dear AAC friends, As conservators of the great outdoors, I imagine many of you have visited the Himalayas, reveled in its vast beauty, and enjoyed the company and hospitality of the Tibetans, Sherpa and Nepalis who live there. Despite its invaluable cultural and natural assets, many people in the Himalayas … Read more…
Dear AAC Member, I was recently working on the first volume of my new autobiography, To Be Brave, when I called the AAC Library and asked about information from Mugelnoos, the long-time newsletter of the Rock Climbing Section of the Sierra Club. I was looking for a few particularly rare … Read more…
The Mexican Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FMDMyE) is working to repair the roof of the Refugio Piedra Grande on Pico de Orizaba, which is North America’s third-highest mountain and a popular training climb for U.S. and Canadian mountaineers. The Piedra Grande hut is located at about 14,000 feet … Read more…
The deadline for electronic comments on Yosemite National Park’s proposed Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan has been extended until midnight on February 9. The previous deadline had been February 4, but the NPS experienced technical difficulties because of high volume, and some climbers’ comments were inadvertently rejected. A notice … Read more…
Mark Richey, past AAC president, and his wife, Teresa, are planning a second shipment of tents to Haitians left homeless by this month’s earthquake. The first big load of tents and other equipment will leave the Richeys’ Massachusetts woodworking business, en route to Haiti, this week. The new deadline for … Read more…