The Wednesday roundup of climbing blogs, climbers and expeditions worth your reading time: this week we’ve got an office-staff favorite (thanks Dana!), a blog of one of our partners, and one from two of our hard-pulling members (and we know more of you are out there! Send what you’re doing, … Read more…
Welcome to this Wednesday’s roundup of blogs and climbing sites we’re digging lately here in the AAC office. As always, let us know what you think in the comments, or point us toward ones deserving of a mention. For now, let’s get to it: 1. http://verticalcarnival.blogspot.com/ Full of stunningly well … Read more…
Just about every day I stumble upon a new climbing blog or expedition report, or some other venue online where climbers are doing major things and reporting in on their progress. Many of the ones that come through the AAC office are from grant winners, attempting big routes with AAC … 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…
We’d love to point you over to a film project in the works by Oakley Anderson-Moore, “The Last Wild Mountain: Portrait of the American Climber.” Oakley and her team have spent the last three years traveling around the country interviewing climbers– young, old, big name and everyday– to gather the … Read more…
The AAC can nominate two US climbers to take part in the First International “Trad” Climbing Meeting, organized by the Club Alpino Accademico Italiano (CAAI, a national section of Club Alpino Italiano). The deadline is June 14, so we need you to act quickly to represent the AAC in Italy. … Read more…
We celebrate climbing every day – from the Alpinist to the local boulderer, from the “accomplished” veterans that inspire us all to the young up-and-coming climbers setting new standards. One of the greatest resources of the AAC (not to toot our own horn) is the access to the history of … Read more…
Terror Peak is an imposing hunk of granite just south of Milford Sound, New Zealand. It is fairly remote, and was only first climbed in 2008. The first ascent was done by Hugh Barnard and Martin Wilson with their route War on Terror, grade 21/10d. My partner, Nick Flyvberg and … Read more…
When I received my invite to the AAC Annual Dinner, my initial thought was, “Do I belong?” I was under the impression that I had no place attending a fancy dinner with some old crusty climbers. Then I started thinking about what it would mean to be in a room … Read more…
In this post back in September , we let you know about Majka Burhardt’s film project, “WayPoint Namibia.” The film is now officially out on DVD, so check it out when you get a chance. The bonus? 5% of your purchase of “WayPoint Namibia” will be donated to the Integrated … Read more…
As reported on Climbing Narc, Erik Weihenmayer recently teamed up with Charley Mace and Access Fund Executive Director Brady Robinson to accomplish his hardest route to date: The Naked Edge (5.11b) in Eldorado Canyon, CO. Props to Cedar Wright and film crew for filming the seven pitches of sustained 5.11 … Read more…
Salt Lake City photographer Nathan Smith shot portraits of dozens of climbers at the 2009 Craggin’ Classic in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Know everyone here? The person who emails Smith with the most complete list of names of these climbers, in order, will win an 8 x 10 print of his … Read more…
A while back, we reported on the Afghan team attempting to climb their country’s highest peak, Noshaq. Check out the video below for the story of their expedition and summit celebration. Congratulations to this team on a very important climb for the country of Afghanistan. http://www.france24.com/en/20091006-summit-hope-afghanistan-rock-climbing-whakan-mountain-expedition
A small American-Scottish expedition backed by a Lyman Spitzer Cutting-Edge Award from the AAC has made significant climbs on the Chinese side of the Tien Shan. Americans Kyle Dempster and Jared Vilhauer, sponsored by the 2009 Spitzer grant, along with American Jed Brown and Scotsman Bruce Normand, scored several new … Read more…
AAC Mountain Fellowship winner Aaron Jones had an eye-opening trip to the Bugaboos in August. Aaron bagged seven summits, but still didn’t achieve his complete goals. But bear in mind: His goals were extremely ambitious! Read his full report here. Mountain Fellowships are awarded twice a year to climbers 25 … Read more…
In 2007, a group of American Alpine Club women planned to travel to Pakistan to help organize and teach a Pakistani Women’s Climbing Camp, in conjunction with the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP). That plan was postponed in the wake of the violent siege of the Red Mosque in Islamabad … Read more…
It’s not always what the pros are doing that inspires the rest of us. Last weekend, AAC member Adam McFarren (also a valued volunteer in the AAC library) sent a recap of his ascent of the north ridge of Spearhead, a classic route in Rocky Mountain National Park that sits … Read more…
The Denali Overflights Council has produced a set of voluntary “best practices” for air tour operators in Denali National Park, designed to reduce the noise impacts of airplanes in the park. Charlie Sassara, past treasurer and board member of the American Alpine Club, is representing mountaineers on the council, which … Read more…
The fourth edition of the Alpine Briefs has been published. The Alpine Briefs is an (ir)regular newsletter from the editors of the American Alpine Journal. The new edition features climbs in the Cascades, Southeast Alaska, and Pakistan, a stunning photo from Patagonia, videos from new routes in Alaska, and much … Read more…
The Incredible Hulk – Solar Flare from Jeffery Morse on Vimeo. Shot by Jim Surrette.
Mountain Fellowship winner Blake Herrington reports on his recent run of big new rock climbs in Alaska. On July 9, Jason Nelson and I caught a helicopter from Juneau to the Mendenhall Glacier’s upper reaches, intending to climb new routes among the Taku or Mendenhall towers. Jason is from Ouray, … Read more…
Two trip reports from successful expeditions by AAC grant recipients have been posted at www.AmericanAlpineClub.org. Joe Puryear, winner of a 2009 Lyman Spitzer Cutting-Edge Award, has posted a profusely illustrated account of his first ascent of 6,778-meter Jobo Rinjang in Nepal with David Gottlieb in April. And Mountain Fellowship winner … Read more…
Seizing the day during a window of high pressure, AAC member Dave Burdick and partner John Frieh snagged the first ascent of the beautiful west ridge of Burkett Needle in southeast Alaska during a three-day round trip from the airport. After a helicopter approach and hike to high camp, they … Read more…
Noshaq, the highest peak of Afghanistan (7,492 meters; 24,580 feet), has never been climbed by any Afghan citizen…but that may soon change. Four Afghan climbers originating from the Wakhan valley joined a mountaineering course in the Alps last month, and are now poised to climb Noshaq. Their goal is to … Read more…
What’s left to do in Alaska after 28 climbing trips in 24 separate years? For AAC treasurer Jack Tackle, along with longtime member Jay Smith (himself a veteran of many Alaska Range new routes), what’s left was four new routes in two and a half weeks. Tackle said this blitzkrieg … Read more…