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…
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…
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 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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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 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…
AAC member Ross Trainor sent us this post about his recent bear and mosquito-plagued climbing and canoeing trip in Alaska. It was curiosity that brought me into commercial fishing. Curiosity got me to Alaska, and it again made me want to venture up the Naknek River and lake to the … Read more…
Telling the stories of our members is important to us because it helps the community understand who makes up that community. Member Joe Poulton, with AAC Friend Abbey Smith, produced this stunningly-cool three part series about his experiences in Yosemite—photographing geology in ways that help YOSAR study rockfall, help climate scientists … Read more…
Telling the stories of our members is important to us because it helps the community understand who makes up that community. Member Joe Poulton, with AAC Friend Abbey Smith, produced this stunningly-cool three part series about his experiences in Yosemite—photographing geology in ways that help YOSAR study rockfall, help climate scientists … Read more…
The AAC continues to advocate on behalf of our members: Executive Director, Phil Powers and Conservation & Advocacy Director, Leigh Goldberg met with the Superintendent of Yosemite National Park last week. Expanding camping, parking and transportation options throughout the Valley, including expanding and improving amenities at Camp 4, continues to be … Read more…
The American Alpine Club has over 9,000 members worldwide and each of those members approaches climbing and time in the outdoors differently. For some it’s a career, for some a diversion, for others, an obsession. The Club’s membership spans boulderers, sport-climbers, hikers, skiers, trad-rats, scientists, big-wall aficionados, adventurers, ice-climbers, peak-baggers, … Read more…
Member and climber scientist John All wrote to us about an upcoming Peruvian expedition. The AAC is supporting a humanitarian expedition to Peru this summer that combines mountain conservation with science objectives to help protect the peaks that we all love. A small team of sixteen researchers, university students, and … Read more…
Longtime AAC Member and multiple Research Grant awardee Jon Kedrowski spoke with us about alpine research in the American West, what climbing goals mean to him, and his most recent project—bivying on the summit of each of Colorado’s 14,000′ peaks over the span of 95 days. Patience is truly a … Read more…