When Ted Eliason fell on Longs Peak’s classic Kieners Route last August, he and his then-fiancée, Kendra Thompson-Eliason (the two have since married), weren’t sure how they were going to pay for his helicopter evacuation, which totaled around $17,000. Fortunately, the Eliasons had become AAC members in March 2011—they wanted … Read more…
We were halfway down a steep 400’ gully on our way to Deer Creek—intending to walk downstream to the Ghosts (a selection of WI 3+/4 routes). The gully is a popular alternative to the steeper, more involved approach that can be made downstream of the routes. Ten years earlier, we … Read more…
A Friday gear tip for you: on Monday, Black Diamond posted a must-read QC-Lab article on the dangers of rope wear to carabiners. Recent accidents have occurred in which the worn carabiner of a fixed draw has completely severed the rope, making this too important for any climber to ignore. … Read more…
Reality: False…only 5.5% of SAR searches resulted from climbing.” Some Thursday reading for everyone: the recent issue of the Northwest Mountaineering Journal included a special feature on the stats of climbing and SAR efforts, debunking and explaining common perceptions. The article addresses charging for rescues, how most climbers call for … Read more…
Recently, AAC executive director Phil Powers received a written letter from Margot Lacey, part of July expedition to the Dolomites that ended in tragedy and a call to Global Rescue. We asked her to share her thoughts here as well, amidst what is obviously a sensitive and difficult situation, to … Read more…
When eleven men perished on the slopes of K2 in August 2008, it was one of the deadliest single events in Himalayan climbing and made headlines around the world. Yet none of the surviving western climbers could explain precisely what happened. Their memories were self-admittedly fogged by exhaustion, hypoxia, and … Read more…
“I had an accident and am returning home.” As everyone gets back to work after a holiday and starts wading through email, there are always a few that stand out and grab attention. This morning one of those few was from John Harlin, who to all of my knowledge was … Read more…
One of the most important services your pooled dues help fund is the Global Rescue service available to every member of the AAC. Immediately upon joining, members are enrolled in a Trailhead Rescue membership that provides $5,000 of coverage for any evacuation/rescue costs. Since the AAC formed a relationship with … 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…
As reported on Alpinist.com, Air Zermatt of Switzerland and Fishtail Air of Nepal are coming together this spring to put in place the first standby helicopter rescue service in the Himalaya, with one helicopter ready in the Khumbu area and a second rescue chopper on call in the Dhaulagiri region. … Read more…
Last spring AAC member and Wisconsin veterinarian Lance Fox taught 16-time Everest summiter Phurba Tashi Sherpa to deworm his 200 yaks, improving their health and increasing their yield of milk. (Fox also climbed Everest, summiting on May 21.) Encouraged by this success, Fox and Himalayan Experience leader Russell Brice are … Read more…
AAC member Lance Fox from Wisconsin climbed Mt. Everest from the Nepal side last spring, summiting on May 21. But that wasn’t his only accomplishment in the Khumbu. Along with his climbing gear, the veterinarian shipped over deworming supplies to help treat the local people’s yaks and yak hybrids. Fox … Read more…
AAC member Douglas Fields, a neuroscientist from Maryland, has published a very interesting report in the October issue of Outside magazine about studies of mountaineers’ brain scans. It’s long been known that mountaineers may experience some permanent changes in their brains—and resulting loss of function—after climbing to extremely high altitudes without … Read more…
Denali National Park mountaineering ranger Brandon Latham describes his experience working with PhuNuru Sherpa on Denali’s high-mountain climbing patrol during the month of June—a climbing exchange sponsored by the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation. The South District of Denali National Park is the starting point for most expeditions heading for Mt. … Read more…