Dear Members,
I am extremely pleased to announce that we have finalized our decision to name
our much anticipated museum for Bradford Washburn. Brad is both a long-time,
venerated member of our Club and a deeply respected figure in the museum world.
Activity in recent weeks marks the beginning of museum planning and fundraising
in earnest. The museum will open in December, 2007.
Our new committee chairs are hard at work. Read below for news of the recent,
successful conservation summit led by new conservation chair and board member
Ellen Lapham of the Sierra Nevada Section. I understand that the Grand Teton
Climber's Ranch committee will be gathering during work week (June 1-5) at the
Ranch to review the mission of that committee. The section chairs are gathering
with their leader, Charlotte Fox, here in Golden on May 19 to share ideas work
with the staff to improve coordination and our ability to support them in their
work.
You may have heard that legal action has been brought against the club by
Canadian Byron Smith over the details of his record in the Himalayan Database.
The following statement has been approved by our legal team on this issue:
"The American Alpine Club is America's leading organization for climbers. The
Club's library and published works are repositories of information, by a
diversity of authors, meant to benefit climbers and historians. The Himalayan
Database, published in 2004, is the repository for information about climbs in
the Nepal Himalaya since 1905. The database records Byron Smith as successful in
his attempt on Mount Everest in 2000. The database also records disputes, made
by other climbers, to Mr. Smith's ascent."
Finally I report the bittersweet news that Lloyd Athearn will be leaving his
role as deputy director for a wonderful opportunity with the Colorado
Conservation Trust. Lloyd has served the Club with diligence and grace for
almost a decade. His contributions-most notable in the policy, conservation and
publication arenas-are lasting. I know I speak for many when I say that his
work, his perspective and his institutional memory will be missed. His last day
will be May 24.
Please join us on May 20, 6:30 p.m., at the AAC offices in Golden for a fun
little party to meet the board and bid Lloyd farewell.
Happy climbing,
Phil Powers
ppowers@americanalpineclub.org
MUSEUM TO BE NAMED FOR BRADFORD WASHBURN
Over lunch at the Washburn home near Boston, Mark Richey, former president of
the AAC, and his wife, Teresa, informed Bradford and Barbara Washburn that the
American Mountaineering Museum will be named for Mr. Washburn. The Bradford
Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, a joint venture of the AAC and the
Colorado Mountain Club, will open in Golden, Colorado, in the winter of 2008.
The museum, an affiliate site of the National Geographic Society, will detail
the history of mountaineering and the role that Americans have played in it, as
well as current achievements and issues facing climbers.
"It is a terrific honor to have the museum named after me, and I'm very grateful
to all the people who brought that about," said Washburn. "The AAC is doing a
superb job representing the interests of mountain climbers, and everyone who
cares about mountains should be a member and support the club!"
Washburn, 95, a pioneering mountain photographer and cartographer, is an
honorary member of the AAC and was for many years the director of the
prestigious Boston Museum of Science. Washburn's scale model of Mt. Everest,
which measures 14 feet square, will be a centerpiece of the new museum. The
Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum is being designed by Quatrefoil
Associates and Andrews & Anderson Architects, and will occupy 3,000 square feet
in the American Mountaineering Center. Past President Mark Richey chairs the
Museum Fundraising Committee with Honorary Chair Bob Bates.
FOUR SPITZER GRANTS ANNOUNCED
Four teams of climbers have won the AAC's Lyman Spitzer Climbing Grants for
cutting-edge climbing. The expeditions will split $12,000 in cash and $10,000
worth of equipment donated by Cascade Designs, makers of MSR, SealLine and
Therm-a-Rest.
* Mike Schaefer, Micah Dash and Eric Decaria will make an alpine-style attempt
on the direct east face of Uli Biaho in Pakistan, after pioneering a 2,000-foot
wall just to reach the base of their main objective.
* Josh Wharton and Kelly Cordes will tackle the 5,000-foot north ridge of
Pakistan's Shingu Charpa, a stunning line that has seen several attempts in
recent years.
* Mike and Andy Libecki will explore and climb in remote valleys of
Uzbekistan, where photos of the unclimbed granite walls and pyramids caused
Libecki to exclaim, "God must have created this part of the planet just for
obsessed climbers.
* Will Mayo and Canadian Maxime Turgeon will attempt an unclimbed line on the
south face of Mt. Foraker in Alaska.
To get more information or to apply for the annual Spitzer grants, visit
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/grants.asp.
BREAKING BARRIERS GRANT FUNDS PERUVIAN EXPEDITION
The 2006 Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Award is going to Adam French to support
a climb and humanitarian objectives in Peru. French and his team will attempt
the second ascent of the East Ridge of 20,976-foot Huantsan in the southern
Cordillera Blanca. The team's humanitarian mission is titled "Water Is Life."
French and team will install effective composting toilets in Huascaran National
Park, where they will immediately improve water quality, not only in the park
but also in the streams and rivers below the park. The Breaking Barriers Award
was established in honor of Zack Martin, a young climber who tragically killed
in a car accident in 2002. The grant aims to further Martin's vision of making a
positive impact on the communities that climbers frequent. For more info on the
program, visit http://www.americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/grants.asp.
CONSERVATION SUMMIT
As was reported in earlier issues of this e-news, the board asked that
interested members of the club convene to discuss our conservation mission. It
was thought that the current mission-"...the conservation and preservation of
the mountain environment..."-was too broad.
Our goal is to write a more focused mission statement for the conservation
committee. The first step was the Conservation Summit held here in Golden on
April 21, the day before Earth Day, 2006.
In attendance were seventeen members of the club including the new chair of the
conservation committee, Ellen Lapham of the Sierra Nevada Section.
We were mindful that the club does work or has committees that initiate activity
in several, often closely related arenas: conservation, public and governmental
policy, research and sections. We limited our discussion narrowly to
conservation.
Process
Ellen will be working to further populate the committee and develop the thinking
around a mission statement. She will deliver a progress report to the board at
the May 20 meeting here in Golden.
LIBRARY ARCHIVES PHOTO COLLECTIONS
The AAC's Henry S. Hall Jr. Library has completed work, funded by a grant from
the National Endowment for the Humanities, to assess and preserve its photo
collections. The project identified dozens of discrete Collections-Bradford
Washburn, Howard Palmer, Hassler Whitney and Allan Carpé are all represented, as
are photographers Ansel Adams, Vittorio Sella and Elizabeth Cowles. In addition,
more than 3,000 historical images of mountain regions were organized and housed
in archival containers. An
inventory of the portrait collection is complete, with others to follow.
The project was managed by Library Director Bridget Burke and Museum Collections
Coordinator Kath Pyke, with enormous contributions from volunteers Pat Wallace
and Bill Jackson. The next step is to secure funds to digitize these
collections. The new AAC website, slated to premier in May, will feature some
samples.
DIRECT BECKEY UPDATE
Fred Beckey departed for China on April 26th where he and a small team will
attempt to climb an unclimbed peak which Fred has had his eye on for many years.
This expedition will be filmed and included in a feature length documentary
about Fred's extraordinary life. Thank you to all of the American Alpine Club
members who have supported the initial phase of the documentary film on the life
of Fred Beckey.
Tax-deductible donations will continue to be collected through the AAC towards
the total production costs of this film project, please visit:
www.americanalpineclub.org and click on "Make a Donation" to contribute to the
project. Thank you for your continued support in documenting the life of one of
the world's true great mountaineers.
RANGER MIKE'S RAINIER BLOG
Mike Gauthier, the Mt. Rainier National Park supervisory climbing ranger and
guidebook author, has launched an informative blog covering his office-the
highest peak in the Pacific Northwest. Gauthier packs his web pages with the
latest route conditions, accident and trip reports, permit info, and updates
from the National Park Service, plus lots of great photos. Check it out at
http://mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com.
AAC TO HELP WITH PYRAMID PEAK TRAILWORK
The Central Rockies Section of the AAC is seeking six hearty volunteers for
high-altitude trail and restoration work on 14,018-foot Pyramid Peak in
Colorado's Elk Mountains. The project runs Friday afternoon through Sunday
afternoon, August 25-27. The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative will provide food,
water, instruction, safety equipment, and tools for the project; volunteers
provide their own backpacking and camping gear. Each AAC volunteer will get a
club T-shirt and embroidered zip shirt. Contact Del Rae Heiser at 303-996-2755
for more info or to volunteer.
REVISIT VINSON ON 40TH ANNIVERSARY
The 40th anniversary of the first ascent of Vinson Massif, the highest peak in
Antarctica, is December 18, and Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions is organizing
a special trip to celebrate. The 16,050-foot peak was pioneered by an American
Alpine Club-sponsored team led by Nick Clinch. Antarctic Logistics (owner of
Adventure Network International) has invited several veterans of that expedition
to revisit the mountain, and is extending a discount of about 15 percent on its
normal fee for a Vinson expedition to all AAC members. Proposed dates for the
AAC trip are December 19-29, 2006. For details, visit:
http://www.adventurenetwork.com/display.asp?navid=1&id=51
INFO SOUGHT FOR TORRES DEL PAINE GUIDEBOOK
Steve Schneider is gathering information for a guidebook to the striking rock
formations of the Torres del Paine area of Chile. If you have new-route
information or access to info about undocumented climbs, contact Schneider at
blondeshipoopi@yahoo.com .
YOSEMITE CLIMBING RANGER MOVING ON
Lincoln Else, seasonal climbing ranger in Yosemite National Park for the past
five summers, will not be returning to full-time work in the park this year.
Whether it was serving up free Sunday morning coffee in Camp 4 (sponsored by the
AAC) or working on dangerous big-wall rescues, Else earned the respect of
climbers for his ability to walk the talk at the same time he gently but firmly
enforced Yosemite's wilderness rules. He will spend this spring and early summer
training the new climbing ranger, Jesse McGahey (also a highly experienced and
well-liked climber), and doing other work in the park. "After that, I've got a
handful of writing/photo/film projects I'd like to finally tackle, as well as a
handful of unfinished climbing goals to deal with," he said in an email. "I
haven't written off Yosemite (or the NPS) entirely; I just need to take a break
and explore some other things."
SKIING THE COLORADO 14'ERS IN A SINGLE SEASON
Fans of ski mountaineering and Colorado's high peaks should check out Chris
Davenport's Ski the Fourteeners website. Davenport, an extreme skier from Aspen,
is attempting to ski from the summit of all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks
in a single season. Only one person, Lou Dawson, author of the AAC historical
guide to North American ski mountaineering, Wild Snow, has skied all of these
peaks from their summits, and he needed more than a decade to do it. As of April
26, Davenport had skied 28 of the 54 peaks and had made some wild first descents
and rare repeats. The website is packed with photos and compelling trip reports;
check it out at www.skithe14ers.com.
YOUTH CLIMBING CAMP IN ROMANIA
The Romanian Mountain Club invites climbers age 17 to 25 to a week-long
international camp at Bicaz Gorges National Park in the Carpathian Mountains,
August 5-12. More than 200 routes up to 15 pitches long ascend these limestone
walls. Room, board, local transportation, and all events cost only 200 euros.
Contact Constantin Lacatusu, office@mountain.ro or 011-40-744-913-941.
SAVE THE DATE FOR WILDERNESS RISK CONFERENCE
High-altitude research pioneer Dr. Charles Houston will be the keynote speaker
at the 13th annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference in Killington, Vermont,
October 27-29. The conference will feature more than 40 presentations and
workshops on training, risk management and other issues facing outdoor educators
and adventure professionals. More information and registration forms at
http://www.nols.edu/wrmc/index.shtml.
SKI MOUNTAINEERING AMERICA'S CUP
The first America's Cup of ski mountaineering sent racers up and down Jackson
Hole resort in late March. Pete Swenson of Boulder, Colorado, finished the
6,100-vertical-foot climb and 4,000-foot descent in just over two hours for the
men's victory, less than three minutes ahead of second-place Cary Smith of
Jackson Hole. The women's race was even closer, as Jeannie Wall of Bozeman,
Utah, out-fought Monique Merrill of Breckenridge, Colorado, to win by less than
two minutes. The uphill section of the course climbed up the famed Corbett's
Couloir at Jackson Hole, finishing on a vertical ladder that breached the
cornice. The Mountain Hardwear Life-Link/Dynafit Ski Mountaineering America's
Cup was the seventh and final race in the 2006 Randonee Rally series, which
spanned North America.
MEMBERS HEADED TO BMC MEET IN WALES
David Lew and Chris Weidner will represent the AAC at the British Mountaineering
Council's International Summer Rock Climbing Meet in North Wales, May 7-14. Lew,
25, is a meteorological engineer and owner/guide of The Outdoor Company in Oak
Ridge, Tennessee. Weidner, 31, is a climbing guide and personal trainer from
Colorado who has done a number of first ascents in the Bugaboos. Watch for a
report from the BMC meet in June.
SAVE THE DATE FOR 2007 MOUNTAIN FEST
The 2007 AAC Mountain Fest and annual meeting will be March 30-April 1 in Bend,
Oregon, close to the superb rock climbs of Smith Rock and the backcountry skiing
and climbing in the Cascades. Reserve a room at the Riverhouse hotel and request
an AAC rate as low as $72 a night: 1-800-547-3928.
COMING EVENTS
May 5
Colorado
The Colorado Fourteneers Initiative hosts its annual Fiesta for the Peaks
fund-raiser at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden. Feature
presentation by Eric Alexander, silent auction, food, drink and live music. Info
or tickets: 303-996-2757.
May 6
West Virginia
Cinco de Mayo Festival at Seneca Rocks, featuring the "Salsa Showdown," at the
Gendarme climbing store. Info: www.seneca-rocks.com/website/article.asp?id=441.
May 11
Colorado
AAC Spring Bash at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, featuring a
slideshow by Corey Rich with photos from his new book My Favorite Places, plus
music, food, and self-rescue clinics. RSVP to 303-384-0110, ext. 11.
May 12-14
Oregon
HERA Ovarian Cancer Climb for Life will hold a fund-raising climbing festival
over Mother's Day weekend at Smith Rock. Info and registration at
www.climb4lifesmith.kintera.org.
May 20
Colorado
AAC Board of Directors meeting at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden.
All are welcome at the meeting (8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and informal social hour
immediately afterward.
May 26-29
Colorado
The 28th annual Mountain Film festival in Telluride. Info: www.mountainfilm.org.
May 31-June 4
Colorado
The Teva Mountain Games at Vail features climbing, kayaking, trail running and
many other competitions, clinics and events. www.tevamountaingames.com.
July 5-9
Wyoming
13th annual International Climbers Festival in Lander: slideshows, clinics,
parties and climbing. www.climbersfestival.org.
E-NEWS POLICIES
In order to protect the interests of our subscribers, we have established the
following E-News policies.
The AAC office in Golden is the only source of outgoing messages to subscribers;
recipients cannot respond to or initiate messages to the list. The AAC will not
sell member e-mail addresses to anyone for any purpose and will have no
commercial advertising of any kind in E-News.
Send comments, suggestions or news items to dougald5@comcast.net .
If you know an AAC member who isn't receiving the E-News, it's probably because
the AAC does not have his or her email address. New addresses or address changes
should be sent to getinfo@americanalpineclub.org .
