Dechristo Posted March 28, 2006 Posted March 28, 2006 Dear Members, I don't think I have shared with you the wonderful experience I had in February at the Cody Ice Festival. The Festival has grown over the years but remains small enough for one to meet every participant during the weekend. I gave a presentation on Saturday night to a number just shy of 100. Despite its small size, it is well attended by vendors and there is plenty of gear to test. It happens every year over President's weekend-pencil it in for next year and I will see you there. Nigel Gregory and Jim Donini just returned from the Red Rock Rendezvous-another of the many climbing events worth attending. According to Nigel, there was a little wind on Saturday, which separated the good, mountain borne campers from the rest. If you were there, please let me know how our representatives fared. As we move towards fiscal 2007, the staff and I are investigating ways that the club can become more efficient. If you are reading this, you already participate in the efficiency of electronic communication. Please do your part by inquiring with your fellow members as to whether they are receiving e-news. A simple call to the office to update an e-mail address is all that is needed if they are not-and we never share e-mail addresses. Another efficiency success was this week's installation of better Spam filtering system on the Club's e-network. If you feel our new filter has grabbed one of your notes to us, let us know. And finally, we have produced a new brochure and I am proud of the way it portrays the Club. If you have a friend who should be a member, let us know and we will send one out. Next week brings daylight savings time and more climbing for us all. Yours, Phil Powers Executive Director ppowers@americanalpineclub.org AAC HONORED BY CLIMBING MAGAZINE The AAC has received Climbing magazine's annual Golden Piton Award for service to the climbing community, in honor of its decisive response to victims of the October 8 earthquake in Asia. The AAC and its affiliates shipped 20 tons of gear and supplies to Pakistan and raised more than $100,000 for earthquake relief (including $30,000 directly from members). The Golden Pitons, most of which celebrate the year's top climbing achievements, are featured in Climbing's April 2006 edition (No. 247). Past winners of the "Service" category include Sean Patrick, founder of the HERA Ovarian Cancer Climb for Life; Peter Metcalf, CEO of Black Diamond and wilderness activist; and Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asia Institute. For updates on the AAC's efforts in Pakistan, visit http://americanalpineclub.org/pakistanrelief.asp. MORTENSON BOOK IS HOT TITLE Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asia Institute and winner of the AAC's David Brower Conservation Award, is the man of the hour this month. His new book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations, One School at a Time, written with David Oliver Relin, has made best-seller lists around the country and has been featured on numerous national TV shows. The book tells the story of Mortenson's ongoing campaign, starting with zero funding in 1993, to build schools in the mountainous regions of Central Asia; so far, his organization has created 55 schools. Mortenson is doing a book tour; see www.threecupsoftea.com for a date when he may be speaking near you. AAC CONSERVATION SUMMIT PLANNED On April 21, AAC conservation committee members, board members, interested club members and key advisers from the outdoor industry and environmental nonprofits will gather in Golden to debate the club's conservation mission. Currently, the portion of the AAC's mission that pertains to conservation reads: "...the Club is dedicated to... the conservation and preservation of the mountain environment...." On the recommendation of the international and domestic conservation committees, the board has endorsed a process that will narrow this rather broad statement. The eventual goal is to create a comprehensive strategy that will establish the AAC as a leader in a conservation arena tightly aligned with its overall mission. This is a rare opportunity to participate in guiding the direction of the Club and building momentum for our conservation work. If you have not already responded, please RSVP to Tara Skredynski at tskredynski@americanalpineclub.org . Agenda and other details will be sent to those who are coming KYRGYZSTAN MAP WINS NATIONAL AWARD Kyrgyzstan: A Climber's Map and Guide, an insert in last year's American Alpine Journal, has received an honorable mention in the 33rd annual ACSM-CaGIS Map Design Competition, the most prestigious awards for mapmakers in the country. The 27-inch by 18-inch map was designed and created by Martin Gamache of the Alpine Mapping Guild (www.alpinemapguild.com), with text by Garth Willis (www.alpinefund.org). The map is available for purchase ($12) at http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=647. POWERS ESSAY TO AIR ON NPR AAC Executive Director Phil Powers draws on his lifelong experience as a mountaineer in a "This I Believe" essay that will air April 3 on NPR's "All Things Considered program." The 3-minute "This I Believe" essays are contributed by people from all walks of life. Powers' piece describes what he has learned about pace in the mountains and how that helps him in other aspects of his life. A quote: "When I was 19, I learned something called the rest step from an old mountain climber named Paul Petzoldt. He advised me to rest in the middle of each step-completely but briefly.... The awareness of pace I owe to my teacher has served me whether I am seeking the world's highest summits, sharing my love for the mountains with others, or kneeling to look my son, Gus, in the eye when he has a question. You can read the entire essay after April 3 by visiting http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138. GET PSYCHOVERTICAL WITH ALPINIST ANDY KIRKPATRICK British mountaineer Andy Kirkpatrick has created one of the web's best resources for real-world advice on gear and technique for serious climbers. Kirkpatrick specializes in winter climbs in the Alps, Patagonia and Alaska-environments that sort out textbook advice and catalog copy from what really works. He gives good advice on bivouac techniques, climbing as a party of three, hauling a pack, rappel anchors, eating at altitude and a whole lot more. Check it out at www.psychovertical.com. YOUTH CLIMBING FESTIVAL IN RUSSIA Climbers age 18 to 25 are invited to attend the International Youth Rock Climbing Festival Europe-Asia this summer in the Ural Mountains and Siberia. The two-week festival (July 14-Aug. 2, 2006) offers climbing at numerous different sites, rafting, educational opportunities and the chance to make friends from all over the world. The program includes all meals and camping or refuge lodging for just 250 euros. Registration is due by May 31. For information or an application, contact Vitaly Primerov at the Children's Olympic Reserve School of Mountaineering Sports in Ekaterinburg, Russia: 011-7-343-212-7677; email vprimerov@mail.ru . LAST CHANCE FOR SPRING GRANTS April 3rd is the application deadline for two AAC grant programs: the Mountaineering Fellowship Fund and the Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant. The Mountaineering Fellowship Fund provides grants to climbers 25 and younger for ambitious climbing adventures they might not otherwise be able to afford. The Zack Martin grant offers $2,500 to support climbing expeditions that have a strong humanitarian purpose as well as climbing objectives. For information on applying to either program, visit http://americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/grants.asp. AMGA SEEKING PROGRAM DIRECTOR The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) seeks a full-time program director, based in Boulder, Colorado. The program director is responsible for coordinating, marketing and managing all AMGA field programs. Experience in the climbing, guiding and/or general outdoor industry is required, along with strong communication and organizational skills. Contact Mike Alkaitis, executive director, at mike@amga.com ; application deadline is March 31. CLIMBER COMMENTS NEEDED TO REOPEN CITY OF ROCKS' TWIN SISTERS The City of Rocks National Reserve has begun revising its 1998 Climbing Management Plan. However, according to an Access Fund memo, the National Park Service has already "consented to the continued permanent closure of Twin Sisters to technical climbing," despite several less-restrictive management alternatives supported by the entire Idaho congressional delegation, local residents and the climbing community. In order to reclaim at least some climbing at Twin Sisters, climbers need to ask the National Park Service to expand the narrow scope of the planned revision and to add an alternative that provides some climbing on Twin Sisters. Send comments by March 31 to Wallace Keck, Superintendent, City of Rocks National Reserve, P.O. Box 169, Almo, ID 83312; fax 208-824-5563; email Wallace_Keck@partner.nps.gov . For more information, visit www.accessfund.org/pubs/en/e-news65.htm#_Climber_Comments_Needed_1. WORK WITH OUTWARD BOUND Do you-or someone you know-want to spend the summer outdoors in the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra or Oregon? Outward Bound Wilderness is hiring instructors for its summer season, particularly people with mountaineering and/or river rafting skills. To find out more or download an application, visit www.outwardboundwilderness.com/field_jobs.html. COMING EVENTS April 1 Illinois The AAC Midwest Section and the Chicago Mountaineering Club hold their annual dinner, with special guest Phil Powers speaking on climbs in Alaska, Wyoming and Pakistan. The dinner is at the Chicago Yacht Club's Monroe Street location. For more info or tickets, visit www.cmcwebsite.org or email section chair Ben Kweton at ben_kweton@yahoo.com . April 4 Alaska Ralph Baldwin presents a show on climbing in the Rwenzori Range, including an ascent of Mt. Stanley, at the BP Energy Center, 900 E. Benson, in Anchorage. Contact Harry Hunt at hohunt@gci.net. April 15-17 Colorado Alpine ace and impresario Jonny Copp organizes the second annual Boulder Adventure Film Festival and Dirt Days: movies, mountain-sports challenges, environmental education and more. See www.boulderadventurefilm.com. April 21 Colorado AAC Conservation Summit, an all-day meeting designed to hone the club's mission statement regarding mountain conservation. Meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden. Info: ppowers@americanalpineclub.org . April 29 California "Monumental," the award-winning documentary film about David Brower, will be screened at 7:30 p.m. in Yosemite Valley's West Auditorium, preceded by a 6 p.m. reception hosted by the Sierra Nevada section. See www.loteriafilms.org for more about the film. Questions? Contact Sierra Nevada Section Chair Ellen Lapham at elapham@aimhigh1.com . 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. 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. Quote
cj001f Posted March 28, 2006 Posted March 28, 2006 Is the Kyrgyzstan map an insert for the retail Journal as well? Or was it bundled like that historical climbing schtick? Quote
Dechristo Posted March 28, 2006 Author Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) To my knowledge the map is not included as an insert in any AAC retail product (I sure as hell didn't receive it). From the Mountaineers Books page: _____________________________________________________________ Kyrgyzstan offers three unsullied mountain ranges to explore and conquer. This map includes them all * Peaks for the Western Kokshaal-Too, Ala-Archa and Karashvin mountain ranges included * No other climbing map to Kyrgyzstan available * Full color, topographic maps of the three ranges * Brief descriptions also included ____________________________________________________________ Edited March 28, 2006 by Dechristo Quote
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