We’re stoked to celebrate our 2019 Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Inductees! These are folks who have had a significant impact on climbing history through contributions in mountain culture, environmental responsibility, and community. 

Our first inductee is climber, conservationist and author Laura Waterman, who founded The Waterman Fund grants program to support trail work, stewardship, education, and research. She’s pictured above with her late husband, Guy, in 1970. Photo: Waterman Collection.

Our next inductee is Ken Yager, a climbing guide and founder of the Yosemite Climbing Association. In 2004, he started Facelift, a non-profit responsible for removing over 1 million pounds of garbage from the park. The event continues to be the largest volunteer cleanup in park history. Photo, above, by Michael Brown.

Finally, we’re honored to present the H. Adams Carter Literary Award to Kelly Cordes. Kelly has made it his mission to maximize outdoor time. This focus strongly influences his climbing, which includes new alpine-style routes in Alaska, Peru, Patagonia and Pakistan. He’s also been known to put pen to paper, writing many climbing articles, serving as longtime editor of the AAJ, and authoring the book, “The Tower: A Chronicle of Climbing and Controversy on Cerro Torre.” Photo, below, by Kevin Cooper.

We’ll be officially inducting these amazing individuals into the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence at our Excellence in Climbing Celebration in Golden, CO on June 1—get your tickets!