Dear Members,

I write this looking up from the Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch at the substantial snowpack remaining from winter and spring. This will be a season with a bit of a late start, but if the weather holds it will offer great conditions for July and August.

I actually feel a little guilty using a computer while I am here at the Climbers’ Ranch; technology has only a meager presence here—a computer in the office and a couple of phone lines. Climbers who stay here spend their evenings chatting about the conditions they faced and the adventures they had during their day in the mountains, or reading and researching tomorrow’s routes in the library. One feels, when here at the base of the Tetons, a taste of the kind of community I hope we can find a way to build throughout the club.

Even here, that community is at risk to some degree. I understand that the cost of a campsite in the park is high enough that the Climbers’ Ranch has become attractive to non-climbers looking for an inexpensive option. But it is even less expensive for you, the AAC membership. So come, enjoy the mountains, enjoy the wonderful experience of the Ranch, and do your part to make sure the conversation in the cook shelter at night is alpine conversation.

Respectfully yours,

Phil Powers
Executive Director
ppowers@americanalpineclub.org


 COMMENT ON REVISED DENALI MANAGEMENT PLAN
Interested climbers have until July 15 to send comments to Denali National Park regarding the revised Draft Backcountry Management Plan that will affect the park for the next 20 years. The AAC is analyzing the almost 600-page document, and a preliminary review of the alternatives shows that most, but not all, of the climbing-specific issues have been addressed satisfactorily:

• Capacity levels for climbing Mount McKinley/Denali will be set at realistic levels, slightly above current use.
• Fixed-anchor use is managed in the way recommended by the AAC.
• Human-waste management will be enhanced, which will leave a cleaner mountain.

However, the AAC’s recommendations for safeguarding natural soundscapes and the sense of relative solitude from future degradation were not incorporated in the plan’s “preferred alternative” (Alternative 4). Alternative 4 appears to leave the park vulnerable to rapid growth in scenic flights and other motorized uses of the backcountry. Alternative 3 appears more closely aligned with the AAC’s position on climbing-specific issues, as well as protection of the natural environment from human-induced changes.

Review the plan at:: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?projectId=10016&documentID=11389. Email comments before July 15 to dena_bc_plan_comment@nps.gov, or mail them to Superintendent, Denali National Park, P.O. Box 9, Denali Park, AK 99755

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!
In what may be the ultimate “stupid climber trick,” Coloradan Rich Purnell led an overhanging mixed route in Vail with his rope on fire because…well, because he could. Purnell posed near the lip of the cave climb Quasimodo with the entire cord below him in flames, making him wish he had worn gloves so he wouldn’t char his paws as he clipped the last bolt. (One wonders if his belayer didn’t run away to cool off in the snow.) “I did it for the aesthetics and the representation of the two contrasting mediums,” Purnell explained in an email. “[In climbing] you have to come up with new ways to bring back excitement, not to mention one’s appreciation for the gear.” To see the wacky Fire & Ice photos and video clip, visit www.m9ice.com. Perhaps a new UIAA test in the works?

Photo courtesy of Scott Cramer, www.alpineadventureimages.com

CLIMBING FEES FOR FITZ ROY GROUP?
In December 2004 the National Parks Administration (APN) of Argentina approved a US$200 per person climbing fee for Cerro Fitz Roy and its outlying peaks, which include the Cerro Torre group. A strong reaction against this measure from both mountaineers and park rangers has prompted the APN to study the issue further. Now is the time to comment on the proposed fees. Patagonia veterans Rolando Garibotti and Bean Bowers argue that the fee would discriminate against climbers, which represent a tiny fraction of the visitors to this area, and that it would be ineffective in supporting rescues of climbers, which are rare and are usually performed by fellow climbers. To learn more about the issue, and to find the email addresses of key park figures (comments in English are fine), visit Rolo and Bean’s “Call to Action” at Alpinist magazine: www.alpinist.com/Call_To_Action.php.

MAKE SURE WE CAN SEND YOUR AAJ/ANAM
Don’t miss your member copies of the American Alpine Journal and Accidents in North American Mountaineering. Both books are headed to the printers, so they can be ready for distribution to AAC members around August 1. To ensure you get your copies, please make sure your membership is current and your address is correct. If you have registered for the club’s members-only web site, you can verify or change your address online at www.americanalpineclub.org. Or you can email address changes to jmanke@americanalpineclub.org or call the office at 303-384-0110.

HEAVY SNOWS IN PAKISTAN
Expeditions to Pakistan this summer can expect difficult and dangerous snow conditions, as the mountains in this area received exceptional snowfall over the winter. Greg Mortenson of the Central Asia Institute reports that at least 800 civilians and army personnel were killed by avalanches in the Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Kashmir mountains. Mortenson added that he saw more snow in Afghanistan than he had witnessed in 29 previous trips to the region since 1993. The Pakistan Meterological Department has issued a warning to mountaineers, especially around K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, G1 and G2.

In other news from Pakistan, the government agreed May 27 to continue its current policy of requiring no peak fee or liaison officer for mountains up to 6,500 meters.

NEW TITLES IN THE LIBRARY
The AAC Library continues to develop as an amazing resource for information on routes, climbing history and technique. New titles include guides to climbing in South Lake Tahoe, Snowdonia and Smith Rock; bouldering in Santa Barbara and Vedauwoo; and the life stories of New Zealander John Pasco, Brad Washburn and Mabel Cabot (a woman traveler in Tibet in the 1920s). In the DVD section, Return to Sender, Moving Faster, Cho Oyu and Pro Tips are all popular new titles. Visit www.americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/aaclibrary.asp or contact library@americanalpineclub.org.

OUTREACH EFFORTS
New AAC director Nancy Norris has taken over the club’s Outreach Committee and hopes to breathe new life into the program. “I want to work with Sections Committee Chair Charlotte Fox and each individual section chair to organize a climbing event to benefit underprivileged and troubled youth,” Norris explains. “Hopefully with our experienced section climbers we can not only instruct our youth in climbing skills but more importantly we can help them realize the importance of dreaming about the future and setting goals to achieve those dreams.” To get involved, contact Nancy at sundance2468@yahoo.com.

CLIMB IN BULGARIA
The Federation of the Bulgarian Alpine Clubs is inviting climbers to its fourth rock climbing meet among the limestone crags near Vratza, Sept. 21-25. Vratza is about 70 miles from Sofia and holds bolted and traditional routes from one to 10 pitches long. The federation hopes to attract climbers who can share information about North American climbing areas, methods and access, and who might show slides or films. Two AAC members will receive free local accommodation and travel, and the AAC’s Central Rockies Section may chip in with a small stipend. Contact Greg Sievers at gsievers57@cs.com if you’re interested in representing the AAC, or bac@netbg.com to contact the Bulgarians directly.

SEVEN SUMMITS TRAINING CAMP
Snowbird resort in Utah is planning a five-day clinic in August for rookie mountaineers with cash to burn. For a mere $8,400, Snowbird Expeditions will teach rudimentary mountain skills in a luxurious setting (gourmet meals, recovery in Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge spas, helicopter approach to basecamp and climbs, etc.) and will feature 1-to-1 guide-student ratios with courses led by some of the most experienced Himalayan mountaineers, including David Breashears, Apa Sherpa, Willie and Damian Benegas, and Amy Bullard. The first camp is Aug. 12–16; see www.snowbirdx.com for more info.

AAC JOB OPENING
The AAC is expanding membership services with a new position at its Golden, Colo., headquarters. The membership coordinator will be the primary contact person for club members and also will work on events and the annual meeting, accounting and bookkeeping, data entry and database management, statistical analysis, and office management tasks. The club is seeking an organized individual with excellent communication skills, background in Microsoft Office and databases, and, most importantly, enthusiasm for the AAC’s mission. Climbing experience and a college degree are preferred. To apply, send a resume with references and a cover letter to Jason Manke at jmanke@americanalpineclub.org or American Alpine Club, 710 10th Street, Suite 100, Golden, CO 80401.

ZACK MARTIN GRANT AWARDED
The inaugural Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant of $2,000 has been given to Rich Durnan, Danika Gilbert, Dave O’Leske, Kelsang Phuntsok and Tsening Yangdon for an expedition to explore the water-ice climbing potential of the Lachen and Yumthang areas of Sikkim. In association with the dZi Foundation and Wisdom Travels of Sikkim, the team also will design and implement an outdoor leadership program for the girls and young women of the Sikkim Happiness Home.

The Zack Martin grants, spearheaded by AAC member John Parsons in memory of the late Zack Martin, will be awarded annually to young, promising climbers to support both exploration and humanitarian service for local mountain people. For more info on these grants, visit www.americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/grants_zack_%20martin.asp.

PEAK NAMED AFTER LATE PONTIFF
Pope John Paul II may have to wait a while yet for sainthood, but he now has a mountain in Italy named after him. A 7,900-foot prominence on Gran Sasso in the Apennines, formerly called the Gendarme, was renamed John Paul II Peak in honor of the pope, who died April 2 and had always loved the mountains of this region.

NEAR MISS ON MENLUNGTSE

Longtime AAC member and past Board member Carlos Buhler attempted the unclimbed North Face of 23,500-foot Menlungtse in Tibet this spring and came away with a 31-pitch “near miss.” Buhler was making his second attempt on the face, along with Russians Yuri Koshelenko and Nikolay Totmajanin. “We gave a mighty alpine-style attempt between the 14th and 20th of May, but we turned around at about 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) when Yuri became ill,” Buhler recalled. This was all the more disappointing because the team had successfully climbed the imposing north wall of the giant peak, and they could have reached the summit and returned with only a couple of days of moderate climbing. But, Buhler reported, “In this world of almosts, near misses and “we were right theres,” it is both Yuri’s and my view that a “new route” is accomplished only when the summit is truly reached.” For more on the climb, see www.mountain.ru/eng/.

COMING EVENTS
June 24-26
British Columbia
The Petzl-Arc’teryx RocTrip brings some of the world’s best climbers and a host of Average Joes to the granite cliffs and boulders of Squamish for climbing, competitions, clinics, movies, trail work and more. See www.petzl.com/rocktripbc for details.

July 7-10
Wyoming
The 12th Annual International Climbers’ Festival features music, food, slide shows, a film festival, and great parties in downtown Lander, plus the great climbing of nearby Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris. For more info, visit www.climbersfestival.org or call 307-332-4541.

July 12
New Hampshire
Annual Cathedral Ledge Cleanup, sponsored by the Mountain Rescue Service. Meet at the Cathedral kiosk at 4 p.m.; BBQ follows.

July 22-24
Northern California
The AAC’s Sierra Nevada Section hosts the Donner Summit Climb-in. Camp on private land with an easy walk to the crags, and enjoy a party on Saturday night. Contact Ellen Lapham at elapham@aimhigh1.com.

September 9-10
Arizona
The AAC Board of Directors will meet in Flagstaff, Ariz., and host a gathering for local and traveling climbers. Watch the AAC web site for details as they are developed.

Ocotber 29
New York
Save the date for the 26th Annual Black Tie Dinner of the New York Section, held at the Union Club in Manhattan. Past attendees will receive an invitation in early September; if you have never attended, contact Phil Erard at philiperard@nysalpineclub.org to be included.

 

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