Dear Members,

I am writing from Salt Lake City where I am attending the Outdoor Retailers Winter Show and visiting with our corporate partners who are so very important to our Club. They are listed in each and every issue of the News and e-news and I hope you consider spending your dollars with them when you are in need of gear for that next adventure.

 I am inspired by the superlative effort of Sallie Dean Shatz and Danika Gilbert. They have been in Pakistan for ten days working with the Alpine Club of Pakistan to further the distribution of the material that so many of you helped send to that devastated land. Please check our website for updates or visit www.salliedeanshatz.com to view photos of this effort as it happens.  Also, the Club has just sent another 12 tons of relief supplies through the efforts of its members in Seattle.  Thank you to all the volunteers involved.

 Finally, airfares to the Boston area remain reasonable. If you haven’t arranged to come to the annual meeting, please consider joining us. It is not too late. We have added a Saturday morning session with new films by Charlie Houston, “The Brotherhood of the Rope,” and Jennifer Tennican, “Benedictus.”

 I look forward to seeing you in New Hampshire.

 Warmly,

Phil Powers
Executive Director
ppowers@americanalpineclub.org


 NORTHWEST SECTIONS LEAD EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

The AAC’s Cascades and Oregon sections have continued efforts to collect money and equipment for the relief of earthquake victims in Pakistan. More than $45,000 was raised in the Seattle area, and local climbers held a Pakistan Relief Packing Party on Dec. 30 and 31; more than 80 volunteers packed thousands of pieces of cold-weather gear. With support from REI, Arc’teryx, Feathered Friends and many other companies, volunteers readied more than 3,000 jackets, sleeping bags, blankets, tents and vests for shipping; these items are expected to reach Pakistan by February. You can find more info at www.climbersactionnetwork.org/pakistan.

In Oregon, AAC members and Cascade Mountain Film are organizing “Earthquake Village,“ a one-night film festival on Feb. 8 (6:30 p.m. at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland). All proceeds will benefit reconstruction in the village of Kohori in Pakistani Kashmir. For details, see www.cascademountainfilm.org.

The AAC’s relief efforts in Pakistan are being managed through a partnership with the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP). Manzoor Hussain, executive vice president of the ACP, wrote recently and said, in part:

“I take this opportunity to thank the American Alpine Club for your efforts in collecting and dispatching the large amount of Relief Material for our 8th October earthquake victims. I wish to thank all the donors for their compassion and expression of solidarity with the survivors of the devastating earthquake.”

Hussain invited AAC members to visit the APC website at www.alpineclub.org.pk for reports on relief progress. In addition, AAC members Sallie Shatz and Danika Gilbert currently are in Pakistan working on distribution of supplies, and they are filing occasional reports at http://www.americanalpineclub.org/pakistanrelief.asp.

HUASCARAN NATIONAL PARK VISITOR USE REGULATIONS IN LIMBO

Several climbers have contacted the Club regarding the status of new visitor use regulations adopted by Huascaran National Park in Peru. While the situation is muddied by actions behind the scenes, climbers planning to visit the Cordillera Blanca this summer should proceed with their plans since the regulations and their enforcement are almost assuredly not going to be in place this season.

Park Superintendent Juan Carlos Castro reportedly was removed recently due to public discontent over management contracts for administering different regions of the Park. Removal of the Park head has set back implementation of the plan and its visitor use regulations. Additionally, the outcry from climbers worldwide caused some backpedaling by the Park about what the plan says and whether some of the visitor use provisions should be reevaluated.

The AAC put forward a motion that was adopted at the October UIAA General Assembly meeting in Singapore calling upon Huascaran National Park and INRENA (the Peruvian environmental agency) to work closely with the Peruvian Mountaineering Federation and climbing organizations worldwide to establish policies and use regulations that are “fair and beneficial to both local and visiting climbers, environmental concerns and the local guiding agencies.” President Mark Richey and local conservation committee member Jim Bartle have asked for a meeting between Huascaran National Park and INRENA officials, the Peruvian Mountaineering Federation and the AAC to rewrite the visitor use regulations governing climbing.

We continue to work closely with our contacts in Peru regarding how best to influence this policy, and we will provide updates as they are available in both the E-News and AAN.

"MY BEST DAY" IN 2005 

We asked AAC members to share stories of their best days of climbing in 2005. Here are three of their tales:

John Fitzgerald, Virginia

This April, I flew in to the Tokositna intending to climb the Harvard Route on Mt. Huntington. After waiting out a week of weather, we started up. My partner seemed quiet and not as amped as I was. A thousand feet above camp, at the start of the "real" climbing,

I heard words that no climber wants to hear from a partner: “John, I want to go down.” Conditions were great, and the weather was spectacular. I pondered soloing the route, but then the mountain gods smiled upon me and two other climbers appeared behind us: Coley Gentzel and Seth Hobby. So I asked them if I could hitchhike on an Alaskan grade 5! The idea of climbing a technical route as a party of three weighed on all of our minds, but these guys told me to hop aboard. We moved smoothly up the mixed terrain without a hitch—the route was spectacular, and my partners were everything you would want. As a buddy later told me, “You should be making some big contributions to the alpine karma bank, because summiting Huntington first-try probably drained your account.”

Barbara Gurtler, Illinois

My best day in 2005 was summiting Carstensz Pyramid in Irian Jaya. In the several days our climbing team was in Indonesia, clear nights and mornings were a rare commodity, but in the predawn and early-morning hours this day the weather was perfect. However, after a few moments on the summit the weather changed, first to sleet and then to rain. Being soaked to the bone and cold did not dampen my joy for having at last summited this elusive mountain.
 

Gary Giss, Arizona

My best day was summiting an 8,000-meter peak. I have been a rock climber, off and on, since I was age 16. When I turned 30 in 2000, I decided to try my hand at mountaineering. I flew down to Ecuador alone and hired a local guide to teach me some high-altitude mountaineering. After returning from that trip, I worked to make the dream of climbing a Himalayan peak come true. With very, very little mountaineering experience, I signed up for an expedition to Cho Oyu in Tibet with Eric Simonson and International Mountain Guides.

To pay for the six-week expedition, I worked two jobs and averaged about 70 to 80 hours per week for a year and a half. Then I traded the 100-degree heat of the Phoenix summer for the freezing temperatures of the Himalayas. My fellow expedition members all had a lot more experience; I think at first they thought I was not very realistic. Nonetheless, after a month of what was the most physically and psychologically demanding endeavor of my life, I stood on the summit of Cho Oyu on September 25, a beautifully clear morning.

 The E-News always welcomes AAC members’ accounts of great days of climbing. Please send trip reports to dougald5@comcast.net.

YOUTH GRANTS ANNOUNCED

The first round of 2006 Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grants has been announced. The recipients are: Michael Buchanan (21), $800 from the John R. Hudson Fund for new routes in the Ruth Gorge, Alaska; Adam Fruh (22) and Aaron Thrasher (20), $900 each for a first ascent on the South Face of Kichatna Spire, Alaska; and Jamie Laidlaw (25), $500 from the REI Challenge Fund for a new route on Nuptse East, followed by a ski descent of the same and a ski descent of Lhotse Couloir. Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grants enable climbers 25 or younger to seek out more challenging and remote objectives than they might otherwise be able to afford.

Applications are due March 1 for many of the AAC’s other grant programs, including the Lyman Spitzer Climbing Grants for cutting-edge ascents, Research Grants, the Scott Fischer Memorial Conservation Grant and the Zack Martin Breaking Barriers Grant. Application information can be found at www.americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/grants.asp.

ALIEN CAMS RECALLED

Colorado Custom Hardware has recalled some of its popular Alien camming devices because of issues with the brazing. The units in question are marked with a small center-punch dimple at the base of the round ball where the axle goes through the cable eye (see photo). Although few failures have been reported, CCH recommends immediately discontinuing the use of any Alien cams with this mark. Please return them to CCH for a free replacement:

Colorado Custom Hardware Inc.
ATTN: Brazing Recall
115 Lyon St.
Laramie, WY 82072

LAST CALL FOR NEW ROUTES IN THE 2006 AAJ

It’s not too late to get your prized new route into the 2006 American Alpine Journal. If your big new route (“big” = at least a Grade IV, full day of climbing) hasn't made its way to the AAJ's editors, please send a short report immediately (“short” = 500 words or less). Find the AAJ's submission guidelines at www.americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/aaj.asp, or write to aaj@americanalpineclub.org.

AMPUTEE NAWANG SHERPA WILL ATTEMPT CHO OYU

Nawang Sherpa will attempt 8,201-meter Cho Oyu with the AAC-sponsored Friendship Beyond Borders expedition this spring, led by Tom McMillan. In May 2004, the trans-tibial amputee summited Mt. Everest with the Friendship Beyond Borders team. Nawang Sherpa lost his leg in a motorcycle accident and will test new-generation prosthetic equipment on Cho Oyu. The expedition departs in early April. To learn more or to make a tax-deductible contribution, visit http://www.friendshipbeyondborders.com/.

SPECIAL GUESTS AT LADIES’ BASE CAMP LUNCH

The Ladies’ Base Camp Lunch, now in its second year, is well on its way to becoming a tradition at the AAC Mountain Fest and annual meeting. This year’s speaker is Janet Bergman, a New Hampshire native and AAC grant recipient, who will talk about recent adventures in Patagonia. Barbara Washburn will be honorary guest, and there will be several other surprise guests. Last year’s lunch was attended by women climbers ranging in age from 16 to 80-something. Please join us Saturday, Feb. 11, for a box lunch and the chance to meet other women in the climbing community. The lunch requires separate registration from the annual meeting. See http://www.americanalpineclub.org/community/events-annual.asp.

DENALI MODEL GOES ON DISPLAY

The AAC’s Alaska Section recently purchased a three-foot-wide, computer-generated model of Denali and has put it on display at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. Members marked the most popular and important routes on the model, as well as key camps. Crafted by a Colorado engineer, the model utilized 10,000 data points per square inch and has 100-foot contours. “Sometimes a picture is worth 1,000 words," said AAC director Ralph Tingey in an article in the Anchorage Daily News. “If you've never climbed this mountain, this model gives perspective.” See the story at www.adn.com/outdoors/story/7312218p-7223961c.html.

NOVA ON DENALI

In mid-January, NOVA aired “Deadly Ascent,” a one-hour program on high-altitude illness among mountaineers on Denali; the show is likely to be rebroadcast periodically, so check local listings. Although a bit over the top on climbing’s dangers, the show presented some interesting medical information and wonderful footage of the West Buttress route. NOVA’s web site offers a very cool virtual tour of the route; click on “Climb Denali” at www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/denali/ for 360-degree panoramas from each of the route’s camps.

FIVE NOMINATED TO AAC BOARD

The AAC’s Nominating Committee, chaired by Glenn Porzak, has selected five directors on whom the membership will vote at the club’s annual meeting Feb. 11 in Attitash, N.H. The nominees are: Michael Lewis (Helotes, Texas), to serve a second term; Conrad Anker (Bozeman, Mont.), to serve a second term; Jim Donini (Ouray, Colo.), to serve a second term; Bruce Franks (Hanover, N.H.), to serve a first term; and Ellen Lapham (Nevada City, Calif.), to serve a first term. Members must be present at the annual meeting to vote.

DIRECTOR NORRIS CLIMBS MT. VINSON

AAC director Nancy Norris summited Mt. Vinson in Antarctica on Dec. 15. “After being stopped at Camp I for about five days in a terrible storm, our summit day was beautiful,” said Norris, who now has completed five of the Seven Summits. Norris is a personal trainer and operates a fitness business in Michigan (http://www.nancynorris.net).

ANNUAL MEETING SILENT AUCTION PREVIEW

Click here for a preview:  http://www.americanalpineclub.org/auctionpreview.asp

CORPORATE PARTNERS

These companies’ generous financial sponsorship supports the AAC’s efforts to promote climbing knowledge, conserve mountain environments, and serve the American climbing community. Next time you contact them, please thank them for their support of the AAC and its work to protect the future of climbing.

 Summit Partner
Climbing*

Benefactor
W.L Gore & Associates*

Patron
Backpacker*
The North Face*

 Partner
Blue Water Ropes           Cascade Designs MSR/
EverestNews.com           Therm-a-rest/Platypus*

 Sustainer
Asolo                             Mountain Gear*
Marmot*                        Schwartz Communications

 Supporter
Alpinist*                         Lowe Alpine
Arc’teryx                        Mountainsmith
Backcountry Access       Mountain Hardwear*
Big Agnes                       Patagonia    
Cloudveil                        Petzl America
LEKI

 Member
Black Diamond                         Mountaineers Books**
Falcon Guides**                       National Geographic Society**
Forty Below Ltd.                      Outdoor Research
Jetboil                                      Trango USA
Mountain Tools

 *Friend of the American Alpine Journal

**Friend of the American Alpine Club Library

COMING EVENTS

February 8
Oregon
Earthquake Village is a one-night mountain film festival to benefit the reconstruction of a devastated village in Pakistan. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland. See www.cascademountainfilm.org for more details.

February 10-12
New Hampshire
The 2006 AAC Mountain Fest and annual meeting will be based at the Attitash Grand Summit Hotel, in the heart of the White Mountains.
Climbing clinics, camaraderie and slideshows. See all the details at www.americanalpineclub.org/community/events-annual.asp.

February 9-12
New Hampshire
The 13th Annual Mount Washington Valley Ice Festival, held this year in cooperation with the AAC Mountain Fest, features ice climbing and mountaineering clinics, slideshows and socializing. Info at http://www.ime-usa.com/ice_festival/.

February 14
Alaska
Alaska Range veteran Mark Westman and Talkeetna Air Taxi pilot Paul Roderick will do a slideshow at the BP Energy Center at 900 E. Benson in Anchorage. The show starts at 6:30 p.m.

February 17-20
Wyoming
The 8th Annual Cody Ice Festival: Dry-tool pull-up contest, clinics, demos, Phil Powers slideshow and more. Info at http://www.southforkice.com.

February 17-19
Quebec
The giant Festiglace du Quebec The North Face is held at Pont-Rouge, with climbing competitions, parties and steep ice to climb. Info at www.festiglace.com.

February 25-26
Nevada
Fourth HERA Climb for Life to benefit the HERA Women's Cancer Foundation and the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Nevada. Visit www.climb4life.org for details.

February 27
Virginia
Blue Ridge Section meeting, featuring slides of Greenland, China and Peru by Geoff Cohen. 7:30 p.m. at Rhodeside Grill. Info at http://www.americanalpineclub.org/community/section_blue_ridge.asp.

March 3-5
Ontario
The Nipigon Ice Fest at the top of Lake Superior, with clinics and slideshows. See http://www.nipigonicefest.com/.

March 4-5
New York
The fourth annual Adirondack Backcountry Ski Festival in Keene Valley, featuring clinics, demos and a slideshow/dinner. Info at www.mountaineer.com or 518-576-2281.

March 18
Massachusetts
Tenth annual New England Section dinner in Weston. Special Guest: Ed Webster, speaking on “Kenneth Henderson and the Pioneers of the 1930s.” Contact Nancy Savickas at nj_savickas_28@hotmail.com.

March 24-26
Nevada
The Red Rock Rendezvous offers clinics by world-class climbers Damien and Willie Benegas, Roxanna Brock, Peter Croft, Jim Donini, Beth Rodden and many others, plus sponsor demos, comps and seminars, Saturday-night party, pancake breakfast and more. Info at http://www.mgear.com/RR06/.

 

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