ANNUAL GATHERING + BENEFIT GALA
April 26-28, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA
Top 5 Reasons You Should Come to our Gala:
To help make the AAC’s work possible!
Spend time with old friends and meet new ones.
Experience climbing’s history AND future all in one room.
Good food, drink, music, and camaraderie.
Revel in wisdom and untold stories from the best climbers in the world.
Which reason resonates with you? Grab your tickets now, and soak up this experience!
*Registration closes at midnight on April 21st.
Untold Stories from Yosemite
This year’s Annual Benefit Gala is going to be a little like sitting around the fire at Camp 4—swapping yarns and discovering the strength of this community. We’re highlighting climbers and perspectives that have shaped climbing in Yosemite, but don’t get talked about enough. You’ll hear from Sibylle Hechtel, who, with Bev Johnson in 1973, were the first all-woman team to climb El Capitan via the Triple Direct. You’ll hear from Tommy Caldwell, whose achievements need no introduction, but who is thinking deeply about the evolving conversation around style. Finally, you’ll hear from award-winning cinematographer (Free Solo) and first ascensionist Mikey Schaefer, who has done the unusual and turned his back to El Cap in order to size up long, hard routes on Middle Cathedral. Join us as we celebrate new visions and broken barriers, pulling hard, evolving climbing philosophies, and the passion for Yosemite that unites each of these climbers.
Gala guests will enjoy the 2024 Climbing Awards—featuring award winners James Edward Mills, Thomas Huber, Steve Swenson, Steph Davis, Alison Osius, and more—as well as catered dining, complimentary bar, and silent and live auctions.
Once a year, legends and newcomers alike wash the chalk off their hands and don their fanciest attire, coming together to celebrate the climbing community. During this weekend full of climbing, discussion, celebration, and festivity, old friends reconnect, new friendships are made, and we raise funds vital to the Club’s work.
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Online Auction
Whether it's a dream trip with an athlete you admire, gorgeous mountain art, signed collectables, mountaineering artifacts, pristine climbing gear, or the newest technical apparel—our silent auction is stacked with exclusive finds that you’ll want to snag.
100% of your purchase supports our work helping climbers and climbing landscapes thrive through advocacy, education, inspiration, or community. So, bid early and bid often!
*Auction closes at 7pm PST on April 27th.
Meet our Keynote Speakers: Tommy Caldwell, Mikey Schaefer, and Sibylle Hechtel
Press the drop down arrow to read more about our Keynote speakers!
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Tommy is widely recognized for his cutting-edge and record-breaking ascents on the granite walls of Yosemite Valley. He has free climbed 12 routes on its biggest face, El Capitan. In 2015, for 19 days Tommy and Kevin Jorgeson climbed 3,000 feet up the Dawn Wall, establishing the hardest big-wall rock climb in the world. Their story was covered by every major news outlet, including The New York Times, National Geographic, TIME, ABC, CNN and ESPN. A 2018 award-winning film, The Dawn Wall, was based on their accomplishment, and the feat even caught the attention of President Barack Obama, who remarked, “You remind us that anything is possible.” Tommy has also established the most free climbing routes on El Capitan. More recently, Tommy and climbing partner Alex Honnold broke the two-hour speed barrier on the 3,000-foot Nose route of El Capitan. And last summer the same duo rode there bikes and sailed from Tommy’s home in Colorado to The Devils Thumb in Alaska and made the first single day ascent of the Devils thumb skyline.
From his childhood in the mountains of Colorado to a professional life spent climbing in wild places around the world, Tommy’s connection to nature has always been deeply personal and offered him an up-close and unique view of the threats facing our wild places. He has been published in multiple media outlets, and his memoir, The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits, is a New York Times best seller. He is currently a Global Sport Activist® ambassador for the outdoor clothing company Patagonia, inspiring climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts to fight to protect the one and only planet we call home.
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Mikey Schaefer is a photographer, filmmaker, and professional climber, with a penchant for tackling the insurmountable. He started climbing in his teenage years, honed his skills in the Pacific Northwest and Yosemite, and has become known for his pioneering climbing endeavors, which include: first ascents in the Alaska Range, the Cascades, Yosemite and Patagonia. Some of his notable climbs include free ascents of El Capitan in Yosemite and the Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre in Patagonia.
Mikey’s talent in the vertical world, ability to stay calm in risky situations and his eye for composition are also apparent in his photographic images, which have been featured in major national magazines such as National Geographic Magazine, Outside Magazine, and Men’s Journal. Mikey is possibly most well known for his role as the Director of Photography on the documentary Free Solo. The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary as well as a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography.
When not traveling the world or hanging off the side of a cliff Mikey calls Reno, NV home.
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Bio coming soon!
The Gala is the biggest night in climbing! You can take a sneak peek at the guest list to see which climbing legends, industry titans, and fellow AAC members will be in the room. Now the only question is, will you be there too?
2024 Climbing Awards
The climbers we recognize with these awards are pushing the sport in new directions: from cutting edge ascents and route development, to bold conservation strategies, and leading the charge on inclusion and equity in the outdoors. Every year at the Annual Benefit Gala, the AAC confers committee-selected awards like the Pinnacle Award, H. Adams Carter Literary Award, and The David A. Sowles Memorial Award.
The Climbing Awards include two special awards determined by public nomination and voting—The Climb of the Year Award and The Changemaker Award. Voting will take place February 14 - April 4, and winners will be announced live at the Gala!
Meet Your MC’s
Cody Kaemmerlen
Cody grew up in rural Oregon, where he developed a true love for all that our wild spaces have to offer. Like many folks who experience rock climbing, his life has been guided less by script, and more by a desire to push the edge of possibility and always see what the next challenge brings. With nearly two decades in the corporate world and a continual upward leadership tract, he presently holds a leadership position in corporate strategy. He lives in Wyoming and serves as the mentor for the U of Utah's Parks, Recreation and Tourism intern assigned to the Joe's Valley Coalition.
Mo Beck
Mo grew up climbing in New England, thinking she was the only climber with a significant disability in the whole world (this was before the internet!) Since then, she's found that she's not alone and has become a leader in the adaptive climbing community. Now a full time professional climber, she has won 2 world championships, 7 national titles, and was named National Geographic's 2019 Adventurer of the Year following an expedition to Canada's Cirque of the Unclimbables. Mo has partnered with the AAC Craggin' Classics to bring adaptive programming all over the country, and looks to continue that work as a member of the board.
Volunteer with Us!
We’re searching for local volunteers to help make this gathering the best it can be! If you are interested in volunteering, click the link below to explore shift options.
2024 Host Committee
Committee Chairs: Allyson Gunsallus & Steve Schwartz
Committee: Abbey L Smith, Adrian Ballinger, Andrew King, Bob Palais, Carey Roberts, Cody Smith, Emily Harrington, Greg Thomsen, Greg van Inwegen, Howard Sebold, Jeff Zettel, Jim Frush, John Lee, John Long. Jordan Cannon, Kailey Hermann, Kareemah Batts, Ken Yager, Kyle Goldenberg, AAC LA Chapter, Myung-Jin Oh, Rebecca Robinson, Rick Merritt, Ryan Delvin, AAC San Diego Chapter, Scott Richards, Sebastien Levin
Capture the Experience
Join us for our Annual Benefit Gala and go through our selfie booth from DigiBooths! No matter the size and location of your event, DigiBooths is your first stop for selfie booths. They're a DigiGroup Entertainment company that offers more than just photo booths. You can book DJs as well by visiting Pittsburgh Digital DJs.
Top 3 Reasons To Sponsor
You will help save climbing areas and wild spaces, so they can be enjoyed for generations to come
You will help support equity in climbing access
Together we will raise funds vital to AAC programs during our largest fundraiser of the year
To learn more about the unique and dynamic event sponsorship opportunities available email Heidi McDowell at [email protected]
Questions?
If you are having any trouble registering or have any questions about the Annual Gathering or Benefit Gala, email Xavier Bravo at [email protected] or call the AAC Office at 303-384-0110.