Introducing The Robert J. Weggel Opportunity Fund
The Robert J. Weggel AAC Opportunity Fund, “the Fund,” is a quasi-endowment with the AAC and is intended for legacy projects, such as to protect land and/or promote education opportunities for safe and responsible climbing. The Fund encourages gifts and contributions from other private, public or corporate donors. This fund welcomes restricted and unrestricted donations. We want to thank Bob for his generous contribution to the Club.
There are many ways to give and help support the AAC. From working on the Climber’s for Climate initiative and co-hosting Climb the Hill, to providing vital Research Grants, your donation is working to protect the climbing experience for years to come. If you have any questions or would like more information on ways to give, or specific donation vehicles, please call our Development Fundraising office at (303) 384-0110 ext. 109 or email [email protected].
Get to know Bob Weggel
Trends come and go, but one trend that hasn’t gone is the silent act of giving. We asked Bob Weggel if we could tell his story. He said yes.
Unless you work in physics or magnet research and design, chances are you haven’t heard Bob’s name. In the 1980s Weggel and another engineer at the National Magnet Laboratory at MIT designed a magnet with a continuous magnet field so intense, it was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. It was there where Weggel found his purpose and mentors. He spent the better part of three decades in that laboratory. Despite his pursuit of science, Weggel always had something else in his mind. The mountains had a stronger pull than the magnets he worked with.
“I’m not so much a climber as a lover of mountains,” Bob said. “Only in 2005 did I rope up for [Appalachian Mountain Club] sessions in the Quincy Quarries and Gunks.”
He remembers fondly of alpine heights as a young man, sleeping atop Long’s Peak in 1970, and climbing Colorado’s fourteeners one by one, including 16 in one year. His reason behind joining the Club was simple and elegant, “to help protect mountains.” When we asked why he wanted to give back to the community, his answer was equally so, “I am fortunate to be able to do so.”
Weggel’s love for mountains and wildlife brought him around the world. He was first enraptured by Chomolungma at age 9, and would later travel to Nepal in 1975 and gaze out on many of the famous Himalayan giants.
The mountains changed everything for Bob. “Who would have imagined that I, such an egghead when at high school, would find such satisfaction in climbing mountains and wrestling boulders into position?” wrote Bob. “It’s that I, once such a dud of an athlete, rejoice in the ability to do so.”
Bob Weggel knew the transformative power of climbing, so he got in touch with the Club. The Robert J. Weggel AAC Opportunity Fund has been established as an endowment with the AAC for legacy projects with a focus on land conservation and promoting opportunities for safe and responsible climbing. In this way, Weggel and the Club, armed with decades of wisdom, practice, and intuition, will contribute to writing the history of climbing’s impact on our beloved lands.
The American Alpine Club shares a profound conviction: that climbing is transformative. Climbers pit themselves against challenging terrain; managing fear while mitigating risk, they hone their physical and mental capabilities. They connect to mountains in a deeply meaningful and lasting way, becoming passionate advocates for climbing landscapes and, more broadly, the environment.
The AAC extolls this transformative experience. Yet outdoor recreation, like any other use of land, can exact a toll on its home. Climbing participation is on the rise; COVID-19 has exacerbated human impacts on outdoor climbing areas. The AAC sees this reality as an opportunity to educate the public on low-impact use strategies, and to work with land managers and local organizers to conserve and steward climbing areas. Our passion for climbing must be matched by a mission to protect the places we climb. We envision a world where access to the outdoors for all communities is universal, devoid of barriers to entry for new climbers, but with the environment not degraded by excessive or inappropriate use.
Our commitment to equitable access calls for us to commit to natural resource protection. The AAC encourages more people to climb; however, some places require access to be restricted. Sensitive ecological and cultural landscapes deserve respect; they deserve reverence. As the climbing community continues to grow, and the AAC welcomes more newcomers to outdoor climbing, we need to increase our commitment to education, stewardship, conservation, and advocacy.