October 12, 2017, Golden, CO—The American Alpine Club is proud to celebrate the 40-year-anniversary of Americans on the summit of K2 at the 2018 Annual Benefit Dinner. The event will feature Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner as the keynote speaker and will be presented by LOWA and Global Rescue. The Dinner serves as one of the largest annual gatherings within the climbing community, celebrating the history of our sport with some of climbing’s brightest stars.
Kaltenbrunner will speak February 24, 2018, at The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel (138 Saint James Avenue, Boston, MA). Kaltenbrunner has been called “a Queen Among Kings” by Outside Magazine. She is the second woman to climb the fourteen 8,000 meter peaks and the first woman to do so without the use of supplementary oxygen or high altitude porters. K2 was the final challenge, which she summited via the lesser climbed North Pillar route.
Additional weekend festivities are open to the public and kick off Friday, February 23 with the Annual Membership Meeting and Climbers' Gathering at Central Rock Gym (74 Acton St, Watertown, MA 02472). The Climbers’ Gathering includes a food truck, libations, and a star-studded climbing competition. Additionally, Saturday morning’s special panel discussions, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, are open to public. Panelists will discuss topics affecting today’s climbing community and reflect on our community’s past.
The main event of the weekend—the Annual Benefit Dinner—begins at 6pm on the 24th. The evening gathers all generations of climbers for an inspiring evening benefiting the Club’s programs. In addition to Kaltenbrunner's keynote address, attendees will enjoy fine dining, beer and wine, live and silent auctions, and acceptance speeches from this year’s awardees.
The event is expected to sell out and tickets are limited. For more information and to reserve your spot, visit americanalpineclub.org/annual-benefit-dinner. Registration closes on February 14, or when sold out.
About the American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose vision is a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes. Together with our members, the AAC advocates for American climbers domestically and around the world; provides grants and volunteer opportunities to protect and conserve the places we climb; hosts local and national climbing festivals and events; publishes two of the world's most sought-after climbing annuals, the American Alpine Journal and Accidents in North American Mountaineering; cares for the world's leading climbing library and country's leading mountaineering museum; manages five campgrounds as part of a larger lodging network for climbers; and annually gives $100,000+ toward climbing, conservation, and research grants that fund adventurers who travel the world. Learn about additional programs and become a member at americanalpineclub.org.