Originally published in Guidebook XIII
Dear AAC Members,
Thank you for taking the time to dive into this second edition of the AAC’s quarterly Guidebook. A lot of things are changing at the AAC, and we are energized by the new opportunities that these changes afford. We are re-envisioning our measurable impact and excited to further support our members in a way only the AAC can.
AAC Board President Nina Williams nearing the end of her quest up The Air Up There (V7) in Bishop, California. Photo by AAC member Eric Fallecker.
This Guidebook is just that—your guide to the work that you make possible through your membership. When you read these stories— from celebrating volunteers like Maurice Chen, who is bringing our much-beloved Accidents in North American Climbing to international audiences (which you can read about in “Found in Translation”), or the shattering finding of member Eric Gilbertson that Rainier’s summit is shrinking ( in “The Height of Mountains”), to all the world-class climbing you can find at our cozy lodging facility at the New River Gorge, as well as the profound impact our grants program has on our members (as seen in “Sea to Summit” and “Life: An Objective Hazard”)—you’re seeing the AAC’s mission at work: the advancement of knowledge, inspiration, and advocacy.
While we’re excited to share these stories with you, there is also a lot going on behind the scenes that hasn’t made it into a full-fledged story yet. Many of these happenings you can find highlighted in our “AAC Updates” section that follows. As we kick off this new year, we are also excited about ongoing projects that will shape the future of the AAC, like developing a new website, which will make it easier for our members to take advantage of their benefits.
Finally, I want to take a moment to celebrate the impressive advocacy success that the AAC helped make possible at the end of 2024. The unanimous passage of the EXPLORE Act is a historic moment for recreationists, and as law, it will significantly expand access to our nation’s public lands and protect climbing in our beloved Wilderness areas. In December, the National Park Service also announced that they are discontinuing their proposed fixed anchor guidance; the AAC thanks the NPS for sensing the need to reevaluate the proposed regulations and looks forward to collaborating with them in the future on fixed anchor guidance. Looking forward, we are equipped to adapt our tactics to future challenges in order to advocate for the needs of our members, and all climbers.
At the AAC, we’re pulled together by our passion for climbing, and that passion is woven throughout these pages. Our expansive grants, affordable lodging, significant research findings, impactful advocacy work, and more are only possible because of your membership, donations, and commitment to climbing.
Nina Williams
AAC Board President
AAC Updates
Operations and Governance
We recently signed a one-year lease agreement to remain in the American Mountaineering Center, and the team worked to relocate offices within the building in November of 2024.
We are thrilled to welcome Melanie Hood, John Lee, Howard Lukens, and Peter Walle to the AAC Board of Directors!
Lodging
We’re excited to announce the renewal of our partnership with Grand Teton National Park, ensuring the Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch continues to provide affordable lodging and a welcoming base camp for climbers and outdoor enthusiasts in the Tetons.
We’re also pleased to have secured a ten-year operating agreement extension for the Gunks Campground from the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, in partnership with the Mohonk Preserve.
Advocacy
In partnership with Yosemite Conservancy and the Yosemite National Park climbing rangers, we recently released Vertical Wild: The Wilderness Climbing Experience on El Cap. This film highlights a wilderness climbing experience on El Cap and details the history of how climbing in Yosemite National Park originally became designated Wilderness. Watch it and learn more at americanalpineclub.org/yosemite.
The AAC advocacy team and our partners at the AMGA and Access Fund spent the first week of December meeting legislative staffers to discuss potential vehicles for passage of the EXPLORE Act. Thanks to the multi-year effort of our team and the work of our many partners, the EXPLORE Act passed and was signed into law! This is a historic recreation package and a major win for climbers.
Congratulations to AAC representative JoAnne Carilli-Stevenson, who has been named Chair of the recently created UIAA World Ice Climbing Board. In addition to supporting the 2024–2025 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, the board is tasked with helping progress the sport in the areas of event management, rules and regulations, the training of officials, developing the sport for the Olympic Games, and more.
Education
We have continued collecting oral history interviews for our Legacy Series, interviewing climbing icons Renny Jackson, Bill Briggs, Alan Watts, Jim Karn, Greg Lowe, and Mark Wilford. Our Legacy Series film about Jamie Logan premiered at the Kendal Mountain Festival, and you can watch it on the AAC’s YouTube page.
The AAC Library and American Mountaineering Museum were closed effective September 20. Since then, we have secured all assets and are working to identify long-term solutions for this one-of- a-kind resource. Library staff are focusing on inventory and cataloging. Some materials will be relocated to the University of Denver’s off-site storage facility, while others remain on-site for greater attention from Library staff. We continue to prioritize serving our members through book circulation and research support.
Watch for our new videos from The Prescription, our monthly delivery of digital content from Accidents in North American Climbing. With these videos, we’re dramatically expanding the reach and impact of this critical educational resource.
We’ve reenvisioned our beloved podcast, The Cutting Edge. The revamped format leverages the AAC Library, AAJ archives, and Legacy Series interviews to bring cutting-edge ascents to life and put them in historical context in a way only the AAC can achieve.