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K2 1938: The First American Karakoram Expedition

ice climbing

Montana Hill to Crag - Climbing Ice with Public Land Advocates

The American Alpine Club hosted their 5th Hill to Crag, and the FIRST ice climbing event this past weekend! We were incredibly fortunate to partner with the Bozeman Ice Festival and spotlight not only the event itself but the beauty and grandeur of Hyalite Canyon.

Hill to Crag is a unique opportunity to bring together legislators, staffers, outdoor recreation influencers, and veterans to discuss and share information in an exciting way - Climbing! Participants had the opportunity to get on the ice with some of America’s foremost Alpinists, as well as Service members who have a passion for the outdoors.

Among other things, we discussed Veteran issues, the impact of outdoor recreation on the economy, and access to public lands to support a healthy economy and Veteran therapy. We were joined by Rachel Vandervoort, Director of the Montana Office of Outdoor Recreation and spoke at length about the amazing climbing resources in Southwest Montana, and elsewhere in the state.

We were also joined by Zoe Bommarito and Darla Cotton from the National Forest Foundation, who experienced their first time climbing ever! Nearly 34% of climbing in the United States lies on Forest Service lands - that’s more than any other agency public lands. It was great to connect some of the stewards of these lands with climbing for the first time and talk about the importance of National Forests everywhere to the climbing community.

A big thanks to Joe Josephson, Conrad Anker and Graham Zimmerman for showing our crew around the canyon, putting up ropes, and teaching climbing movement. These folks have contributed in so many ways to the climbing community and we were grateful to have them in attendance. Also, thank you to all of the service members who attended. We hope to continue sharing climbing and public lands with active and veteran military communities across the country. A final and important thanks to our sponsors for the event, Black Diamond, Scarpa, Cilogear, and Patagonia!

Photo Credit: Joshua Murdock and Taylor Luneau

Conrad Anker Shares His Thoughts On The Changing Climate

A climber on Responsible Family Man, WI5, in Hyalite Canyon, MT during the Bozeman Ice Festival.
Photo Credit: Alden Pellet

Conrad Anker 
June 2019

Like many others, I am drawn to the mountains to find solace, take on challenging objectives, and feel whole. A deep connection to these mountainous landscapes takes me climbing all over the world. It's a privilege to see high peaks at sunrise, glaciers shimmering in the moonlight, and the beauty of all that is wild. With these cherished experiences I have also witnessed dramatic shifts in these pristine landscapes over the years. Wild places are in peril due to a number of threats including extraction, development and overuse. Climate change is adding fuel to the fire. 

Imagine life without our favorite ice climbs and with snow fields unfit for snow travel, ski areas with closed gates too early in the season and crags too hot for climbing. All of these things are happening in various places at an alarming rate, and we need to act quickly to stop the degradation of our planet.

Climate change feels overwhelming but there are a number of organizations working hard to address it and mitigate its effects. I’m a longtime member of the American Alpine Club and value its deep roots in supporting scientific exploration and conserving climbing landscapes. In response to the overwhelming concern that climbers have about our changing climate, the Club is again stepping up its efforts to educate and galvanize the climbing community. Read the Club’s Climate Policy Position Statement to learn more about how climate is impacting our community and what the Club is doing in response.

There are many steps that we as climbers can take together to help in this fight in order to create change. Rather than meeting your climbing partner at the crag, carpool from town. Bike or take public transit to the climbing gym. Consider taking trips to climbing areas that do not require air travel. If you do take that international climbing trip you’ve been dreaming up for years, consider participating in carbon offset programs. Shop locally, eat less meat. Buy less stuff. Fix the stuff you already have. In isolation these steps may not feel significant, but if we commit to being a little more intentional in our own lives, it can make a difference. Talk about climate issues with others and keep educating yourself about the issues. If you’re not already, become a member of the AAC and support their policy work. 

It’s a shame that climate change is so controversial in Washington and in the media. The climbing community is unique in that it represents many political ideologies. But ultimately, as explorers and lovers of wild places, we have to acknowledge the overwhelming scientific consensus about climate change. We confront the reality of it every time we go into the mountains. By telling our stories, talking about the issues, voting, and communicating with our lawmakers and representatives, we can help shift the national rhetoric. 

We find endless joy in the mountains. They provide us with inspiration, challenge us to be our best selves, and give us a perspective that cannot be found outside of these wild places. We owe it not only to these landscapes, but more importantly to the next generation of climbers to put in our best effort to reduce our impact as a community and to advocate for action on climate change.  



2019 USA World Cup Ice Climbing Team

The American Alpine Club is pleased to announce the 2019 USA World Cup Ice Climbing Team! Click on a photo to learn more about an athlete and where they are competing this season.

WORLD CUP Mens Team

WORLD CUP Womens Team

Youth World Championship Team

  • Keenan Griscom

  • Calvin Daugherty

  • Kylie Cullen

  • Georgia Witchel

  • Catalina Shirley

  • Liam Foster

  • Cody Stevenson

  • Mikayla Tougas

  • Katie Seymour

  • Lindsay Levine

The 2019 USA ice climbing team can use your support! The USA Ice Climbing team has grown significantly this year with 21 Adults and 10 Youth competing. As a developing sport, there is not much monetary sponsorship available and athletes need to fund their own trip as well as purchase unique and expensive equipment to be able to train and compete.

Please consider supporting this amazing team!

2019 World Cup Ice Climbing Team Selection

As a Member Federation to the UIAA, the American Alpine Club is responsible for selecting the 2019 USA World Cup Ice Climbing Team. 

Athletes interested in competing in any of the Ice Climbing World Cup & World Championship events must complete the google form application by 11:59pm MST on September 25, 2018.  

The American Alpine Club will make their selections and athletes will be notified by October 5.

USA World Cup Team Selection:

  • The USA can send up to 8 men and 8 women in each of Difficulty (Lead) and Speed to each World Cup event, including the Denver World Cup in 2019.  For World Championship events the quota is 3 men and 3 women.
     

  • As the future of Ice Climbing competition is headed toward combined difficulty and speed events, priority will be given to athletes who compete in both.
     

  • Since we are working to develop a team, priority will be given to athletes who are competing in more than one World Cup event, and who plan to compete in future years.
     

  • Athletes must turn 16 or older before the end of 2019 (born 2003 or later).
     

  • We encourage people who are experienced competitors in any form of climbing to apply.


6 spots per gender will be selected based on the following performance criteria:

  1. National ranking from the 2018 season (top 2 spots are guaranteed participation)

  2. Highest rankings in each of the categories (Difficulty and Speed) from the 2016, 2017 and 2018 World Cup seasons

  3. Ranking in previous non-World Cup competitions (e.g. Ouray, Bozeman, Michigan Ice Festivals)

  4. Number of World Cup competitions you are applying to compete in during the 2019 season

  5. Competition experience in any form of climbing

2 Development spots per gender will be selected based on the following criteria:

  1. Historical competition participation

  2. Number of competitions you are applying to compete in during the 2019 season

  3. Current training plan

  4. Competition experience in any form of climbing

  5. National ranking from the 2018 season

  • In the event that participants are only competing in either Speed or Difficulty (and not both) the AAC will select enough athletes to be able to field a team consisting of 8 men and 8 women for the Speed portion and 8 men and 8 women for the Difficulty portion.
     

  • In the event that there are not 6 performance or 2 developmental applicants that are qualified to participate at the international level, the allocation numbers will be adjusted.

2019 World Cup Ice Climbing Finals in Denver

February 22-24, 2019
Civic Center Park, Denver

The American Alpine Club is hosting the USA World Cup Ice Climbing Finals in Denver. This event is free and open to the public to attend and watch over 120 athletes from over 20 countries compete in Lead and Speed competitions. 

At-A-Glance
Friday, February 22: Athlete Registration, Opening Ceremony, Dinner
Saturday, February 23: Speed Climbing Qualifying & Semi-Finals, Lead Qualifying
Sunday, February 24: Speed Finals, Lead Finals, Award Ceremony, Ticketed VIP Party

Athletes interested in competing in this, or any World Cup competition must fill out an application by September 25 by midnight MST.

Information and the application can be found here.

2019 World Cup Schedule

January 11-13 South Korea
January 18-20 China
January 24-26 Switzerland
February 1-3 Italy
February 8-10 France
February 22-24 USA