Dear Club Members,
Thank you for the astounding and heartwarming answer to our call to
help the high mountain villages in Pakistan devastated by a magnitude 7.6
earthquake. The lobby of the American Alpine Club filled with boxes of
tents, sleeping bags and winter clothing. They spilled down the hall and
surrounded the climbing wall. On November 21 and 22, the AAC staff and
dozens of volunteers spent two full days packing the gear and clothing for
shipment, sorting carefully to make sure that everything that goes over is
of adequate winter quality. Inappropriate items were donated to Goodwill
in the Denver area.
In addition to individuals’ contributions, we received or facilitated
the following generous corporate gifts:
• Wild Things: 100 sleeping bags
• Climb Axe: 110 pairs OneSport boots and 100 overboots
• Indigo Equipment: 100 pairs of gloves
• International Mountain Guides: 20 tents
• Jackson Hole Mountain Guides: 10 tents
• American Alpine Institute: 20 tents
• Patagonia: Three large boxes of new clothing, plus 21,000 items being
shipped directly from Paris
• Everestgear.com: Matched purchases made for this effort
• DHL: Shipped collected clothing and gear for free from Golden to
Pakistan
• Pakistan International Airlines: Free shipping from New York to
Islamabad
• Trango: Donated boxes for shipping
Thanks also are due to the New York Section’s Todd Fairbairn, Holley
Edelson and Phil Erard, who collected gear in Manhattan, saving time and
shipping dollars.
Greg Mortenson of the Central Asia Institute will be checking in with
the Alpine Club of Pakistan to help ensure that mountain-ready tents,
sleeping bags and winter clothing go directly to the mountain valleys
where it is needed. We also have raised more than $15,000 in cash from
generous members, which the Alpine Club of Pakistan will spend on
medicines and food to send along with the clothing and shelter. Currently
the plan is to take the equipment by truck, jeep and then donkey up the
Kagham Valley (above Balakot toward Nanga Parbat) and the Neelum Valley
(east of Muzzafarabad).
Separately, I want to applaud some other efforts that we are aware of.
I communicated with Tex Bossier of Patagonia Europe, which is sending
21,000 items to the Alpine Club of Pakistan for distribution. The North
Face has launched a program very similar to ours. If you missed the
opportunity to donate to this effort, you can drop off gear at a North
Face store near you until November 23. Check locations at
http://www.thenorthface.com.
Pakistan’s citizens will face many long-term needs as a result of this
devastating earthquake. Once people get through this winter, there will
still be 1.2 million children without schools. We are working with Greg
Mortenson of the Central Asia Institute to determine how to help with this
problem as the snows melt in the spring.
Again, I want to thank all of you. Your prompt response and generosity
have been extremely gratifying.
Respectfully yours,
Phil Powers
Executive Director
ppowers@americanalpineclub.org
The town of Balakot, Pakistan, was
leveled by the earthquake. Photo by Sarfraz Khan, courtesy of the Central
Asia Institute.
AAC staff and volunteers pack gear and
clothing at the American Mountaineering Center for shipment to Pakistan.
Photos by Dougald MacDonald.
EXCITING SPEAKERS
SET FOR ’06 MOUNTAIN FEST
The 2006 AAC Annual Meeting and Mountain Fest, February 10-12, in
Attitash, New Hampshire, will feature a superb line-up of speakers.
Headlining the Saturday-night dinner will be a rare talk by George Lowe,
one of the key figures in North American mountaineering history. On Friday
night, the great Indian climber and author Harish Kapadia will introduce
us to some fantastic climbing opportunities in the Indian Himalaya.
Saturday-afternoon speakers include Vince Anderson on an alpine-style
first ascent on the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat, Sue Nott on alpine climbs
from Alaska to Europe and Asia, Joe Terravecchia on the huge but
little-known rock and ice climbs of Newfoundland, and Alexander Ruchkin on
the punishing first ascent of the North Face of Jannu and the Russian
approach to alpinism. Add to this the usual camaraderie of AAC meetings
and two days of climbing clinics on the short but stout ice cliffs of New
Hampshire, and the 2006 Mountain Fest will be one to remember.
Registration materials and lodging information are now available at
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/community/events-annual.asp.
Important note: Mid-February is peak ski season in the White Mountains.
Please book your lodging and make travel arrangements as soon as possible!
AAC GRANT FUNDS HOT SEASON IN
PERU
Andy Wellman, a 24-year-old from Colorado, enjoyed a
superb season in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru, thanks in part to a
Mountaineering Fellowship Fund award from the AAC. Wellman and James Woods
completed the second ascent of Karma de los Condores (IV 5.11d) on Hatun
Ulloc and then continued up the unclimbed upper reaches of the tower to
within 60 meters of the top, where filthy cracks halted their one-day
attempt. Wellman and Woods repeated the 1972 Czech ice route on Pisco
Oeste’s South Face in 10 hours, and then, with Tyler Anderson, made the
second ascent of the direct South Face of Mururaju (aka Nevado Pongos).
Along with numerous other ascents, Wellman completed a creative goal on
his third attempt: a one-day round trip from Huaraz to a Cordillera Blanca
summit. He and Anderson took a taxi at 4 a.m. to Jancu and climbed the
Northeast Face and North Ridge of 5,434-meter Huamashraju to the summit,
descended to the base at dusk, and then rode mountain bikes in the dark
for two hours back to Huaraz.
Mountaineering Fellowship Fund grants assist climbers 25
or younger with exploration and cutting-edge climbs. Get more info at
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/grants.asp.
The superb South Face of Mururaju got its
second ascent this summer. Photo courtesy of Andy Wellman.
MEANWHILE IN HUASCARAN
NATIONAL PARK…
Action is still needed to help reverse new regulations that would
dramatically alter the climbing experience in the Cordillera Blanca of
Peru. The UIAA recently approved a motion introduced by AAC President Mark
Richey: “The UIAA strongly encourages that the PNH [Huascaran National
Park] and INRENA [Peru’s interior department] work cooperatively with
their Peruvian Mountaineering Federations and those of other countries
with an interest in the park to establish and adopt policies and use
regulations regarding climbing and trekking within the PNH that are fair
and beneficial to both local and visiting climbers, environmental concerns
and the local guiding agencies as well.”
If the new regulations are implemented as written, climbers will only
be able to access the most popular peaks and routes (an estimated 80 of
the 600 or so known routes within the park), must climb with a local
mountain guide (at a ratio of one guide per two clients), and will not be
able to visit the park between December and March.
To voice your concerns, email Leoncio Alvarez Vasquez (Mr. Alvarez) at
lalvarez@inrena.gob.pe. Please
copy any emails to Mr. Alvarez’s assistant at
jbarrios@inrena.gob.pe and to
the head of protected areas, Carlos Salinas, at
csalinas@inrena.gob.pe. Though
communication in Spanish is ideal, any language will work. See a copy of
Mark Richey’s letter to the Peruvian authorities at
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/docs/Richey%20letter%20to%20Leoncio%20Alvarez%20Vasquez--9-2005.doc.
A background article on Huascaran National Park regulations by AAC member
Jim Bartle is posted at
www.americanalpineclub.org/docs/2004_Winter_AAN.pdf.
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR
SOWLES AWARD
The David A. Sowles Memorial Award is given to mountaineers who have
distinguished themselves—with unselfish devotion, at personal risk or
sacrifice of a major objective—in going to the assistance of fellow
climbers imperiled in the mountains. The award was established in 1981 and
is dedicated to the memory of David A. Sowles, who was killed at the age
of 29 during a lightning storm in the Alps on August 4, 1963. Letters of
recommendation are currently being accepted for this prestigious award.
Nominations should be forwarded to committee chairman Charley Mace at
charleymace@comcast.net.
JAPANESE ALPINE CLUB
CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL
In October, the Japanese Alpine Club celebrated its 100th birthday, and
AAC President Mark Richey, along with Teresa Richey and past Vice
President Linda McMillan, joined the party at a gala dinner in Tokyo
attended by nearly 1,000 people. Richey delivered an address celebrating
Japanese accomplishments in world mountaineering and chatted with His
Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of Japan about their shared passion for
wild places. He also made a brief, rainy visit to the granite crags of
Ogawayama. You can read Richey’s address to the Japanese Alpine Club at
www.americanalpineclub.org/JAC_address.html.
The beautiful wooden plaque presented by
Mark Richey to the Japanese Alpine Club on behalf of the AAC.
LUMPY RIDGE TRAILS DAY
For the fifth consecutive year, the AAC hosted the Lumpy
Ridge Trails Day in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. This year, 63
volunteers collaborated to improve climber access trails to one of the
most popular and photogenic rock features at Lumpy Ridge: the Twin Owls.
The NPS provided six trail-crew employees who worked with the volunteers
to complete a facelift over 500 vertical feet of extremely rugged trail.
More than 130 wood and rock steps and seven drains were installed to help
check storm runoff and act as stairs. For more information on this event
please visit
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/community/section_central_rockies.asp.
ARTIST NEEDED FOR POSTER DESIGN
The AAC is looking for a skilled artist or designer to
volunteer his or her talents and create a poster for the 2006 Annual
Meeting and Mountain Fest. If you’re interested in lending a hand, contact
Lloyd Athearn at
lathearn@americanalpineclub.org.
GREAT GEAR AT GREAT PRICES!
Just in time for holiday shopping, the AAC soon will
launch its annual online auction with dozens of great items to bid on,
including clothing and gear from sponsors such as Patagonia, LEKI,
Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, JetBoil, Asolo, Lowe Alpine and The North
Face, along with beautiful photography, guided trips and more! All
proceeds support core member services like the American Alpine Journal,
the AAC Library, rescue insurance, and mountain conservation.
Please stay tuned for details; we will be sending you an
email with all you need to know.
CLUB SEEKS MARKETING INTERN
Interested in marketing and nonprofit development? Like to
hang out with climbers? The AAC is seeking an intern to assist with
marketing and fund-raising projects. Contact Nigel Gregory at
303-384-0110, ext. 15, or
ngregory@americanalpineclub.org.
MAKE YOUR ANNUAL GIFT ONLINE
Considering a year-end gift to the AAC? It is now easier
than ever with the introduction of an online giving program. To make a
contribution, please visit this link:
https://www.blacktie-colorado.com/online_sales/nonprofit_donation.cfm?id=1392.
Or go to the AAC website at
www.americanalpineclub.org.
COMING EVENTS
November 30-December 1
Colorado
Susan E.B. Schwartz presents a slideshow based on her new book Into the
Unknown: The Remarkable Life of Hans Kraus,
about the pioneering Gunks climber and physician. Nov. 30: 7 p.m. at the
Denver REI, 303-756-3100; Dec. 1: 8 p.m. at Neptune Mountaineering in
Boulder, 303-499-8866.
November
30-December 1
Washington
Andy Selters presents a multimedia show on the history of mountaineering
in North America, based on his award-winning, AAC-published Ways to the
Sky. Nov. 30: 7:30 p.m. at the HUB West Ballroom, University of
Washington, $10; 206-522-1677. Dec. 1: 7 p.m., Western Washington
University, Bellingham;
trepanc@cc.wmu.edu or 360-650-7533.
December 2
Massachusetts
Come to the Boston-area climbers’ annual holiday bash, sponsored by the
Appalachian Mountain Club’s Boston Chapter Mountaineering Committee and
the AAC New England Section. Info at
www.atkinsopht.com/mtn/aacnesct.htm.
December 2
Colorado
The Backcountry Bash, a fund-raiser for the Backcountry Snowsports
Alliance with music, slides and gear auctions, will start at 6:30 p.m. at
the downtown Denver REI store. Call 303-494-5266 to purchase tickets.
December 4
California
Nick Clinch will regale the Sierra Nevada Section with tales from the 1960
first ascent of K1 (Masherbrum) at the section’s annual holiday dinner and
party in Berkeley. Cost is $48. To sign up, send a check to Ellen Lapham/SNS,
15215 Monte Vista Drive, Nevada City, CA 95959. Tel.: 530-265-9117.
December 4
Colorado
A memorial service will be held for longtime mountain guide Mike Donahue,
who passed away in November. The service will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Aspen
Lodge, seven miles south of Estes Park on Hwy. 7.
December 16-17
Nevada
The 3rd annual Tahoe Adventure Film Festival, with films, guest speakers
and a giant action-photography display. Info at
www.laketahoefilmfestival.com.
January 21
Colorado
The Central Rockies Section will host the premiere of “Skiing the High
Himalaya,” a film by Mike Marolt. The evening will include food, drink, a
“Lost Images” show in which climbers will try to identify historic photos
from the AAC archives, and the new film of ski descents on Shishapangma
and Everest. $20 for the full evening at the American Mountaineering
Center in Golden. Info at
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/community/section_central_rockies.asp.
January 21-22
New York
The New York Section’s annual Adirondack Winter Outing, with ice climbing,
skiing and hiking. A formal invitation will be mailed to regional members
around year-end. Or, contact
philiperard@nysalpineclub.org.
February 10-12
New Hampshire
The 2006 AAC Mountain Fest and annual meeting will be based at the
Attitash Grand Summit Hotel, smack in the middle of the White Mountains.
Climbing clinics, camaraderie and slideshows. Make your travel and lodging
arrangements now. See all the details at
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/community/events-annual.asp.
E-NEWS POLICIES
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the following E-News policies.
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