Arizona Mountaineering Club. Membership and enthusiasm continue to grow as the Arizona Mountaineering Club enters its 35th year. The membership, now over 450, spans a wide range of interests and experience levels. In 1998, members trekked, hiked and climbed throughout Arizona, the country and the world. Monthly meetings in Phoenix were well attended, and nationally known speakers included Peter Croft and Jim Bridwell.

The club continues to be a strong supporter of the Access Fund. A membership drive conducted in conjunction with the Peter Croft slide show collected nearly $500. In response to appeals for help to fight the bolting ban, the club’s Board of Directors donated $1,000 to the Access Fund. Locally, the club was active on various access issues, including Pinnacle Peak Park, McDowell Mountains and Baboquivari Peak.

Our three climbing schools (basic, advanced and lead) are offered twice each year. The classes, always filled, are highly regarded locally, largely due to the organizational and instructional skills of chief instructor Wayne Schroeter. In addition to the regular schools, a number of seminars were conducted on wilderness survival, orienteering, mountaineering skills, ice climbing and photography.

Other club activities included working with the National Park Service at the Grand Canyon, where we rappelled over the canyon rim to pick up trash. Many members assisted with the annual Phoenix Bouldering Contest, the largest outdoor climbing contest in the United States. Several Adopt-A-Highway cleanups were held throughout the year. Regular club outings frequented areas in and around Arizona and the Southwest. Trips to Indian Creek (Utah) continue to be popular, and the annual Thanksgiving outing at Joshua Tree National Park (California) attracted over 60 members.

Tom Conner, President