AAC, Central Rockies Section. The principal 2001 activities of the Central Rockies Section are highlighted as follows:

January: The Section donated $300 to the Ice Climbers Festival at Ouray, CO. Members provided support services as belayers. This event has assembled ice climbers from all over the world and introduced many neophytes to the wonderful world of sport-ice climbing in a generally safe environment just a walk from the hotel. Our Section also has assisted with the Chix With Pix program.

March: The Section donated $500 to the Central Asia Institute. This organization helps provide schools for girls and sanitation construction projects for the Balti people of central Pakistan. Greg Mortenson has led the world and climbers to the doorstep of the Balti people in a grand thank-you effort to their porters of so many expeditions.

June: Visiting climber Jeff Alzner from Portland, OR, gave three slide shows in Golden, Boulder, and Fort Collins, CO, as a Section benefit. His program was a retrospective of his 2000 attempt on the north ridge of K2. Along with corporate sponsorship from Polartec and Cody Ice, we hosted the main event at the American Mountaineering Center. It was a big success with money raised to support Section activities throughout the year.

July: The 14th annual International Climber’s Festival was held in Lander,WY. This is the fourth year we’ve attended and supported this summer fun festival. Many AAC members attended, and the Section staffed a booth. The folks had a chance to meet and greet AAC members and interact with our Club of like-minded climbers.

September: The Section donated $300 to the Longs Peak Reunion, where guides of yesterday and climbers of today gathered to celebrate a long history of climbing on Colorado’s Longs Peak. A wonderful series of slide programs was offered in the Estes Park High School auditorium, and a banquet dinner was held at the Aspen Lodge with grand views of the Diamond Face of Longs Peak.

October: The Access Fund has created a national program called Adopt-A-Crag. In support of the program, 20 members, friends, National Park employees, and two of the Club’s office staff gathered at Lumpy Ridge in Estes Park to create a new climbers’ descent trail off the formidable Sundance Buttress. We shaped 800 vertical feet of alpine trail in the steep east gully. Below the formation, team members also installed 64 timber water-bars to control erosion. We hope this is the First of many partnering projects with the Access Fund.

November: The Section purchased metal signs for the new AAC Hut System. These are being sold to new huts throughout the country. The Section currently has four huts at Ouray and Estes Park, CO, and at Cody and the Teton Climbers Ranch, WY.

December: The Section is working with organizers in Cody, WY, to promote their new Ice Round Up climbers festival. Working with the locals, we hope to enhance their show and public awareness of AAC membership benefits and, most importantly, to have fun climbing.

Annually, funds are expended ($120) to provide our members with an e-mail List Service. This is open for all members to post news, sales, events, shows, projects, outings, current events, or any climbing related issues. The Chairman moderates and filters use to deny any spam or advertising. A Section Web site is also maintained at http://crs.alpineclub.org.

Greg Sievers, Chair