Blue Ridge Section

Publication Year: 2008.

Blue Ridge Section. Section events in 2007 included a number of slideshows held at the Rhodeside Tavern in Arlington, Virginia. Dimitry Shapovalov gave two very interesting talks about climbing in Russia and Central Asia, with expeditions to the Pamirs, Kyrgyzstan, and the volcanoes of the Kamchatka Peninsula. John Heilprin (grandson of Angelo of the AAC’s Angelo Heilprin Citation) described his participation on an expedition to the north ridge of K2 in 2000 and, as a journalist himself, shared his experiences of participating in a media-oriented climb. Section Treasurer Phil Boyer provided an introduction to climbing in the Cascades from many years of trips when he lived in Seattle.

In addition to these meetings, in March 2007 we had our annual not-so-black-tie dinner at the home of Jeanette Helfrich, former chair of the Section. This was attended by around 50 climbers from the AAC and other local climbing groups, with attire ranging from tuxedos to pile jackets—ironed, of course.

In October, in conjunction with the local Potomac Mountain Club, we hosted a public talk by Fred Beckey at the National Cathedral School. Fred reminisced about more than 60 years of first ascents from Alaska to the desert southwest.

Section members climbed widely through North America in 2007, from summer bouldering on the East Coast to winter ice routes in the Canadian Rockies. Our members attended a number of AAC events, including the annual meeting in Bend, Oregon, in March and the September meet hosted by the Southeast Section at Table Rock, North Carolina. We were also active in local climbing access and conservation issues, including participation in events hosted by the Access Fund at Great Falls and Carderock, two local climbing areas. Section members, as part of a coalition of local climbers, were active in discussions with the National Park Service to ensure continued access to climbing at Great Falls as part of the proposed NPS management plan.

Simon Carr, Chair