Southern Appalachian Section. Throughout 2011, the Southern Appalachian Section focused on growing our membership base and producing relevant local club events. The Section's membership exhibited healthy growth across the region. This in turn enabled an expanded offering of local Section events.

Our success in expanding the variety and quantity of local events was due in large part to significant contributions of time and effort by committed members and regional partners such as AAC Partner Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School. Fox guide Karsten Delap delivered AAC Self-Rescue Classes in May and September in Brevard, North Carolina. These classes were offered free to Club members. Class pricing for nonmembers was established in a manner that would encourage participants to join the AAC rather than pay higher tuition. Attendees came away with new or enhanced selfrescue skills, and the Club gained new members. Our thanks to Adam Fox and Karsten for their contributions.

The AAC Wilderness First-Aid classes, taught by Danny McCracken in March and November, have become a centerpiece for our annual events schedule. Danny delivered the classes to Red Cross WFA-certification standards with significant customization to focus on climbing accident first response. As with the Self Rescue classes, a graduated tuition was implemented to encourage participants to join the AAC.

Building on a strong tradition, the 7th Annual Eastern North Carolina AAC Get- Together was held on November 12 in Wake Forest. Over 30 members and their guests gathered at the home of Brigitte Weston and Keith Nangle to socialize with old climbing partners, meet new ones, and discuss over food and drink how members of the AAC community could help one another achieve our climbing goals. The featured speakers were Tracey Obeda and Danny McCracken, who entertained the audience with slides from their mid-summer adventures in the Alps, and me, who presented slides from the AAC Climber Exchange to Iran, which I helped organize. A huge thanks to Brigitte and Keith for their generous hospitality.

The Section was fortunate to receive two significant AAC grants. The Carolina Climbers’ Coalition was awarded $1,800 for the GIS mapping of Rumbling Bald near Chimney Rock, North Carolina, to support future use planning. Brad Woolf was awarded a Mountaineering Fellowship Grant to support his attempt with Patrick Weaver to put up the first route on the West Face of Alaska’s Mt Russell.

David Thoenen, Chair