The year 2013 will stand out for a memorable 34th Annual Black Tie Dinner. Fifty years earlier, Americans, for the first time, stood on top of Mt. Everest. Of all of the exploits of that historic expedition, none has stood the test of time like the west ridge climb by Tom Hornbein and the late Willi Unsoeld. It was therefore fitting for us to celebrate that Golden Anniversary in New York with Tom as our special guest. A swift sell-out, the dinner drew an enthusiastic crowd. Spirited bidding engineered by auctioneers Steve Schofield and D. Byers raised a record sum to support the club’s causes. Among the items that went under the hammer was a wooden ice axe autographed by both Tom Hornbein and Jim Whittaker, which fetched an eyepopping $8,000!

Tom gave a warm and self-effacing presentation, leaving no doubt that his climbing legacy will live forever. Since Tom was a tough act to follow, his keynote was preceded by a short video narrated by Fred Golomb, who, at age 88, has taken up paragliding and maintains an intimate, if sometimes bruising, relationship with the French Alps. Robert Anderson, leader of the 1988 Anglo-American expedition to the Kangshung Face, took us on a breathtaking 3.6 billion–pixel tour of Everest, with images created by David Breashears.

With perhaps the best ice climbing conditions seen in the Northeast in years, the section sponsored outings to the Adirondacks in January and the Catskills in February. When the temperature warmed up, we returned to the Adirondacks in early June as guests of the historic Ausable Club. A highlight of the weekend was a presentation by Vanessa O’Brien on her “Explorers Grand Slam,” reaching the Seven Summits plus both north and south poles. We also helped organize informal dinner shows at Manhattan’s Explorers Club. Presenters were Olaf Soot on Mt. Waddington, Ted Vaill on his efforts to find the real Shangri La, and Don Healy on his Seven Summits quest.

For the first time, we honored those who had completed the Seven Summits with a handsome plaque: Robert Anderson, Yonsuk Derby, Vanessa O’Brien, and Victor Vescovo. We hope to repeat this ceremony in future years, as New York has perhaps a disproportionate share of Seven Summits climbers.

Special thanks go to our impressive cadre of volunteers, including Jonathan Light and Howard Sebold, who masterfully cope with our AV needs. Mike Barker, Lee Elman, Julie Floyd, Vanessa O’Brien, Andrea Salerno, and Martin Torresquintero assist in event planning. Conor Moran, section webmaster, keeps us all abreast of members’ activities and photos on our unique section blog: Nysaac.blogspot.com.