In February the Front Range Section hosted a large Friday-night gathering at the new Earth Treks gym in Golden, before the AAC Annual Benefit Dinner. Five hundred AAC and Earth Treks members showed up for the event, which included free climbing, beer, and awards presented by Phil Powers. The highlight of the evening was the “Earth Treks vs. AAC” climbing comp. Lynn Hill wowed the crowd with her upside-down acrobatics and general mugging. The wild-card competitor was Chris Sharma, who at the final moment climbed for the AAC, clinching the win for the visiting team.

The AAC Colorado Climbing Posse, using the website Meetup.com, greatly increased the number of its outings, with membership growing to 125 climbers. There were after-work rock climbing meetups and weekend trips to farther destinations. The Posse is for AAC members only, thus providing another perk for Front Range members. The section teamed up with Action Committee for Eldorado to sponsor the Eldorado Canyon Climbers Picnic. There were demos from Sportiva, a BBQ on the back porch of the Eldorado visitor’s center, and a slideshow on the history of climbing in Eldorado Canyon by guidebook writer Steve Levin.