After 29 years of accident-free climbing, I thought I was a pretty competent belayer. Turns out I still had plenty to learn. Luckily I’m still accident-free, but things easily could have ended very badly.This happened when I was lowering my friend...
On Sunday, January 18, 24-year-old Dasan Marshall fell to his death on the north face of 7,535-foot Mt. Yukla in Chugach State Park. He was attempting a variation of the route No Call, No Show with his climbing partner, 23-year-old Nikolai Windahl...
In April, Larry DeAngelo, Chad Mueler, Bill Thiry, and I climbed a new route on the north face of Windy Peak. Windy Peak is located about two and half hours from the Black Velvet Canyon trailhead. Our route followed a very obvious wide crack in th...
In December 2014, Gary Newmeyer and I made two attempts on the major chimney system right of the Ames Ice Hose on the Ames Wall. We were shut down both times on the third pitch due to smooth rock, little protection, and a large chockstone. We made...
Willis Brown, Sam Hennessey, and I climbed two sustained ice and mixed routes in the West Fork of the Ruth Glacier between May 11 and 21. From May 13–14 we tried to climb the longest and most direct line available on the west face of Peak 11,300’...
This year we organized regular social events, including the Reel Rock Film Tour, Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, and Send & Socials. Our joint section events—the Delaware Water Gap Multi-Pitch Summer Sufferfest, the New River Gorge Cr...
Despite the heavy involvement of the Metro NY Section in preparations for the AAC’s Annual Benefit Dinner in Manhattan in January 2015, the section maintained an active series of outdoor and indoor events throughout the year. Once again we journey...
In February our section helped the International Mountain Climbing School sponsor the 21st annual Ice Fest in North Conway, New Hampshire. The Theatre in the Woods hosted Friday night’s event, where the AAC had a membership table along with a sile...
For the third straight year the AAC was proudly represented at the Reel Rock Film Tour at the University of Illinois’ Chicago campus. A big thank you to Bob Swartz, who manned our information table as close to 200 climbers and outdoor enthusiasts ...
Once again the Great Lakes Section hosted two major events in 2014. The section continues to grow, due in large part to these events. The 2014 Michigan Ice Fest brought 411 participants to Munising for another year of excellent ice conditions at P...
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, b...
The year started with the 19th annual Ouray Ice Festival, which, as usual, was well attended. The evening programs were very popular, especially the Ueli Steck show on Thursday, where people had to be turned away. We also spent time at the festiva...
Our section continues to grow and build local support. This past year we teamed up with the Black Hills Climbers Coalition and the Access Fund to build and redevelop some major climbers’ trails in Custer State Park. We also teamed up with the Blac...
In September, New Mexico State University teamed with our section, Climbers of Hueco Tanks Coalition, Organ Mountains Technical Rescue Squad, Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, Southwest Environmental Center, Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance, and...
In 2014 the Idaho Section enjoyed consistent participation of its members and persistent engagement with non-members in the mountaineering and outdoor communities—a concrete step toward further strengthening ties with the community in 2015.In Apri...
As in the last several years, the Southwest Section had four principal events in 2014: a climbing/restoration weekend in Joshua Tree National Park in March; a stewardship day at Idyllwild in June as part of the fourth annual Idyllwild Climbers Fes...
Once every month, AAC members in Portland gathered at a local brewery for Pub Club, an informal social gathering that provides members with access to an amazing network of local climbers and instant camaraderie, based on a shared passion for climb...
The Cascade Section held numerous festivals, clinics, and social events throughout the year. Highlights included our Send & Social events at the Seattle Bouldering Project, where climbers could compete in events such as crash-pad stacking and ...
During the summer of 2013 an attempt on Tahu Rutum resulted in a serious injury and rescue, followed by unusual difficulties between the Korean expedition, their logistical agencies, and Askari Aviation, the company responsible for rescue services...
Felipe Guarderas and I climbed three established routes in the Trango Group in June and July. We summited Trango Tower via Eternal Flame, Little Trango via the original American Route, and Great Trango via the normal route. Prior to this we had at...