The American Alpine Club E-News: December 2001

Dear AAC Member,

As we stand poised for the AAC's 100th anniversary, I urge you to read and respond to the holiday appeal letter that I recently sent you. As you well know, our dues only pay for 30 percent of the costs of our work for the American climbing community. To continue making the great strides in AAC programs that I spoke of in my letter, we need your continued support.

Please also know that we are always very grateful for your gift, as well as all your past support of the Club. I hope you can have some fun on the slopes or the crags over the holidays and I hope to see you in Snowbird at the Annual Meeting.

Happy Holidays,

Jim Frush
President

To change your e-mail address or subscribe to the E-News, click on “E-News” then “Join List” for instructions. To change your mailing address please contact Shauna McCuaig, Membership Services Coordinator, at mailto:smccuaig@americanalpineclub.org.

Best wishes,

Hilary Maitland
Editor
mailto:aan@americanalpineclub.org

In this issue:

PROGRAM CONFIRMED FOR SNOWBIRD ANNUAL MEETING

International Year of Mountains launched on December 11

Celebrating Mountain Women Conference: May 28-31 IN Kathmandu, Nepal

Paksitan Helicopter Evacuations policy TO change IN 2002

STATE Department warns AGAINST travel to Nepal

New Titles Available at the AAC Library

Holiday Gear Savings

Translators needed for the AAJ

Section News and Events

E-news Policies

Program Confirmed for Snowbird Annual Meeting

By Lloyd Athearn

The program for the AAC's 2002 Annual Meeting is nearing completion and will feature more international presenters than we have had in recent memory. It promises to be a meeting attendees will remember well into our next century.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Friday night features multi-media presentations by Michael Brown and Stephen Venables.

Brown is an award-winning adventure filmmaker. His program shows what it takes to film on Everest, in Greenland ice caves and on the rock cliffs of Vietnam.

Venables has climbed extensively throughout the Himalayas, including a dramatic new route of Everest's Kangshung Face in 1988. His talk covers two expeditions to South Georgia Island, including last year’s recreation of Shackleton's incredible traverse of the island with Reinhold Messner and Conrad Anker.

Saturday, February 2

Saturday’s events start with the Membership Meeting at 8 a.m. and segue into a daylong program packed with big names – Mark Wilford, Barry Blanchard, Nazir Sabir, Lou Dawson, Andrew McLean, and George Band – followed by the awards banquet and a post-dinner slide show by Slovenian alpinist Tomaz Humar.

Wilford recently returned from an unexplored corner of northern India where he and Mark Richey made an eight-day alpine-style first ascent on the north face of Yamandaka, a 20,400-foot peak previously named the Argan Eiger, and then survived the harrowing descent.

One of Canada's top alpine climbers, Blanchard’s first ascents are numerous, including the North Pillar of North Twin, M-16 on Howse Peak, and a first winter ascent of the north face of Les Droites. His show features a potpourri of climbs and misadventures scattered around the globe.

Sabir is one of Pakistan's top climbers, having climbed many of the 8000-meter peaks of the world, including the first ascent of K2’s west face and a traverse of Gasherbrum I and II with Messner.

Dawson, a leading ski mountaineer and author of “Wild Snow,” focuses his multi-media show on a recreation of the Trooper Traverse, a winter crossing between Leadville and Aspen, Colorado that was first completed in February 1944 by 10th Mountain Division ski troops.

Among the top steep skiers in the world, McLean’s slide show features a recent expedition to Antarctica where the group completed a new route up Vinson's unvisited east side and Andrew completed a first ski descent of Mount Mole.

Band is the only surviving member of the first ascents of both Mount Everest and Kangchenjunga. His slides and film take us back to the golden age of Himalayan climbing when all the highest peaks were yet unclimbed.

Humar is regarded by many as one of the top all-round climbers in the world due to his first ascents –Dhaulagiri's south face, Nuptse's west face, and Ama Dablam's northwest face – as well as significant repeats, including El Capitan's Reticent Wall. Scheduled to speak at last year's Denver Annual Meeting, Tomaz was a last-minute cancellation after he fell while working on his house and landed in the hospital for several weeks.

If all these shows were not enough, do not miss out on the tremendous values available at the silent and live auctions. We will have tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear, trips and artwork going to the highest bidder. Also, you can purchase books by the many speakers in attendance and get them signed. And, if the snow is flying, make use of the discounted lift tickets we will be selling.

Click here for complete registration information, register soon as it looks like we will sell out. Discounted lodging is almost gone. Call today to reserve your room: 1.800.453.3000.

International Year of Mountains launched on December 11

The International Year of Mountains was launched the week of December 10 – 16, 2001 at U.N. Headquarters, in New York.

In accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 53/24 of November 1998, the year 2002 was declared the International Year of Mountains (IYM). The IYM’s goal is to raise international awareness about mountains, their global importance, the fragility of their resources, and the necessity of sustainable approaches to mountain development. The IYM builds on the process initiated by the 1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), or the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Chapter 13 of UNCED's major outcome, Agenda 21, highlights the urgency for action to achieve sustainable mountain development.

Adolf Ogi, former President of the Swiss Confederation, officially opened the event, proclaiming, “May the sound of the alpenhorn be heard far beyond the confines of this room and help to create understanding across long distances.” Ogi noted that mountains are home to one tenth of the world’s population, yet provide water for more than half of the world. He called for careful management of mountain areas to avoid long-term impacts of increasing tourism.

More than 100 officials attended the December 11 kickoff of the IYM. Representing climbers was alpinist Erhard Loretan, who expressed his opinion that the small number of mountain residents are not afraid to come to grips with big problems.

Information about the International Year of Mountains is available at: http://www.iisd.ca/sd/mountains/mountainnote.html.

The official website of the International Year of the Mountains is: www.mountains2002.org.

Celebrating Mountain Women Conference:

May 28-31 IN Kathmandu, Nepal

This conference will bring together indigenous women, donor agencies, policy-makers and planners, entrepreneurs, and researchers to share the problems and progress of mountain women. The goal is to provide interactions that facilitate solutions and an action program that will help to overcome neglect and poverty that plague many mountain areas of the world.

For more information contact the U.S. representative for the conference, Elizabeth Byers of the Mountain Institute mailto:ebyers@mountain.org.

Paksitan Helicopter Evacuation policy TO changes IN 2002

by Greg Mortenson

Pakistan's Secretary of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a new procedure for medical evacuations by helicopter in Pakistan starting in 2002.

Askari Aviation, a subsidiary of Pakistan's Army Welfare Trust will coordinate all mountain rescues. The helicopters used are commissioned Pakistan military helicopters with active military pilots. Emergency evacuations of sick and injured mountaineers and trekkers will continue to be initiated by either the Pakistani military liaison officer or appointed guide.

All tour operators have been instructed to follow the new procedure in the future. In order to guarantee helicopter support for emergencies, the tour operator or the leader of the expedition or trekking parties are required to adopt the following procedure:

• A cash deposit of US $6000 per expedition deposited at Askari Aviation; or
• A written guarantee from your Embassy's Diplomatic Mission located in Pakistan; or
• A cash or bank guarantee by a licensed tour operator approved by Pakistan's Ministry of Tourism and Askari Aviation.

An insurance statement will NOT suffice in leiu of a deposit.

Askari Aviation also provides helicopters for rental, retrieval or deposit of climbers or gear in base camps, film or movie productions and geological survey. More information, rates and contact, visit Askari Aviation website: http://www.askariaviation.com/.

STATE Department warns AGAINST travel to Nepal

Americans in Nepal are urged to avoid travel outside the Kathmandu Valley, particularly by road, according to a recent State Department advisory.

Violence by Maoist insurgents and fighting between Maoists and the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) has escalated in many parts of Nepal since the end of the cease-fire on November 23. Apparently in preparation for a bandh, or general strike, called for December 7, Maoists planted several bombs in various locations in Kathmandu on December 3. One of these bombs exploded in a carpet showroom frequented by tourists in Jawalakhel, resulting in several casualties. Maoists have thrown petrol bombs on vehicles of Government officials. Improvised bombs were found attached to Maoist banners in Kathmandu City near Thamel, where the highest number of tourists is located, and on a bridge in Lalitpur. There is the possibility for further intimidation by Maoists leading up to the December 7 bandh within and outside Kathmandu.

Outside the Kathmandu Valley, the situation is tense and uncertain. Fighting between Maoists and the RNA is underway near some traditional tourist areas. Among several incidents, RNA personnel were attacked on the main road from Kathmandu to Tibet along the Bhote Koshi River, a popular rafting destination. A battle occurred in the Solu Khumbu region near portions of the Everest trek. In the tourist center of Pokhara, a small bomb exploded at a municipal office on the night of November 23.

Because of multiple military operations in areas that have not typically seen Maoist violence in the past, the potential for violence anywhere, even in traditional tourist areas, cannot be ruled out. The potential exists for Americans to be inadvertently caught up in the violence. The security situation in various parts of Nepal may change at a moment's notice. Due to the state of emergency declared on November 26, communications and in-country air travel essential for medical evacuations may be disrupted. At this time, the U.S. Embassy has restricted all non-essential travel outside the Kathmandu Valley by official Americans.

Americans should closely monitor the Department's website at http://travel.state.gov. For further information on travel to Nepal, please consult the Department of State's latest Consular Information Sheet on Nepal at our website and the American Embassy in Nepal's home page at http://www.south-asia.com/USA. Americans living in or visiting Nepal are encouraged to register at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Nepal and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Nepal. TheU.S. Embassy is located at Pani Pokhari in Kathmandu, telephone (977) (1) 411179; fax (977) (1) 419963. U.S. citizens may also register by e-mail by accessing the Embassy's home page.

This Public Announcement supersedes the Public Announcement for Nepal dated November 27 to update the security situation and expires March 2, 2002.

New Titles Available at the AAC Library

"Alpine Ice & Rock Guide,",by Ronald Brunckhorst

"Boulder Canyon Adventure Climber's Guide," by Mark Rolofson

"Canyon Country Hiking," by F. A. Barnes

"Clear Creek Canyon Sport Climber's Guide," by Mark Rolofson

"Denali: Deception, Defeat and Triumph," by Dr. Frederick Cook

"Ecuador: A Climbing Guide,"by Yossi Brain

"Everest: A Trekker's Guide,"by Kev Reynolds

"Expedition Medicine," edited by David Warrell & Sarah Anderson

"4000-Footers of the White Mountains," by Steven D. Smith

"Mt. Shasta Book," by Andrew Alexander Henson

"Nandi Devi: The Tragic Expedition," by John Roskelley

"Negro Explorer at the North Pole," by Matthew Alexander Henson

"Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya," by Harish Kapadia

"Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain," by Bruce Tremper

"Frozen Heart," a film about Roald Amundsen by Kultur Video

For details on how to check out a book by e-mail, contact the AAC Library at mailto:library@americanalpineclub.org.

HOLIDAY GEAR SAVINGS

Don't forget to use the AAC Climbers' Coupon Book for your holiday gift shopping. The discounts on gear, guides, trips, accommodations, and other climbing resources are perfect for your climbing friends (or for yourself). Discounts include over 50% off trekking poles, 30% off an AAC pack, 30% off camp chairs, 25% off lodging and classes, and much more!

Translators Needed for the AAJ

The AAJ seeks translators for Spanish, French, German, and Italian notes from our European contributors. Volunteers should be fluent in both English and the pertinent tongue, as well as conversant in mountaineering terminology in both languages. Interested individuals should contact Christian Beckwith at mailto:aaj@wyoming.com.

Section News and Events

Check out your local Section's website and listserver, or e-mail your Section Chair if you are interested in local events. Please remember that if you update your e-mail with Club headquarters, it does not automatically update with your Section.

ALASKA – Section Chair Danny Kost

CASCADE – Section Chair Peter Ackroyd
http://cas.alpineclub.org

CENTRAL ROCKIES – Section Chair Greg Sievers
http://crs.alpineclub.org

Midwest – Section Chair Ben Kweton

NEW ENGLAND – Section Chair Bill Atkinson, Vice Chair Nancy Savickas http://www.atkinsopht.com/aacnesct.htm

NEW YORK – section Chair Phil Erard
http://nys.alpineclub.org

North Central – Section Chair Scott Christiansen

Northern Rockies – Section Chair Doug Colwell

Oregon – Section Chair Bob McGown
http://ors.alpineclub.org

Sierra Nevada – Section Chair Steve Schneider
www.alpineclub.org/sns

South Central – Section Chair Andy Jones

Southeast – Section Chair Jeff Botz

Southwest – Section Chair Greg Dillman

Visit our new Event Page on the AAC website for complete and updated information. Please send event information to mailto:aan@americanalpineclub.org.

E-News Policies

In order to protect the interests of our subscribers the E-News established the following policies:

-The AAC office in Golden is the only source of outgoing messages to subscribers; recipients cannot respond to or initiate messages to the list.

-The AAC will not sell member e-mail addresses to anyone for any purpose and will have no commercial advertising of any kind in E-News.

-E-News focuses on timely and important news of interest to members nationwide.

Send comments, suggestions, or news items to mailto:aan@americanalpineclub.org