The American Alpine Club E-News: June 2002

Dear AAC Member,

The climbing season is well under way with people finding success on peaks all around the globe, though. In this issue we are happy to share positive developments regarding climbing regulations in Nepal, new health information about High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema, an update about the Clean Mountain Can program on Denali, AAC grant recipients, and several other important issues.

As has been noted before, plans are being firmed up for this fall's official AAC Centennial Celebration. The event will be held on Saturday, September 28 in the Golden, Colorado area, with the afternoon program at the American Mountaineering Center and the evening dinner and program at the nearby Sheraton Denver West Hotel. Be sure to mark your calendars now. This one-day event will be devoted to the Club's first century and will feature several interesting talks about Club history and possibilities for climbing in the AAC's next century. Invitations will be sent in early July to AAC members with the summer issue of the American Alpine News. We are expecting a strong turnout, so be sure to respond in a timely manner when you get your invitation in case the event sells out.

Finally, I am happy to announce that Colorado-based freelance writer Candace Horgan has taken over the reigns editing the American Alpine News. Summer 2002 will be her inaugural issue. You can reach her directly by email at mailto:aan@americanalpineclub.org.

Wishing you the best of luck on your summer adventures.

Regards,

Lloyd Athearn

Managing Editor

mailto:lathearn@americanalpineclub.org

To change your e-mail address or subscribe to the E-News, go to the AAC website (http://www.americanalpineclub.org) and click on "E-News," then "Join List" for instructions. To change your mailing address or other membership information in our database, please contact Erin Byerly, our new membership services coordinator, at mailto:ebyerly@americanalpineclub.org.

In this issue:

NEPAL ELIMINATES EXPEDITION ENDORSEMENT REQUIREMENT, CHANGES OTHER RULES

ASTHMA MEDICATION PREVENTS HIGH-ALTITUDE PULMONARY EDEMA

PARTICIPANTS WANTED FOR A STUDY OF FAMILY/RELATIONSHIPS AND CLIMBING

CLEAN MOUNTAIN CAN STUDY ON DENALI UNDER WAY, BIG WALL CANISTER DEBUTS

AAC AWARDS MORE THAN $37,000 IN CLIMBING, RESEARCH GRANTS

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WARNING UPDATE

AAC PRESIDENT PENS OPINION ARTICLE ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING

AAC SEEKS VOLUNTEER TO REPRESENT THE CLUB AT AAAS MEETINGS

NEW AAC JACKETS ON SALE

E-NEWS POLICIES

NEPAL ELIMINATES EXPEDITION ENDORSEMENT REQUIREMENT, CHANGES OTHER RULES

In response to advocacy efforts by AAC officials, the Nepalese Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation recently agreed to scrap the expedition endorsement process previously required to climb peaks in Nepal. This change was among several made in early May with the announcement of Nepal's new "Mountaineering Rules, 2059, (2002)."

"This makes it much easier for expeditions to go and experience the majesty of Nepal's mountains," said Charley Mace, AAC Expeditions Committee Chair. "The endorsement process was just another onerous bureaucratic detail that an expedition had to worry about."

Previously, foreign climbing expeditions were required to obtain the formal endorsement of their respective national Alpine Clubs, which added a bureaucratic hoop and additional costs for Nepal-bound climbers. Nepal was the last country to require such letters.

As was announced in April's E-News, the new climbing regulations modify the peak fees for climbing Mount Everest (offering increased flexibility for solo climbers and smaller parties on the standard Southeast Ridge route) and establish a minimum age of 16 for climbers attempting Everest. Additionally, the new mountaineering rules dispense with seasonal climbing permits and allow climbing throughout the year; require that all peaks have an environmental deposit for removal of garbage that varies from $500 to $4,000, depending upon the height of the mountain and region in which it is located; provide for the issuance of provisional permits upon partial payment of the peak fee (five percent for Everest; 10 percent for other mountains); and allow for the transfer of peak fees among peaks of similar height within the same region.

These changes and others announced within the past year are designed to encourage greater tourism in Nepal, which has seen significant declines in visitation due to an on-going political battle between the Nepalese government and Maoist rebels. For additional information on travel warnings for Nepal and other countries, please see the International Travel Warning Update section listed below.

ASTHMA MEDICATION PREVENTS HIGH-ALTITUDE PULMONARY EDEMA

A recent study published in the May 23 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that prophylactic inhalation of the asthma drug salmeterol reduced by more than 50 percent the incidence of High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) in mountaineers who were prone to the condition. In addition to reducing the incidence of HAPE, use of salmeterol also lessened the symptoms of acute mountain sickness.

The study took 37 climbers with prior susceptibility to HAPE up to 4559m (15,045 ft) in the Italian Alps over the course of only 22 hours. Fourteen of the 19 subjects in the placebo group (74 percent) developed HAPE, while only 6 of the 18 subjects who received salmeterol (33 percent) developed symptoms of HAPE. The subjects who received the placebo also had more marked hypoxemia (decreased oxygen in the blood) and more pronounced mountain sickness than those who received the salmeterol inhalations.

However, Dr. Urs Scherrer, one of the researchers, suggests that use of salmeterol should be limited to people with prior incidents of HAPE since there presently is no reliable way of predicting who may be susceptible to HAPE.

The study can be obtained from http://www.nejm.org.

PARTICIPANTS WANTED FOR A STUDY OF FAMILY/RELATIONSHIPS AND CLIMBING

As a subscriber to the American Alpine Club E-News, you are invited to participate in a study of climbers and family satisfaction. You are encouraged to participate regardless of your climbing level or family status. If you have already completed a questionnaire, we thank you for your support and contribution.

In order to participate in this study, please go to: http://www.blackboard.com/courses/RISKSTUDY. Once there, select "Visit as a guest." You will then find instructions followed by the questionnaire. Please read all of the instructions before you begin. The questionnaire may take up to 30 minutes to complete. You should also note that this questionnaire is completely confidential, and your responses are anonymous.

It is important to note that a large portion of this study will investigate relationships, and therefore, you are asked to solicit the participation of your "mate." For the purposes of this study, the term "mate" refers to your spouse, life partner or person with whom you share a committed, monogamous relationship. Your mate should complete a separate questionnaire in private, without your input. In order to make a statistical comparison between your and your mate’s responses, you are required to provide the last four digits of your and your mate’s social security numbers. So, before answering the questionnaire, be sure to have these numbers handy. If you do not have a "mate," there are still questions relative to you, so please continue to provide your responses as instructed. Thank you for your contribution.

If you have any questions or comments concerning this research, please contact:

Michael Sean White, M.S.

AAC Member and Research Grant Recipient

Phone: 830.640.3220

mailto:squirrellybuck@hotmail.com

CLEAN MOUNTAIN CAN STUDY ON DENALI UNDER WAY, BIG WALL CANISTER DEBUTS

Denali National Park Lead Mountaineering Ranger Roger Robinson reported recently that the three-week study period, during which all climbers going to the 17,200-foot high camp will be required to use the Clean Mountain Can, is under way and is being well received by climbers. More than 100 climbers had been issued the canisters as of May 22. Though some initially have been reluctant to take the reusable plastic canisters, no returning climbers have provided negative responses when the canisters were returned to the 14,200-foot NPS ranger camp, according to Robinson. When the report was filed, climbers from more than 10 countries had participated in the study, which will run until early June.

The AAC has been intimately involved in developing the Clean Mountain Cans. A conservation grant provided initial funding for development of the prototype canisters used last year, and a subsequent grant of almost $4,000 this year helped fund production of an even lighter weight canister. Though the E-News does not include commercial solicitations, we are encouraged to report that Corporate Member Mountain Tools has recently begun marketing these canisters for use on big wall climbs.

AAC AWARDS MORE THAN $37,000 IN CLIMBING, RESEARCH GRANTS

The spring grant season resulted in 68 requests for funding, ranging from cutting-edge climbing expeditions to scientific mountain research projects.

LYMAN SPITZER CLIMBING GRANTS

Lyman Spitzer Climbing Grants promote state-of-the-art, cutting-edge climbing through financial support of small, lightweight teams of climbers attempting bold first ascents or difficult repeats of the most challenging routes in the world's great mountain ranges. A total of $14,000 was awarded to the following team leaders:

Brian Block (Ames, IA). With two teammates, Block will attempt an alpine-style first ascent of Denali's east face, including a 40+ mile trek approach.

Michael Libecki (Salt Lake City, UT). Libecki will make a solo attempt of "one of the last truly remote, untouched areas of East Greenland." He will travel hundreds of miles through polar bear-populated areas to reach, reconnoiter, and climb virgin granite towers.

Micah Raphael (Boulder, CO). Raphael's three-man team will travel by plane, helicopter, and boat to attempt routes in Tasermuit Fjord, Greenland. There they will attempt to establish a new route on Nulamasortorq and attempt to free the Italian Route on the west face of that peak's Third Pillar.

Steve Schneider (Oakland, CA). His three-person team will attempt a one-day, on-sight free climb of the south face of Otgon Tenger, the tallest granite wall in Mongolia.

Josh Wharton (Boulder, CO). The goal of 22-year old Wharton and his only slightly older partner is the first ascent of The Flame, a spire in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya Mountains.

HELLY HANSEN MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE AWARD

A partnership between the AAC and Corporate Partner Helly Hansen created the Helly Hansen Mountain Adventure Award, which provides cash and garments to mountaineers and explorers of the world's mountain regions. Team leaders each accepting $2,500 and Helly Hansen apparel are:

Pete Dronkers (Reno, NV). Dronkers and his partner will spend 30 days, exploring and climbing in the seldom-visited and largely untouched mountains of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Artic.

Lorne Glick (Telluride, CO). Glick's three-man team will attempt the first ski descent of Cerro Fitzroy, at 3405 meters the largest peak in Argentine Patagonia. They will descend via the Supercoulior route.

David Morton (Seattle, WA). With a partner, Morton will attempt to establish new routes on Nangpai Gosum Peak in the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal, on or near the Tibet border. The team will use a small, local Nepali base camp team and not use porters or Sherpas above base camp.

RESEARCH GRANTS

The Research Committee of the American Alpine Club awarded $9,425 from three endowments to support modest requests assisting scientific research projects within the scope of the AAC's charter.

Polly Bass (Athens, GA). Distribution of Alpine Flora on Nunataks of the Juneau Icefield, Alaska, and the Relationship with Glacio-Meteorological Trends.

Brian Clarke (Boulder, CO). Glacial Dipstick: Thickness of Laurentide Ice Sheet over Northeast Baffin Island.

Grant Elliott (Laramie, WY). A Century of Change in the San Juan Mountains.

Jennifer Erxleben (Boulder, CO). Comparison of Spatial Prediction Methods for Estimating Snow Distribution in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Christopher Giza (Los Angeles CA). Mountaineering and Rock Climbing Injuries to the Brain and Spinal Cord.

Ethan Greene (Greely, CO). Effects of Large Density Changes on Snow Microstructure.

Eleanor Haresign (St. Andrews, UK). Calving Dynamics at Glaciers Leones and Fiero, Chilean Patagonia.

Ian Howat (Santa Cruz, CA). Sensitivity and Response Time of Glaciers on Mount Shasta to Climate Change.

Maynard Miller (Moscow, ID). Firm-pack Mass Balance Measurements on the Mount Service/Mount London Crestal Neve and Plateau, Northern Boundary Range, Alaska.

Lindsey Nicholson (St. Andrews, UK). Melt Rates and Topographic Evolution in Development of Supraglacial lakes, Kumbu Himal.

Eric Nilles (New Haven, CT). Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor at High Altitude: Role of Hypoxia and Alkalemia.

David Powers (Cleveland, SC). Background and Demographic Analysis of Rock Climbers in the Southeast U.S.

Alberto Reyes (Burnaby, BC). Historical Fluctuations of Donjek and Kaskawulsh glaciers, St. Elias Mountains, Yukon Territory.

Clint Rogers (Hudson, MA). Economic Opportunity and Socio-Cultural Response in a Changing Nepal.

Kevin Tatsugawa (Sacramento, CA). Ginkgo Biloba Denali Research Protocol.

UIAA Conservation Committee.

MOUNTAINEERING FELLOWSHIP FUND GRANTS

Mountaineering Fellowship Fund grants encourage young American climbers age 25 years and under to go into remote areas and seek out climbs more difficult than they might ordinarily be able to do. These grants are made available through the Boyd N. Everett, Jr. Memorial Fund, the John R. Hudson Memorial Fund, the Rick L. Mosher Memorial Fund, and the REI Challenge Fund. Approximately $2,700 was awarded to:

Johann Aberger (Carbondale, CO), Micah Raphael (Boulder, CO), and Even Stevens (Salt Lake City, UT). The team of three all won Fellowship grants (as well as a Spitzer grant) and will attempt a new big wall route and free ascents in Tasermiut Fjord, southern Greenland.

Kyle Amstadter (Bozeman, MT). Amstadter's all-women team will attempt first ski descents in the remote mountains of Kazakhstan.

Melis Coady (Talkeetna, AK) and Molly Loomis (Driggs, ID). These two grant winners are part of an all-women expedition who will spend three weeks exploring eastern Kamchatka, Russia.

Christopher Pearson (Mammoth Lakes, CA). Pearson's team will spend a month climbing in the Alaska Range, including Ruth Gorge and Mt. Huntington.

Martin Strasser (Spokane, WA). First ski descents in remote mountains of Kazakhstan are Strasser's objective.

Chris Thomas (Columbia, MD). Thomas will attempt a climb of the Ham and Eggs Couloir on the Moose's Tooth, Ruth Gorge, Alaska Range.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WARNING UPDATE

Political strife and economic turmoil continue to affect several countries with major mountaineering objectives. Here is a brief rundown on countries for which the US State Department has issued a travel warning or advisory. As seasoned international travelers know, circumstances can vary widely within countries. A climber may have no trouble visiting a country with a posted advisory, while a tense situation may develop in a country where no advisory has been issued. In all situations use your best judgment.

India/Pakistan. Tensions are running high along the Line of Control in Kashmir, with the potential for escalating clashes between the Indian and Pakistani military. The State Department recommends deferring all travel to both countries. Americans in both countries are strongly urged to leave due to the potential for war.

Nepal. The conflict between Maoist insurgents and the Government of Nepal continues and has increased over the past few months. Recent reports of threats against and robberies of American trekkers, property destruction suffered by two businesses with an American affiliation, and increased anti-American rhetoric by the Maoist leadership indicate an increased risk to Americans in Nepal, particularly outside the Kathmandu Valley. Before his tragic death high on Makalu, AAC member R.D. Caughron reported that three international climbing expeditions to the peak were approached by heavily armed Maoist who demanded 10,000 rupees per person in return for not having their cameras confiscated. Maoist destruction of telephone service to most trekking areas complicates efforts to locate Americans and to make arrangements for emergency medical evacuations. Though the announced April bandh (strike) was cancelled, private busses operation outside the Kathmandu Valley during that period were stopped, torched, and their drivers beaten.

To check on updates or to look into conditions in other countries, visit the State Department's website at: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html.

AAC PRESIDENT PENS OPINION ARTICLE ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING

AAC President Jim Frush, who in 1999 led then-Vice-President Al Gore to the summit of Mount Rainier, recently wrote an article for the Sunday, May 26 Seattle Times about global warming and the impact it has had on mountain ranges of the world. The article, "Message of the mountains: A climber's view on global warming," provides first-hand examples of how global warming modified areas where he previously climbed. Frush also discusses the potential impacts on the Pacific Northwest, including effects on salmon and other species. The article can be viewed on the Seattle Times website: http://www.seattletimes.com

AAC SEEKS VOLUNTEER TO REPRESENT THE CLUB AT AAAS MEETINGS

The AAC is looking for a scientist and member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science who is willing to represent the AAC at the AAAS Annual Meetings. The AAC is an affiliate organization to the AAAS, but with no budget for these meetings, we must depend upon members who are already traveling to these meetings for personal or professional reasons to represent the organization. The volunteer representative would need to attend the affiliates meeting at the AAAS Annual Meeting and to participate in an appropriate AAAS Section meeting. If you are interested, please contact the Club by email at: mailto:getinfo@americanalpineclub.org.

NEW AAC JACKETS ON SALE

Looking for a nice, technical piece of apparel that works as well in the backcountry as it looks good on Main Street? Then you need an AAC Cold Mountain jacket. These Jagged Edge jackets are perfect for cool weather aerobic activities. Windbloc fleece covers the chest, shoulders and sleeves while Power Stretch on the back provides breathability and movement. Best of all, "The American Alpine Club" is embroidered on the front. Retail price is $120 but, for a limited time, the AAC is offering them to members at only $95! Call the AAC office at 303.384.0110 or email mailto:getinfo@americanalpineclub.org to order yours today. Quantities are limited.

E-NEWS POLICIES

In order to protect the interests of our subscribers, we have established the following E-News 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.

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

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