The American Alpine Club E-News: November
2001
Dear AAC member,
A month has passed since the horrifying
terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and
rural Pennsylvania, but we at the AAC remain
sobered by the tremendous loss of life and the
lasting impact these events have had on our
country. We are not aware of any Club members
being killed in the attacks despite the Club’s
long association with New York City and many
members living in the area. We know, however,
that many members will have been affected in
significant ways, both directly and indirectly,
by these dramatic and appalling events, and that
many more may be affected as the government’s
response unfolds.
We applaud the efforts of the New York
Section in raising almost $3,500 for the relief
efforts and we encourage members to give in
whatever ways they feel are appropriate – from
giving blood to contributing to the various
relief efforts.
At times like this climbing may seem trivial,
but it actually is a powerful restorative
activity for the mind and body alike. We learned
recently that the National Park Service will
waive entrance fees to all national parks over
the Veterans Day weekend (November 10-12) as a
way of bringing together Americans in their
public lands on this national day of unity. You
may want to avail yourself of this free weekend
as you plan your upcoming month’s activities.
Jim Frush
President
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In this issue:
Prayer for Peace From the Karakoram
National Park Service to Waive 60-Day
Pre-Registration Requirement for Climbers who
have Climbed Denali or Foraker Since 1995
New York Dinner Great Success: Full House
Hears Blind Everest Climber and Raises Funds for
the World Trade Center Victims
New Speakers Added for Annual Meeting
Fee Demo Program Reauthorized
Rocky Mountain National Park Adopts
Backcountry/Wilderness Management Plan
American Alpine Journal Index Now Available
On-line
Events
AAC Member Contest “Where Did You Bivy Last
Night”
Prayer for Peace From the Karakoram
by Greg Mortenson
Greetings from Pakistan’s Karakoram and Hindu
Kush range. All climbers have left and there are
no first ascents to report, but an important
task remains: On behalf of the communities here
in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, I would
like to express their deepest condolences and
prayers for the September 11th tragedy that
befell their climbing friends across America.
Everywhere I have been the last months,
Islamic religious clerics, Pakistan Army
commanders, government leaders, soldiers,
police, village elders, guides, cooks, porters,
women, and most of all, children have embraced
me, often with tears in their eyes and asked me
to express their deepest sympathy and support.
I have joined head Islamic clerics for
prayers of peace. We have discussed this at
great length and all of them resound and tell me
that nowhere does the Holy Koran advocate
terrorism or condone the events of September 11.
Islam is about peace, justice and faith.
I convey this message for Americans
everywhere. I also ask that each of you take
action today to show your continued support for
our Karakoram and Hindu Kush friends.
They have toiled with us into the mountains
of our adventure and dreams, carried our
monstrous loads, patiently endured our egos,
tempers and moments of despair, watched us soar
to the summit and also buried some of our fallen
companions with dignity. This is also a time of
concern, fear, and despair for them. They wonder
what we think of them, they ask if we will
return again, or flee to the great country never
to return again.
A few, small ideas to make a big difference:
Write a short, one-page letter to a guide,
cook, porter, jeep driver or friend here. Thank
them for precious memories of long ago. Enclose
a picture. No money, clothes, food or gifts,
just give them 10 minutes of your valuable time.
If you don't have their address or remember
their village, send it to:
c/o Ghulam Parvi
PO BOX 628,
Skardu, Northern Pakistan
and we will try to deliver your note. One of
our main consistent faults as guests in these
mountains is to not fulfill our promise to write
to our new or old friends in villages here.
Have your daughter, son, nephew, niece or
grandchildren write to students at one of two
AAC member funded schools in the Karakoram.
Address to:
Tisar Community AAC School
c/o Saeed Medhi
Gulapor – Chutran
Shegar Valley, Skardu, Northern Pakistan
Or: Hyderabad – Mango AAC Girls’ School
c/o Haider
Shegar Valley, Skardu, Northern Pakistan
Offer your knowledge gleaned from travels to
the far corners and mountains of our planet.
Speak out. Be an advocate. Let people know how
gracious, kind and hospitable our friends in
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, India and
Nepal are. Those of you familiar with Pakistan
and Afghanistan offer your expertise and rare
insight into a land and people few know. Write
your Senators, letters to the editor and more.
Invite Islamic friends over for tea, dinner
or just talk. Share your fears, concerns and
hopes for peace and destroy any terrorist’s
aspiration to divide and conquer.
Be bold in this time of uncertainty and
recession; offer hope through a contribution to
your favorite charity. When money is less, a
gift means more and you will receive great
satisfaction to forge ahead and put your belay
out there. Send a check to the AAC to celebrate
our enduring club's centennial; you won't be
around to celebrate another one!
Most of all, don’t despair or live in fear.
Don’t run. Climb the mountain. Do something.
Make a first ascent or walk up an ancient, worn
trail. Look up an old climbing mate in the AAC
directory; perhaps from 30 years ago. You’ll
discover the passing years have brought wisdom
and memories cherished even more.
On belay from the Karakoram.
Greg Mortenson E-mailed this from Pakistan on
October 13. He is the last American and one of
only a handful of foreigners to remain in
northern Pakistan to continue community-based
education, conservation and public health
programs. A fundraiser for CAI will be held in
Seattle, Washington on November 1 featuring
guest speaker Jon Krakauer. For more information
go to
http://www.ikat.org.
National Park Service to Waive 60-day
Pre-Registration Requirement for Climbers who
have Climbed Denali or Foraker Since 1995
As a result of efforts by AAC board members
Charlie Sassara and Steve Davis, Denali National
Park has agreed to cut the current 60-day
pre-registration period to seven days for those
climbers who have registered to climb Denali and
Foraker since 1995.
According to NPS Associate Alaska Regional
Director Ralph Tingey, “All climbers in our
database who climbed on either Denali or Mount
Foraker will be assumed to have met the 60-day
requirement.”
Starting with the 2002 climbing season,
climbers who previously have registered must
register seven days prior to their departure
date and pay a $25 deposit. They will pay the
remaining $125 of the $150 mountaineering fee
upon their check-in at the Talkeetna Ranger
Station, where rangers will update them on
current route conditions and cover resource
protection policies.
The National Park Service established the
60-day pre-registration requirement in 1995 to
provide an opportunity for educating climbers
about the harsh arctic conditions on these
mountains in an effort to reduce the number of
rescues, fatalities and injuries. Climbers are
sent information translated into several
languages that covers needed equipment and food,
altitude-related illnesses and the extreme cold
climbers will face on an ascent of these peaks.
Upon arrival all expeditions are briefed further
about routes conditions and policies governing
human waste disposal, trash and fuel removal,
marking of caches, and rescue/medical transport.
While the educational materials and
pre-registration period were helpful in
educating climbers unfamiliar with Alaska Range
conditions, Alaska locals and those with
previous experience in the area viewed the
60-day rule as unnecessarily cumbersome.
“It was extremely frustrating not being able
to put a trip together within a week or two,”
said Sassara. “We wouldn’t know about conditions
two months in advance, and the 60-day wait could
put us on the mountain when conditions were
dangerous.”
Sassara, an Anchorage native with extensive
experience in Alaska including the first winter
ascent of Denali’s West Rib, previously
requested a waiver of the 60-day rule to do a
technical route on Foraker while near term route
conditions and weather were judged to be
favorable. He was turned down by the NPS, but
then began meeting with Davis, Tingey, South
District Ranger Daryl Miller, and Acting Lead
Climbing Ranger Roger Robinson - all of whom are
AAC members - to develop the compromise.
“This compromise is just another example
where the AAC has made a difference for
climbers,” said Davis. “Experienced climbers now
will have greater access to these superb
mountains.”
New York Dinner Great Success: Full House
Hears Blind Everest Climber and Raises Funds for
the World Trade Center Victims
By Phil Erard, New York Section Chair
With Manhattan slowly recovering from the
devastating tragedy of September 11, the 22nd
New York Section Annual Black Tie Dinner
nonetheless went on as scheduled on September 29
at Manhattan’s elegant Union Club. A capacity
crowd heard Special Guest Speaker and AAC member
Erik Weihenmayer, 32, the blind climber who
recently summited Everest and received
nationwide media attention for this feat. Not so
well known is that Erik’s skills extend to rock
and ice including leads on El Cap’s Nose Route,
which he climbed with Hans Florine, and Polar
Circus, a 3,000-foot ice wall in Canada. In many
respects he may be one of today’s most
remarkable climbers and he is well on his way to
being one of the youngest climbers to complete
all Seven Summits. A professional motivational
speaker who is in high demand on the corporate
circuit, Erik charmed the audience with his
self-deprecating wit, humor, and smooth
delivery, making everyone feel at ease with his
blindness. For him, one of the most difficult
parts of the Everest climb was negotiating the
icefall, where he had to jump across wide
crevasses he couldn’t see and which he couldn’t
probe with his poles. Whether lecturing or
climbing, Erik asks for few concessions, the
only one being occasional confirmation by the
audience of the specific slide on the screen.
Erik totally lost his sight at the age of 13 due
to a rare eye disease.
Accompanying Erik was his wife Ellen and the
Colorado-based members of his all AAC member
Everest team: Charley Mace, an AAC Director,
Brad Bull, and their respective wives. Brad and
his father Sherman Bull warmed up the audience
with a short retrospective, “Father and Son on
Everest,” detailing their recent Everest climb
where Sherman, at age 64, broke the previous age
record. Sherman succeeded on his fifth try after
surviving a lengthy fall and serious injuries en
route to the South Summit two years ago. Sherman
broke up the audience by quoting a headline from
one newspaper: “Oldest Man in the World Climbs
Everest!”
The dinner generates increasing national
attention and now draws members from around the
country. Among the guests were Bob and Pamela
Street from Colorado Springs; Past-president Jim
Henriot, from Washington State; Dave Ireland,
and Ben Kweton the new Midwest Section Chair,
from Chicago; and Dick and Alice Bass from
Dallas and Snowbird. Dick wound up the evening
speeches by exhorting everyone to make the trip
to Snowbird in February for the Club’s 100th
Anniversary Annual Meeting. U.S. Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney, wife of member Clif Maloney,
was heard persuading the New Yorkers present to
get back to their normal life again and not be
ashamed to party. A total of 14 new members were
welcomed, gently “roasted” and presented with
their membership pins.
Mindful of the needy victims and families of
the World Trade Center tragedy, the event
featured a silent suction of gear and equipment
donated by various manufacturers. Though hastily
assembled because of time constraints, the
auction raised $3500 for WTC disaster relief.
Another $4,000 of the proceeds went to the
Library to help expand the circulating part of
the collection.
The New York Section will hold their next
event, Top Rope Social, October 27th, 10 a.m.- 4
p.m. at the Peterkill Climbing Area. To register
contact Jack Reilly
mailto:reilly@msmc.edu.
New Speakers Added for Annual Meeting
Since our last E-News, two new speakers have
been added to the program for this February’s
Annual Meeting at Snowbird Resort. Andrew
McLean, one of the leading ski mountaineers in
the country, will give a slide show of his
recent expedition to Antarctica. The group
completed a new route up Vinson’s unvisited east
side and Andrew completed a first ski descent of
Mount Mole. Also added to the agenda is a
multi-media presentation by award-winning
adventure filmmaker Michael Brown which will
cover the recent ascent of Everest by Erik
Weihenmayer, the first blind person to summit
the peak, as well as exploring ice caves in
Greenland and rock climbing in Vietnam. Brown
will share his experiences with slides and
videos and will explain what it takes to make
these incredible films in such inhospitable
conditions.
Reserve your lodging prior to January 1 and
directly through Snowbird at 800.453.3000. Be
sure to mention The American Alpine Club to
receive the discount rates. A limited number of
rooms are available!
Members will receive registration forms with
the Fall AAN which is already in the mail. Check
our website http://www.americanalpineclub.org
after October 22 for registration forms as well.
Fee Demo Program Reauthorized
The AAC’s efforts to fight back a four-year
reauthorization of the Recreation Fee
Demonstration Program were partially successful.
The House-Senate Conference Committee recently
voted to reauthorize the Fee Demo program for a
two-year period as part of the Interior
Appropriations Bill for FY 2002. While this is
an improvement over the four-year
reauthorization contained in the House version,
it extends the program longer than the AAC and
other human-powered recreation groups advocated
for in recent hearings. Our hope was a one-year
extension with a mandatory substantive review of
the program so that the public can express
concerns about how the Fee Demo program has been
run by the federal agencies. The House Resources
Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health
recently held its first hearing on the Fee Demo
program and we anticipate further substantive
hearings in the coming months. A big “thank you”
to all who responded this past summer to our
urgent request for calls and letters.
Rocky Mountain National Park Adopts
Backcountry/Wilderness Management Plan
Rocky Mountain National Park recently adopted
its preferred alternative for managing the
backcountry and wilderness portions of the Park
with few significant changes. The AAC had been
largely supportive of the way the plan managed
climbing (including the placement and use of
fixed anchors), solitude, and overnight camping.
In fact, their approach to managing fixed
anchors and solitude closely mirrored positions
the Club has taken on these two important
issues. Being able to refer other land
management agencies to an approved
backcountry/wilderness management plan that
allows for the managed placement of fixed
anchors should help our ability to get other
parks and forests to adopt similar approaches.
The same applies for the way RMNP approached
solitude in a heavily visited, urban-proximate
park.
American Alpine Journal Index Now Available
On-line
The latest index to The American Alpine
Journal, covering the years 1987-1996, is now
available on the AAC’s website as a pdf
document. This companion to the two earlier AAJ
Indexes (1929-1976 and 1977-1986) will not be
printed, but is being made available to the
public free of charge. You can access the file
at http://www.americanalpineclub.org/programs/AAJndex.pdf.
You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the
file, but this is a free program that can be
obtained at http://www.adobe.com.
Events
October 20
Touchstone / CCR Pro-Am 2001 : Pipeworks,
Sacramento, California.
October 21
Horsetooth Hang Bouldering Festival: Fort
Collins, Colorado.
October 26-28
2001 Wilderness Risk Management Conference:
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
October 27
NY Section Top Rope Social:10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at
the Peterkill Climbing Area. To register contact
Jack Reilly mailto:reilly@msmc.edu .
November 1
Central Asia Institute Fundraiser featuring
Jon Krakauer: Seattle, Washington.
November 2-4
International Technical Rescue Symposium:
Golden, Colorado.
November 17
Cascade Section Event-Reception and Slide
Show featuring Mt. Rainer Head Climbing Ranger
and author Mike Gauthier: Seattle, Washington.
Visit our new Event Page on the AAC website
for complete and updated information. Please
send event information to mailto:aan@americanalpineclub.org.
“Where Did You Bivy Last Night”
Check out the “Where Did You Bivy Last Night”
contest. Members can send in photos and stories
about a memorable bivy and have a chance to win
a bivy sack from Outdoor Research and The North
Face or a jacket from Helly Hansen. Details are
on the website.
Next time you need climbing information,
click on the redesigned AAC website, http://www.americanalpineclub.org.
The website has a clean new format and connects
you quickly to policy issues, Sections, E-News,
climbing resources, AAC programs like grants and
huts, and much more. The site is greatly
improved and we plan to continue to expand it to
better serve you.
E-News Policies
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