International Mountain Day - 2010

At the American Alpine Institute, we love mountains for their beauty and challenge, and for the livelihood they provide us as guides and teachers. But there are ample reasons for flatlanders to love mountains as well. Mountain ranges function as engines of water production, provide habitat for game, and supply resources for industry. In view of the universal value of mountains, the United Nations General Assembly established International Mountain Day on December 11th of each year to celebrate this shared natural heritage.

 
This year, we have decided to benefit the Central Asia Institute with our International Mountain Day activities. The Central Asia Institute is a non-profit organization with the mission to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in the remote mountainous regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Greg Mortenson, whose story was chronicled in the best-selling books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones to Schools, started the Central Asia Institute in 1993. Mortenson was inspired to develop a program to build schools at the foot of the Himalaya after he stumbled into a remote village in northern Pakistan following a failed attempt to climb K2. The villagers took him in, fed him, and gave him a place to rest while he recovered from his Himalayan failure. After Mortenson regained his strength, he vowed to come back to the village in order to help them to build a school. His return some months later marked the start of his quest to bring education to some of the poorest and most remote reaches of the world. Since 1993, Mortenson has helped build 145 schools throughout central Asia.

You can develop your personal climbing skills, your avalanche awareness skills and help us to benefit this important cause by participating in our International Mountain Day events.

You can now register online by clicking here. Registration is optional, but space is limited and those who register will be given priority.

• Rock Rescue Clinics  We will be offering four two-hour rock rescue clinics at the YMCA climbing wall in downtown Bellingham. The clinics will focus on the baseline skills required to perform a rescue in a high angle environment. We will be offering these from 8am-10am, 10:30am-12:30pm, 1pm to 3pm, and 3:30-5:30pm.
  
  
• Avalanche Awareness Seminars We will be offering two avalanche awareness events to celebrate International Mountain Day. The first event will be at 7pm at Western Washington University on December 2nd and the second event will also be at 7pm on December 11th at the American Museum of Radio and Electricity in downtown Bellingham.

At all events we will be selling raffle tickets ($5 per ticket) to raise money for the Central Asia Institute. Many sponsors have donated to our event. To learn more about International Mountain Day and our events to celebrate it, please click here.

--Jason D. Martin

National Park Service Hosting Open Houses on Mountaineering Use Fee

The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from Denali National Park:

The National Park Service (NPS) is examining approaches to recover more of the cost of the mountaineering program in Denali National Park and Preserve. As part of the public involvement process, the NPS is hosting two public open houses in December and two in January to provide information on the  mountaineering program and how the special mountaineering use fee is utilized. The cities, dates, locations, and times of the open houses are:

• Talkeetna, Alaska, Tuesday, December 7, Talkeetna Ranger Station, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. 

• Anchorage, Alaska – Wednesday, December 8, REI, 1200 W. Northern Lights Blvd., 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. 

• Seattle, Washington – Monday, January 17, REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Ave. N, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 

• Golden, Colorado – Tuesday, January 18, American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Park staff will give two 20 minute presentations on the mountaineering program and fee at each open house, beginning at 15 minutes after the hour. Official public testimony will not be taken, but park staff will be available before and after the presentations to provide additional information and answer questions.

Currently each climber of Mt. McKinley and Mt. Foraker pays a cost recovery mountaineering use fee of $200. Income from this special use fee funds some of the cost of the mountaineering program, including preventative search and rescue (PSAR) education, training for rescue personnel, positioning of patrol/rescue personnel (including volunteers) at critical high altitude locations on the mountain, the CMC (human waste) program, and administrative support. Since the cost recovery fee was implemented in 1995, the number of fatalities and major injuries has decreased significantly. This is directly attributable to the increased educational and PSAR efforts made possible through the cost recovery program.

When the special use fee was initially established it covered approximately 30% of the cost of this specialized program. Even though the fee was increased from $150 to $200 in 2005, current fee revenue only covers 17% of the cost. McKinley/Foraker climbers make up less than 1⁄2 of 1 percent of the park’s visitors, and in 2011 Denali will expend approximately $1,200 in direct support of each permitted climber. The average cost for all other visitors is expected to be about $37. In recent years, the park has diverted funds from other critical park programs in order to fully fund the mountaineering program. This has negatively impacted funding available for interpretation, wildlife protection, resource management, and maintenance.

The NPS is seeking input and ideas regarding two key questions:
      1) Is the current mountaineering program the most cost effective,
      efficient and safe program we can devise?
      2) How much of the cost should be recovered from users, and what
      options are there for how those costs can be distributed?

Comments from the public will be accepted through January 31, 2011. Comments may be submitted via email to: DENA_mountainfeecomments@nps.gov or faxed to (907) 683-9612. They may also be sent to: Superintendent, Denali National Park and Preserve, P.O. Box 9, Denali Park, AK 99755.

For additional information on the mountaineering program or the cost recovery special use fee visit the park website at www. nps.gov/dena. If you have questions about the fee you may contact Chief Park Ranger Peter Armington at (907) 683-9521 or peter_armington@nps.gov. Media inquiries should be directed to Public Affairs Officer Kris Fister at (907) 683-9583 or kris_fister@nps.gov.

 We recently wrote about this particular issue in a blog on November 5th.  To learn more about the issue and what you can do to help keep mountaineering fees low, click here.

--Jason D. Martin

Toproping Sport Climbs

Pulling through the last few moves on “Lude Crude and Misconstrued,” a popular 5.9 located in the Black Corridor of Red Rocks, is not a particularly difficult thing to do. The moves at the top are easy. No instead, the scariest part of the climb is not the climb itself, but the anchors. So many people have put their rope through the chains at the top of the route and then proceeded to toprope or lower off the anchors that the sawing action of hundreds of ropes has nearly eaten them clean through.

This is a chronic problem at sport climbing areas across America. Chain and quicklink anchors are severely damaged due to ignorance or laziness. The problem is most visible however, in places where it is sandy. Once a rope gets sand in the sheath it literally becomes like sandpaper. The repeated sawing action of a moving tensioned rope -- especially one with sand in the sheath -- may severely damage anchor chains in as little as a matter of hours.

The question then must be asked, who is responsible for a newly damaged anchor? Is it the first ascent party's responsibility to replace the anchor? Is it the responsibility of a local guide service? Does it become the problem of local climbing conservation groups? Or are the people who damaged the anchor responsible?

There is no right answer to the preceeding question. I have personally replaced innumerable anchors out of my own pocket. I know a number of others that have the same. We do this because we don't want to see anybody get hurt. But it's not something that we want to do.

Most of us who put up new routes or repair existing climbs simply avoid toproping directly through the chains. Instead, we use a cordelette or a double shoulder-length sling in conjunction with locking carabiners.

To the left is an example of a rope threaded directly through the anchor. Do not do this for anything but a rappel.

On the left-hand side, the anchor is composed of quick links. These are easier to change-out when they are damaged. On the right, the anchor is made up of chain purchased from a hardware store. This is more difficult to replace when damaged.


The photo on the right provides an example of a properly set-up toprope. The anchor is composed of a double shoulder-length sling, tied into a pre-equalized eight. At the bottom, clipped into the power-point (sometimes called the master-point) are two opposite and opposed locking carabiners. This is the best possible system as it meets the requirements for a SRENE or ERNEST anchor and protects the anchor chains from damage.

There are two organizations that are currently replacing bolts and anchors throughout the country. The first is the nonprofit American Safe Climbing Association (ASCA) and the second is the Anchor Replacement Inititive (ARI) sponsored by Climbing magazine, the North Face and Petzl . It is possible to support the ASCA with donations and to support the ARI by purchasing items from their corporate sponsors.

Checking anchors to make sure that they are not damaged, replacing those that are or providing financial support to those who will replace them, and reporting damaged anchors to individuals who will fix them is the responsibility of every climber. But perhaps the greater responsibility is to simply avoid damaging an anchor to begin with.

--Jason D. Martin

December and January Climbing Events

-- Nov 30 -- Bellingham, WA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival at WWU

-- Dec 1-3 -- Seattle, WA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

-- Dec 4 -- Chattanooga TN -- Triple Crown Bouldering Series 

-- Dec 9-12 -- Bozeman, MT -- Bozeman Ice Fest

-- Dec 11 – Worldwide – International Mountain Day

-- Dec 11 – Bellingham, WA – AAI's International Mountain Day Avalanche Awareness Seminar

-- Dec 12 -- Sandstone, MN -- Sandstone Ice Festival 

-- Jan 6-9 -- Ouray, CO -- Ouray Ice Fest


-- Jan 11-25 -- Tanzania -- Climb to Fight Breast Cancer

-- Jan 14 -- Nevada City, CA --  Wild and Scenic Film Festival 

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Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you stoked!

So in the festivities of being thankful for my life, I forgot to get a video up for you guys today!  Better late than never I suppose.  Here is a great video of some notable climbers deep water soloing.  Except it is over a river, and they are climbing on an artificial wall.  Pretty cool idea if you ask me, I would show up to this event.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Triaxal Loading on Trees

Surprisingly, there is one mistake that both beginners and advanced climbers alike tend to make. Many people will wrap a tree with a sling and then clip the sling. Often the sling is wrapped around the tree in such a way that it is loading the carabiner improperly. A carabiner that is loaded from three directions is often referred to as being triaxally or tri-directionally loaded. This is very very bad...

In this photo the carabiner is radically tri-loaded.
An impact on such a carabiner could cause failure.

A tri-loaded carabiner is crossloaded. It will not hold a high impact fall. As such, it is important to use slings that are long enough to tie off. In the preceding example, there is not enough sling material to get all the way around the tree, but even if there was enough for the carabiner to hang more loosely, it could still triaxally load it.

One could tie the sling off with a pre-equalized knot, but this isn't required. The following photo shows one quick example of a tie-off that eliminates the possibility of triaxal loading.


Triaxal loading is a detail that a lot of climbers don't think about. But it is just these kinds of minor details that can get you in the end. The phrase, "the Devil's in the details," didn't come from nowhere.

--Jason D. Martin

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 11/25/10

Happy Thanksgiving from the Guides and Staff of the 

American Alpine Institute!

Northwest

--For the second year in a row, the American Alpine Institute will be celebrating International Mountain Day in Bellingham on December 11th.  We will be offering free rock rescue seminars on the 11th, and free avalanche awareness seminars on the 2nd and the 11th.  We will be selling raffle tickets at all of the events and will be raising money for the Central Asia Institute.  To learn more about our International Mountain Day events, please click here.

--The Western side of the Cascades has been hit by a series of snowstorms over the last few days.  And while people in Seattle are calling it Snomageddon and Snopacalypse, this pre-Thanksgiving storm has helped to ensure that all ski areas will open on time and indeed, that the North Cascades are already on track for a major snow year...

--Daily forecasts from the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center began yesterday.  To check avalanche conditions, click here.

Sierra:

--In the northern Nevada Sierra foothills, search and rescue crews continued to look for a Reno hiker missing for three days in very rough weather. An Inyo search team member joined the effort.
Corporal Terry Waterbury, Inyo Search and Rescue Co-ordinator, confirmed that one team member responded to the request for assistance. News reports from Reno said that Rick Gentry had telephoned law officers about 5pm Sunday to say he was lost and not dressed for the extreme cold.  To read more, click here.

--An endowment was recently established to help fund the Sierra Avalanche Center.  “Our free daily avalanche advisory is a crucial tool for anyone exploring or working in the central Sierra Nevada backcountry during the winter season,” said Justin Broglio, chairman of the Sierra Avalanche Center. “Establishing an endowment is one way we can assure that these free advisories will continue for generations of skiers and riders to come. It also provides another avenue to support your local avalanche center.  “We choose to place our endowment with the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation because they already have a proven structure in place and their staff understands the mission and passion behind the avalanche center,” adds Broglio.  To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest

--It should be noted that this is one of the most popular weekends of the year for climbing in Smith Rock State Park, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and in Joshua Tree National Park.  Camping is limited at each locale, so try to help your neighbors out and share your space with other climbers,  You might make some new friends, or even earn yourself a beer or two for being neighborly...

John Roshalt in Red Rock Canyon

--The remains of missing climber, John "The Gambler" Roshalt, were found this week near the Prince of Darkness (IV, 5.10c) in the Black Velvet Canyon of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.  Roshalt, a professional gambler, went missing in 2005.  As his vehicle was found in a casino parking lot, many believed that he was a victim of foul play.  Now it appears that he may have died in a fall.  It's not clear whether he was free-soloing or simply checking out some route potential.  To read more, click here and here.


--It appears that late on Friday night, 40-year old Lance Leeroy Arellano shot and injured 34-year old state park ranger Brody Young near Moab, Utah.  Officials say the shootout occurred after Young stopped a vehicle near the Poison Spider Mesa Trail southwest of Moab near the Colorado River. After the pair exchanged gunfire, Arellano escaped into the desert.  Rangers have been scouring the red rock canyons near Moab, searching for the fugitive since the shooting.  To read more, click here and here.


--Bees attacked two  rock climbers Saturday afternoon as they tried to climb the north face of Camelback Mountain near Phoenix, authorities said. The Fire Department avoided a potentially dangerous and long air rescue had a separate climber not helped the two being attacked, said Captain Scott McDonald, a fire spokesman.The experienced climbers were climbing a route in Echo Canyon around 3pm when they reached the third pitch of a four-pitch climb, McDonald said. This is area is known by local climbers to have bees, including the spot where the climbers were attacked. To read more, click here.

--The following note was posted on Mountain Project in the Red Rock section:

Hi there!  I dropped my camera off the fifth pitch on Cat in the Hat on Friday, November 19, 2010. Surprisingly, it landed right next to our packs at the bottom! However, unfortunately, the memory card (with about 400 photos!) and the rechargeable batteries bounced out. If ANYONE happens to see a blue SD memory card, please call/text me at 702-423-2730 or leave it at Red Rock Climbing Center on Charleston near Cimarron for me, Marija Minic.

Notes from All Over:

--Christian "Chris" Pruchnic, the Denver climber who died Saturday afternoon on the route "All Mixed Up on Thatchtop Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park, was the chair of the Front Range Section of the American Alpine Club.  On its website, the American Alpine Club describes Pruchnic, 42, as "an avid adventurer who is passionate about climbing, scuba diving and foreign travel."  To read more, click here.

Great Britain's Prince William

Photo from Wikipeida

--Prince William was involved in a helicopter rescue mission on Mount Snowdon in Wales just two-days after announcing his engagement to Kate Middleton, according to the climber the prince helped rescue.  The rescue pilot was part of a four-man crew onboard an RAF Sea King, which was scrambled to help mountain climber Greg Watkins, who was stuck approximately 3000-feet up the mountain in stormy conditions. To read more, click here.

--The 2010-11 ski season’s first avalanche fatality – a ski patroller death that shut down Wolf Creek ski area Monday – highlights the high avalanche danger created by Sunday’s snowstorm and Monday’s high winds across Colorado.  Several media outlets are reporting Wolf Creek has confirmed the director of the southern Colorado resort’s ski patrol died in an inbounds slide Monday, shutting the ski area down for the day.  To read more, click here.

--This is an awesome page.  The Extreme Ice Survey is a video documentation project that shows glacial recession by using time lapse photography.  It's amazing to watch glaciers flow and move at high speed.  Check it out here.

-- A Japanese quartet consisting of Mitsuru Kato, Hiroshi Matsushima, Ken Sato and Chiharu Yoshimura recently made the first ascent of Xiaqiangla (17,946') in China's Daxue Shan Range. To read more, click here.

--On November 13, Steve Ashworth and Paddy Cave completed a new line on Scotland's infamous Ben Nevis.  The new route, Apache clocks in at a Scottish GradeVIII 9, 100m.  To learn more about the route and the Scottish grade comparison, click here.

--The American Alpine Club in Golden, Colorado, is currently hiring.  There is a marketing and content manager position open.  To read more, click here.

--It's been a spectacular early season in the Colorado Rockies. A series of bountiful storms has catapulted Colorado's ski hills deep into winter. For many resorts, this is the best opening in the past decade.  "It can't get better in November," says Pedro Perez-Soler, a 76-year-old Colorado Springs skier with icicles hanging from his beard. "It's good to be alive in this kind of snow."  To read more, click here.

--The Alaska Mountain Rescue Group celebrated fifty years of service last week.  This is just one of many volunteer organizations that provide the backbone to mountain rescue operations throughout North America. Last year, Alaskan troopers launched 331 search-and-rescue missions for 805 people. Some 609 state trooper searchers were joined by 4,176 volunteers, who put in 93 percent of the total search time. To read more, click here.

Conditions Report - November 24 2010

NORTHWEST:

--It's been dumping here in the Northwest and Mt. Baker had it's opening weekend. Sounds like amazing powder all around. Click here, here, and here.

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.-- Route and Conditions Report from Mt. Baker Rangers: Mount Baker Climbing Blog.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.

RED ROCK CANYON:

--Thanksgiving 2010: The Scenic Drive will remain open the regular hours (6am - 5pm) and the Visitor Center and Admin Building shall open at 8am as usual, but will close at 2pm.  All employees at work that day will only be required to work until 2pm.  The gate to the Scenic Drive shall stay open although the road up to the Visitor Center will be closed off.

--The scenic loop drive now closes at 5pm, effective Monday September 20th. See this thread and the BLM site for more information.

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.--The entrance to the scenic drive had a parking area for those who wanted to carpool up until approximately April of 2009. That lot has now become employee parking and people who want to carpool are required to park at the lot outside the Scenic Drive exit.

--The scenic drive currently opens its gates at 6 in the morning.

JOSHUA TREE:


--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

SIERRA:

-- Info for Spring camping in the valley info can be found here. 

--Tioga Pass is CLOSED. Click here.

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass.

ALASKA RANGE:

--Conditions in the range are not currently available.  But we are taking reservations for both Alaska Range Ascents and Denali trips.  To learn more, click here.  We will begin regular conditions reports in the Alaska Range in late April.

ALPS:


--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

Kalymnos 2010 - Trip Report 2 (Odyssey)

Thanks for joining us again on our next installment. When we last left you, we were enjoying our rest day. Although - don't you find that the first enforced rest day is the hardest one to take? You've only done two days of climbing and you know you should rest, but...ohhh, you're so excited and just want to do one more day...

Anyway, we played it smart and it was lucky, because coach Cujes (me) had some brutality in store at one of the premiere cliffs on the island, the varied Odyssey.

It started cold and we were snug in our down jackets, and then fingertips were frozen on the limestone of the warmups. Circe 6b, Femio 6a+ and Laertes 5c+ were all dispatched by the crew.

"What was that one like Glenn?" 

"Dunno - couldn't feel a thing!"

Next it was time for a crag tour to find the line which inspired. With about 50-60 classics of all grades to choose from, it wasn't hard. For Matt, the steep and thuggy Lucky Luca 7b beckoned. For Owen, it was the gently overhung, polished and pumpy Amorpha 7b. Glenn and Susy were seduced by the long and technical Dafni 7b. And me, well, I had an old project from the 2008 camp Marci Marc 7c+ - that super enduro mega line. One of the most coveted routes on Kalymnos.

Owen only had a couple of hangs on his first shot on Amorpha 7b (remember, this is the guy who is supposed to be climbing 6a/18 because of his wrist). Solid, solid effort up front. We spent a good while sussing the top crux and getting the sequence just right. On his second shot, he went right through cleanly to the rest 4m from the top, and even though he rested well, the forearms were out of juice for the deadpoint to the two finger pocket - one move shy of the top. Tragedy! Seriously though, don't you love a route that takes you right to the edge? What a perfect proj - he'll be back for it later in the camp.

Owen and his Amporpha 7b © S Cujes 2010

While Lucky Luca 7b may have "looked onsightable", it wasn't to be for Matt who discovered the start is mega bouldery on steep tufa snake pinches. Not surprising, he found some sweet kneebars and kneescums and came away with a smooth second shot send. Tidy work from the Coolum Kid.

Matt putting Lucky Luca 7b to bed © L Cujes 2010

Dafni 7b is a long and imposing, wandering line up a pure white sheet of limestone. Given Glenn's hardest route is 7a/23, the fact he got on this with no beta, placing the draws and working it out as he went was a bloody top effort. Susy then helped refine beta and they both had shots on it together. This is an ace way of figuring out a hard route, particularly if you both have different styles, as sometimes one person is better at unlocking the sequence and the other person benefits from that. Super fun. No sends, but good learnings and great progress. A potential goer for later in the trip.

Glenn on Dafni 7b  © L Cujes 2010

So that leaves me on Marci Marc 7c+. The route is a full 30m long and overhangs about 10m or so. In 2008, I tried it several times, always avoiding the potential kneebar at half height. You have to climb out to it, put it in, and then climb back onto the line and I always thought it probably didn't allow much of a rest anyway. It certainly didn't feel good when I tried it. But here we are in 2010 and I'm in possession of our newly developed Upskill Friction kneebar pads, I thought it'd be wrong not to suit up and get into them. So I tried the kneebar and yep - pretty dang good with these pads! Second shot I climbed solidly from the ground, through to the kneebar, recovered, and then blitzed the crux. What a relief! 10m victory whipper from the top (thanks Susy's rope and Matt's soft catch) and I'm down.

Me chilling in the kneebar on Marci Marc 7c+ © S Cujes 2010

After the big efforts on our projects, we hit the slabs for some no pressure fun. Sheree once again upped her tally of leading on routes such as Eumeo 4b, Argo 4c and Telemaco 5b, and we all played around on these fun slabs with cool features (big stones sticking out of the more weathered limestone).

Slab fun!! © L Cujes 2010

Join us next time as we steepen things up at the dripping tufa wall of Ghost Kitchen!

Capitol Reef National Park

Mike B on a zig zagging 5.11 crack. This one is found in the Grand Wash and is about a 2 minute approach. Classic.

Steph Davis on a nice 12+ splitter. This crack is also in the Grand Wash and is as good as they get for this size. Steph crushed the route easily after her knee surgery months ago.

The Capitol Reef visitor center. Be sure to stop in and get some fresh pies!

Mike B making breakfast on a cool morning in the park. For 10 bucks a night it's quiet and you are right in the middle of everything in the park. Clean bathrooms and friendly folks and hundreds of fruit trees.

Mike B on his overhanging 35meter hand crack. It's awesome! Some easy face/crack climbing at the beginning leads to a beautiful 20 foot overhung handcrack out the dihedral. It is just a minute from the road (Grand Wash).

I am really glad that you have visited my blog.

Thanks and I hope to see and hear from you soon.

Rob Pizem

And last but not least, don't forget to check out my favorite sites:http://www.scarpa.nethttp://www.arcteryx.comhttp://camp-usa.comhttp://sterlingrope.comhttp://ColoradoMountainJournal.comhttp://www.wunderground.comhttp://climbing.comhttp://rockandice.comhttp://deadpointmag.comhttp://urbanclimbermag.comhttp://andrewburr.comhttp://ladzinski.com

2010 AMGA/IFMGA Conference

The American Mountain Guides Association recently held its annual meeting in Boulder, Colorado.  In the past we have written about the AMGA and the events associated with it.  In 2008, we covered the annual meeting at Smith Rock and the always popular Guide Olympics.  This year was quite bit different, and the focus of the annual meeting was much more broad.  It also coincided with the annual meeting of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA, or UIAGM in French or IVBV in German) and this year that organization held it in the United States in conjunction with the AMGA for the first time in history.

Banners Advertising the Meeting Ornamented Boulder's Downtown District

The AMGA is one of the twenty-two member organizations of the IFMGA, and through it, American guides who attain the highest level of certification in all three American guide certifications (rock, alpine and ski) are provided with welcoming access and assistance in the mountainous areas of member countries from the regional organizations.

While the AMGA/IFMGA meeting was really a conference with dozens of smaller committee meetings and trainings all over the city, there were a handful of bigger events at which a large percentage of the participants got together.  The first was a fantastic opening event at the Prana store in downtown Boulder.  The second was the IFMGA General Assembly, the third was a guides parade in Downtown Boulder, and the last was the AMGA Main Event, consisting of dinner, talks, awards, and a climbing narrative presented by American IFMGA guide and world class climber, Vince Anderson.

The AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Provider Training at the Boulder Rock Club

I had the opportunity to attend the IFMGA General Assembly on the morning of the 14th.  This particular meeting was the centerpiece of the entire affair, and was devoted to a range of business and guiding issues in the member countries.  It was tricky to understand what was going on though.  The meeting was presented in German and there were limited translation headsets.  I ended up sitting near someone wearing one of them to get an idea of what was going on.  This made it a bit difficult to follow the whole thing, but I got the jist through second-hand communications...

Herman Biner, the President of the IFMGA, talks to a group of Swiss Guides at the Guides Parade

The elephant in the room at this meeting was the fact that while American guides have access to Europe, European guides don't have the same level of access to the US.  This has to do with the public lands permitting systems in the US.  Each of the parks, recreation areas, forest lands, and BLM lands have different permits and rules in the United States.  And unfortunately for the European guides, US permit rules do not make it terribly easy to get access to these lands.  This is something that the AMGA pledged that they would continue to work on with the Europeans on over the coming years.

The city of Boulder pulled out all of the stops at the event.  You're probably aware that Boulder is an extremely popular place for outdoor sports.  Indeed, like our homebase in Bellingham, Boulder is considered by many to be one of the capitols of outdoor and adventure sports in the United States.  Clearly, the business owners and residents of the city take pride in this perception and opened their arms to the visiting guides. There were meetings and dinners at numerous restaurants and shops. And for a few days, guides wearing IFMGA and AMGA jackets dominated the downtown scene.

Bergfuhrer is German for Mountain Guide.  This specialty brew was created 
for the meeting and features European IFMGA guide Leo Caminada in the center.  
Leo was the president of the IFMGA when the AMGA was selected as a member.

On the afternoon of November 14th, all of the guides got together and walked in a parade down Pearl Street.  This public event with guides from seventeen countries was perhaps the largest such event for mountain guides in the history of American guiding.  Following is a short video from the parade.



The final evening of the conference was far more AMGA oriented than many of the previous meetings.  The first part of the evening was dedicated to the memories of two guides that passed away this year.  John Fischer and Heidi Kloos were guides from two completely different generations.  Fischer was a pioneer in the guiding industry in the 1970s and was instrumental in helping create an organization that was the predecessor of the AMGA (the APMGA - the American Professional Mountain Guides Association).  Kloos was a modern "big mountain" guide and one of the few women in the United States to complete her Alpine Guide certification.  The community lost both of these guides this year, Fisher in a motorcycle accident and Kloos in an avalanche.  As with every guide memorial, many tears were shed.  Both John and Heidi will be missed.

At the centerpiece of the Main Event was a history of the AMGA.  Doug Robinson sketched out the events that led to the creation of the APMGA, the predecessor to the AMGA, the original organization pioneered by a small circle of guides in California from 1979 to 1985.  Dunham Gooding, AAI's president, gave a colorful history of the AMGA's challenging and ground-breaking first ten years. He detailed the events which led to where we are today.  Dunham began the narrative in 1986 and talked about how the National Accreditation Program was established, how the National Guide Certification Program was designed and implemented, and how the US applied to the IFMGA for membership in that international body.  Dunham served as AMGA Vice President for three years and President for six years during that formative time.

Former AMGA Presidents - From left to right, Alan Pietrasanta, Ian Wade, John Cleary,

 former AAI guide Mark Houston, AAI President Dunham Gooding, Phil Powers, Dick Jackson, and John Bicknell.  Missing was former AMGA president and AAI guide Matt Culberson.

Dunham related that some individual European guides were concerned that with US membership in the IFMGA, the Alps would be overwhelmed with American guides.  He said he jokingly reassured them that "it would be at least 6 or 8 years before there were 1000 American guides in the Alps."  The reality was and is that the certification process is a rigorous one, and the increase in numbers of American guides working in the Alps has been very gradual. The AMGA was officially voted into membership of the IFMGA in 1997.  Now, 13 years later, approximately 30 American guides regularly work in the Alps.

In the historical sketch, Dunham noted that the leadership of the IFMGA was incredibly encouraging and welcoming to the American application.  Representing the US through those years at the IFMGA annual meetings, he described how open and supportive the Europeans were to the candidacy, both on personal as well as on official levels.  Dunham particularly noted the generosity of the Canadians, Hans Gmosser, and Karl Classen.  Canada served as the US sponsor in the application process, led by the esteemed Canadian Mountain Guides Association President Hans Gmosser (known as the beloved "grandfather of guiding" in Canada, unfortunately now deceased) and Technical Committee Chair Karl Classen.

The AMGA Annual Meeting and the IFMGA Meeting were both great successes.  This was a spectacular event, and the membership of the AMGA is thankful for the work of AMGA Executive Director Betsy Novak and AMGA President/former AAI Avalanche Provider Margaret Wheeler, in putting together the conference.  This was a real opportunity for those of us who don't work in Europe to reach out to our foreign brothers and sisters in friendship.  And now we can only hope that we have the opportunity to do so again. While this was the first IFMGA meeting in the United States, it will certainly not be the last.

--Jason D. Martin

2010 AORE Conference

I had never heard of AORE before I started working in the American Alpine Institute office.  As a person who didn't study recreation in college, I wasn't aware that there was an organization which supports young people in their quests to work in the outdoor industry.  The Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education or AORE is just such an organization.

AORE recently held its annual conference at 10,000 feet in the beautiful Colorado resort town of Keystone.  I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend the event in order to represent the American Alpine Institute.  It was only my second time to Summit County, but it felt just like the first time that I visited.  The area is absolutely beautiful and everywhere I looked there was a tremendous amount of skiing and climbing available.

The AORE conference brings together people from all over the country to discuss issues of importance to those who strive to work in the outdoor industry. "The mission of the Association is to provide opportunities for professionals and students in the field of outdoor recreation and education to exchange information, promote the preservation and conservation of the natural environment, and address issues common to college, university, community, military, and other not-for-profit outdoor recreation and education programs."  The best way that the AORE Board of Directors has found to develop these opportunities and this information exchange has been through this yearly conference.

Attendees had a number of interesting opportunities.  There were literally dozens of workshops on everything from working with young people in the outdoors, to developing challenge courses, to creating international outdoor programs, to wilderness medicine, to hard skills like climbing site management and rappel safety.  Additionally, students were able to attend a variety of social events in order to network with outdoor professionals (like me!) and with each other.

Perhaps the two highlights of the event for me were the two keynote speakers.  Former AAI guide Angela Hawse provided the first of these.  Angela talked extensively and emotionally about a grand experience on Ama Dablam.  She lead an all women's expedition on the 18,251-foot mountain where for the first time in history, not only were the climbers all women, but so to were all the members of the Sherpa support staff.  Angela's expedition was designed not only to climb the peak, but also to raise money for a safe house for girls through the dZi Foundation.

The second keynote address was made by Mark Jenkins, a well-known writer for Outside and National Geographic.  Jenkins spoke extensively about his investigative work on the murder of seven Central African mountain gorillas in 2008.  His original article on the subject can be found here.  The story of the mountain gorillas and the slides that the writer showed with them put the audience on the edges of their seats and kept them there.  Jenkins is a powerful storyteller...which is probably part of the reason that he works for such high-end magazines.

AAI was a major AORE conference supporter.  We provided six $1000 scholarships to aspiring outdoor educators that attended the conference.  In addition to that, we devoted a block of time to talk to students about what it takes to become a professional mountain guide. In many ways this short time period was the most rewarding part of the conference for me.  It was absolutely wonderful to have the opportunity to give students guidance on a career in the mountains.

After attending this conference, I've become a big fan of AORE.  Most people enter the outdoor industry from backgrounds in other things.  Many of us get "sidetracked" by the industry until we are so immersed that it's in our blood.  The young people who attend the AORE conference are not among the sidetracked.  Instead, they're the ones that come into the outdoor industry with a taste for it well before the rest of us.  And indeed, this deep-seated interest is what will likely make them future leaders of the industry.

--Jason D. Martin

November and December 2010 Climbing Events

-- Nov 30 -- Bellingham, WA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival at WWU

-- Dec 1-3 -- Seattle, WA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

-- Dec 4 -- Chattanooga TN -- Triple Crown Bouldering Series 

-- Dec 9-12 -- Bozeman, MT -- Bozeman Ice Fest

-- Dec 11 – Worldwide – International Mountain Day

-- Dec 11 – Bellingham, WA – AAI's International Mountain Day Avalanche Awareness Seminar

-- Dec 12 -- Sandstone, MN -- Sandstone Ice Festival 

Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you Stoked!!

Two ice videos coming at you today.  As far as the first video is concerned, the moment at 1 minute and 37 seconds makes it for me.  Even if the rest of the video was rubbish (which it isn't) the four seconds following this point is so suspenseful and exhilarating that I watched it many times over.  The sound of the ice smashing into the ground is a reminder of just how fragile ice can be when you are climbing at that level, or any level really.  Let's just say that sometimes, I'm thankful for the top rope.  Then again, getting on the sharp end is what it's all about.


BD grassroots athlete Jesse Huey on The Real Big Drip (M7 WI 6), Canadian Rockies from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

This second video is really well done, and if it doesn't make you want to get on to a plane and fly to Scotland, then I suppose mixed climbing in icy cracks just doesn't hold an appeal to you.  Congratulations to Ines Papert for being the first woman to free a route of this grade in Scotland.



--Andrew Yasso, Program Coordinator

Belay Glove Confessions

A few years ago I was in a Nomad Ventures, the climbing shop near Joshua Tree National Park, when a question arose.

"Do you use these?" my partner asked.

I looked over and saw him holding a pair of hand jammies. Hand jammies are a pair of gimmicky gloves that supposedly take the place of hand tape. They cover the back of your hand with sticky rubber in order to protect the skin from the sharp innards of a crack

Hand jammies seem like a good idea, but there's a problem with them. The problem is not that they don't work. The problem is not that they're too expensive. And the problem definitely is not that they're difficult to use. No, instead the problem is one of style. To put it simply, hand jammies are dorky. So lets follow this syllogism to its natural conclusion.

A -- Hand jammies are dorky.

B -- Gunther wears hand jammies.

C -- Gunther is a dork.

So my response was simple. "No, I don't wear those...at all."

My partner turned to the clerk behind the counter and asked the same question, "do you wear these?"

The clerk was a little less political in his answer. "No," he snorted. "I don't want to get beat up."

Sometime later, something happened to me. I didn't take up hand jammies. No, instead I started to wear something a bit worse. I started to wear belay gloves.

When you go out to the crag you'll notice that belay gloves are incredibly uncommon. The reason that they're uncommon is because most people don't see the need for them. Nobody really rappels or lowers anyone fast enough to burn their hands.

I don't wear them to avoid hand burns. I wear them to avoid the aluminum that inevitably gets transferred from the carabiners to the rope and then subsequently to my hands. Over the last few seasons I've found it harder and harder to wash the tiny fragments of metal out of the creases in my hands and as such it always looked like my hands were dirty.

I worked with a guide last season who was concerned that Alzheimer's disease comes from aluminum. As a result he always wore gloves whenever he handled a rope.

A short time after the guide told me about this, we had our first baby. My wife felt that when I got home from work I should play with the baby, which I gladly did. But she also felt that the black smudges I left all over the baby's clothes were a bit much.

And so, I began to wear belay gloves. Everybody made fun of me, but I still wore them...

A -- Belay gloves are dorky.

B -- Jason wear's belay gloves.

C -- Jason is a dork.

That's okay. I've embraced my inner dork and so now I can wear my belay gloves with pride. And I suppose that it's also kind of nice that when I get home I can pick up my kids and then put them back down without them looking like they've been rolling in the dirt...

(Jason and his daughter Holly in 2007, discussing the difference between hand jammies and baby jammies in Joshua Tree National Park.)

--Jason D. Martin

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 11/18/10

The Start of the Guides Parade in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday 

--The biggest news in the climbing world this week took place in Boulder, Colorado.  The American Mountain Guides Association and the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations held their annual meeting.  Numerous guides from the American Alpine Institute attended.  Watch this blog closely for more information about the event.

Northwest:

--The Washington state DNR has a draft proposal that if passed would require users to pay for access to some of the most popular trails in the state, such as Mount Si and Tiger Mountain.  The Washington Trails Association supports a fee system that is reasonable to help maintain the trails and provide enforcement.  To read more, click here.

--The most prolific first ascensionist and guide book author Fred Beckey will be giving a presentation on Nov. 22nd at Western Washington University.  Beckey will be in the Fairhaven Auditorium from 7-9pm, and seating is limited to 150 people; get there early.

Sierra:

--A climber from Lafayette, CA, is vowing to reclaim his speed record on El Capitan.  Hans Florine has held the record numerous times, only to see others come in and sweep it away from him.  The last record he set he believed would stand for six years; it was broke in just two.  To read more, click here. 

Notes from All Over:

--We commonly hear from women that they are frustrated with outdoor gear and clothing manufactures.  It seems that many high end items simply do not have a female specific option.  Well, in steps Teresa Delfin, the owner and founder of Mountain Mama.  Specifically, she is making outdoor maternity apparel, and seems to have found quite a niche.  To read a great interview with Teresa, click here.

--A climber in Graz, Austria has died after a fall while leading at his local gym.  The experienced climber finished leading a route, and as he weighted the rope his less experienced partner lost control of it.  The climber fell 30 feet and landed on his head and was rushed the hospital, to be pronounced dead four days later.  This is a grim reminder for us to check our partners, and watch them belay you before you trust them to climb.  To read more, click here.

--It appears that the controversy over David Lama's bolts on the Compressor route of Cerro Torre is only continuing to grow.  Rolo Garibotti chopped 17 of 20 bolts above the col of Patience, and documented many other bolts that Lama's team added that they did not confess too.  To read Rolo's post and the following commentary off Supertopo.com, click here.  Additionally, Alpinist.com posted a blurb about the forum post, and comments will also pop up there.

--Now is your chance to be a sponsored climber!  Moon Climbing over in the UK is accepting applications for sponsorships from climbers who feel they deserve it.  Local strong men and women, now is the time to spray about how great you are!  They are accepting submissions until December 10th, and you can apply by following this link.

Conditions Report - November 17 2010

NORTHWEST:

There's a lot of people itching for a ski tour lately.....

-- Check out Louie Dawson's TR for Heliotrope Ridge skiing. "Bluebird powder with a view!".

-- High winds found near Muir on Sunday. Nisqually chute still a bit rocky... Click here.

 Photo credit tele-lurker

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.-- Route and Conditions Report from Mt. Baker Rangers: Mount Baker Climbing Blog.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.

RED ROCK CANYON:

--The scenic loop drive now closes at 5pm, effective Monday September 20th. See this thread and the BLM site for more information.

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.--The entrance to the scenic drive had a parking area for those who wanted to carpool up until approximately April of 2009. That lot has now become employee parking and people who want to carpool are required to park at the lot outside the Scenic Drive exit.

--The scenic drive currently opens its gates at 6 in the morning.

JOSHUA TREE:


--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

SIERRA:

--Valley camping for next Spring, click here for beta.

--Check out this late October TR for the "Triple Skunk", North Peak, Mt. Gilbert and Mt. Thompson. Great pictures...Alas, nothing climbed.

--Tioga Pass is CLOSED. Click here.

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass.

ALASKA RANGE:

-- For the most current updates on Alaska, please see our Dispatch Blog.

--Forecast for Denali.

ALPS:


--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.