Over 75,000 of what KING–TV calls their “insiders” named American Alpine Institute as one of the best in the 2009 Northwest Escapes contest. Cited were AAI’s rock programs which range from beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses to guided ascents of classics in the Northwest (as well as in the French and Swiss Alps, Squamish, BC, the Sierra, CA, and Red Rock Canyon, NV). “Outside Online” previously described AAI’s rock courses and guided trips as “America’s best rock program.”