Texas Climbing On a New Course

AAC Austin Chapter members develop a new wall at Continental Ranch

AAC member Andrew Horton climbing Tomahawk, a 5.11- in the Weir Dam area. PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch.

Grassroots: Unearthing the Future of Climbing

By: Sierra McGivney

If you want world-class climbing in Texas, you have to earn it. You’d have to drive down a rugged ten-mile road for an hour with no service while simultaneously opening and closing gates and avoiding ranch animals. Then you’d arrive at the Butt Campground, perched atop a cliff, overlooking the beautiful blue Pecos River that cuts through sweeping limestone cliffs extending for miles. 

Climbers must then trek down third-class trails down to respective climbing areas while hauling gear. Watch out for baby goats and prickly cacti. But the flora and fauna aren’t all you have to worry about at the Continental Ranch. 

“The limestone against your skin feels like the most abrasive sandpaper that you've ever touched, which means you don't need chalk,” says Emilie Hernandez, one of the new route developers at the ranch.

AAC memeber Matt Langbehn. PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch.

Emilie says, if you work with the rock, the rock will work with you. If your moves are haphazard and finicky you’ll bleed. Small huecos, the size of coins, create a wave of ripples in the cliffs. Climbers can either palm the huecos like slopers or sink their fingers into near-perfect handholds. 

“The word pristine is what comes to mind,” says Hernandez.

Fewer cams and hands have left their mark at the Ranch than in other areas in Central Texas. In CenTX, shining limestone is a common sight. Polished routes steer locals away from overused crags. A lack of accessible climbing in Texas has worn down cliffsides and left routes sandbagged. 

PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch.

Continental Ranch is a private ranch on the Pecos River in west Texas, and it just happens to have some of the best climbing in Texas. Every type of climbing you can imagine exists here: slab, delicate face climbing, overhangs and even a bit of crack, off-width, and bouldering. 

AAC member Sean Moorehead Belying Andrew Horton. PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch.

In the early 2000s, a geologist from the University of Texas was kayaking down the Pecos River studying the different striations in the bluffs at Continental Ranch. The geologist happened to be friends with Jamie McNally, a former Access Fund President and local climber. McNally noticed right away that the 300-foot limestone cliffs contained the potential for climbing. The two approached the previous ranch owners, Marilyn and Howard Hunt, about gaining access to these untouched cliffs.

According to a Rock and Ice article by Jeff Jackson, the ranch was struggling financially due to overgrazing and an infestation of dog cactus, so the Hunts opened up the ranch to climbers in 2004 with a fee of $10 to camp and climb. 

Climbers soon dotted the limestone cliffside, putting up routes like Crackalious, a 5.10 sport route, and Crocodile Tears, a slabby 5.11 sport route with pinchers, slopers, and mirco-huecoes. 

McNally was the first person who developed a relationship with the Hunts and was good friends with the son of the family, Howard Hunt Jr. (aka Mister). Mister, Jeff Jackson, and Scott Melcer were some of the first developers on the ranch. This continued for about four or five years until the ranch closed to climbers due to a liability standpoint. 

AAC member James Faerber teaching participants at the Continental Ranch Round-Up. PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch.

In 2017, McNally approached Heather and Miles Gibbs, the current ranch owners and operators of the Continental Ranch Pecos River Expeditions, with a plan to reopen Continental Ranch to climbers. Climbing leaseholders and guide services now have access to the ranch. The Ranch even hosts a climbing festival twice a year, the Continental Ranch Round-Up. 

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Brian Deitch is a full-time lawyer and a part-time route developer at Continental Ranch. When Deitch isn’t practicing law he spends his weekends in the hot Texan sun drilling bolts into limestone. He arrives late Friday night in Del Rio, works hard Saturday into midday Sunday, until he has to make the trek back to Austin. 

AAC member Guy Tracy climbing in the Painted Canyon Sector. PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch.

“The second we cross through the gates of the ranch it’s like the world melts away,” says Deitch, the AAC Austin Chapter Chair. 

Deitch got involved with the AAC after attending the Red Rocks Rendezvous and connecting with AAC members and volunteers. In 2017 Adam Peter, the former National Volunteer Programs Manager for the AAC, sent out an email looking for members to get involved locally. Deitch responded and started the AAC Austin Chapter. 

About a year later the AAC Austin Chapter and the Access Fund joined forces with Outpost Wilderness Adventures to host the Continental Ranch Round-Up. 

Over drinks and celebration at an Access Fund happy hour in 2019, Deitch met Hernandez. Hernandez, the founder of the Texas Lady Crushers, was interested in the Ranch Round-Up but was unable to attend the previous year. Deitch mentioned he was “the liaison” for the Continental Ranch Round-Up. Hernandez’s interest was piqued.

“Are you interested in mentoring a climber? I heard you climb trad,” says Hernandez. 

The two are now married and route developers at the Ranch.

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Deitch and Douglas McDowell, the events chair for the AAC Austin Chapter, teamed up to work with Heather Gibbs on new route development at the ranch. The two walked around the estimated 30,000 acre property showing her possible climbing walls and explaining elements of route development. As time went on, she herself began to point out areas she thought would be good for climbing. 

On January 8, 2021, they found a wall along the Pecos River that seemed to feature just about everything: jugs, cracks, crimps, aretes, and slabs. Over the course of eight weekends, Deitch and a select group of climbers took on Heather’s Wall. 

AAC member Emilie Hernandez developing Heather’s Wall. PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch.

For the entire month of January, Deitch spent every weekend at Continental Ranch. That’s ten hours of driving each weekend. 

“It's not somewhere I can just go to after work,” says Deitch.

Deitch fell in love with the process of cleaning stone and developing routes. He financed the entire operation. This includes drills, drill bits, anchors, bolts, and mussey hooks. Both Deitch and McDowell studied and met with mentors throughout the process. They wanted to develop routes correctly and be able to educate others; no one-move wonders, no grid bolting, and consistently graded routes.

“There's just something really badass about having a drill in your hand, hanging on a fixed-line and knowing that this is going to be a route that my friends are going to climb and a legacy that I'm literally leaving until that gear wears out or the rock crumbles,” says Hernandez. 

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Heather’s wall. PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch.

Walk past Piranha, a 5.9 route at Painted Canyon's Bone Yard area for about a quarter-mile and you’ll come face to face with Heather’s Wall. Six new routes were developed over the last year with room for more. Flyin’ Brian, a difficult 5.10+, features tricky face moves that will lead you into a corner, below an overhang, forcing climbers into “a pistol squat from hell” in order to pull the roof. Baby Goat, inspired by all the little goats running around the ranch, is a 5.10- face climb through a crack. My Mija, is a well-protected 5.10, and leads climbers to choose their own adventure by providing three variations along and to the sides of the bolt line. A technical 5.11, Matriarch runs parallel to My Mija. Slim Picken’s is a 5.11 developed by Scott Davis. Finally, at the far right of the wall, there is Bree Jameson’s climb, which she onsighted and self-belayed from the ground up—Learning from Legends, a 5.6. 

“It’s the best limestone north of the Rio Grande,” says Deitch. 

Hernandez’s and Jameson’s routes are the only two developed by women of color on the ranch. This inspired both climbers to give other women the opportunity to climb and learn about route development. The Texas Lady Crushers had their first retreat on the ranch last March. 

“You can be anybody you want to be out there as long as you respect the land, respect the people, and respect the people who came before you,” says Hernandez. 

PC: AAC Austin Chapter Chair Brian Deitch

Thanks to Gibbs and her desire to open her mind, Texas climbing is on a new course. Deitch, Hernandez, and other climbers will continue to explore and develop more routes at the ranch. If you get the chance to climb at Continental, make sure to stop and look out at the vast mountainous desert.  

“You feel like a real deal climber out there,” says Hernandez.

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Climbing Through Language

The AAC DC Chapter takes Wilderness Kids Alexandria climbing

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

Grassroots: A storytelling series about cutting edge projects and conversations in the AAC community.

By Sierra McGivney

All Melissa Rojas knew about rock climbing was kids' birthday parties. But once she started climbing, pulling herself up multicolored plastic holds with her long-time climber friend, her mind was free. The stress of working in healthcare melted away. Each move she made was related to each other, connected to the whole route, like piecing together a puzzle. 

“I just got hooked,” says Rojas, the Communications Co-Chair for the AAC D.C. Chapter. 

Climbing engrossed Rojas. She wanted to get involved and give back, so she looked into climbing organizations and found the American Alpine Club. 

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

As Rojas got more engaged in the climbing community, she noticed a sizable amount of Spanish-speaking climbers in the area and saw an opportunity for community. In June of 2021, Rojas founded ¡Escala DC!, a Spanish-speaking climbing club.  

Although not all spanish-speakers are people of color, differences in language, and the culture embedded in language, can be a barrier to feeling fully understood and represented in a community. And when language and racial identity overlap, it can be even harder to see yourself represented.

“If you're not white, it can feel very intimidating going into a gym.” says Rojas, “It's not like anybody's doing anything to make you feel intimidated, you just feel intimidated.” 

Members of ¡Escala DC! feel grateful to have found a group that speaks to them. The club organizes weekly meetups at gyms in the area like Crystal City, Timonium, and Rockville. Rojas has created a space that unites climbers whose identities come from a Spanish-speaking background. 

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

Although spanish-speakers in the US come from a wide range of countries and cultures, there is no denying the way language can bind you together. “It's a different experience when you climb with folks that have the same cultural context,” says Rojas.

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Jerry Casagrande didn’t grow up in a particularly outdoorsy family. He never went hiking or camping. When he was 15 years old his science teacher suggested he look into a summer program that would take him to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, the Bear Creek Mountains in Montana, and Yellowstone. The grand mountains and forests of the West left a lasting mark on Casagrande. 

“It just changed my life completely,” says Casagrande. 

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

In a number of ways, Casagrande has sought to pay that experience forward. He ran a program about 20 years ago that took kids from all over the country to experience the outdoors. In Alexandria, Casagrande’s home, he noticed that there was an imbalance between kids who had access to green spaces and those who did not. In October of 2021, Casagrande founded Wilderness Kids Alexandria. 

WKA believes there are a multitude of benefits to being outside. The mission of the nonprofit organization is to provide life-enriching experiences in nature to teenagers from under-resourced families in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Latino Outdoors is a “volunteer-driven organization that focuses on expanding and amplifying the Latinx experience in the outdoors.” Casagrande posted on the Latino Outdoors DMV—D.C., Maryland, and Virginia—Facebook page looking for volunteers to take kids climbing. A number of people are also a part of the AAC D.C. section. He got an overwhelming response.

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

“We had more volunteers than we could use,” says Casagrande.

Members from the AAC D.C. section, ¡Escala DC!, and the Potomac Mountain Club volunteered to belay kids and teach climbing basics on February 19, 2022, at Movement Climbing gym.

 After a picnic, kids headed to Movement to get fitted for climbing shoes and harnesses. Many looked up at the rainbow of holds that create routes and said, “I can’t do that.” By the end of the day, participants were practically racing up the wall. 

English is not a first language for a majority of the kids who attended. The volunteers were able to speak to kids in their native language. This enabled the kids to easily communicate on the climbing wall and meet passionate climbers who spoke the same language as them. Seeing themselves reflected in this space helped to cultivate a sense of self within the climbing community. 

“It was super cool to be able to talk to them in their mother language and have them feel reassured,” says Rojas. 

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

The AAC, along with PATC took kids climbing at Caderock on Apr 23, 2022. WKA was hoping to get 20 kids in attendance. Ten kids climbed while the other 10 kids went hiking. Mid-day they switched. Volunteers set up topropes and taught kids climbing basics. 

Rojas believes fostering and establishing strong cultural diversity and ability diversity in the climbing community is the keys to true accessibility. It’s a team effort to establish a space accessible to all. Multiple organizations came together to nourish a love of climbing in kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity. 

“We're a really small organization and [the AAC] enables us to have a bigger impact than we could otherwise possibly have,” says Casagrande.

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Keep Climbing Clean

The AAC L.A. Chapter organizes a clean-up at Stoney Point

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PC: AAC L.A. Chapter Chair Alex Rand

Grassroots: A storytelling series about cutting edge projects and conversations in the AAC community.

by Sierra McGivney

Thirty seconds off of 118 FWY and Topanga Canyon, Stoney Point welcomes climbers and hikers. Brittle sandstone boulders tagged with graffiti and spotted with white chalk contain almost 100 years of climbing history. Located just north of Los Angeles, this crag provides convenient access to stellar climbing, minutes away from the city. This small climbing destination features various highball boulders with thought-provoking problems and exciting top-outs.

Stoney Point was initially developed in the late ’20s and early ’30s. Glen Dawson, a mountaineer and longest-tenured Sierra Club member, led Sierra Club outings to Stoney Point.  

Big names like Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard, and Bob Kamps developed routes on the boulders of Stoney Point. Chouinard's Hole, a V2 boulder problem, is a notable route that requires the climber to execute a grovely mantel into a scoop. Stoney was a practice ground for bigger projects, mainly groundbreaking first ascents involving free climbing, such as the Salathé Wall in Yosemite Valley. 

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PC: AAC L.A. Chapter Chair Alex Rand

Today, Stoney Point is akin to an outdoor climbing gym. A community of local climbers spends their days perusing boulders and climbing top-ropes. Climbers grab hold of textured slopers and in-cut crimps crafted from fine-grain sandstone. Stoney Point is home to just under 300 routes. One of the climbers you’d see milling around is Alex Rand, the American Alpine Club Chapter Chair for the Los Angeles Section. 

“You'll see the same people day in and day out go over to [Stoney Point], climbing their favorite routes, guiding people who are trying to find a boulder that might be a little more obscure, encouraging people or sharing crash pads,” says Rand. 

Amid all of the crash pads and climbers, glass bottles, rusty nails, and other trash litter Stoney Point. The crag is in a prime location for people to discard trash as they drive by on the highway, or to spray paint the rocks these climbers call home. 

AAC member Jennifer Zhu

“It's kind of interesting because it's such a prolific climbing destination, and it is so— what's the word?— it's so unimposing when you get there it is sort of this park that is littered with broken glass, empty bottles, and graffiti all over the rocks,” says Rand. 

On Jan 23, 2022 the AAC’s L.A. Chapter, along with Trail Mothers and Sender One Climbing Gym, organized a clean-up of Stoney Point. Fifty people showed up. A mix of rock climbers, gym climbers, and hikers participated in the event. The large turnout was unexpected. 

“We almost didn’t have enough trash bags for everyone,” says Rand. 

By noon, volunteers collected over 200lbs of trash. Old luggage and motor oil cans were some of the most notable trash collected. 

After the event, a core group of people stayed to climb and encouraged others to join them. Seasoned climbers of Stoney Point gave beta on route-finding to new climbers. Everyone set up their crash pads next to one another, sharing gear and beta.

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AAC member Jennifer Zhu

One of the fundamental parts of the clean-up is bringing people together through climbing. Rand sees this as a great opportunity to expand and strengthen their community while making new friends and climbing partners.  

“You get to meet a diverse group of people who live all over L.A. and who have all sorts of backgrounds and experiences with the American Alpine Club and climbing,” says Rand.

The L.A. chapter does crag clean-ups every couple of months in the surrounding L.A. area. Even with these clean-ups, trash still remains at Stoney Point. More graffiti appears on boulders and rock walls in the weeks afterward. Tiny shards of glass get simultaneously kicked up and buried in the sand.  

“I think that it's essential for the health and well-being of Stoney Point to continue to do these cleanups,” says Rand. 

For the next clean-up, on Earth Day, April 9, Rand and Kristen Hernandez of Trail Mothers are coming equipped with colanders and sifters. The L.A. AAC Chapter, Trail Mothers, and the Stoney Point community will continue working to preserve and rehabilitate the boulders, rock walls, and trails of Stoney Point.  

AAC member Jennifer Zhu

At Stoney Point, people are creating a community built on crag stewardship. Instead of rejecting the new wave of climbers, Stoney Point welcomes newcomers in, while also teaching conservation and safe climbing practices. There is something for everyone at Stoney Point. 

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Gunks Campground & Climbing History

Photo by AAC Member Chris Vultaggio

Since 2006, the Mohonk Preserve, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, and the American Alpine Club partnered together to create a campground near the popular Shawangunks climbing area. Construction was completed in 2014 by The Palisades Interstate Park Commission, and now The American Alpine Club and The Mohonk Preserve operate and manage 50 brand-new campsites, all within a stone's throw of miles of world-class rock. This is a watershed moment for one of the most popular rock-climbing areas in the country.  For the first time since climbing in the “Gunks” began over 80 years ago, hot showers and running water are available for climbers who want to camp within view of the cliffs.

Just 90 miles north of New York City, the Gunks offers about 1,200 routes up to 5.14 on immaculate quartzite, with spectacular views of the Hudson Valley below. As you walk the historic carriage roads that access the cliffs, you feel part of the climbing history that dates back to 1935. The Gunks climbing history starts with Fritz Wiessner, a European immigrant with extensive mountaineering experience. He noticed the cliff from across the Hudson River and returned the next week to document the first technical climb, “Old Route” (5.5) on Millbrook. Hans Kraus was the second immigrant with mountaineering experience to arrive on the scene.  Together the duo would lay the groundwork for traditional climbing in the Gunks, cementing their legendary status by pairing up for FA’s of world class routes such as “Horseman” (5.5) and “High Exposure” (5.6). Women played a steady hand in climbing and exploring, most notable from this time period was Bonnie Prudden with over 30 FA’s to her credit, including the mouth-watering “Bonnie’s Roof” (5.9). 

During the late 40s and early 50s climbers continued exploring the wealth of potential in the Gunks. William Shockley, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist (for his invention of the transistor), added the ever-popular “Shockley’s Ceiling” (5.6). Jim McCarthy, future president of the AAC, became the leading force for this era, contributing undisputed classics like “MF” (5.9) and “Birdland” (5.8). 

Up to this point, most climbers at the Gunks were associated with the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). The AMC were considered stodgy and uptight, and they wanted control over the cliff as regulators of who would and would not climb. This gave rise to a resistant group of climbers, who referred to themselves as the Vulgarians and were often fueled by drugs, alcohol and loud music. They refused to follow the rules or recognize the AMC’s authority.  After several spats and disagreements, the Smiley Family (who owned the majority of the cliffs, granted the Vulgarians permission to climb and the presumed AMC dominance ended. 

Standards continued to rise with the onset of the ‘60s. Phil Jacobus climbed “Jacob’s Ladder” in 1961 to produce the Gunks’ first 5.10. Even to this day, it sees very few ascents due to the bold “X” rating. Yvon Chouinard and several other West Coast climbers arrived with several new hand-forged chromoly pitons, which turned out to be a game changer. Chouinard freed the first pitch of “Matinee” (5.10d) and aided through the second. The only person who could follow the pitch at this time was Dick Williams. William’s gymnastic background and dynamic style fit well with the sometimes-blank nature of the rock. He climbed the first, albeit short, 5.11called “Tweedle Dum”. In 1967, John Stannard sent the 8 foot aid ceiling known as “Foops” (5.11c) in a marathon 5-day siege. This style represented a shift; climbers began realizing that persistence and conditioning were needed to push standards forward. As such, many weekend warriors began training mid-week in order to be in top shape.

With the ‘70s came the Clean Climbing Era. Over the next several years, pitons fell out of fashion as it was becoming clear that they were leaving severe scars in the rock. John Stannard was a huge proponent of the idea of “clean climbing”, and in addition to only using clean gear, worked hard to make “clean and free” ascents of aid routes. Though Stannard was the biggest pusher of this new style, he wasn’t alone as climbers such as Marc Robinson, Kevin Bein, Steve Wunsch and John Bragg (like McCarthy, another future AAC employee) joined in the growing fray. Classics like “Gravity’s Rainbow”, “Kansas City” and “Happiness is a 110 Degree Wall” (all 5.12c) represent some of the best and hardest lines from this era. Another influential climber to come out of this time period, and one who adhered to a strict code of preservationist ethics, was the indefatigable Rich Romano. Over the next several decades, Romano would establish hundreds of climbs, and develop 90% of the entire cliff of Millbrook.

The ‘80s brought a continuation of Stannard’s ideas of free-climbing, as aid climbing had become obsolete. More and more climbers joined the scene, the most prolific being Russ Raffa, Russ Clune, Jack Mileski, Jeff Gruenberg, Hugh Herr, Mike Freeman, Jim Damon, and Felix Modugno. This collective, though not always acting cooperatively, added enough classic and scary routes to keep any climber busy for years. Lynn Hill, widely considered to be one of the best climbers of the time (male or female) moved to the Gunks in 1983. She joined the guys on many new routes such as “Vandals” (the Gunks’ first 5.13), and onsighted the FA of “Yellow Crack Direct” (5.12c R/X). Later on, another world class talent would storm the scene in the form of powerhouse Scott Franklin. He pushed Gunks standards to 5.14 with his ascent of “Planet Clair”, though he is better known for establishing the modern testpieces “Survival of the Fittest” (5.13a) and “Cybernetic Wall” (5.13d).  To this day, the magnitude of bold and hard climbing that was done during this time is yet to be fully appreciated. 

The inevitable decline in fast-paced development began in the ‘90s. Many key players from the days of yore had moved on or quit climbing, and much of the quality available lines had already been seized. However, some locals quested on, like Jordan Mills. He added many hard topropes like “Bladerunner” (5.13d) to the area, and these testpieces became the groundwork for what would become the bouldering revival of the late ‘90s. His climbs involved around nails-hard moves on barely-there holds, bridging the gap between bouldering and routes. As more and more climbers realized new route potential had mostly been covered in the ‘80s, enterprising locals turned to the next logical place for new climbs: the wealth of boulders at the base of the cliffs. With the invention of the crash pad, once-dangerous boulder problems were easily protected, and bouldering development exploded. Bouldering in the Gunks, long considered a sideshow to the main attraction of routes, firmly established itself as a legit pursuit. 

While it was long thought that the Gunks was all but climbed out, the last few years have shown otherwise. Thanks in part to modern gear, and stylistic choices like rappel inspection and toprope rehearsal, a new resurgence in the Gunks is taking place. In 2010, Cody Sims got the ball rolling when he completed his multi-year project to create “Ozone” (5.14a). This world-class route takes an incredible line up gorgeous rock, and is arguably the best route in the entire Gunks. Brian Kim applied modern bouldering skills to a steep prow to create “Monumantle” (5.13d R). Other climbers such as Whitney Boland, Andy Salo, Ken Murphy, Dustin Portzline and Christian Fracchia unearthed some modern gems and resurrected old forgotten classics. Lately, it’s not unusual to see a strong group of climbers brushing cobwebs off old testpieces, or swinging around inspecting for new lines. 

And now, thanks to the American Alpine Club and Mohonk Preserve, all this climbing and history can be just a short walk from your campsite. Each site has nicely padded camping beds, big enough for two small tents. We offer showers and sinks for cleaning your dishes, flushable toilets and handicap-friendly facilities. The well-constructed buildings are modern and the entire campground blends into the surroundings, keeping a quiet low-profile. Come for the weekend but don’t be surprised if you stay for the season. The Gunks’ magic permeates anyone fortunate enough to spend a perfect afternoon high above the trees, cutting feet as they pull over another classic overhang.

New River Gorge Campground History

Photo by AAC Member Bryan Miller

By Paul Nelson

Legend has it that the idea for an AAC campground at the New River Gorge originated at the New River Climbers’ Rendezvous around 2006. Former AAC president Jim Donini and members of the New River Alliance of Climbers (NRAC) began seriously discussing the idea of a climbers’ campground on or near National Park Service land within the New River Gorge National Scenic River. With the close cooperation of chief ranger Gary Hartley and park superintendent Don Striker, the AAC and NRAC began scouting out potential properties that were wooded, accessible, and near the beautiful sandstone climbing of the NRG that we all love.

By 2010, a property had been located—40 acres on the rim of the gorge near the community of Ames Heights—full of boulders, small cliff lines, old growth forest, and several streams. Due largely to the efforts of former AAC board member Cody Smith and support from the Access Fund, the Club purchased this beautiful parcel of land. 

This purchase could not have come at a more critical and opportune time for New River climbing. In 2011, the much-loved Roger’s Rocky Top Retreat—the major climbers’ campground in the area—closed down. There were plenty of campgrounds in the area, but none that could served as a sort of cultural hub for climbers to convene.

In 2011, work on sustainably developing the property began in earnest. Former AAC board member Jamie Logan designed buildings and landscaping, geographer Levi Rose mapped out the property, and NRAC president Gene Kistler began coordinating workers. The next year, 2012, Ben Harris and a team of horse-powered loggers cleared a major loop road through the campground, sawing and stacking all trees that they cut for future use.

In 2013, Jean Kistler, Zac Roper, and Micah Klinger continued to put in thousands of hours of work, carving out the campground’s forty individual campsites among the moss-covered boulders. They installed nearly eighty 10’x10’ elevated wooden tent platforms—a great benefit during West Virginia’s torrential summer downpours.

Stonemason B.J. Johnson built two large fire rings, and NRG climbing legend/arborist Eddie Begoon did extensive work on the property’s old growth forest. At this time, Paul Nelson also signed on as the campground’s manager/host. Under the supervision of Gene Kistler, a storage shed and massive septic system and leach field on-sight was built. Electricity and water were brought in, and installed, and a small one-room manager’s cabin was added. Most significant, in October of 2015 the shower house was finished. A beautiful structure with a large covered porch, dishwashing sink and radiant floor heating—all made from the wood that was grown and harvested right on our own property. During the final “push” of the improvement project, countless volunteers, workers, and campground residents chipped in to help.

Today, you can set up camp in a wooded site, wander over to a roaring fire to exchange beta with fellow climbers, take a walk to our on-site bouldering at the Tuggin’ Shack, Souvenir Roof, or run over to Junkyard crag. End the day with a hot shower or cocktails on our massive front porch. None of this would be possible without the help of the AAC, NRAC, AF, and most importantly thousands of volunteer hours by hundreds of climbers. This campground is truly the cultural hub of the New River climbing community—enjoy!

Introducing the 2022 American Alpine Club Awardees

Each year, the American Alpine Club (AAC) has the honor of presenting its prestigious Annual Climbing Awards to outstanding climbers, conservationists, and volunteers. This year’s awards include Sean Bailey, Natalia Grossman, Rick Reese, Pat Ament, John Kascenska, John Heilprin, David Nyman, and Joe Terravecchia.

The awards will be presented at the AAC Annual Bennefit Gala on March 26, 2022 in Denver, CO.

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Honorary Membership

Arlene Blum & Steve Roper will be awarded honorary memberships this year. "Both are “household” names in the climbing community and have distinguished themselves over many years in the mountains through their pioneering leadership of difficult ascents and in areas of the arts and science in mountain related endeavors.

The Robert Hicks Bates Award

Sean Bailey & Natalia Grossman will receive the Robert Hicks Bates Award which honors young climbers who show "outstanding promise for future accomplishment." The selection committee wanted to focus on competition climbing. Sean won two lead world cups and a boulder world cup in 2021, while Natalia won the boulder world championships and won two boulder world cups.

The David R. Brower Award

Rick Reese will be awarded The David Brower Conservation Award. Rick co-founded the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, now the leading conservation group fighting for the protection of this over 4.5million acre iconic ecosystem comprising nearly a dozen mountain ranges. Rick was clearly one of the most important western conservationists of our generation not to mention a bold, tenacious and accomplished pioneer climber and former climbing ranger.

The H. Adams Carter Literary Award

The AAC Literary Committee will award Pat Ament he H. Adams Carter Literary Award. Pat would have 30 books published, approaching 200 magazine articles, and 25 pieces selected for various international anthologies of best climbing writings – more than any other person. His writings include many poems in literary magazines. President emeritus of the AAC, Jim McCarthy, has called Pat "the poet laureate of American climbing writing."

Angelo Heilprin Citation

John Kascenska & John Heilprin will be awarded the 2022 Heilprin Citation for their "exemplary service to the Club." John Kascenska joined the American Alpine Club in 1996 and for many years has volunteered with several Club activities. John Heilprin served on the board of directors from 2012 to 2018.

David A. Sowles Memorial Award

David Nyman will be awarded the David A Sowles Memorial Award for the eight-day ordeal to rescue/evacuate Jim Sweeney from the base of the Elevator Shaft on Mt. Johnson in 1989. The award is conferred from time to time on mountaineers who have distinguished themselves, with unselfish devotion at personal risk or sacrifice of a major objective, in going to the assistance of fellow climbers imperiled in the mountains.

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Please join us at the Annual Benefit Gala on March 26, 2022 in Denver, CO to hear from the awardees

Hueco Origins: Remembering Todd Skinner

Todd Skinner and Scott Milton. John and Carol Gogas Collection

By Brad Werntz

As climbers, we play on a timeless playground. The mountains are eternal. When we grab a hold, we touch ancient magma, or the bed of a sea that dried up eons ago. Things—as they are—seem to be exactly as they were handed to us, unchanging and with un-questioned origin. Even when we know this is false, the illusion of the eternal in climbing is so deep we rarely think about it. Though we almost always stand in the long shadows of those who came before, often enough, we fail to recognize them. The bolts we clip seem to have always been there; the trails we walk forever treaded upon. The question of who put them there is not one we often ask ourselves, or even think to ask.

I read a few years back, with some amusement, an article in a major magazine about a trip to the Getu Valley of China, where in 2011 Petzl hosted their annual RocTrip. The author wrote with enthusiasm about the many fantastic routes they found on the Great Arch, marveling at how well equipped they were with modern, Western hardware, and a bit of whimsy, too. One route had a Chinese mask bolted into a hidden location, another, a red flag waving from it. The article asked: Who could have put these there? 

Indeed, who?

In the same vein, there’s been a lot of excitement about the American Alpine Club acquiring the Hueco Rock Ranch, which is the premier wayside for climbers from all over the world when they visit Hueco Tanks. It was at Hueco Tanks Historical Park that the modern sport of bouldering was born. The V-scale that is used worldwide to rate boulder problems was born there as well. Hueco is to bouldering what Yosemite is to traditional climbing, and every climber should make at least one pilgrimage to Hueco. Many over the years have stayed at the famous Hueco Rock Ranch.

Todd, Amy, Carol, and John. John and Carol Gogas Collection

As the Hueco Rock Ranch transitions from its most recent incarnation to the next, it seems appropriate to remember that it did not just simply rise from the desert any more than the bolts on the Great Arch of Getu placed themselves. As it turns out, the Hueco Rock Ranch and the Great Arch share something—or rather, someone—in common: Todd Skinner. Todd placed the bolts, the mask, and the flag in the Getu Valley, and he built the house that became the Hueco Rock Ranch as well.

The house itself was the final establishment in a series of ever-improving versions of the “Hueco Camp,” as Todd called it. Starting in the early 1980’s, Todd spent a major portion of the winter season at Hueco Tanks, at first in the campground, and sometimes as a guest of Pete Quonset’s hut. Later, he rented apartments or houses in El Paso that he shared with a rag-tag band of itinerant climbers. Paul Piana lived in one of these, boarded up like Harry Potter in a closet beneath the staircase. He closed his door on the rest of us as we spread out nightly over every square-inch of available carpet, covering the floor with semi-washed bodies and our greasy fart-sacks.

Amy Skinner, Carol Gogas, Sandra Studer. John and Carol Gogas Collection

By 1991, Todd had another vision of what would be. He and Amy Whisler joined Carol and John Gogas in purchasing a plot of land adjacent to Hueco Tanks. They were going to build a “palace,” he said. It would comfortably sleep 16 or more without a single body on the floor. It would have several full bathrooms so nobody would wait in line, or—for that matter—have an excuse to remain unwashed. The kitchen and the common area would be a gathering space around which the whole house was based. Most importantly, he added, the house would have no right angles. “We’d build it round if we could make it work,” Todd said.

For months, he carried around 4×6” stills of the work in progress. Todd pulled out the stack of photos for anyone who would lend an ear. Leaning in close to point out the details, he would say, “This is the foundation being poured…And here the walls are going up,” and, always, he shared a picture of Hueco Tanks at sunset, “This will be the view from the porch!”

Every aspect of the house was thought through for communal living. For instance, they put no doors on the cupboards, so that guests could tell at a glance if they had left something behind as they were packing to leave. The floors were bare concrete so that they would be easy to clean, and also to discourage people from sleeping on them. The house was built around the kitchen, because there was always a hired cook there to keep order. The tree in the kitchen came from the Gogas’ yard; when they installed it during the middle of winter, hundreds of hibernating ants suddenly awoke and invaded the new space.

Rooms were private, semi-private, and bunkhouse style. The original investors—Todd, Amy, John, and Carol—had their own rooms. Scott Milton and Sandra Studer earned a permanent, private space with their labor on behalf of the house, which long after it was “completed,” remained an ongoing construction project. On rest-days, just about every guest there found themselves dry-walling, painting, sawing or hammering something, or running errands on behalf of the community in the house. Frankly, it was expected that visitors contribute not just dollars or food to the place, but also time as well. Todd knew that the natural order of things was attrition, so to fight this he sought to instill a culture of constant improvement. 

Fred Nicole, Scott Milton, and Todd Skinner. John and Carol Gogas Collection

There is absolutely no end to the stories of climbing history, household hilarity, and chaos that happened in that house:

Late one evening, Fred Nicole showed up after traveling directly from Europe. The next day, both jet-lagged and hung-over, he onsighted almost every project that the crew had been working on, saying casually and quietly in his heavy accent, “Yes, that is V11; this is V12…” 

Scott Milton could —and probably still can—fold his body up to fit into an average-sized Rubbermaid container. He did this one day as Bobbi Bensman arrived; our crew acted distracted and busy. Todd incidentally turned to Bobbi, “Hey Bobbi, can you hand us a hammer from out of that box?” As she reached into the box she discovered Milton with her fingertips. Legend has it that Bobbi’s latte did three full flips in the air before hitting the floor, but long before that the dust from her car had disappeared down the road.

In the house, there was almost always an unfortunate cat named Stumpy, but it was hardly ever the same cat. The original Stumpy lost her tail to a car, and likely lost her life to coyotes. Stumpy Mark II, Stumpy Mark III, and Stumpy Mark IV almost invariably suffered similar fates, but not always. One morning, we were in the kitchen as two well-fed coyotes came walking out of the desert near the back porch. Amy instinctively asked, “Where’s Stumpy?” And at that moment, we watched the cat—Mark III or Mark IV, I’m not sure which—walk out the front door. “Oh Lord!” Amy exclaimed as she chased after the cat into the desert, trying to scoop her up before the coyotes did. The rest of us fanned out of every door to chase the coyotes off, tossing rocks at them as they snarled back at us. 

All the while, climber’s relationships with the Hueco Tanks State Historical Park grew increasingly strained. Ranger Bob imposed arbitrary restrictions, making access to the park ever more difficult and absurd. When the Access Fund and others commissioned a study to catalog the Native American rock-art in the park and discovered that there were thousands more petroglyphs than originally believed—many of which had faded to the point of being almost invisible over time. But the writing was literally on the wall and things would change at Hueco forever. It was time to close the Hueco Camp.

Todd, Amy, Carol, and John sold the house to the crew that would turn it into the “Hueco Rock Ranch”. It operated as this for about ten years. Most of us never went back to Hueco after that, although recently this has changed. While the experience may be a bit different, the rock is just the same.

In the last few years of his life, Todd worked on projects the world over, many of which he never reported. He wanted to be the Fred Beckey of his generation, grabbing all of the world’s plum lines from current and future climbing generations. He wanted to pound pitons and place anchors where nobody had ever been and where they likely would never go for some time. If only, as an old man, he could then giggle at reported “first ascents” that were slightly marred by the discovery of gear left behind by “unknown others.”

Though he left Hueco behind, he did leave something for all of us: The Hueco Rock Ranch—now a part of the American Alpine Club holdings—will contribute to the sport of climbing for generations. And Todd would have liked this. In the end, he probably said this best in his own words:

“My own Hueco era comes to an end. That climbers are now arriving in search of something different is to be expected, and that my version of paradise is lost does not make their own less glorious.”

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About the Author: Brad Werntz has been climbing on rocks and mountains worldwide for thirty-six years. He is the president of PEMBAserves Inc, a sales agency that represents Petzl along with other brands to the outdoor industry, and along with Todd Skinner and several others he is also the founder of Boulders Climbing Gym in Madison, WI. He lives and climbs with his wife and three kids in Madison.

History of the Hueco Rock Ranch

Photo by AAC Member Merrick Ales

The Hueco Rock Ranch has a long history—it was originally built as a personal residence by Todd Skinner in the mid-nineties with friends John and Carol Gogas and climbing stars such as Scott Milton and Fred Nicole. Rob Rice took ownership of the Ranch in 2000 and became the first commercial guide under the new set of climbing requirements, beckoning in a new generation of climbers to enjoy this historic climbing mecca. “The place was built by climbers—for climbers—and has been a hub for the climbing community since day one,” says Rob Rice.

Rice, now living in Arkansas, reached out to Access Fund for assistance in finding a climber-friendly buyer who could manage the Ranch onsite. Working with Rice and fellow landowner Scott Rohde, Access Fund reached out to the AAC whose vision of supporting the climbing way of life by providing lodging facilities and logistical support seemed a perfect fit for the Rock Ranch.

“Not only is the Hueco Rock Ranch important historically, it has played an important role in climbing access to Hueco Tanks,” says Access Fund Executive Director Brady Robinson. “Through the Ranch, climbers have fostered and maintained a positive relationship with Texas State Parks. Maintaining strong climber management of the Ranch is important for all climbers, even those who choose to stay elsewhere during their visit.”

Access Fund went under contract to purchase the Ranch in May 2012, and at closing, assigned the properties to the AAC for long-term ownership and management.

“Lodging options within walking distance from great climbing supports the climbing lifestyle we all enjoy—and this purchase of the Hueco Rock Ranch can only expand the types of climbing that we’re able to support,” says AAC CEO Phil Powers. “We hope to create a facility that meets climbers’ needs and adds opportunities for climbers to gather and share their stories.” 

The AAC made improvements to the Ranch—committing over $15,000 to completely clean and renovate the structures and tent camping facilities. An AAC staff member will be onsite overseeing these improvements.

History of the Grand Teton Climbers Ranch

The Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch opened in 1970 under a Special Use Permit granted by the National Park Service to the American Alpine Club for the establishment of a "Mountain Climbing Center" in Grand Teton National Park. That original Special Use Permit specifically recognized that "mountain climbing is one of the principal visitor recreational uses in Grand Teton." The Climbers’ Ranch thus became the successor to the famous Jenny Lake climbers’ camp, which had been used by Tetons climbers from the 1950s until its closure in 1966.

The Climbers’ Ranch is located four miles inside the entrance to Grand Teton National Park at Moose, Wyoming, about 20 miles north of the town of Jackson. The ranch occupies a sanctuary at the end of a winding lane off Teton Park Road, across a bridge spanning Cottonwood Creek, and nestled against the high glacial moraine impounding Taggart and Bradley Lakes. Base altitude at the ranch is nearly 6,700 feet. Three miles north is Jenny Lake, the epicenter of the Park for both climbers and tourists, and the location of the Jenny Lake Ranger Station, at which expert information about technical climbing routes throughout the Park can be secured. The central peaks of the Teton Range, including the Grand, Middle, and South Tetons, Cloudveil Dome, Nez Perce, Mt. Owen, Teewinot, and other high alpine peaks can be approached on trails directly from the ranch. There are 10 peaks and multiple pinnacles in the Teton Range over 12,000 feet high.

In it’s original life, the Climbers’ Ranch was known as the Double Diamond Dude Ranch, which opened in 1924 and remained in operation either as a dude ranch or tourist camp through 1964, when Grand Teton National Park acquired the property. In 1985 the Taggart Lake/Beaver Creek Fire destroyed half of the original structures on the property. The ranch was resurrected through the cooperation of the Park Service and the American Alpine Club. The Ortenburger Cabin is so-­named since it is the first cabin brought to the property after the fire, through the efforts of Leigh Ortenburger, a prominent member of the AAC and author of A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range. The Historic Lodge, constructed in the late 1920s and enlarged in 1945, originally served as the Double Diamond dining hall, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

History of AAC Snowbird Hut

The AAC acquired the land use permit for the Snowbird Hut in 2006. After reviewing the state of the original ‘space dome’ structure originally constructed in (approx.) 1985 it was determined to be at the end of its useful life. Alaska Section members Harry Hunt, James Brady, Cindi Squire, Cory Hinds, and Charlie Sassara led the charge to fund and construct the building of a replacement hut. Chronological postings and pictures of the volunteer work parties that have been ongoing since July 2010.

Access to the Snowbird Hut does not afford easy access if you are unfamiliar with the approach. 

Please note that winter travel to and from the Snowbird Hut requires that you be self sufficient, and able to make your way in the backcountry (very little, if any, cell phone service). Good route finding and good weather are major considerations for this trip. If you have not been to the hut previously, please know that you could have a very difficult time finding it the first time. It is best to partner with someone who has knowledge of the area to assist in locating and accessing the hut. In the summer time, there are cairns along the way to assist with route finding.

GPS Coordinates: 61 51.506” North by 149 12.113” West

The best way to approach is from Archangel Road, starting at the Reed Lakes trailhead. Note, that in the winter, Archangel Road is closed and this adds to your approach time. Begin at the trailhead and hike up the valley to the old cabin on the main valley floor (approximately 1.25 miles). From here, head north up into the Glacier Creek valley, passing the Snowbird Mine. The pass at the head of Glacier Creek drops you on to the Snowbird Glacier.

Be advised that it is a difficult wilderness trek and the hut is hard to locate (although the new hut is more prominent on the ridge line). There have been many competent wilderness trekkers who have been benighted searching for the hut. So if you haven’t been there before it would be smart to not rely on the hut for your overnight survival. In the summer, the hike can take from 2 ½ hours to 4 hours and in winter, five to eight hours. Pollux Aviation is available for helicopter charters into the hut and can be contacted through their website, www.polluxaviation.net or by phone at (907) 746-0673

A Day of Climbing: Climb United Highlights A Day of Climbing for 5 Climbers Across the Country

Climb United is about bringing us all together, through the thing that unites us: our passion for climbing. In many ways, fully sharing our passion for climbing requires us to break down the barriers that make it harder for some individuals and communities to access climbing. In other instances, it means highlighting that we are all climbers. But even as we are all climbers, we each experience climbing, and any given climbing day, in our own way.

Below, dive into a day of climbing, with our friends Eddie, Genevive, Mario, Sonya, and Rodel.

In Search of Yosemite's Heart: One Writer's Journey Into the Valley of Giants

by Lauren DeLaunay Miller

photos by the Ellie Hawkins and Molly Higgins collections

Ellie Hawkins during an early ascent of the North America Wall, 1973, Yosemite National Park, CA. Land of the Central Sierra Miwok people. Keith Nannery.

To steal from author John Green, I fell in love with rock climbing the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. I was an indoorsy undergraduate at the University of North Carolina when I fell face-first into the world of climbing, thanks in large part to a picture in a magazine. My love for climbing has always been attached to an obsession with Yosemite, that ultimate proving ground of American rock climbers, but before I could make my way out there myself, I tried as hard as I could to connect with that world while still confined to the walls of libraries in Chapel Hill. Climbing literature was my portal, but it didn’t take long to exhaust my options. I don’t know if I could have articulated to you then why—or even that I was—searching for books written by women, but what I did know was that I was going to learn as much as I could about my heroes and try as best as I could to follow in their footsteps.

Five years after graduating, I moved into my new home in the back of Camp 4. The Yosemite Search & Rescue site has a mystical, magical air. To walk into the site is to, quite literally, walk in the footsteps of giants. I’ve climbed at a lot of American climbing destinations, from the New and Red River Gorges in the East, to Indian Creek, Joshua Tree, Red Rock Canyon, and Rocky Mountain National Park, but nowhere have I found the lore as strong as in Yosemite.

At my now-local crag, we often refer to routes as “that 10b arete” or “the 5.11 crack to the left of the 12a.” But in Yosemite, routes have names. Astroman, the Central Pillar of Frenzy, Steck-Salathé, The Nose! We know their first ascensionists, and we know their stories. And these stories get passed down, sometimes in writing but often at campfires and dinner parties, fueled by whiskey or coffee or both. So while it didn’t take long for me to realize that there was a gap between the women’s stories I was hearing and those I was reading, it did take me a few years to muster up the courage to try to close that gap myself.

The idea for the book lived quietly in my head, but as it became louder and louder, I started to shyly share it with my climbing partners. “Don’t you think it would be cool,” I’d mutter, “if there were a whole book about women climbing in Yosemite?” The more I shared my vision, the more it grew. I started scanning old climbing magazines, making lists of the women I’d need to include. Friends started sending me articles they came across, screenshots of Supertopo forums and Mountain Project threads. I spent days at the new Yosemite Climbing Association museum in Mariposa going through thousands of pages of old magazines. At first, everything was centered on building “the list,” my dream list of contributors, and eventually I thought it might just be enough to submit as a book proposal.

Ellie Hawkins gets prepped for the void on the first ascent of Dyslexia (VI 5.10d A4), completed solo, 1985. Bruce Hawkins

I’ve always been the type of person who gets stuck on an idea and can’t shake it until I’ve seen it through. When I started climbing, I gave myself five years to climb El Cap, even though at the time I barely knew how to belay. Nearly every decision I made from that moment propelled me toward my goal, and I recognized the same level of obsession once I became hooked on the idea for this book. I made my proposal and sent it off to three publishing companies. I was living in a tent cabin in Camp 4 by then, and while my own world was consumed by Yosemite, I didn’t know if my idea would resonate outside of my community. But my first conversation with Emily White at Mountaineers Books soothed my concerns, and I knew my project would be safe under her supervision. I signed on the dotted line; I had just over a year to make this thing happen.

I started with the people I knew or could get personal introductions to. I met with Babsi Zangerl in her campervan in the Valley, and she was eager to be a part of the book. That was the moment I thought that I might actually be able to pull this off. Soon, Liz Robbins called, thanks to some coaxing by Ken Yager at the Yosemite Climbing Association. I drew on all the connections I’d made through my climbing career, and every response gave me a jolt of electricity. Fourteen months later, I turned in everything I had: 38 stories, totaling over 76,000 words.

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Molly Higgins and Barb Eastman atop El Cap after the first all-female ascent of The Nose, 1977. Larry Bruce

Molly Higgins leading to The Nose’s famous feature, the Great Roof. AAC member Barb Eastman

When Molly Higgins mentioned to Lauren that she had some old boxes of slides from her time in Yosemite, Lauren knew she had to see them. Prepared to see some faded, blurry images at best, she unearthed dozens of boxes—slide after slide of perfectly preserved photographs documenting some of the most courageous ascents of a generation, including images from the first all-female ascent of The Nose on El Cap in 1977. With the tremendous help of the AAC Library, Lauren organized Molly’s collection into an online exhibit which can be viewed at here.

Ellie Hawkins—the other photo contributer for this piece—might not be a household name in the world of Yosemite climbing, but she certainly should be. She’s the only woman to ever establish a Yosemite big wall first ascent completely solo, with Dyslexia (VI 5.10d A4) in the Ribbon Falls Amphitheater. The route was aptly named. Ellie battled a terrible case of dyslexia that often complicated her climbing. Despite these challenges, an early ascent of El Cap’s North America Wall (5.8 C3) and a solo of Never Never Land (5.10a) earned Ellie’s place among the Valley’s legends. Lauren was able to digitize and preserve Ellie’s collection of slides and prints as well, a few of which are featured here.

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One of the greatest gifts of working on this book came in the form of a few phone conversations with Liz Robbins. Liz is the author of one of my favorite pieces in the book, a story written years ago for Alpinist magazine that tells of her experience establishing the first ascent of The Nutcracker Suite (5.8), the first route in Yosemite to be climbed entirely on clean protection. The Nutcracker, as it is commonly known today, was the first route I ever climbed in Yosemite, years before I ended up working on the Search & Rescue team. Having driven all through the night from the mountain West, across the wide open sagebrush of Nevada, up through the winding granite slabs of Tuolumne, and down, at long last, to Yosemite Valley, I woke up at dawn, claimed my spot in Camp 4, and went straight to the Manure Pile Buttress. I once read that a “classic” climb must be at least one, if not all, of these three things: aesthetically pleasing, historically significant, and full of spectacular climbing. The Nutcracker Suite has it all, and it made for an unforgettable first Yosemite experience.

Ellie Hawkins on a solo ascent of Never Never Land (5.10a), Yosemite Valley National Park, CA. Land of the Central Sierra Miwok people. Bruce Hawkins

It’s been more than five years since that first Valley climb, and when I told Liz about my experience climbing it, we realized that because of her and Royal’s decision not to place pitons, the route climbs just about the same way today as it did during her first ascent. Of course, it is greasy with chalk and rubber from thousands of ascents, but it is not scarred the way other Yosemite routes are. Where I smeared, Liz had smeared, and where I stuffed my fingers in the crack, so had she.

Barb Eastman walking out the infamous Thank God Ledge during the first all-female ascent of Half Dome’s Regular Northwest Face(5.9C1),1976. AAC member Molly Higgins

At the end of the story, Liz expresses the mental tug-of-war she often engaged in when climbing. Her doubts about her abilities echoed my own insecurities about the making of this book. Who was I to engage in such an important project? But, as did Liz, I found time and time again that I’d yet to come across the problem that demanded more of me than I could give. Of course, this book is not perfect. There are holes—gaping ones—ones that jump out at me baring teeth and ones that, surely, I will see more clearly with time. But soon we will have in our hands the stories of 38 women who have, at one time or another, found themselves at the center of Yosemite climbing. We start in 1938 and run smack into the present, and it would horrify my editor if she knew that I were still adding stories the day before my first draft was due. But just as Steck & Roper implored us to think of their 50 Classic Climbs as some classic climbs and not the classic climbs, so too do these stories tell of the experiences of some women, not the women. Because there are so many more stories, so many more voices, so many more experiences worth telling and retelling. And as Liz so eloquently writes: I’ve only just begun the excavation.

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Lauren DeLaunay Miller served on the Yosemite Search & Rescue team while completing her book, Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing (Mountaineers Books, Spring 2022), an anthology of stories that document the history of women’s climbing in Yosemite National Park. Lauren lives in Bishop, CA where she is a founding board member of the Bishop Climbers Coalition and Coordinator for the AAC’s Bishop Highball Craggin’ Classic. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Journalism at the University of California in Berkeley.

Museum of Movement: A Story from the 2021 GTM

Artist Spotlight: Route Setter Aroldo Silva

by Holly Yu Tung Chen

photos by Grey Satterfield

“PAINTER. MUSICIAN. DESIGNER... PEOPLE TEND TO END THE CONVERSATION THERE. YOU’RE EITHER IN A BOX OR YOU’RE NOT, AND THAT’S IT.”

— Aroldo Silva

The boulder problem reminded Aroldo of the Florida coastline. He stepped back and spun a long steel bolt between his fingers like a pencil. Then stared down his handiwork built from bright yellow tufas. They started in the bottom corner and slithered all the way to the top of the blue and gray wall.

It was in the Sunshine State where lightning struck. A much younger Aroldo Silva found the art of route setting in a small gym built inside an old warehouse. Route setting wasn’t a paid job then. He started with some old-school wrenches and solid plastic holds. Back then, gyms stripped all the holds off the wall and cleaned them with acid and dishwasher fluid, putting them back up with a kaleidoscope of duct tape marking the path. A “choose your own adventure” to the uninitiated.

The boulder problems he puts up today are made of color-coded fiberglass; three times the size of what he used to work with in the small Florida gym and one-third the weight. Now, Aroldo is the Head Setter at Earth Treks Englewood in Colorado. It’s a full-time job.

“Jobs,” Aroldo corrected. A route setter is at once an artist, a teacher, a janitor, the customer service rep, a product manager, the curator, and the quality control team.

Aroldo studied sculpture and media in college. He focused on installation and performative art and took time to dive deep into fine arts theory. The professors Aroldo respected told him, “focus on understanding.” Once you begin to practice for mastery, you will develop your creative process. He walked away from his degree with a lot more questions than answers.

“What does being an artist mean to you?”

The tool belt on his hip jingled. Aroldo laughed with his shoulders and torso. “People like to define art with a lot of titles, don’t they? Painter. Musician. Designer. People tend to end the conversation there. You’re either in a box or you’re not, and that’s it. You’re a musician? You must make music. I don’t think it matters.” Creation needs no bounds.

He pushed up his safety goggles with a gloved hand, stepped nimbly up the ladder, and bolted a bright-yellow jib to the wall. Below him on the bouldering mat was an array of holds, neatly laid out from largest to smallest, with a handful of foot chips scattered about like seasoning.

There seems to be no line between art and climbing, with set routes akin to exhibits in a museum. A route may appeal to one, yet be detested by another. It’s all contained within the work.

Movement is Aroldo’s medium, which he uses to explore the concept of meaningful play. He understands that climbing allures because of the perfect challenge: a problem which demands both mentally and physically, yet is just attainable so long as we try hard enough.

Likewise, Aroldo believes all approaches and ideas are valid, both for the setter as well as the climber. “Your hands and your body are only so good at recreating what your mind has designed,” he said. “But you can chase them. I want to chase them. I want my setters and our climbers to chase them.” After all, it is the space between the routes which is most important—the environment where people can develop their individuality, explore alternate solutions, and flourish on the wall. To Aroldo and his team, this is facilitated through a setting philosophy: not forcing movement, but sharing it.

Earth Treks Englewood is a 53,000 square-foot canvas, with more than 200 boulder problems and sport routes available to interpret. If someone grabs a foot? Great. If someone busts a sequence? Great. Maybe it feels hard or maybe it feels weird. Maybe somebody will say, “you have to try this,” while another says, “don’t even bother.” Flash or fall, love it or hate it, they are engaging with the problem and exploring what they’re capable of. For Aroldo, this is the art of climbing.

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Holly Yu Tung Chen is a freelance writer, digital marketer, and route setter at several Colorado climbing gyms—she enjoys the duality of these wildly opposing jobs. (Holly’s motto has always been: “keep it interesting.”) In 2019, she kick-started her career as an intern for the American Alpine Club producing content and working in the digital marketing space. Beyond the Club, her writing has been published by Gym Climber, Sharp End Publishing, and the Climbing Wall Association.

Veterans Day 2021: The Power of the Outdoors

You may remember AAC Volunteer Lieutenant Colonel Byron Harvison, who was a part of the first AAC Hill to Crag in 2018, bringing veterans into conversations with policy makers to advocate for public lands and conservation. This Veteran’s Day, we checked in with Lieutenant Colonel Harvison, and found that he’s thriving. Alongside his friends, fellow veterans and outdoor enthusiasts, Josh Jespersen, Dustin Kinsling, and Benjamin Davis, Byron has been using the connections he made during the 2018 Hill to Crag to create even more opportunity for veterans to utilize the outdoors as a resource for healing, focus, and new purpose. Jespersen, Kinsling, and Davis founded Veterans Outdoor Advocacy Group (VOAG) in 2019, and they are already making change happen, with even more exciting new initiatives coming down the line. 

Byron Harvison is still on active duty, assigned to State Judge Advocate for the Utah National Guard. He is a lifetime climber, skier, and biker, as well as a dad. He has been deployed multiple times in Afghanistan and Kuwait and has been a long time AAC volunteer, including holding the position of Chair for the AAC Salt Lake Chapter. 

Josh Jespersen grew up in PA as a total ski bum, but at 18 joined the military and served 6 years as a Navy SEAL in Iraq and Afghanistan. On returning home, he moved to CO and threw himself into backcountry skiing and splitboarding. He began to explore the mountains in a way he never had before. Josh started working for nonprofits that were getting veterans outside, and along the way realized that the veterans around him needed to see other veterans carving out new pathways for themselves. Josh felt called to prove that you can go out and do amazing things with your life post-service, that military service doesn’t have to be the last chapter—there are new chapters to write. He decided to push the envelope and set out to ski all of Colorado's 14ers as fast as he could, and Josh ended up setting a record, beating the old record of 361 days, by doing it in 138 days. Besides skiing all of CO 14ers in a single ski season, Josh is currently a mountain guide and avalanche educator. 

As outdoor lovers and athletes, both Byron and Josh, alongside Dustin Kingsling and Benjamin Davis, realized the importance of creating space and opportunity for veterans to utilize outdoor therapy as a resource. Veterans Outdoor Advocacy Group (VOAG) began as a lobbying organization to make that opportunity possible. In 2019, the Accelerated Recovery Veterans Outdoors Act caught Josh’s eye, and he began tracking it, but noticed that it wasn’t gaining any momentum. The bill basically mandated that the Veterans Administration (VA) study the efficacy of adjunct outdoor therapy. In effect, the outcome of this bill would mean that veterans down the line could be prescribed time outside instead of overwhelmingly relying on prescription medication to treat PTSD, drug addiction, or other challenges that many veterans face. For Josh and the others, they couldn’t be happy with looking back in 10 years and not being able to say they had done everything in their power to get this bill passed, because they each personally knew the impact and importance of the outdoors for their own wellbeing. This was a weak point in the VA that this bill could remedy. VOAG was created; and with laser focus, the team lobbied and wrote emails to representatives relentlessly, until the bill was ultimately passed in 2020.  

In 2020, VOAG also created an initiative to train veterans as hunting and fishing guides. Josh and Byron note that outdoor guiding can be a huge source of employment—beyond the value of therapy that VOAG already advocates—for vets as they transition from the military. Moving forward, VOAG is excited to advocate for greater access to AMGA training for veterans, alongside many other initiatives and issues.

This Veterans Day, VOAG is also launching a new program called “31 FOR 31.” 

The 31 FOR 31 project is meant to remember the men who died aboard a CH-47 helicopter on August 6, 2011, call sign “Extortion 17.” Thirty-one Americans and 7 Afghan Nationals were killed when the vessel was shot down in Maidan Wardak Province of Afghanistan. The tragedy resulted in the greatest individual loss of life for the US Forces during the war in Afghanistan. Over the course of 31 weeks, between 1 January, 2022 and August 6, 2022, VOAG and its coalition partners, will take 31 Veterans into the outdoors in various capacities from climbing, hiking, skiing, mountain biking, hunting, and fishing. All of these trips will focus on remembering one of the 31 Americans along with the 7 Afghans who were killed more than 10 years ago in the Hindu Kush Mountains.

For Byron, not only should the outdoors and outdoor therapy be a ready resource for veterans, but veterans are an untapped resource as stewards of the land. As someone who has always felt a calling to serve, Byron has manifested that in his military service, but also in his commitment to the outdoors and his responsibility to the places he plays in. The AAC is so grateful to have volunteers like him who are taking their commitment to climbing and its community-building potential into other spaces, widening the power and accessibility of climbing. And in the spirit of VOAG’s mission, the AAC offers a special discounted military membership for active duty, reserves, and veterans. Learn more here!

If you’d like to learn more about VOAG, check out their website here. Learn more about their new initiative “31 FOR 31” here. And check out this film, featuring Josh Jespersen, to dive deeper into what the outdoors can do for veterans.

Ripple Effects: A Story from the TINCUP Partner in Adventure Grant

Thanks to the TINCUP Partner in Adventure Grant, leadership at Chicago Adventure Therapy are making waves to increase equitable access to outdoor climbing. By putting safe rock climbing knowledge in the hands of an organization that is already getting Chicago youth outside, a simple anchor building class can have huge ripple effects that shape the future of our climbing community.

Explore this exhibit to see how the magic happened.

*This story is best told with the help of vibrant and dynamic photography. Dive into this Spark Exhibit to see these photos come alive alongside this story.

The Morning Person Who Stays Up Late: Getting to Know Nina Williams

"Highball boulder or committing to your community, it's all the same mindset," she continued. " You commit, you follow through. I left competition climbing because I recognized that I wasn’t happy. I wasn't happy because I know I have the power to make a difference, and I wasn't doing it. Yet."

Explore this exhibit to get to know the deeper side of Nina Williams, Board Member at the AAC and elite highball boulderer.

*This story is best told with the help of vibrant and dynamic photography. Dive into this Spark Exhibit to see these photos come alive alongside this story.

Mountaineering Books and Vintage Gear Sale

The Music Stopped: A Story from the Climbing Grief Fund

The Climbing Grief Grant offers financial support for individuals directly impacted by grief, loss, and/or trauma related to climbing, ski mountaineering, or alpinism.

This exhibit explores the experience of grief from a personal perspective. In this case, this exploration of grief reflects on the death of AAC employee Dillon Blanksma, after he fell from Broadway Ledge on Longs Peak. You can learn more about the Climbing Grief Fund here.

*This story is best told with the help of vibrant and dynamic photography. Dive into this Spark Exhibit to see these photos come alive alongside this story.

The American Alpine Club launches Climb United initiative

The American Alpine Club (AAC) is proud to announce Climb United, a new initiative centered around convening climbers, climbing organizations, and industry brands to transform the culture around inclusivity. Current partners of the Climb United project include REI, Eddie Bauer, Mammut, The North Face, and Patagonia.

We are excited to launch the program with a draft of Principles and Guidelines for Publishing Climbing Route Names developed by the Route Name Task Force, composed of a group of publishers and climbing community members. The Guiding Principles will serve to establish an agreed-upon philosophy toward publishing climbing route names, while the Guidelines provide an evaluation and management system for addressing discriminatory route names. The AAC will host a public forum on the draft guidelines on April 21 at 6 p.m. MDT to engage the community and encourage questions and feedback. You can also provide feedback on the draft guidelines via this survey.

Participants in the working group include Alpinist Magazine, Climbing Magazine, the Climbing Zine, Gripped Magazine, Mountain Project, Mountaineers Books, Sharp End Publishing, and Wolverine Publishing.

In February of this year, the AAC surveyed climbers and found that over 82% of respondents believe it is important that the climbing community address diversity and inclusion within the sport. Additionally, over 77% of respondents believe it is important to address discriminatory route names to make climbing more welcoming to all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, age, range of abilities, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

AAC CEO Mitsu Iwasaki described the importance of the Climb United project, "Our climbing culture, which I have been a part of and contributor to for nearly 30 years, has, without mal-intent, created spaces that have been hurtful and uninviting to many. I am grateful through Climb United, we (brands, publishers, and climbers) have come together with an abundance of humility to engage in difficult and necessary conversations to evolve, elevate, and ensure a vibrant future for climbing."

The AAC recently hired Climb United Director Cody Kaemmerlen to help guide the project. Kaemmerlen shared his excitement about joining the initiative as the Climb United Director, “I’m honored to serve the climbing community that I care so deeply for and to help all folks find their way to this sport. The crags, mountains, and remote summits continue to bring me a lifetime of memories and relationships. I understand the enormity of the barriers that exist, and I’m excited to push extra hard to help break them down.”

Climbers can also follow along with Climb United’s progress via a timeline of past projects and future goals.

Learn more about Climb United at climbunited.org

New in the Library! Must-Adds to Your Reading List

Looking for a good book to read this season? Settling in for another round of Quarantine?

We have you covered. Here are some new titles that just arrived in the Library!

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“A family of climbers…”

“The Bark of the Cony is the story of one man's journey to overcome physical hardship and its resulting challenges. Before the age of four, George Nash Smith had a freak accident which impaired use of his right arm and hand. With the support of his parents and siblings he adapted to his circumstances and learned to approach life in a positive way.”

This is a delightful story of the life of a climbing father and his sons. Known as the “Climbing Smiths,” George & his four sons climbed 68 peaks over 14,000-ft in the United States in 48 days. They completed this feat in 1974.

The Bark of the Cony is an enjoyable read for all outdoor enthusiasts and has local history nuggets for Colorado history buffs like myself. You can checkout our circulating copy or grab your own by clicking this link here (all proceeds go to charity).

““The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
― St. Augustine”

“…a true foray into the unknown”

An avid reader, writer, and dedicated AAC Library advocate, here is what Pete Takeda has to say about Labyrinth of Ice:

“Labyrinth of Ice is a tale that rivals Endurance as a classic of polar exploration.

Adventures like this are hard to come by these days. The expedition, led by a man of unimpeachable character named Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greely, was purely scientific and exploratory. It was not adventure for its own sake. Second, it was a true foray into the unknown.

What started as a research expedition ended in a classic struggle for survival. In a traditionally male drama of Arctic exploration, a lady plays the key role in the ultimate outcome. Levy leaves no doubt that without the stalwart persistence and in-depth knowledge of Henrietta Greely (Adolphus’ wife), the expedition was doomed to perish.

Labyrinth is also a case study in leadership. This book would be a fine candidate for a film and a wonderful addition to high school curriculums.”

Click here to see a list of NEW books in the Library!

And if you are looking to own some climbing classics, take a gander at our selection in our online store linked here.