The Climbing Grief Fund
At the American Alpine Club, we know that climbing is an inherently dangerous undertaking. We feel the risk is outweighed by the strong expression of selfhood that comes from moving up rock, snow, and ice, but danger can lead to injury and loss. We hope that the resources compiled here support you or someone you love to build the conditions needed for better integration of trauma or grief experienced.
We hope that through increased visibility, education, and professional support concerning mental health in climbing, that we are creating a community better equipped to support one another on and off the rock and know when to seek professional care.
Our Mission
The Climbing Grief Fund (CGF) connects individuals to effective mental health professionals and resources and evolves the conversation around grief and trauma in the climbing, alpinism, and ski mountaineering community. CGF acts as a resource hub to equip the mental health of our climbing community.
The CGF Film: A Thousand Ways to Kiss the Ground
“What conversations are we turning away from? What might it look like for our climbing community to fully engage with its collective grief? How do we presence ourselves with survivors and offer resources for individuals to better integrate their grief. I think it’s a beautiful thing that climbing offers us—to be present with the complexity of choosing to risk and being in honest relationship with our fragility and mortality.”
Meet The Grief Fund Team
We are deeply grateful for the hardworking volunteers and staff who make the Climbing Grief Fund happen.
Trevor Davis | Therapeutic Manager of CGF
Madaleine Sorkin | CGF Founder
Climbing Grief Grant Committee | Trevor Davis, Lor Sabourin, Virginia Sanford, Lori Coyner, Eddie Taylor
Contact Us | grieffund@americanalpineclub.org or call the AAC office at (303) 384-0110