Crag Development During Deployment: A Story from the Live Your Dream Grant

PC: Joseph Stuart

Joseph Stuart received a 2023 Live Your Dream grant from the American Alpine Club to help start a mountaineering club and develop a crag while deployed in Iraq.

*This article was originally published in the Blah, Blah, Black Sheep newsletter and is lightly edited for clarity.

---

How have the 250th FRSD (Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment), who call themselves the "Blacksheep," been spending their downtime in Iraq, you might ask? We started a mountaineering club! It all began when our fearless orthopedic surgeon and climbing extraordinaire, MAJ Griff Biedron, discovered a uniquely shaped rock crag formation about two miles away from our living quarters. It's located in an infrequently trafficked corner of the base, just off the road. The rock face is about 90 feet wide and 25 feet tall, with steep overhanging sections. The crag is sandwiched between sloping hills, so it is easy to hike or scramble to the top if approaching from the side. On top of the ridge, MAJ Biedron discovered some massive boulders and imagined the mountaineering possibilities. He quickly requested that his family back home ship his modest collection of climbing gear including climbing shoes, ropes, carabiners, and harnesses. When the gear arrived, MAJ Biedron started training his teammates to climb cracks between T-walls to familiarize themselves with the equipment and belay techniques. 

Pc: Joseph Stuart

The Club was officially founded when MAJ Biedron and co-founders CPT Armstrong (veterinarian), SGT Johnson (medic), and 1LT McCarthy (ER nurse) returned to the crag for their first outing. SGT Stewart (preventive medicine tech) joined shortly after and became the Club's deputy. We anchored ratchet straps around boulders at the top of the ridge to serve as a static rope. Then, we harnessed up and sunk our full body weight into the rope to test the holding capacity of the boulders, and the static line was solid to a fault. Next, we tested the hand/footholds on the rock face and discovered that "rock" is a generous way to describe this formation—maybe siltstone is more accurate, like a ragged chunk of sedimentary silt and clay. Many seemingly solid holds broke right off in our hands. Climbers who wore T-shirts or shorts quickly regretted their attire as the jagged surface repeatedly abraded their exposed skin. Nonetheless, the climbers put up several routes on their first excursion and were motivated to keep climbing!  

During the early days of the AAAB Mountaineering Club, the crag was laden with trash and debris. We made quick haste of the mess by organizing a work party. In one day, our crew picked up 50 pounds of trash. Since then, we have made numerous improvements to the site. We carved out a trail leading from the base of the crag to the top of the ridge and installed some flat rocks as steps. We dug a fire pit and lined it artfully with rocks. We positioned larger boulders around the fire pit for resting and spectating. We installed several bolts in the rock to practice lead climbing. We scrupulously cleaned and dusted the rock face so climbers don't get peppered with dirt as they ascend. 

We have since dubbed the rock "Canine Crag" because the area is close to a dog den, and we often see Iraqi dogs passing by, traveling in packs of six. In addition to naming the crag, we have also named all eight of our routes. In the tradition of mountaineering, the person who is the first to "on-site," the route gets to name it. The names and naming members are as follows: 

PC: Joseph Stuart

Pelvic Binder - Karen McGrane 

Northeast Face - Griff Biedron 

Bridget Midget - Ryan Johnson 

Dog Leg - Gordon Armstrong 

Bird Sh## Traverse - Joseph Stewart 

Allagash White - Brandon Barnes 

GH - Griff Biedron  

Rabid Otter Ridge - Karen McGrane 

Our club quickly gained popularity through word of mouth and a flyer posted at the gym. Now, our club has garnered a base-wide following! Member participation ebbs and flows, but right now, we have 27 members in the active club and 23 members in our fan club. In addition to climbing on the weekends, we host weekly movie nights on Fridays, where we watch a climbing movie. So far, we have watched Free Solo, The Alpinist, Touching the Void, and The Dawn Wall, among others. We have many goals to keep growing and improving! 

We received the American Alpine Club Live Your Dream Grant. With this grant funding, we hope to purchase more equipment to develop sport lead climbing and install better top roping anchors. We hope to provide a safe and supportive environment for other soldiers to learn the art of climbing and route establishment.

 An Excerpt From a Subsequent Newsletter That Provides a Further Update on this Club's Climbing Activities: 

PC: Joseph Stuart

The AAAB Mountaineering Club has grown in terms of membership and scope of activities. Currently, there are 51 members in the active club and 28 members in the fan club. We advanced from climbing the siltstone rock formation we call "Canine Crag" to climbing a vertical sedimental wall with ice axes. This crazy idea was the brainchild of MAJ Biedron, an avid ice climber, who figured he could keep his ice-climbing skills sharp by training on the tall sediment walls in Iraq. 

Unfortunately, MAJ Biedron already departed Iraq by this time, but MAJ Armstrong and SGT Neiffer spearheaded the creation of an ice axe climbing route on a 50-foot-tall sediment wall.  

For members who had never climbed with ice axes before (most of us), picking up the skill was pretty simple compared to rock climbing. Actually, it was a lot more approachable because although it required some technical skills and endurance, it involved much less strength than negotiating the overhanging cliffs at the rock crag. 

The first few climbers that ascended the route used the adze of the axe (the butt end) to chip out some good foot holds, so it became easier and easier for all the subsequent climbers. Despite the sturdy foot holds and the wall's gentle downward slope, climbers still got to feel the wrist burn that quickly ensued from clinging onto the axe shafts, with the weight of their body suspended on its narrow picks. Climbers ascended slowly and methodically, tapping their picks into the sediment wall until they found secure cracks in the rock. When climbers finally reached the top, they dangled the ice axes from their harnesses and relaxed into the rope as the belayer lowered them 50 feet to the ground. It was an exhilarating experience, for sure! 

An Ultraneering Challenge in the Cordillera Blanca: A Story From the Live Your Dream Grant

Out for a glacier stroll the day before Alpamayo. PC: Nick Nasca

Adapted from the 2023 trip report by Nick Nasca

Mike in a meadow with the Husacaran Massif in the background on our first day in the range. PC: Nick Nasca

In the Summer of 2023, I went to the Cordillera Blanca with my friend and climbing Partner Mike Buyaskas. We were supported by the AAC's Live Your Dream Grant and the Loa Fund. We intended to complete an ultra mountaineering link-up. I spent countless hours researching the terrain via satellite imagery and corresponding internet photos, messaging with Peruvian guides via social media, and reading obscure trip reports I'd found from buried corners of the internet. We planned to pre-stock four camps and make a three-week push, summiting eight mountains along the way. In addition to the mental and logistical prep, Mike and I followed a training program for the six months before our expedition.  

On June 18, we landed in Lima with a ridiculous amount of luggage. One bus ride later, we were in Huaraz packing the bags that would be used for our restocked camps. We hung out around the Andean Kingdom and the Casa de Guias to learn about recent mountain conditions. We soon met Manuel Bernuy Ponte, a young Peruvian guide and owner of Peruvian Climbs. He was our most helpful connection in Huaraz. Manuel made himself and his experience in the range incredibly accessible, giving us an accurate picture of what to expect in the stretches where our route departed from the usual trodden paths of the Blanca. He also helped us secure a driver, safely stash our gear in multiple locations, and find fair prices on bulk supplies we needed.

Chopicalqui

We prepared nonstop for two days, then launched into the range with a plan of acclimatizing and stashing resupplies. We were scouting terrain between Huascaran and Chopicalqui five days later when we decided to adjust plans. A snow bridge had collapsed on Huascaran, killing a guide in the process. The prospect of equipping a ladder crossing was on the table, but there was no telling if or when that would occur. Furthermore, our on-the-ground appraisal found that linking Huascaran and Chopicalqui would require traversing extremely dangerous and highly technical terrain. The conditions that would have allowed for a more reasonable attempt simply no longer exist due to the rapid melt-out in this range. Here, we conceded our first route change, deciding to drop the first leg of our ultraneering challenge and to ration our food to stay longer and make an attempt on Chopicalqui's summit while we were at the moraine camp. 

Nick posing for a sunset picture at Chopicalqui base camp. PC: Mike Buyaskas

Knowing how slowly we moved in our barely acclimatized state, we started from moraine camp at 10 p.m. We plugged along the most extensive glacier we had ever walked on all night until we found ourselves 400 feet short of the summit by sunrise. We had fought the effects of altitude for the entire push when they finally caught up to us in the form of a costly miscommunication, which ended in our rappelling. We broke down our camp that afternoon and hitchhiked back to town by night.  

Quitaraju and Alpamayo

Nick revelling in the sunset and stoke underneath Alpamayos West face. PC: Mike Buyaskas

After a day and a half of rest, we packed enough supplies for a week, intending to climb Quitaraju and Alpamayo. The climb from Moraine camp to the Alpamayo Quitaraju col was strenuous. We climbed two pitches of low-grade alpine ice with heavy packs, which made for a more challenging day than expected. Before we could drop our packs at Col camp that afternoon, a giant ice mushroom cleaved, sending an avalanche careening directly down the runnel that contained our intended climb. These factors combined to make Alpamayo loom in my heart the same way its western face would loom over our tent for the next few days. Unfortunately, the next morning, Mike woke up altitude sick, and we decided to rest instead of attempting Quitaraju. The day after, we climbed Alpamayo. The climbing in the upper runnel was fantastic, and it felt like the whole world rotated on the axis of single moments between swings and kicks. I topped out on the summit ridge, and due to time constraints, we rappelled from there, despite the ridgeline traverse posing no more difficult climbing. 

Rest days

The next day, we got into town, and the day after that, we went for a trail run to celebrate Mike's birthday and take a break from the expedition. We reveled in our further acclimatization and returned to the base of Huandoy and the Pisco refugio, where friends were looking after the bag filled with our first stocked camp. Our ultraneering traverse received the final nail in the coffin when we observed our route up Huandoy's East Face nearly melted out, exposing bands of heinous chossy mixed climbing that otherwise would have been ice and snow. Our route would be too dry when we were poised for a summit attempt. We had yet to make a true summit but now believed ourselves to be acclimatized, so we set our sights on doing Tocllarajus W Face Direct (D+) in a faster and lighter style. 

Tocllarajus

Nick roping up for the hike back from Tocullaraju high camp, The line Nick and Mike attempted on Tocullaraju's W face climbs the icey path directly through the rocky pinch high on the climber's right side of the face.

We approached the base camp in one speedy push the night we returned from our trail run. The next day, we reached glacier camp directly underneath the face. We watched our route for a day and planned a detour from the original line to thread a safer needle between seracs high on the face. We heard the route had just yielded its first successful summit days before, after turning around many this season. We started at midnight this time, and after delicately climbing the giant icey flower petals of the upper bergschrund, we suffered excruciatingly cold and exposed belays up the sheer ice face. About two pitches from the summit ridgeline, as the sun rose, Mike began to feel too altitude sick to continue. Using zero threads, we were able to bail down the face relatively quickly. 

Expedition Changes

Mike had to leave Peru early due to a personal situation developing at home, which greatly limited our options for the remainder of the trip. We now had ten more days, and due to Mike's altitude issues, we eventually settled on a smaller, more technical route. We decided to try what we thought may be an unclimbed line on the south face of Vallunaraju's south summit. It involved 300 feet of 70-80 degree mixed climbing, which gave way to 3-400 more feet of easier mixed terrain. 

Vallunaraju

Nick finding the start of the potential new line we attempted to climb on Vallanaraju Sur. PC: Mike Buyasakas

We attempted the peak in true alpine style, starting from the gate for the national park at the mouth of the approach canyon and going gate to gate. I led an awesome M4- pitch at the start of the technicalities on beautifully striated granite. Still, we again bailed due to dangerous deep-faceted snow lurking underneath trapdoors of semi-firm crust on the upper face. Over the summer, we found that the south-facing slopes were the most likely to have that terrifying, completely unstable Peruvian snow.  

Huamashraju

We had time for one more climb before Mike's departure, and we chose to switch things up and try the classic Sins-Hanning route on Huamashraju. It is a five-pitch 5.9 on a splitter granite wall that finishes up a moderate snow ridge to the summit. We approached in the evening and bivied in a boulder cave at the very base of the route. The rapidly melting glaciers in the Blanca have formed a small pool at the base of the wall, allowing us to advance past basecamp and skip out on melting snow. The following day, we led in blocks, with Mike tackling the delicate slabby corner crux of the lower wall while I got the pleasure of pulling a fantastic roof and bumping our only #4 up the back of the offwidth squeeze pitch. We started simuling when we got up high, and once atop the ridge, we found nothing but smooth low-angle granite for another three rope lengths. These 3 pitches are apparently a new development even compared to just two years ago when it was reported that snow was reached at the beginning of the ridge. We transitioned into our crampons and soloed to the summit. Unfortunately due to a crampon malfunction Mike decided to stay behind and set up our first rappel. The final snow ridge included a 100 foot long steep airy traverse across calf high penitiente.  The Penitiente gave way to a final rope length of easy mixed climbing requiring a couple of easy blocky mantles on rock.  At the top I admired Nevado Huantsan for a moment before turning around to start the descent: a snowy down-climb proceeded by 4 rope stretching double rope 70 meter rappels. One very long hike later, we were back at the trailhead around 11 p.m., where the onset of giardia rocked me the minute I sat down on the side of the road.

Leaving the Andes…

Our driver Freddy, a cousin of our host in Caraz. Freddy enjoys Mountain Biking through the canyons of the blanca, and his company was much appreciated during the few down days we had in Caraz. PC: A Passing Tourist

Mike left the next morning, and after five days of being sick in bed, I finally recovered. For my last adventure in the Andes, I took a long, all-day trail run up a lesser-known Quebrada. I had a hunch of where I might find water ice based on locations where I'd seen some ephemeral smears over the past two months. Right where I was expecting, I found an ice line that was even better than I could have imagined. This line of nearly 1000 ft of steep ice was the best-looking ice climb I'd seen in Peru. There is a small vanishing serac above it, and judging by pictures I found of the same face in 2013, the overhead danger will continue to decrease in the coming years. This experience had me leaving Peru with lots of stoke in my heart for the many lifetimes' worth of adventures to be had here on our planet. Overall, I learned a great deal on this trip. I now understand how to look at prominent, snowy peaks from a distance and estimate where the most sensible weakness may be and what the terrain will entail. I also got my first taste of leading out into entirely unknown terrain and am hooked. 

On the upper slopes of Chopicalqui, shedding layers before continuing the descent. That evening we would make it back to the canyon floor and haggle/hitchhike our way back to Caraz. PC: Mike Buyaskas

In terms of our ultraneering challenge, the goal is still accomplishable. I don't know if I will ever attempt it again. It required massive amounts of logistical challenges as well as blue-collar prep work. I underestimated just how demanding the conditions might be between 8 different mountains. Although all of the routes we intended to climb would go at some point during the season we spent there, being able to climb all of them safely in the same three-week window would be a rare occurrence. If one were to fly off the summits of these peaks using a wing, the ultraneering traverse would become much more feasible and enjoyable. Hopefully, one day, I will get the time and resources to begin learning the art of flying, but I must return to the ordinary world via the booter. Thank you, American Alpine Club, for helping me have a once-in-a-lifetime summer in the Andes. 

---

This could be YOU! Apply for the Live Your Dream grant before it closes, on April 30. Don’t wait, your dream expedition is just an application away!

---

Powered by:

Journey to Mount Ritter: A Story From the Live Your Dream Grant

Provided by: Erik Hamilton

"Throw the damn axe!" I beckoned Alanna as the once infrangible glacial ice deteriorated into slush, quickly becoming a four-inch-deep, wet avalanche under our twelve-point crampons. As the seconds ticked by and dawn grew near, the conditions were growing perilously unfavorable. That morning on the southeast face of Mount Ritter, at 10,600 feet, it took every ounce of practice, patience, and know-how to retreat safely down the mountain."

After receiving the Live Your Dream Grant, Erik Hamilton and his partner Alanna set off on a journey traveling from the forested mountains of the East Coast to the majestic Sierra Nevada’s of California, intent on climbing Mount Ritter. Hamilton reflects on the meditative nature of being in the mountains and what he truly finds important while traveling through the Western United States.

Come along for a scenic ride of Mount Ritter, by reading the story below…

The Live Your Dream Grant is Powered By:

The Liminal Line: A Story from the Live Your Dream Grant

PC: Benjamin Wollant

“The line lived in a liminal space between impossible and just maybe.

Reaching the base of the splitter was an unsolved puzzle. Long runouts were certain. The bolting ban on the Bitterroot National Forest would need to be lifted. So, the south face of Mystery Dome continued to haunt the back of my mind for nearly two years, only coming to the fore every several months when I pulled up photos of the line to ask once again, 'what if?'"

Benjamin Wollant couldn’t get the possibility of the south face of Mystery Dome in the Bitterroot wilderness of Idaho out of his head. In 2020 Wollant put up Bitter Fruit (5.11-) on the west face of Mystery Dome days before he moved to Montana. Join Wollant on his journey back into the Bitterroot wilderness to put up the Liminal Line(5.11b A3 V).

Foiled by Foliage: A Story From the Live Your Dream Grant

PC: AAC Member Christian Black

“After a couple of hours, we arrived at the base of the slightly steeper climb, which was described to us using the vague phrasing: ‘...from there, I think we climbed some bushes for a little while…’. The next part of the route ended up being at least 1,000ft of dirt-filled cracks and 5.9+ bush climbing, often slinging bushes as the only protection. It felt like someone was actively fighting you while you were trying to climb, brushing branches out of your face as they snag and pull on other parts of your body simultaneously.”

After receiving the Live Your Dream grant, the team bushwacked into the British Columbia wilderness in search of good rock. Continue reading Christian Black, Hayden Wyatt, and Keenan Nowak’s trip report about their expedition to Mount Bute below!

Mountain Goat Movement

An AAC member gives back to his community after receiving the Live Your Dream Grant.

PC: AAC Member Greg Morrisey

Grassroots: Unearthing the Future of Climbing

By: Sierra McGivney

There is nothing like watching the sunrise over the mountains, the whole world still sleeping. Pinks and deep oranges color the sky. On clear and quiet days, the temperature is coldest near or slightly after sunrise. Warm coffee, hot chocolate, or tea is always welcome during this time. 

After years inside, these moments feel more special. All the lives lost and time stolen because of the pandemic make time spent outside invaluable to begin healing. At Mountain Goat Movement (MGM), explorers and teachers show students moments like these and the value of nature through outdoor adventures. 

Morrisey speaking at the AAC’s Annual Benefit Gala in 2018.

For ten years, Greg Morrisey was a high school teacher at Saint Peter’s Preparatory in Jersey City, NJ. He spent the school year building an outdoor education program and the summer going on expeditions. In 2017 Morrisey won the American Alpine Club’s Live Your Dream Grant and completed an unsupported 1,800-mile cycling trip with one of his fellow teachers. In addition, that expedition raised $40,000 for low-income students to come on trips with Morrisey’s outdoor education program.

“That funded about 15 kids, and it was kind of crazy,” says Morrisey.  

Morrisey was asked to speak at the AAC’s Annual Gala alongside Vanessa O'Brien that year. The grant changed his life. 

---

In June of 2022, Morrisey quit teaching. He took the model he created at Saint Peter’s Preparatory and turned it into Mountain Goat Movement, a program that reaches out to schools primarily in populated cities or suburban areas in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland, to get students into the outdoors. 

Two MGM participants in the Adirondacks, New York. PC: AAC Member Greg Morrisey

“It's easy in Colorado, Wyoming, and Upstate New York to just walk out your backyard, and go for a beautiful hike, but it's difficult in the greater New York City area so we're trying to rally a community to get in the outdoors and provide resources for anyone and everyone who wants to experience the beauty of nature,” says Morrisey. 

After teaching during COVID-19, Morrisey realized how fractured life was for young people. Students have been on an island these past couple of years and reintegrating into school and society has been a shock to their system. 

Like the true literature teacher he is, Morrisey explains that outdoor adventures are much like the hero’s tale in Western Literature. A young person goes out on an epic quest, leaving their comfort zone, to battle figurative monsters and demons and comes home transformed. Morrisey gives presentations at school about the mental health benefits that can be derived from spending time in nature. He compares it to the hero's journey: Wherever you are, high school or college, you are not that much different than the characters you are reading about. 

A MGM group on the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Unlike Outward Bound or NOLS where participants rarely see their guides again, MGM brings the student’s teachers on the trip. The idea behind MGM is to build connections outdoors and be able to bring that back to the classroom instead of having a one-off trip. In addition, Morrisey hopes that this can also start a conversation about mental health in the classroom and how venturing into the outdoors can benefit mental health for people of all ages. Morrisey goes on every trip to train the student’s teachers with the hope that they can lead their own trips using this model. 

“I think when you're on an expedition or a multi-day experience, and you break bread with people, share tents, hike, and do everything together, it's inevitable that you're going to become close,” says Morrisey. “So taking that experience and then coming back home and building off that is the most beautiful part of all this.”

PC: AAC Member Greg Morrisey

Students who might not have ever talked or met suddenly have bonded with one another and become lifelong friends. 

Last July, Morrisey took a group to Kilimanjaro. His whole group summited and watched the sunrise from the top. Everyone cried. Evidently, the softer moments in the outdoors allow for meaningful relationships to form. 

“It's been a very rewarding process of working with young people in the outdoors and teaching kids how to climb, hike, ski, and get outside,” says Morrisey. 

Participants don’t have to travel out of the country to have these experiences. Mountain Goat Movement offers domestic trips like climbing the Grand Teton or hiking all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks. They do also offer an extensive amount of international trips to Kilimajaro, Costa Rica, and the Himalayas. 

The name behind MGM is intentional. Mountain goats are always trying to seek higher ground to survive. And just like mountain goats, whenever MGM takes participants outside, they try to achieve something higher within themselves while also respecting and protecting the land they tread on. Movement relates to being present outside, off your phone, and also moving as a community. 

PC: AAC Member Greg Morrisey

The positive effects of this type of program are evident. Morrisey has seen participants who came up through his program become ice climbers, environmental scientists, and AAC members, but most of all more confident explorers and adventurers in the outdoors and in life.  

“[the AAC] has always been super supportive and one of the reasons why we're able to start the foundation was because of the Live Your Dream grant, so I feel like the AAC has just done absolute wonders for a lot of kids in New York City without them actually realizing it,” says Morrisey. 

He is excited to expand and watch MGM grow. John Barnhardt, a filmmaker known for the Amazon Prime TV Show Born to Explore is joining MGM. He will be documenting their experiences on all seven continents for the next year. Morrisey is looking forward to having him join the team and help get the word out. 

PC: AAC Member Greg Morrisey

Just like mountain goats, we too can learn and adapt to our environment, mentally and physically. Movement in the outdoors has immense benefits. If you want to get involved or go on a trip with MGM visit their website here.

Live Your Dream Grant Applications Now Open

This is your climbing club | This is your climbing grant.

Application period: January 15th through February 28th

The Live Your Dream grant, powered by The North Face (TNF), was founded on the belief that our definitions of exploration and our goals are unique to each of us. Meaningful exploration isn’t limited to the highest peaks in the farthest reaches of the world. Your local gym, crag, and backyard mountains are equally important resources to help stoke inspiration for adventure. When we search out new experiences, overcome obstacles, and connect with each other, through exploration, we change ourselves.

This grant supports the every-day adventurers who harness this mindset for their own exploration. We are looking for individuals who have a personally ambitious climbing goal, a desire to take their abilities to the next level, and want to share the power of exploration with their communities.

Open to all ages, all experience levels, and all climbing disciplines—from bouldering to big walls, alpinism to ski mountaineering, peak bagging to bolt clipping, and everything in between—we encourage you to dream big, let curiosity lead you, and apply.

Announcing: Our 2019 Live Your Dream Grant Winners

We’re thrilled to congratulate the winners of our 2019 Live Your Dream Grant!

The Live Your Dream grant, powered by The North Face, is designed to help every-day adventurers take their abilities to the next level. It is about personal progression. It is about supporting each other; getting out there to push our individual limits; taking our skills to the next proving grounds, wherever that may be. The purpose of this grant is to support and promote unforgettable experiences for climbers—to dream big, to grow, and to inspire others.

We received a record number of applicants, making this year’s pool of Live Your Dream applications one of the most competitive yet, and we’ve made some hard choices to award a total of $55,700 to 122 recipients. This year’s winners include climbers looking to complete their first trad leads, climbers chasing cutting-edge first ascents, and everyone in between.

View the winners’ projects, then start dreaming up your own for next year! Applications will open again next February, 2020.

AAC Launches New Film—A Live Your Dream Grant Story

[This film contains expletives—viewer discretion is advised.] Far Away is a climbing area where Jenny Fischer and Kat Whipple attempted a first ascent on their Live Your Dream Grant trip to Liming, China. Far Away, a film by Samuel Crossley Media documenting Jenny and Kat’s journey, is out now! Produced in partnership with Ortovox and Deuter.

Watch the film and then go apply for a Live Your Dream grant, powered by The North Face:

2018 Live Your Dream Grant Recipients Announced

The AAC and The North Face are proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 Live Your Dream grant. In total, $72,150 was awarded to 158 individuals from across the nation, making 2018 the most successful year in the history of the Live Your Dream grant program. Roughly one out of every three applicants received an award.
 
The climbing grant for climbers, by climbers, the Live Your Dream grant seeks to fund every-day adventurers looking take their abilities to the next level. Be it transitioning out of the gym or establishing a first ascent in the greater ranges, the purpose of this grant is to support and promote unforgettable experiences for mountain adventurers—to dream big, to grow, and to inspire others.

The 2019 Live Your Dream grant cycle will open for applications on February 1, 2019.

---

2018 Live Your Dream Recipients 

The American Alpine Club and The North Face are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2018 Live Your Dream grant. In total, $72,150 was awarded to 158 recipients.

NORTHEAST REGION

The Northeast Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Howard Sebold. Committee members included Tom Lannamann, Mikhail Martin, Martin Torresquintero, and TNF athlete Anna Pfaff. 

Joshua Alcorn: New York, New York
$400 to attempt a fast and light Styggedalstind/Skagastølstind traverse in the Jotunheimen mountains, Norway.

Neil Berenholz: Nyack, New York
$200 for a 4 day trip to climb The Diagonal and other routes on Wallface, Adirondack high peaks.

Ethan Berman: Cambridge, Massachusetts
$800 to climb new lines in alpine style on Cerro Arkhata (5650 m), Cerro Mururata (5871 m) and Peak 5402 in the Cordillera Real Sur, Bolivia.

William Braasch Jr: Norwich, Vermont
$300 to establish a new, free, alpine style route on Tathagata Tower, Cirque of the Unclimbables and a secondary objective of a three-day ridge traverse within the Cirque.

Abigail Connell: Mystic, Connecticut
$250 to train to be a 5.12 climber by the end of 2018 and travel to El Potrero Chico, Mexico and climb Time Wave Zero (TWZ), IV/V 5.12a.

Corey Day: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$400 to climb 5.10-5.12 offwidth cracks and learn inverted crack climbing technique in Vedauwoo, WY.

Anthony DellaValle: Tonawanda, New York
$200 for a "Big Walls of the Northeast" trip - a 10 day trip to New Hampshire and the Adirondacks to complete Moby Grape (NH), Whitney-Gilman Ridge (NH), The Diagonal (NY), and Gamesmanship (NY).

Alissa Doherty: Somerville, Massachusetts
$250 to make first ascents in a range of serious, unnamed, unclimbed, peaks in a little known corner of the Alaska Range in south-central Alaska.

Rachel Drattler: Maplewood, New Jersey
$250 to climb the Southeast face of the Lotus Flower Tower, Cirque of the Unclimbables and potentially climb other peaks and towers in the region.
 
Arthur Eng: Bear, Delaware
$250 to attempt the second ascent of the South Ridge of Mount Russell, Denali National Park.

John Gassel: Somerville, Massachusetts
$250 to make first ascents in a range of serious, unnamed, unclimbed, peaks in a little-known corner of the Alaska Range in south-central Alaska.

Garrett Gibbons: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$400 to climb 5.10-5.12 offwidth cracks and learn inverted crack climbing technique in Vedauwoo, WY.

Gretchen Grebe: Scarborough, Maine
$250 to climb the Northeast Face on Pingora and East Ridge of Wolf's Head, Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range.

James Gurian: Wayne, Pennsylvania
$400 for a two month trip out west to train and attempt the East Shoulder of South Howser Tower, Bugaboos and a traverse of the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range. 

Robert Johnson: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$500 for a week-long Yosemite trip to climb his first multi-day wall route: the South Face of Washington Column, as well as the East Buttress of Middle Cathedral Rock.

Emmett Lyman: Somerville, Massachusetts
$250 to make first ascents in a range of serious, unnamed, unclimbed, peaks in a little-known corner of the Alaska Range in south-central Alaska.

*A fourth member of this party was also awarded $250 for this objective.

John Martin: Princeton, New Jersey
$500 to climb Mount Shuksan via the Price Glacier route.

Evgenia Moiseeva: Boston, Massachusetts
$300 for a 5 day variation of the Monta Rosa Peaks traverse. 

Michael Nawrot: Cambridge, Massachusetts
$450 to spend an extended time on glaciers in the Southern Alps in the Aoraki/Mount Cook region and climb alpine routes in the area. 

Kira Ratcliffe: Middlebury, Vermont
$450 for a two-week trip to the Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia to climb classic alpine trad routes and splitter cracks including the Beckey-Chouinard Route and Sunshine Crack. 

Michael Reid: Windham, Maine
$250 to develop mountaineering skills in a two-day technical summit attempt on Mt. Hood via the West Crater Rim and continue to evolve diabetes self-management for climber's with type one diabetes.

Valerie Rogotzke: New Haven, Connecticut
$800 for a single-day, solo run of the 56-mile Circuito Cóndores in central Chile.

Tyler Rohr: Cambridge, Massachusetts
$500 to attempt the first free ascent of Pico Cao Grande, a 455-meter volcanic tower on the island of Sao Tome, via the 15-pitch route Nubivagant (Wandering in the Clouds).

Bernard Rusnock: Hackettstown, New Jersey
$400 to climb the Matterhorn from the Italian side and traverse the summit and descend via the Hornli Ridge into Switzerland.

Stormy Saint-Val: Cambridge, Massachusetts
$450 for a rock gym pass to improve climbing skill and train to participate in Color The Crag climbing festival.

Jacky Sawyer: New York, New York
$350 to advance climbing ability to the next level and build the skill and confidence to lead climb by spending two weeks on a self-designed climbing retreat with experienced climbers in Owens River Gorge and Bishop, California.

Tyler Simon: Stewartsville, New Jersey
$200, to climb the Matterhorn from the Italian side and traverse the summit and descend via the Hornli Ridge into Switzerland.

Michael Swartz: Somerville, Massachusetts
$500 to attempt the first free ascent of Pico Cao Grande, a 455-meter volcanic tower on the island of Sao Tome, via the 15-pitch route Nubivagant (Wandering in the Clouds).

Suzanna Zak: New Haven, Connecticut
$250 to train for high alpine climbing as an all female team, culminating in climbing the Northeast Face of Pingora and the East Ridge of Wolf’s Head, Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range.

SOUTHEAST REGION:

The Southeast Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Danny McCracken. Committee members included Dave Giacomin, Garrett Gossett, Tim Fry, Christopher Massey, and Michelle Xue. 

Marcela Brock: Powder Springs, Georgia
$700 to climb Alpamayo via the French Direct route and Quitaraju via the North Face Direct route over the course of 2-3 weeks.
 
Jeffrey Buckley: Damascus, Virginia
$600 for a winter ascent of the Dientes de Navarino in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Weather permitting, and with some ambitious climbing, a full traverse will be attempted.
 
Samuel Chaneles: Miami Beach, Florida
$400 to take a team of 3 on a summit attempt of Aconcagua, the highest summit in South America.
 
Tatiana Faramarzi: Washington, DC
$500 to climb the Exum Ridge on the Grand Teton buttress,
 
Michelle Farler: Eads, Tennessee
$350 for the dream of sleeping under the desert sky and to learn to jam with all the traddies with hopes of climbing the ever perfect Supercrack.
 
John Gannon: Fairfax, Virginia
$400 to summit the Grand Teton via the Full Exum route unguided with a group of veterans in early September (6th-10th).
 
Austin Goff: Winston Salem, North Carolina
$400 to put up new alpine routes in the Chill Lakes area of Cloud Peak Wilderness, Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming. There are no currently documented routes in the area.
 
Alice Hafer: Las Vegas, Florida  
$650 to send the hardest and longest big wall climb that she has ever attempted in in Tsaranoro, Madagascar.
 
Gage Holbert: Knoxville, Tennessee
$400 for the goal of climbing The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite in an estimated 4 to 5 days.
 
Matthew Ireland: Louisville, Kentucky
$400 to attempt the Cirque of the Towers Traverse located in the Wind River Range.
 
Jessica Linton: Falls Church, Virginia
$500 to establish several rock climbing routes on La Dame du Mali, aka Mount Loura, in the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea.
 
Jesse McNeill: Chevy Chase, Maryland
$350 to put up a Deep-Water Solo first ascent onsight in the Railay or Tonsai areas of Thailand.
 
Nathan Olsson: Bethesda, Maryland
$300 to climb multiple Grade IV lines in the South and North Basins on Mt. Katahdin, ME.
 
Nina Riggio: Atlanta, Georgia  
$650 for her goal to climb in the Arrigetch peaks of the Brooks Range, AK, then float 135 miles of the Alatna River to the nearest town of Allakaket.
 
Austin Schmitz: Brevard, North Carolina
$350 to climb Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne Meadows with his mom.
 
Alex Vanotti: Durham, North Carolina
$350 to successfully climb the Nose on El Capitan.
 
Riley West: Arden, North Carolina
$300 to complete a traverse of the Clark Range in Yosemite National Park.
 
Benjamin Wu: Asheville, North Carolina
$400 to free, in a day, the Beckey-Chouinard route of the South Howser Tower in the Bugaboos.

CENTRAL REGION:

The Central Regional Selection Committee was chaired by James Schroeder. Committee members included Ryan Gajewski, Adam Mitchell, and Ryan Maitland. 

Benjamin Bamberger: Urbana, Illinois
$600 to climb Tetnuldi Peak in the Svaneti Region of Georgia as part of his research into the history of Georgian mountaineering.

Eric Barnard: Winona, Minnesota
$400 to make a clean ascent of Mescalito on Yosemite’s El Capitan.

James Den Uyl: Holland, Michigan
$300 for a trip to Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park to climb the CMC Route on Mount Moran and the Upper Exum Ridge on the Grand Teton.

Todd Dohogne: Wildwood, Missouri
$600 to climb Denali’s West Buttress route as a member of an unguided team of three.
 
Dalan Faulkner: Rowlett, Texas
$400 to enchain three 5.12’s on the three largest peaks (Longs Peak, Chiefs Head, and Mt. Alice) in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park during a 24-hour push.

Anel Guel: Grand Rapids, Michigan
$600 to climb Mount Pisco in the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca.
 
Alexander Hansen: Minneapolis, Minnesota
$400 to climb challenging routes on Mt. Rainier (Liberty Ridge), Dragontail Peak (Triple Couloirs), and Forbidden Peak (West Ridge or Northwest Face) over a seventeen-day period.

Karen Henson: San Antonio, Texas
$400 to travel to Wyoming and attempt to summit the Grand Teton via its Owen-Spalding or Upper Exum route.

Max Kahn: Madison, Wisconsin
$600 to make the first ascent of Paungda Danda in Nepal’s Annapurna Region without the use of fixed gear.
 
Riley McDonald: Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
$500 to climb the West Ridge of Bugguya (Mt. Hunter) along with several additional routes in the Alaska Range.
  
Carolyn Rosas: Austin, Texas
$300 for a trip to Joe’s Valley, UT to improve Carolyn’s bouldering skills on classic problems in the area.

Elizabeth Sahagun: Lafayette, Indiana
$400 to climb Mt. Rainier’s Disappointment Cleaver and do the Ptarmigan Traverse in the North Cascades.

Kalli Schumacher: Chanhassen, Minnesota
$400 for a two-month alpine rock climbing and mountaineering trip to Sawtooths, Cascades, Bugaboos, and Wind River Range.

Leah Shamblin: Rapid City, South Dakota
$400 to travel to the Shawangunks in New York and learn the art of traditional climbing why exploring her cultural heritage as a Lenape Indian.
 
Jeffery Simpson: Saint Louis, Missouri
$400 to integrate the Evolution Traverse into a thru-hike of the Sierra High Route in California.
 
Sean Vallefuoco: Austin, Texas
$300 to make a one-day ascent of Logical Progression on El Gigante in Basaseachi Falls National Park in Chihuahua, Mexico.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION: 

The Rocky Mountain Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Mitch Dorsk. Committee members included Byron Harvison, Steve Taylor, Dillon Parker, and TNF athletes Cedar Wright and Savannah Cummins. 

Nicole Allen: Golden, Colorado
$685 to Pequeno Alpamayo (AD, 17,618'), Cabeza de condor (AD+, 18,700'), Illimani (21,122') in Bolivia. 

Aaron Conley: Arvada Colorado
$250 to attempt the Liberty Ridge on Mt. Rainier. 

Mike Coyle: Durango, Colorado
$1,000 to climb the Southwest Ridge of Ama Dablam, located in Nepal’s Khumbu Valley. 

Nodin de Saillan: Boulder, Colorado
$500 for a trip to Chamonix to attempt climbs that can be accessed from the Aiguille de Midi lift, which include the "Petite Aiguille Verte," the "Super Couloir," and the "Cosmiques Arete."

Derek DeBruin: Ogden, Utah
$1,000 to attempt the Emperor Face of Mt Robson via Infinite Patience (VI M5 WI5).

Michael Drake: Boulder, Colorado
$350 to return to climb The Nose on El Capitan after an accident on the same route five years ago.

Eliza Earle: Boulder, Colorado
$1,000 to climb Torre Principal by "Ruta Normal" 5.10, Aguja Frey by "Sifuentes Weber" 5.9, and Aguja M2 by "Del Diedro" 5.9 in Frey, Argentina. 

Zebediah Engberg: Mount Pleasant, Utah
$800 to establish a new route on the unclimbed southeast face of Tathagata Tower in the Cirque of the Unclimbables in the Nahanni National Park, Canada. 

Jennifer Fischer: Boulder, Colorado
$1,000 to establish multiple trad first ascents in Li Ming, China over the course of a three-week trip as an all-female first ascent team. 

Evan Gabrielsen: US Air Force Academy, Colorado
$200 to climb Mt. Robson’s Kain FAce (IV AI3), the North Face of Mt. Bryce (IV 5.7 AI4), and the North Ridge of Mt. Columbia (V 5.7 AI3). 

Kimberly Gagnon: Denver, Colorado
$365 to become well-versed in multi-pitch technique and process by leading Theater of Shadows at the City of Rocks, Idaho. 

Garrett Gregor: Boulder, Colorado
$200 for a trip to Fontainebleau to climb his first 8B+ and earn international routesetting credentials. 

Pitt Grewe: Sandy, Utah
$500 to establish new routes on the granite spires of Ship Island Lake in the Frank Church Wilderness of Idaho. 

Jane Jackson: Kelly, Wyoming
$300 to spend ten days climbing on Mt. Hooker in the Wind River range in Wyoming with Dana Larkin, with objectives including Gambling in the Winds (5.12) and Jaded Lady (5.12-).

Grant Kleeves: Ridgway, Colorado
$800 to devote himself to climbing Cerro Torre in El Chalten, Argentina. 

Dan Klim: Durango, Colorado
$450 for a month-long ski/splitboard mountaineering project in South America, with objectives including Antuco, Sierra Velluda, Volcan Lanin, Lonqimay, Puyeche, and Volcan Calbuco. 

Seth Luedtke: Severance, Colorado
$500 for an alpine-style ascent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali. 

Nathan Mankovich: Fort Collins, Colorado
$250 to attempt to free Father Time on Middle Cathedral.

Hannah Marshall: Ridgway, Colorado
$500 to explore ski mountaineering objectives near the Pika Glacier in Alaska.

Katherine Nelson: Colorado Springs, Colorado
$500 to climb the Beckey-Chouinard route in the Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia. 

Bogdan Petre: Boulder, Colorado
$1,000 to climb Chopicalqui in the Cordillera Blanca via the east face direct (6354m, TD) and descend via the southwest ridge. 

Peter Stone: Jackson, Wyoming
$450 for a month-long ski/splitboard mountaineering project in South America, with objectives including Antuco, Sierra Velluda, Volcan Lanin, Lonqimay, Puyeche, and Volcan Calbuco. 

Dory Trimble: Salt Lake City, Utah
$200 to attempt to free four classic multi-pitch routes in El Potrero Chico: Snot Girlz (7 pitches, 10c), Estrellita (12 pitches, 10d), Space Boyz (11 pitches, 10d), and Treasure of the Sierra Madre (7 pitches, 10c) with Lila Leatherman.

Emilia Wint: Salt Lake City, Utah
$200 to climb The Nose on El Capitan with an all-woman team. 
 

WESTERN REGION

The Western Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Tony Yeary. Committee members included Laurie Berliner, Paul Hendricks, and TNF athletes Dave Allfrey and Peter Croft. 

Louie Allen: Bishop, California
$1,000 to climb Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Cayambe, and potentially Antisana via the standard glacier and snow routes in Ecuador. 

May Benson-Martin: Berkeley, California
$1,000 to climb the southeast face of the Lotus Flower Tower (V 5.10+ or 5.9 A1) in the Cirque of the Unclimbables in Canada’s Nahanni National Park. 

Trevor Bowman: Flagstaff, Arizona
$1,000 to establish a new route up the east face of the Innominate (12,761’) in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains. 

Benjamin Cumbie: Napa, California
$250 to attempt Val Kilmer (5.11+) on the Angel Wings in the High Sierras with Sean Robison. 

Giselle Fernandez: Oxnard, California
$800 for a ten-day trip to the Cordillera Carabaya to attempt new routes on Chilpariti and Screwdriver, two of the most difficult summits in the range. 

Remington Franklin: Tucson, Arizona
$1,000 to make the first free ascent of Nubivagant, a 15-pitch, 455m route graded 5.13d/A0 up Pico Cão Grande in São Tomé and Príncipe. 

Ash Gambhir: San Diego, California
$500 to climb Mt. Rainier via the Liberty Ridge with Ross Leone. 

Andrew Hall: Santa Barbara, California
$300 to attempt the northeast face of He-Devil, the tallest mountain in the Seven Devil’s Range in Idaho. 

Travis Heidepriem: San Francisco, California
$1,000 to attempt the Porter Route (VI 5.9 A4) on the Northwest Face of Mt. Asgard on Baffin Island. 

Alexandra Hill: Davis, California
$1,000 to climb the Exum Ridge in Grand Teton National Park with Tatiana Faramarzi, as well as summiting the Middle Teton via the North Ridge and Symmetry Spire via the Southwest Ridge. 

Ethan Higgins: Prescott, Arizona
$400 for a trip to the Bugaboos in BC to improve efficiency on long alpine objectives, including climbing the Northeast Ridge on Bugaboo Spire and the Snow Patch route on Snow Patch Spire. 

Kevin Kent: Flagstaff, Arizona
$1,000 to make a first ascent on either Peak Slesova or Peak 1000 Years of Russian Christianity in the Karavshin area of Kyrgyzstan.

Crystal Lie: Hermosa Beach, California
$400 to project the 5.13a lines - “L’Escamaria” in Siurana and “Tequila Sunrise” in Chulilla in an effort to break into the 5.13 sport grade. 

Astra Lincoln: Mammoth Lakes, California
$1,000 for a human-powered climbing tour through Alaska, the Yukon, and British Columbia, including roughly 3,000 miles of cycling and over 100,000 feet of vertical gain. 

Josef Maier: San Luis Obispo, California
$250 to free climb Freerider on El Capitan, preceded by a series of climbs in Yosemite, the Northern Sierra, and the Needles to prepare and train.

Marcus McCoy: Nevada City, California
$250 to complete four multi-pitch trad climbs on the Watchtower, a subpeak of Tower Peak, in the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park and Hoover Wilderness. 

Dane Mulligan: Rancho Mission Viejo, California
$800 to summit Denali via the West Buttress as part of a recovery from a broken back and in partnership with a friend climbing the Seven Summits.

Peter Nelson: Santa Cruz, California
$350 to train for Astroman (11c, Yosemite) by climbing a series of increasingly challenging crack and multi-pitch routes, including Catchy Corner, Book of Job, Moratorium, Voyager, and the Rostrum.

William Nicewonger: San Diego, California
$500 to attempt a single-day free ascent of Time Wave Zero (5.12a, 2,300’) in El Potrero Chico with Justin Wallace.

Jason Ogasian: South Lake Tahoe, California
$800 to climb the West Buttress of Denali. 

Leslie Pace: Quincy, California
$300 to become a competent and confident alpine adventurer through summiting all the 14,000’ peaks in California. 

Emily Reinsel: Flagstaff, Arizona
$500 to establish a new route up the east face of the Innominate (12,761’) in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains. 

Caitlin Roake: Stanford, California
$300 to run the 72-mile High Sierra Trail and attempt to set an all-female Fastest Known Time.

Will Starks: Truckee, California
$250 to attempt an onsight of Positive Affect (19 pitches, 5.12b) on Arco Iris in Cochamo, Chile, as well as alpine objectives in El Chalten, Argentina. 

Cathy Tseng: South San Francisco, California
$350 to complete four multi-pitch trad climbs on the Watchtower, a subpeak of Tower Peak, in the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park and Hoover Wilderness. 

Nicholas Willhite: San Diego, California
$350 to backpack and climb six 14,000’ peaks in California, including Mt. Langley, Mt. Muir, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Russell, Mt. Tyndall, and Mt. Williamson. 

Hyo Jung (Nicole) Yu: Los Angeles, California
$1,000 to climb the Cassin Route on the Northeast Face of Piz Badile in Switzerland (800m, 22 pitches, 6a). 

NORTHWESTERN REGION:

The Northwestern Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Erin Schneider. Committee members included Andrew Puhl, Jeremy Bowler, and Ally Imbody. 

Jeff Aslan: Bellingham, Washington
$700 to climb in the San Carlos de Bariloche and Cochamo regions in Patagonia with his wife Annie. 

Robert Bechaud: McCall, Idaho
$410 to explore climbing potentia in several relatively unknown climbing areas in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. 

Nate Bender: Missoula, Montana
$400 to attempt to set the fastest known time for summiting the 27 peaks in Montana taller than 12,000’, a route encompassing roughly 85 miles and 42,000’ of elevation gain.

Erin Burk: Bend, Oregon
$400 to climb the NNW Ridge of Parabola (III, 5.7) and the South Arete of Xanadu (IV, 5.8) in the Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks Range, Alaska, then float 135 miles of the Alatna River to the town of Allakaket. 

Samuel Carter: Spokane Valley, Washington
$600 to attempt “Exocet” on Cerro Standhardt or “The Ragni Route” on Cerro Torre in Patagonia. 

Alana Chapko: Seattle, Washington
$300 to climb the Kain Face of Mt. Robson in British Columbia. 

Lindsay Chutas: Spokane, Washington
$300 to climb the Moses Tooth in Alaska via the Ham and Eggs and Shaken Not Stirred Routes.

Zach Clanton: Anchorage, Alaska
$400 to attempt the first ascent of the Radelet Arete on Radelet Peak in Canada’s Yukon Territory. 

Auri Clark: Juneau, Alaska
$400 for an all-female expedition to complete first ascents of two unnamed and unclimbed peaks in the Stikine Icefield. 

Ian Dodds: Bozeman, Montana
$500 to attempt the east face of Fitzroy, a first free ascent of the west/northwest face of Piergiorgio, and/or the first ascent of the east buttress of Marconi Sur in El Chalten, Argentina. 

Brandon DuBois: Renton, Washington
$500 to summit Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe, and potentially Antisana in Ecuador. 

Patrick Duffy: Cosmopolis, Washington
$200 to climb Mt. Rainier via the Liberty Ridge route.

Sam Eurich: Ketchum, Idaho
$500 for a 400-mile, 5-week packrafting traverse of the Brooks Range in Alaska, with numerous climbing objectives in the Arrigetch Region.

Bradley Feddersen: Seattle, Washington
$400 to summit the tallest point of El Altar - El Obispo, a rarely-accessed ice route on a remote peak in Ecuador. 

Brian Fedigan: Boise, Idaho
$300 to attempt the Grand Traverse in Grand Teton National Park in under three days.

Matias Francis: Bainbridge Island, Washington
$300 to attempt the North Couloir on Mini Moonflower, the SW Ridge on Mt. Francis, and the West Face of Kahiltna Queen in Alaska. 

Ryan Griffiths: Bozeman, Montana
$400 to attempt the second ascent of Happy Trio, Mt Asperity (ED- 5.10a WI3, 950m) and ascents of other routes in the Waddington Range of British Columbia. 

James Gustafson: Homer, Alaska
$300 to establish a new route up the east ridge of Radelet Peak in the Yukon Territories. 

Matthew Jeffries: Spokane, Washington
$300 to climb the Moses Tooth in Alaska via the Ham and Eggs and Shaken Not Stirred Routes.

Seth Kane: Bozeman, Montana
$400 to attempt alpine routes of the D to TD+ grade range in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru to increase experience on large-scale, technical alpine terrain.

Patrick Kao: Seattle, Washington
$300 to climb the South Face of Mt. Waddington in Western British Columbia.

Lila Leatherman: Corvallis, Oregon
$300 to attempt to free four classic multi-pitch routes in El Potrero Chico: Snot Girlz (7 pitches, 10c), Estrellita (12 pitches, 10d), Space Boyz (11 pitches, 10d), and Treasure of the Sierra Madre (7 pitches, 10c) with Dory Trimble. 

Rachel McCaffrey: Seattle Washington
$300 for a week of alpine climbing in the Bugaboos, with objectives including the Northeast Ridge of Bugaboo Spire, Southwest Ridge of Snowpatch Spire, West Ridge of Pigeon Spire, Beckey-Chouinard Route on South Howser Tower, South Ridge of Bugaboo Spire.

Robin Pendery: Enumclaw, Washington
$300 to climb the Southwest Ridge of Peak 11,300 (Grade V, 5.8 M4) in the Ruth Gorge of Alaska.

Nicholas Puma: North Pole, Alaska
$300 to summit Mt. Bona (16,421’) of the St. Elias Mountains in eastern Alasia via the Glacier Climb route. 

Benjamin Rogers: Sandpoint, Idaho
$200 to summit Mt. Hood in Oregon. 

Jonathan Skeen: Portland, Oregon
$600 to climb the North Face of Mt. Kenya while documenting endangered plants and wildlife as well as receding equatorial glaciers.

Tyler Smallwood: Edmonds, Washington
$300 to attempt the Evolution Traverse in the Eastern Sierras of California. 

Robin Smith: Seattle, Washington
$490 for three days of instruction from She Moves Mountains, a female-led guiding company in Oregon, to become a competent sport climber and leader and to share her knowledge with other women. 

Ivy Spiegel Ostrom: Leavenworth, Washington
$300 for a two-week trip to the Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia to climb classic alpine trad routes and splitter cracks including the Beckey-Chouinard Route and Sunshine Crack. 

Nick Sweeney: Spokane, Washington
$500 to attempt Urus Este (5420m), Ishinca (5530m), and Tocllaraju (6032m) in the Ishinca Valley of the Cordillera Blanca. 

Becky Switzer: Bozeman, Montana
$300 to free Logical Progression (28 pitches, 5.13-) on El Gigante in northern Mexico. 

Abraham Traven: Boise, Idaho
$300 to develop a new crag or multi-pitch route near the city of Shigu in Yunnan, China. 

SKI/SNOWBOARD MOUNTAINEERING SPECIFIC: 

The Ski/Snowboard Mountaineering Selection Committee was chaired by Mike Marolt. Committee members included Drew Seessel, Charlotte Fox, and TNF athlete Mark Synnott. 

Jason Burleson: Burtonsville, Maryland
$200 to ski Villarrica Volcano in Chile and complete a rope-solo ascent of Sinestro Total (5.10+, 8 pitches) on Torre Principal. 

David Cahill: North Ferrisburgh, Vermont
$200 to climb and ski Mt. Rainier with Nick Williams, Kurt Weiss, and James Turrito. 

Brett Carroll: Salt Lake City, Utah
$500 to attempt to climb and ski the East Ridge on Mt. Logan. 

Nolan Hurd: Golden, Colorado
$500 to climb and ski Artesonraju in the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, with secondary objectives including climbing and skiing Huascarán Sur or Pisco Oeste, and climb Alpamayo. 

Jamie “Coby” Jacobus: Rye, New Hampshire
$500 for a ski-mountaineering trip to Chamonix with the goal of skiing steep coulouirs, including the Passerelle Coulouir, Glacier Rond, Cosmiques Couloir, or others, and to ski the Classic Haute Route. 

Katie McCaffrey: Auke Bay, Alaska
$800 for an all-female ski and snowboard mountaineering project attempting two first ascents of unnamed and unclimbed peaks on the Stikine Icefield in southeast Alaska. 

Trevor Summerfield: Reno, Nevada
$200 to climb the Hotlum Glacier Route on the northeast side of Mt. Shasta, and ski the more eastern aspect of Shasta down the Wintun Glacier. 

Eduardo van Rhede van der Kloot: Old Greenwich, Connecticut
$500 to climb and ski a new line in the Niut Range in British Columbia. 

Arthur Whitehead: Golden, Colorado
$500 to climb and ski Artesonraju in the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, with secondary objectives including climbing and skiing Huascarán Sur or Pisco Oeste, and climb Alpamayo. 

Keatan Williams: Bozeman, Montana
$100 for a single-day ascent of the Liberty Ridge route on Mt. Rainier with a ski descent of the Emmons Glacier. 

2017 Live Your Dream Grant Recipients Announced

The American Alpine Club and The North Face are proud to announce the recipients of 2017 Live Your Dream grant. In total, $70,000 was awarded to 144 individuals from across the nation, making 2017 the most successful year in the history of the Live Your Dream grant program. Nearly 1 out of every 3 applicants received an award. See the complete listing of grant recipients and their trips.

The climbing grant for climbers, by climbers, the Live Your Dream grant seeks to fund every-day adventurers looking take their abilities to the next level. Be it transitioning out of the gym or establishing a first ascent in the greater ranges, the purpose of this grant is to support and promote unforgettable experiences for mountain adventurers—to dream big, to grow, and to inspire others.

The Live Your Dream grant is powered nationally by The North Face and supported locally through generous contributions from the Hans Saari Fund, the John L. Horn Memorial Fund, the Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest, proceeds stemming from the AAC's Craggin Classic Series, as well as private donations from local individuals, organizations, and fundraising efforts by local AAC Sections & Chapters.

The Live Your Dream grant is community developed and locally administered with grant applications read, evaluated, and awarded by seven Regional Selection Committees comprised of local community members, volunteers, and professional athletes.

The 2018 Live Your Dream grant cycle will open for applications on February 1, 2018.

FEATURED RECIPIENTS:

Christopher Bruno, from Ann Arbor MI, was awarded $900 for a Sea-Summit-Sea Traverse of Fairweather Range, including attempt on Mount Fairweather. This expedition will attempt to incorporate 4 skill sets a 160 nautical mile sailboat transit from Juneau to Lituya Bay, a trek into the mountains from the beach drop off, a climbing attempt on Mount Fairweather, and finally an exit via skis and packrafts to Haines.

Marisa Earll, from La Jolla, CA, was awarded $350 to travel to the Wind Rivers and lead five, 5.10 routes on five of the most prominent and spectacular formations in the Cirque of Towers and Deep Lake, gaining new experience climbing in the backcountry while pushing her personal grade limit.

Zack Sawyer, from Scarborough, ME, was awarded $700 for two weeks of alpine climbing in Chamonix, France, with the ultimate goal of climbing the Trois Monts route up Mont Blanc, the south face of Aiguille du Midi, and The Voie Rébuffat-Baque.

---

2017 LIVE YOUR DREAM GRANT RECIPIENTS

The American Alpine Club and The North Face are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Live Your Dream grant. In total, $69,750 was awarded to 144 recipients.

NORTHEAST REGION:

The Northeast Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Cliff Simanski. Committee members included Alexa Siegel, Howard Sebold, and TNF athlete Anna Pfaff.

Gregory Zegas: Charlestown, MA
$500 for two weeks in the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca with Catherine Tobin to acclimate in Huaraz before summit attempts of Mt. Pisco (18,871 ft) and Mt. Chopicalqui (20,846 ft).

Catherine Tobin: New Rochelle, NY
$500 for two weeks in the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca with Gregory Zegas to acclimate in Huaraz before summit attempts of Mt. Pisco (18,871 ft) and Mt. Chopicalqui (20,846 ft).

Pavel Cenkl: Craftsbury Common, VT
$750 for traversing the remote and mountainous terrain between Norway, Sweden, and Finland to attempt to set the fastest known time for a 12-day, 800km largely self-supported Arctic Trail Run of the Nordkalottleden while sharing evidence of a rapidly changing climate in the region and its effects on local indigenous Sami communities.

James Cromie: Chittenden, VT
$950 to travel to the Waddington Range in British Columbia and traverse the entire length of the Combatant-Tiedemann-Asperity-Serra group (including Serra 1-5) in fast and light alpine climbing style typical for the range.     

Michael Dorfman: Bar Harbor, ME
$500 to develop mountaineering skills with Helen Jolley by attempting South Sister, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Baker and culminating in a summit of Mount Rainier via Disappointment Cleaver.

Helen Jolley: Bar Harbor, ME
$500 to develop mountaineering skills with Michael Dorfman by attempting South Sister, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Baker and culminating in a summit of Mount Rainier via Disappointment Cleaver.

Michael Wadsley: West Grove, PA
$500 to climb the 1000', 14 pitch Rainbow Wall in Red Rock, Nevada via the Original Route during a 9 day stay in Red Rock Canyon.

Adam Nawrot: Somerset, NJ
$800 to climb routes in the Polish Tatras, including Filar Staszla and ski down the backside Granaty.

Evan Pierce: Newton, MA
$450 for his breakthrough into alpine rock climbing by freeing a series of progressively more difficult routes culminating with an ascent of the incredible Hulk via the Red Dihedral route.

Thomas Crowe: Blue Hill, ME
$950 To embark on an expedition with Samuel Eley to the Mount Hayes and Mount Moffit mountains in the Eastern Alaska Range, southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska to attempt to climb the East Ridge of Mount Hayes and the Western North Ridge of Mount Moffit.

Samuel Eley: Portland, ME
$500 to embark on an expedition with Thomas Crowe to the Mount Hayes and Mount Moffit mountains in the Eastern Alaska Range, southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska to attempt to climb the East Ridge of Mount Hayes and the Western North Ridge of Mount Moffit.

Augustine McDermott: Homestead, PA
$200 as part of the McDermott family to climb for 4 weeks in the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario for 11 year old Augustine will finally have time to commit to projecting and acquiring the skills to stay focused on one objective.

Anastasia McDermott: Homestead, PA
$200 as part of the McDermott family to climb for 4 weeks in the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario for 9 year old Anastasia to climb a 5.10a that will challenge her to overcome her fears of ledges and intimidated roofs.

Magdalen McDermott: Homestead, PA
$200 as part of the McDermott family to climb for 4 weeks in the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario for 8 year old Magdalen to immerse herself in the outdoors and connect with nature through climbing, hiking, and swimming.

Catherine McDermott: Homestead, PA
$200 as part of McDermott family to climb for 4 weeks in the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario for 5 year old Catherine to build the fundamental skills of climbing and camping under the tutelage of her family.

Piers McDermott: Homestead, PA
$200 as part of McDermott family to climb for 4 weeks in the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario to learn about nature and grow his appreciation for the outdoors while connecting with family.

Cameron Twombly: Center Conway, NH
$200 to travel in Northeastern Spain, summit a few of the classic, tall, spires in Montserrat, to send her first 5.12 sport climb in Oliana, and to summit the 2500 meter peak Pedraforca.

Will Helmetag: Pawlet, VT
$950 to explore, via sailboat, Devil's Bay, Chaleur Bay, and Rencontre Bay with the objectives to climb Leviathan 5.10b and develop new trad routes on the most clear lines of these newly discovered walls.

Zack Sawyer: Scarborough, ME
$700 for two weeks of alpine climbingin Chamonix, France , with the ultimate goal of climbing the Trois Monts route up Mont Blanc, the south face of Aiguille du Midi, and The Voie Rébuffat-Baque.

Brian Taylor: Falmouth, ME
$500 to peak-bag his way through Wasatch National Forest in Utah with Ethan Cantlin over the course of three weeks specifically targeting Pfeifferhorn and Mt. Nebo. 

Ethan Cantlin: Falmouth, ME
$500 to peak-bag his way through Wasatch National Forest in Utah with Brian Taylor over the course of three weeks specifically targeting Pfeifferhorn and Mt. Nebo.

David Migl: Brookline, MA
$450 to travel in a team of three to the Ishinca valley in Peru for 10 days of mountaineering with summits of Urus Este (5420m), Ishinca (5530m), and Tocllaraju (6031m).

Timothy Rabideau: Brookline, MA
$950 To spend a nine months in Nepal and while there, complete the Manaslu and/or Annapurna circuit, to traverse from Makalu to Everest via the 3 cols route, to summit at least one 6000 meter "trekking" peak, to connect with local climbing partners/guides and climb LOTS of rock and ice, with a focus on improving big wall free and aid climbing techniques, all contributing towards the ultimate goal of becoming a Mountain Guide.

Dante Archangeli: New Haven, CT
$800 for a redpoint attempt of the mixed sport and trad, 6 pitch route the Opal, 5.12d/13a in the South Gully of The Chief as part of a larger objective to test and develop climbing ability and trip management skills.      

Gowri Varanash: Red Hook, NY
$400 to take down her project, French Indian Masala 7c/5.12d, the crimpy, technical sport route in Badami, India.

Josh Alcorn: New York, NY
$500 to travel to the Cascade Range in Washington State to develop his mountaineering skills on the North Ridge of Mt. Baker (10,781 ft).

Andrew Jones: Lincoln, VT
$400 to climb the Northeast Buttress of Goode Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington State in three days.

Owen Silitch:  New York, NY
$500 to drive out to Yosemite and the High Sierra to hone his big-wall climbing skills on routes like The Prow and The Red Dihedral in preparation for climbing Lurking Fear on El Capitan.

Annie Coughlin: Philadelphia, PA
$500 to travel with Rory Coughlin to the Italian Dolomites and stay near the Campitello di Fassa and Cortina D'ampezzo areas while peak bagging classics like the Second and Third Sella Towers, The Vajolet Towers all in a day, and Cima Grande Di Laveredo via Comici-Dimai.

Rory Coughlin: Philadelphia, PA
$500 to travel with Annie Coughlin to the Italian Dolomites and stay near the Campitello di Fassa and Cortina D'ampezzo areas while peak bagging classics like the Second and Third Sella Towers, The Vajolet Towers all in a day, and Cima Grande Di Laveredo via Comici-Dimai.

Ryan Sarka:  Buffalo, NY
$1000 for a splitboard and ski ascent and decent of the Western Buttress of Denali to further the mission of Between The Peaks and film a documentary focusing on local habitat and sustainability issues.

Henry Garcia: Brentwood, NY
$750 to establish a first ascent on the 2,600' west face of the 17,550' high peak, the Ritacuba Negro in Sierra del Cocuy, Colombian Andes.

Tristan Amaral: Warner, NH
$300 for a trip with Matthew Birkebak to climb three of North America's iconic mountains in the month of August: the Grand Teton (via Beyer East Face, III 5.9), South Howser Tower (Bugaboos, via the Becky-Chouinard,IV 5.10 as well as additional goals including NE ridge of Bugaboo Spire 5.8 and Sunshine Crack 5.11-), and Mt. Rainier (via Emmons Glacier Route) .

Matthew Birkebak : West Peterborough, NH
$300 for a trip with Tristan Amaral to climb three of North America's iconic mountains in the month of August: the Grand Teton (via Beyer East Face, III 5.9), South Howser Tower (Bugaboos, via the Becky-Chouinard,IV 5.10 as well as additional goals including NE ridge of Bugaboo Spire 5.8 and Sunshine Crack 5.11-), and Mt. Rainier (via Emmons Glacier Route) .

Garrett Gibbons: Philadelphia, PA
$400 to hone multi-pitch trad climbing skills on the epic granite of The Chief by climbinga variation of the Squamish Buttress known as the Squamish Butt Face via Banana Peel (5.7) and Boomstick Crack (5.6) into the crux pitch (5.9) to the summit.

James Armstrong: Olivebridge, NY
$1000 to reach the Cirque of the Unclimbables in Nahanni Provincial Park by fair means, navigating to the Cirque on foot, with no plane/helicopter ride with the goal of climbing Lotus Flower Tower and exploring new surrounding areas.

John Nicholas: Mount Kisco, NY
$500 to reach the summit of the highest point in the Cordillera Oriental sub-range, Ritacuba Blanco (17,749') in the Colombian Andes via its West Ridge with Ryan Lynch.

Ryan Lynch: Westford, MA
$500 to reach the summit of the highest point in the Cordillera Oriental sub-range, Ritacuba Blanco (17,749') in the Colombian Andes via its West Ridge with John Nicholas.

Nan Teh: Brooklyn, NY
$250 to attempt, with Mikhail Martin, to climb their first big wall multi-pitch in Cochamo Valley, specifically the 1,500' 10-pitch route El Filo La Aleta de Tiburon, 5.10+.

Mikhail Martin: Queens Village, NY
$250 to travel, with Nan Teh , to learn how to survive in the outdoors, on a big wall, and ascend El Filo La Aleta de Tiburon, while inspiring other climbers from the city, especially climbers of color to get out of their comfort zone, and practice Spanish in Chile.

Matthew Matera: New York, NY
$200 to climb and run through Chamonix, Zermatt, and several towns in the Dolomites, including Run the Dolomites Skyrace, a 3 day run of the Walker Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt to prepare for speed objectives including Mount Ritter, Mount Humphrey, and the Tuolumne Meadow Triple Crown in the Sierras in California.

Greg Morrissey: Westfield, NJ
$400 to bike from Vancouver, CA to Tijuana, Mexico and climb Mount Rainier and Mount Hood while raising awareness about the importance of outdoor education and fundraising for financially-restricted high school students to participate in adventure and travel enrichment trips.

Julia Lowd: Brooklyn, NY
$500 to summit the third highest point in North America , Pico de Orizaba and ski down 3,000' from the summit cone of the Jamapa glacier.

Jordan Cargill: Freedom, NH
$800 for a three phase trip to boost crack climbing skills in Vantage, WA, alpine efficiency on the East Face of Mount Whiteny and the North Fairview Dome, and high-altitude mountaineering with an ascent of Pico de Orizaba in Mexico via the Serpents Head route.

Domenic Aiello-Popeo: Silver Lake, NH
$600 to climb Alaska's Mt. Foraker (AKA Sultana, 17,400') via an extremely technical face called the "Fin Wall" and continue up the Southwest Buttress to the summit, traversing the peak and descending to the Kahiltna Glacier.

Patrick Cooke: Newtown, MA
$500 to travel to the Cordillera Blanca for a month and climb some classic high-altitude snow and ice routes in addition to some lesser traveled objectives like the south face of Caraz I and the Jaeger Route on Chacraraju Este.     

Bob Clark: East Hartford, CT
$500 to travel to the township of Araruna in Brazil to establish two first ascents up two different domes between 500' and 600' tall.

Josh Garrison: Katonah, NY
$500 to put up first ascents on multiple formations in the Lofoten Islands in Norway while being a mentor to two friends who are new to alpine fast and light, pioneering objectives.

SOUTHEAST REGION:

The Southeast Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Danny McCracken. Committee members included Dave Giacomin, Brian Payst, and Garrett Gossett.

Aaron Ray: District Of Columbia
$435 to travel to Bolivia to attempt multiple peaks in the Cordillera Real, centered on the Condoriri group and Illiman.

John Gannon: Fairfax, Virginia
$265 to attempt to summit Mount Rainier via the Emmons Glacier route unguided with a group of veterans.

Michelle Xue: District Of Columbia
$320 to climb Nevado Sajama (21,486 ft) and Parinacota (20,767 ft) in June of 2017 with a team of 3 other climbers.

Matt Swaim: Charlotte, North Carolina
Timothy Fry: Belmont, North Carolina
$270 for Matt and $535 for Timothy to navigate the remote, difficult terrain of the Nahanni National Park by foot travel only.

Sam England: Huntsville, Alabama
Ryan Little: Huntsville, Alabama
$435 for Ryan and $570 for Sam to the Sam Ford Fjord region of Baffin Island to attempt a first ascent big wall climb of the Chinese Wall, a large, unclimbed face.

Corey Winstead: Asheville, North Carolina
$520 to further explore the nearly untouched Thunderdome massif in the Ragged Range of the Northwest Territories.

Alex Elizabeth Barringer: Harrisonburg, Virginia
$300 to climb Wolf's Head via its east ridge.

Lindsay Keegan: Baltimore, Maryland
$300 to climb the classic Liberty Ridge of Mount Rainier in Washington.

John Hughes: District Of Columbia
$200 to climb Mount Jefferson via the Whitewater Glacier route and Mount Rainier via the Emmons Glacier route.

Greg Barltrop: Baltimore, Maryland
$280 to climb the Liberty Ridge route to the summit of Mt. Rainier in Washington state.

Phillip Jasper: District Of Columbia
$200 to attempt a back to back climbs of Mt. Jefferson, OR via the Whitewater Glacier as well as travel up to Mt. Rainier and summit via Emmons Glacier. 

Matthew Wikswo: Harrisonburg, Virginia
$270 to attempt a self-guided ascent of Mount Rainer via Ptarmigan Ridge.

Oya Bermek: Cary, North Carolina
$350 to open new alpine routes in Aladaglar (Ala Mountains), which is located at the mountain range of Toros (Taurus) Mountains in southern Turkey.

CENTRAL REGION:

The Central Regional Selection Committee was chaired by James Schroeder. Committee members included Ryan Gajewski, Adam Mitchell, Savannah Buik, and Ryan Maitland.

Samuel Daulton: Chicago, IL
$1,000 to make the first free ascent of Nubivagant (5.13d A0) and the volcanic tower, Pico Cão Grande, on the island nation of São Tomé in Africa.

Adam Happensack: Englewood, OH
$1,000 to fly into the southern prong of the Pitchfork Glacier in Alaska's Neacola Mountains - there they hope to explore and make the first ascent of a pair of unnamed peaks.

Corey McCarthy, Oconomowoc, WI
$750 to do a sea-to-summit expedition in Alaska approaching the Devil's Thumb via Thomas Bay and the Baird Glacier.

Carey deVictoria-Michel: Excelsior, MN
$500 to travel to Patagonia to climb Chiaro Di Luna (5.10+) - a twenty-pitch alpine rock adventure.

Lucy Westlake: Naperville, IL
$500 to become the youngest female to summit the highest points in all fifty states, she will complete that journey this summer on the flanks of Denali.

Edward Kowalski: Independence, OH
$250 to fulfill a lifelong dream of climbing Yosemite's, El Capitan, via Tangerine Trip (5.9 C3+ VI).

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION:

The Rocky Mountain Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Dakota Walz. Committee members included Mitch Dorsk, Shingo Ohkawa, and Steve Taylor.

Kelly Stewart: Salt Lake City, UT
$375 to climb the Beckey Chouinard route on South Howser Tower in the Bugaboos.

Aidan Goldie: Jamestown, CO
$400 to climb and ski off the 18,490 ft Pico de Orizaba volcano in Mexico.

Paul Barish: Leadville, CO
$850 to climb 2,000' south-east face of Lotus Flower Tower, a pure and aesthetic alpine rock route that just beckons to be climbed.

Ryan Kuehn: Boulder, CO
$425 to travel down to Chile to climb in Valle Cochamo.

Lea Linse: Colorado Springs, CO
$350 to travel to Yosemite NP and climb Astroman (5.11), Steck-Salathe (5.10), and hopefully either the Nose (5.9 C2) or Lurking Fear (5.7 C2) on El Capitan

Michael Riley: Sat Lake City, UT
$500 to travel to San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina to climb Objectivo Luna, an 8 pitch 5.10c route. 

Michael Scott: Salida, CO
$200 to travel to the Alaskan range to attempt the Harvard Route on Mt. Huntington.

Annie Brewster: Denver, CO
$500 to ski first descents in the Wrangell St. Elias Range in Alaska.

Igor Tomcej: Denver, CO
$380 to travel to Peru and do the second ascent of the route Los Checos Banditos on La Esfinge.

John Sittler: Boulder, CO
$200 to climb the Beckey-Chouinard route on South Howser Tower as the culmination of a month-long climbing road trip.

Kevin Cantwell: Salt Lake City, UT
$350 to climb All Along the Watchtower, 5.11 C2- on North Howser Tower in the Bugaboos, located in British Colombia, Canada.

Mitchell Hodge: Fort Collins, CO
$300 to attempt 1 route on the North Face of the Lost Twin Lakes Cirque in Cloud Peak Wilderness of Bighorn National Forest WY.

Ben Peters: Salt Lake City, UT
$770 to climb the British Route (5.12 a/b 700m) on Nalumasortoq and War and Peace (5.12c 1000m) on Ulamertorsuaq and attempt to establish a new line on the west of Nalumasortoq.

Matt Berry: Salt Lake City, UT
$800 to technical climb routes on peaks such as Alpamayo, Tocllaraju, Artesonraju, and Taulliraju of Peru.

Ellie Gilbertson: Colorado Springs, CO
$500 to ski first descents in the Wrangell St. Elias Range in Alaska.

Karen Bockel: Jackson, WY
$825 to climb the Peuterey Integral on Mont Blanc, one of the longest alpine ridge climbs in the Alps, and the world.

Kelsey Brasseur: Carbondale, CO
$775 to spend a month climbing and establishing new routes in Li Ming, China.

NORTHWEST REGION:

The Northwest Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Erin Schneider. Committee members included Andrew Puhl, Graham Zimmerman, Jean Spencer, and TNF athlete Peter Athans.

John Bergeleen: Cheney, WA
$300 to climb of the Upper Exum Ridge, or Exum Direct on the Grand Teton.

James Paul Blackmon: Seattle, WA
$300 to climb Mongo Ridge – the southwest ridge of Mt. Fury in the Pickets range of Washington State, and a first ascent on the Pole of Remoteness, which will be called "Mongo Direct".

Cameron Brown: Clackamas, OR
$300 to climb The Salathe Wall and The Nose on El Capitan.

Paul Calabro: Belgrade, MT
$300 for a lightweight ascent of the Infinite Spur on Mt. Foraker (Sultana) in the Alaska Range.

Tom Chambers: Seattle, WA
$300 to climb one or more routes in the vicinity of Peak 1939, up to Grade V with climbing difficulties up to 5.10 A1. Access to the routes would involve sea kayaking approx. 60km North from Kulusuk up the Angmagssalik fjord to the North-West inlet of Qigertivaq. From the coast we would hike approx 12km to the base of the route.

Kimberly Couri: Seattle, WA
$500 to climb Ama Dablam in Nepal. The expedition will consist of three female climbers from Seattle.

Bill Dean: Juneau, AK
$400 to support a solely human-powered unassisted exploration into remote Alaska, during winter, attempting the first winter ascent of Devil's Paw (8,504').

Eric DeChaine: Bellingham, WA
$300 to perform a botanical survey of Mt. Waddington in British Columbia, to document how plant diversity changes with elevation under the current climate conditions. To do so, they will climb the mountain via the Bravo Glacier route.

Stephen Lezak: Portland, OR
$500 to travel to Mongolia for ski mountaineering in the Altai Mountains with one first ascent.

Sam Linnet: Hailey, ID
$300 to climb and ski all seven, 12,000 foot peaks in the Lost River Range in Idaho in one, fast and light push.

Nicholas Lyon: Bellingham, WA
$400 to wrap up a handful of two year old projects and establish new bouldering problems in classic and new areas alike in Rocklands, South Africa.

Tammy Martin: Seattle, WA
$500 to climb Ama Dablam in Nepal. The expedition will consist of three female climbers from Seattle.

Luke Montgomery: Seattle, WA
$300 to climb the East Buttress and East Face of Mt. Whitney.

Chris Mutzel: Sun Valley, ID
$400 to complete the Waddington Traverse.

David Norris: Anchorage, AK
$300 to ski across the Harding Icefield on cross-country racing gear- starting in Seward and ending in Homer, Alaska.

Joseph Peters: Spokane, WA
$400 to climb the Cassin Ridge (Alaska Grade 5, 5.8, AI 4) in a single push alpine style after acclimating on the West Buttress of Denali.

Randall Stacy: Boise, ID
$400 to climb in the Chalten Massif in Patagonia – specifically Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.

Kellie Standish: Bend, OR
$500 to climb and ski Mt. Hood, acting as support for teammate Anna Soens, also awarded a LYD grant, seeking to become the first female paraplegic to climb and ski Mt. Hood.

Erik Turner: Seattle, WA
$300 to complete the Olympic Skyline Traverse in the Olympic Mountains, WA.

Ida Vincent: Seattle, WA
$500 to climb Ama Dablam in Nepal. The expedition will consist of three female climbers from Seattle.

WESTERN REGION:

The Western Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Matt Ulrey. Committee members included Laurie Berliner, Tony Yeary, Paul Hendricks, TNF athlete Dave Allfrey, and TNF staff member Rachel Gray.

Jeff Gardner: Coronado, California
$750 to climb and summit Mount Rainier by way of the technically demanding Kautz Glacier approach with an advanced course from Alpine Ascents International.

Scott Larson: San Diego, California
$750 to climb the West Rib route on Denali. We will ski to 14000 ft camp via the West Buttress route, then descend via the "Seattle '72 Ramp" on foot to the base of the West Rib. From here, they hope to climb the West Rib to the summit and return down the West Buttress to our skis.

Marisa Earll: La Jolla, California
$350 to travel to the Wind Rivers and lead five, 5.10 routes on 5 of the most prominent and spectacular formations in the Cirque of Towers and Deep Lake.

Kenneth Huskey: Chico, California
$750 to document the Nepali people's experience with climate change while we simultaneously level up their climbing.

Kara Herson: Redwood City, California
$1000 to climb three different spires in the Bugaboos, and exploring the amazing climbing opportunities (and hoping for good weather days) over 2 to 3 weeks.

Diana Wendt: Mammoth Lakes, California
$1000 to spend a month in the Tasermiut Fjord in southeast Greenland in the valley below Ulamertorsuaq climbing the classic granite lines and establishing a new line.

Josh Dibble: Idyllwild, California
$750 to climb Aconcagua solo via the normal route.

Brett Webster: Piedmont, California
$750 to attempt a multi-modal (boat, ski, hike, climb) traverse of Mt. Fairweather, Alaska.

Alix Morris: Bishop, California
$500 to establish a first ascent up the Angel Wings with the intent of free climbing this route as well. Alix would like to go ground up, capsule style establishing each pitch, fixing it with hardware, and free'ing it if possible.

David Whiting: Soquel, California
$250 to climb three Zion big walls in three days. The plan is to climb some of Zion's most classic walls: Spaceshot, Moonlight Buttress, and Touchstone.

Cris Valerio: San Francisco, California
$200 to climb The Nose on El Capitan this Fall. We hope to finish the route in 3-5 days with a combination of free climbing and aid climbing.

Mark Hudon: Carson City, Nevada
$500 to climb Freerider on El Cap in Yosemite at the youthful age of 61!

John Greer: Modesto, California
$750 to make the first ascent of Talliktok, a peak in the Hidden Mountains. Zack Clanton described his Alaskan adventure in the 2016 AAJ publication.

Mac McCaleb: Prescott, Arizona
$200 to summit three peaks in the Bugaboos: Snowpatch Spire, Pigeon Spire, and Bigaboo Spire.

Gregory Carlisle: Tahoe City, California
$500 to return with a dedicated partner and attempt some of the classic summits of the Chalten Massif. Routes they have considered are not groundbreaking or new, but classic and traditional Patagonia summits.

Nathan Duray: Flagstaff, Arizona
$500 to visit the Cirque of the Unclimbables and free climb Lotus Flower Tower in a push.

Kevin Kent: Flagstaff, Arizona
$500 to visit the Cirque of the Unclimbables and free climb Lotus Flower Tower in a push.

Clarence Thost: Santa Barbara, California
$300 to climb all the Sierra 14ers in one thru-hike. The entire journey is approximately 80 miles on the map and will have a total gain and loss of 36,000 to 40,000+ feet.

Catherine Tao: Bishop, California
$400 to gain experience in basic mountaineering and glacier travel skills by attempting the summits of Dragontail Peak and Colchuck Peak in the Enchantments in Washington.

Darrow Feldstein: Santa Cruz, California
$300 to climb all the Sierra 14ers in one thru-hike. The entire journey is approximately 80 miles on the map and will have a total gain and loss of 36,000 to 40,000+ feet.

Annie Laurie Hines: Davis, California
$200 to undertake a granite pilgrimage that begins in the Cascades and ends in the Bugaboos. Though they will spend a month climbing together in preparation, their final objective is a two-day ascent of the Beckey-Chouinard Route on South Howser Tower.

Erik Hanschen: Tucson, Arizona
$500 to become a better mountaineer and hone his skills for larger adventures by summiting three major Cascade volcanoes: Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood.

Gregory Powell: Redondo Beach, California
$500 to climb the Salathe Wall on El Capitan. First he will become more comfortable with serious chimneys and offwidths by going to Vedauwoo and Joshua Tree.

Maria Hart: Tahoe City, California
$500 to visit Patagonia to climb the Whillans-Cochrane route on Poincenot, the Brenner-Moschioni or Amy-Vidailhet route on Aguja Guillaumet, the Filo Noreste or Francesa/ Franco-Argentine linkup on Fitz Roy, along with other smaller objectives as weather permits.

Eric Munsing: South Lake Tahoe, California
$350 to climb the Evolution Traverse, an 8-mile Grade VI 5.9 ridge traverse which summits nine peaks in the central Sierra Nevadas in California.

Elizabeth Gill: San Anselmo, California
$550 to complete a women's fastest known time (FKT) run of the 40km (4,204m elevation gain) Selvaggio Blu, or Wild Blu, on the island of Sardinia.

Marissa Stender: Pleasanton, California
$300 to help fund a trip to Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) to climb and ski the Skillet on Mount Moran.

Bria Riggs: Truckee, California
$400 to combine mountaineering and scientific research in order to investigate how climate change is affecting the Cordillera Blanca region of Peru.

Nathaniel Goodby: Oakland, California
$200 to do a self-supported thru-hike all of California's 13 fourteeners in the Sierra Nevada.

SKI/SNOWBOARD MOUNTAINEERING SPECIFIC:

The Ski/Snowboard Mountaineering Selection Committee was chaired by Mike Marolt. Committee members included Drew Seessel, Charlotte Fox, Kit DesLauriers, and Hilaree O'neill.

Sonia Szczesna: New Brunswick NJ
$250 to climb & ski winter routes in the Polish Tatras—humble mountains where their fathers cut their teeth and the training grounds for many a 8000-meter winter first ascent. Their main objective is climbing the 300m ice route variation of the summer route "Filar Staszla" and skiing down the back side of "Granaty" which the route crests.

Christopher Bruno: Ann Arbor MI
$900 for a Sea-Summit-Sea Traverse of Fairweather Range, including attempt on Mount Fairweather. This expedition will attempt to incorporate 4 skill sets to traverse the Fairweather range of SE Alaska.  We will start in Juneau in a sailboat, for a 160 nautical mile transit to Lituya Bay.  They will then climb into the mountains from the beach drop off, and attempt Mount Fairweather and then exit the mountains via skis and packrafts to Haines.

Payson Patridge: Bozeman MT
$250 to climb and ski Pico de Orizaba in Mexico.

Jonathan Ronzio, Brookline MA
$750 to climb and splitboard Denali as a follow-up to his award-winning adventure-philanthropy film made in 2013, Between The Peaks.

David Wade: Wilson WY
$700 to climb & ski Pik Lenin (23,406ft) in Kyrgystan.

Lisa Verwys: Bozeman MT
$600 to be the first female team to traverse Yellowstone National Park from the north (Cooke City, MT) to the south (Flagg Ranch near Jackson, WY), creating a new route which will take her through some of the most remote areas of the park. The trip will be done entirely on backcountry skis and with attempts of ski descents of several of Yellowstone’s remote peaks along the way, including Mt. Chittenden, Little Saddle, Hague, Saddle, Cathedral, Pyramid, and several unnamed peaks.

Maddie Miller: Forest Knolls CA
$500 to ski first descents in the Wrangell St. Elias Range in Alaska with the goal to do single push climbing and skiing objectives, starting from our basecamp on the Bagley Ice Field, which is located in the St. Elias Range.

Robert Cipperly: Troy NY
$300 to climb and ski four different volcanoes that lie close to the border of Chile and Argentina—Lonquimay, Lliama, Villirica and Lanin.

Anna Soens: Boise ID
$750 to climb Mt. Hood via the South Side Route and become the first female paraplegic to do so, and potentially bagging the first non-mechanized paraplegic ascent. She plans to ski (i.e., monoski) as much of the descent as possible.

2016 Live Your Dream Grant Winners Announced

Photo: AAC staff member Jeff Deikis

The American Alpine Club and The North Face are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2016 Live Your Dream grant. In total, $20,000 was awarded to 58 recipients from across the country. 

Congratulations to this year's recipients! We wish you all safe and successful adventures!

---

NORTHWEST REGION:

Samuel Bedell: Bend, OR: $400

Samuel, along with partner Nick Mestre, will attempt to climb the Southeast Ridge of Asperity in the Waddington Range, British Columbia, Canada. This route features 1600m of technical climbing with difficulties up to 5.10 A1 WI3. Samuel and Nick are looking to test themselves on this long climb, involving various styles, complex problem solving, and efficient movement in a remote setting.

Cat Coe: Missoula, MT: $200

Cat and partner will attempt multiple objectives throughout the Cascades, including Serpentine Crack and Freedom Rider on Liberty Bell, the East Face of Lexington Tower, and Infinite Bliss on Mt. Garfield, as well as The Grand Wall (5.11a, A0), Krimo Gold, Birds of Prey, and other multipitch routes at the 5.10-5.11 grades in Squamish.

Lawrence Davis: Roseburg, OR: $200 Mike Taormina: Eugene, OR: $200

Lawrence and Mike plan to travel to the Arrigetch Peaks, a remote group of granite spires within Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. The stunning area is split by a two-mile ridgeline comprised of nine major summits, from Slot Tower southwest to Badile. During the month of July, 2016, they will attempt an alpine-style traverse of this sweeping knife-edge ridge and its peaks.

Nicole Gaines, Troutdale, OR: $200

Nicole and her husband Luke will spend ten days in July, 2016 exploring the Southern Picket Range. For years, the Pickets have been a place they talked of going “someday", "when we are good enough climbers." That someday is now, and their objectives include the MacMillen Spires, the East Towers, Inspiration, the Pyramid, Mt. Degenhardt, Mt. Terror, & the Chopping Block.

Mary Gianotti, Juneau, AK: $400

Mary’s climbing objectives include an unnamed and unclimbed peak on the remote Juneau Icefield in Alaska, while ski traversing 137.53 miles across the icefield with an 5-person team in a light and fast mountaineering style.

Nate Goodwin, Bozeman, MT: $400

Nate plans to make a 3 week trip into the Ruth Gorge and Tokositna glacier this Spring. His objectives include the SW ridge of Peak 11,300, Shaken Not Stirred on The Mooses Tooth, and the Harvard route on Mt Huntington.

Aaron Hanson, Sandpoint, ID: $200

Aaron’s grant will be used to finish, and possibly free, an aid route attempted by Karl Dietrich and partner up a steep, unclimbed portion of Wall Tower in the Leaning Towers area, Southeastern British Columbia.

Emily E Johnston, Leavenworth, WA: $200

In 8 consecutive days this July, Emily and Melissa Sher plan to complete what they call "The Columbia Trifecta": climbing Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Helens, riding our bicycles, without a support team, from one objective to the next.

Tiffany Larsen, Bend, OR: $200 Lauren Mork, Bend, OR: $200

Tiffany Larsen and Lauren Mork, will travel to Refugio Frey in Patagonia this coming winter. They plan to attept Imagínate (5.10/6a trad, 5 pitches), January 2017. Imagínate is at the upper-limit of their climbing ability, and through it, they will hone skills in multi-pitch traditional climbing.

Kimberley Palka, Seattle, WA: $200

Kimberley’s dream project is a tour of wall climbs. She will gain experience on Zion’s easier walls in a couple overnight attempts and a single day attempt, then relocate to the Fisher Towers for a one day ascent of the Titan.

Greg Sievers, Bozeman, MT: $200

Greg, along with his partners, are headed for Mount Robson in the Canadian Rockies to climb the Kane Face regular route. All four of their team have had Mt. Robson on their bucket list for over twenty years.

Chris Simmons, Seattle, WA: $300

Chris and his partner will spend two weeks exploring the WWI history and climbing in the Marmolada and Sella Mountains of Alta Adige/Sud Tirol, Italy. Their ultimate route goals include the Vinatzer-Castiglioni Route on the South Face of the Marmolada (29 pitches, 5.10b) and the Fedele or the Dibona Routes on the NW Face of Sass Pordoi (both 24 pitches, 5.6).

Kelly Thomas, Portland, OR: $200

Kelley and partner are set on climbing the CMC route on Mt Moran. This is a 5 pitch trad route on Mt Moran (3,842 m) in the Tetons, Wyoming. This is the most climbed route on Mt Moran, however it still sees little traffic.

Szu-ting Yi, Redmond, WA: $200

Szu-ting plans to make the First Free Ascent of Orion's Reflection in the Cathedral Cirque area of the Wind River Range, WY.

WESTERN REGION:

Amy Bannon: Prescott, AZ: $500

Amy’s objective is to embark on an entirely self-supported climbing trip through the beautiful northern highlands of Scotland. Once landed in Glasgow, she and her climbing partner will travel by bicycle to the northern coast where they will attempt four of the most beautiful and iconic sea stacks.

Nicholas Bourdon: San Diego, CA: $450

Frader Pisafe (aka Salvaterra) is a 1500' tall 5.10+ in Patagonia involving a lot of crack climbing. Nicholas will be driving his motorcycle from Alaska to Argentina and is planning on climbing at least 1 route in each state (US), province (Canada), and country that he passes through, culminating in Frader Pisafe. At a minimum, he will climb 29 different routes.

Bradford Buter: Los Angeles, CA: $400

Bradford seeks out alpine climbing in the Ruth Gorge area of Denali NP, with the ultimate objective being the Harvard Route on Mt. Huntington.

John Greer: Modesto, CA: $400

The objective of John’s trip is to successfully climb a new line on Atlantis Wall in the Sonora Pass area of California. This wall is located on Broad Dome and climbs one thousand feet out of Donnell reservoir. Currently, there are only a few existing routes on the wall.

Tad McCrea: Larkspur, CA: $500

Tad holds his dream as the magnificent North Ridge of Monte San Valentine, off the northern icecap of Chilean Patagonia. San Valentine is the highest point in Patagonia, and the mighty unclimbed northern aspect sports a daunting 8,000ft of steep technical terrain. Tad plans to carry up-and-over the mountain and packraft out the Valle Exploradores from the western edge of the icecap.

Vitaliy Musiyenko: San Francisco, CA $400

Vitaliy’s plan is to climb the Fitz Roy via the striking North Pillar, also known as the Goretta Pillar. Since both of he and his partner like to explore rather than conquer, they hope to climb the peak via a less frequently attempted route - Mate Porro y Todo los Demas. It was completed to the summit recently, in 2011.

Bernadette Regan: Joshua Tree, CA: $500

Bernadette’s dream is to complete the first free ascent of the West Buttress of the Golden Klattasine in the Waddington Range of BC, Canada. She intends to climb alpine-style and install no additional hardware.

Buck Yedor: Oakland, CA: $450

Buck Yedor is planning on traveling to the Gran Sabana of southeastern Venezuela to attempt to put up a new big wall free climb on Acopan Tepui. Acopan Tepui is known for its steep, often times overhanging bullet hard sandstone walls. The featured sandstone lends itself to hard free climbing protected by traditional climbing gear.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION:

Ben Ammon: Arvada, CO: $200

Ben Ammon will use his climbing and mountaineering experiences to take on the mountains in South America! His main aspiration is to send the French Direct route on Alpamayo and the Northeast face of Artesonraju. As he acclimatizes and trains for these mountains, he will tackle some of the more manageable peaks in Peru. His trip will culminate with these two proud ascents.

James Bachhuber: Denver, CO: $600

In the mountains of Japan, Shugendo monks, like alpinists, use cold, hunger, and feats of endurance to cultivate awareness. In January 2017, like the Shugendo monks, James and his team will also practice at a Shugendo temple.   They will spend seven days in a sacred valley beneath Mt. Kaikomagatake climbing remote ice routes including O-ren-dani right fork (1200m), Tanuki Suicide (WI5-, M4+, 120m) among others. This time will be a test of physical and mental fortitude while also weaving the subtle nuances of training the mind, body, and soul.  

Eleanor Barber: Aspen, CO: $250

Eleanor will be pushing her physical limits with a summit of Mount Rainier and a ski descent.   This ski mountaineering trip will take place this spring as she tackles one of the highest mountains in the lower 48 states. After summiting this 14,410 foot peak with her skis, she will the put them on to ski back down this big mountain.

Mario Davidson: Nederland, CO: $300

Andy Esparza, Mario Davidson, and Mark Touchstone are going to the Cochamo Valley in Chile to establish a new route on a big wall. They will spend this next year, training for and acquiring the confidence, strength, and technical skills needed for navigating this new terrain. An objective of this magnitude is pushing their personal limits which in turn pushes the limits of climbing in general and in-turn, opens new routes for future climbers.

Taylor Dickinson: South Jordan, UT: $450

As part of the School for International Expedition Training, Taylor will be joining the Ishinca Valley Expedition. For 21 days, Taylor will be training in self and partner rescue, professional development as guides, as well as glacial travel and effective alpine climbing. The course will culminate in attempts of four peaks, including Tocllaraju (~20,000') and Ranrapalca (~20,000'). Taylor’s new skills will undoubtedly provide him with new skills and safety techniques that will touch other’s lives and perpetuate safe climbing ethics and knowledge for tackling big objectives such as these.

Tom Forestieri: Longmont, CO: $250

Tom will be living his dream of climbing the Beckey-Chouinard route on the South Howser Tower in the Bugaboos. This alpine style classic is a coveted summit for almost any climber, which challenges everything from planning to fitness to technical rock climbing skills in order to achieve this goal.

John Kelley: Colorado Springs, CO: $250

John Kelley aspires to do a one-day link up of three classic Sedona Towers (Coyote Tower, Sedona Scenic Cruise, and The Mace) using mountain bikes as the sole means of transportation. This ultimate fitness challenge will involve John and his climbing partners to travel via bike between the peaks, over many miles of technical, mountain biking terrain, carrying all of their gear and provisions. They will leave their bikes to begin climbing routes to summit and link the three towers, climbing technical routes up to the grade of 5.10d! This challenge will put their endurance, power, and technical climbing skills to the test!

Mallory Lambert: Layton, UT: $300

Mallory and her climbing partner seek to travel to the Codrillera Blance in Peru. They aspire to climb the Original Route (5.10+ 2000') on La Esfinge (The Sphinx) in Valle Paron, an enormous granite formation in the Paron Valley. These climbing partners will share leads to summit this challenging wall. Mallory’s goal is not only to push her physical limits and technical skills, but also mentally push herself to take more responsibility in climbing and trust in her abilities as a lead climber. She will apply everything she knows about climbing to tackle this coveted objective!

Mark Pugliese: Salt Lake City, UT: $650

Mark and his climbing partner are traveling to the Rolwaling Valley of Nepal. Here they will attempt 2 first ascents in the Himalayas. One of the routes goes up the west face of Chugimago (6259m), while the other may go on either the south face or SE ridge of Kang Nachugo (6735m). Navigating in some of the biggest mountains in the world, and establishing new lines is a lofty aspiration for any climber, and opens routes for many climbers to come.

Marc Ripperger: Albequerque, NM: $700

Marc will be traveling to the Cordillera Blance in Peru to climb the Original Route on La Esfinge (The Sphinx) in Valle Paron. After first learning about this route about 8 years ago, La Esfinge has been a dream for Marc to travel to Peru to summit. This notoriously sandbagged route involves climbing about 20 pitches up to 5.11c. This large granite, feature tops out at 17,470 ft. with 3,000 ft. of climbing in a one day push!

Zachary Snavely: Lander, WY: $300

Zach’s adventure includes planning, training, and completing, his first international alpine climbing expedition! His objective includes traveling to Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia to attempt the several classic alpine lines. He will be putting

Brian Sparks: Moab, UT: $300

Brian is doing a ski mountaineering ascent and decent of Mt. Rainier via the Fuhrer Finger Route from Paradise on June 2nd, cross the Nisqually Glacier and ascend the Wilson Glacier to camp at 9200m. This is something will challenge Brian and take his ski mountaineering to the next level.

CENTRAL REGION:

Colten Moore: Marquette, MI: $300

Colten will take the cold weather suffering and ice climbing skills he has honed on the south shore of Lake Superior to the massive Lake Baikal in Siberian Russia. There he and his team will tour the frozen lake on fat bikes in search of new ice routes on Lake Baikal’s northwest shore.

Andrew Clift: Rapid City, SD: $250

Andrew and his partner are travelling to the Bugaboos to climb four classic routes: The West Ridge of Pigeon Spire (III 5.4), The Northeast Ridge of Bugaboo Spire (IV 5.8), The Beckey-Chouinard on South Howser Tower (IV 5.10), and The Sunshine Crack on Snowpatch Spire (IV 5.11). Andrew is looking forward to the opportunity to engage in the entire process of planning and completing a major trip of this nature. 

Jane Horth: Houston, TX: $250

Jane and her partner will also be travelling to the Bugaboos to attempt a pair of routes: Solitary Confinement on Prince Alpert Spire (III 5.11), and The Northeast Ridge of Bugaboo Spire (IV 5.8). Having climbed extensively on large objectives in the Desert Southwest and California, Jane is looking to take those skills to an alpine environment.

Sean Buehler: Carmel, IN: $200

Currently a Wilderness EMT, Sean is looking to take the next step in his dream of earning a degree in Wilderness Medicine. For him, that step involves a four-to-five day training ascent of the Cooper Spur on Mt. Hood (III), where he will learn and practice skills for navigating snowy peaks as well as receiving behavioral emergency training.

Lewis Billingsley: Jena, LA: $200

Lewis has a love for big, snowy and remote mountains. Since 2014 he has been acquiring the skills and knowledge required to take them on. The next step in his progression will take him to South America, where he will attempt the French Direct on Alpamayo (WI2).

Don Wargowsky: Cutler, OH: $200

Don and his teammates are heading to Nepal to complete unguided ascents of Island Peak and the Southwest Ridge of Ama Dablam without Sherpa support. This expedition will, in Don’s words, “…be the culmination of all the skills that I have built through climbing, trip leading, and traveling internationally [and] will be the highlight of my climbing career.”

Joshua Cronk: Novi, MI: $200

Josh and his brother have a long term goal of climbing El Cap. To that end they are planning on travelling to the Pacific Northwest, where they will attempt several multi-pitch routes in order to begin building the necessary experience. They in tend to visit the Goat Wall in Mazama, WA where they will attempt Prime Rib of Goat (III 5.9) and possibly Sisyphus (III 5.11a). From there they will head to Smith Rock in Oregon where they will attempt to summit the Monkey Face.

Clayton Ernst: Austin, TX: $200

Clayton and his partner are heading to Zion National Park, in Utah to attempt Touchstone (V 5.9 C2). For them this is a stepping stone to bigger walls and bigger mountains. They chose Zion, and specifically Touchstone, for both aesthetic and practical reasons. On their trip they will practice their aid and wall climbing skills in an amazing setting.

Erin Lynch: Ann Arbor, MI: $200

Erin has proven herself on long and difficult sport routes, but now the iconic beauty of Devil’s Tower and its El Matador (III 5.10d) have drawn her to expand her trad climbing skills. Erin will travel to Wyoming and attempt to climb this classic line.

Morgan Smith: College Station, TX: $200

Morgan and his partner plan to travel to El Potrero Chico in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. There, they intend on completing an extension to the classic Super Nova (III 5.11a). In the process they hope to make the first ascent of not just their extension but also the formation which it will ascend. In the process they hope to gain experience in hauling, extended wall-life, ground-up bolting, and the techniques and effort required to open a classic line.

NORTHEAST REGION:

Alissa Doherty: Boston, MA: $300

Alissa’s main objective is to climb Goldfinger in the Ruth Gorge of Alaska. She has been dreaming of Alaska since first seeing Bradford Washburn's incredible images of the Ruth Gorge. After a failed attempt last year due to poor weather conditions, Alissa is ready for another shot at this iconic climb.

Heather Hudson: Providence, RI: $400

Heather’s objective is to hike into the Deep Lake area of the Wind River Range, Wyoming, and climb the Southwest Arete of Lost Temple Spire. Her motivation? To shed the dependence her and her partner have had on their significant others and more experienced climbers to lead the way. They have decided it is time to put their skills to the test and lead themselves into the role of leader. They are ready and confident to take on this challenge head on, sans dudes. Good luck ladies!

Ethan Berman: Cambridge, MA: $250

Ethan’s main objective is to climb classic routes in the Bugaboos with his sister, Nina, hoping to establish a new alpine route in the region making it their first “sibling” first ascent. They have both been training incessantly through traditional climbing in both Red Rocks and Zion. They have established numerous ascents in the area and are hoping to break into a new realm together in the environment that they are both most connected to, alpine rock. Above all else, they are hoping in addition to becoming stronger climbers, they also develop a stronger bond between them as siblings.

Andrew Blease: Glen, NH: $400

As a previous winner of the LYD grant, Andrew was shut down on his trip to climb in RMNP by a late winter snowstorm. After a year of training hard in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Andrew is ready to give it another go in his dream of alpine climbing and ski mountaineering. This trip is one step in achieving his long term goals of exploring alpine climbs in areas like Chamonix, Alaska and South America.

Devin Farkas: Canton, NY: $1000

“If your climbing dreams don’t scare you, dream bigger.” This is the mantra of Devin Farkas who’s dream is to climb the Beckey-Chouinard Route, West buttress, South Howser Tower in Bugaboo Provincial Park, Alberta Canada. According to him this is the culmination of his path as a climber and hopes that it will act as a launching point for his future. After years of overcoming boundaries in his climbing career, Devin is confident that this objective will establish new horizons for him in the future.

Michael Posner: Plainville, CT: $450

Two years ago, Michael was diagnosed with stage 1 colon cancer, news that would cripple the majority of us. Michael decided to let it be a launching point to change his life for the better. While tackling summits in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the dream of climbing his first “fourteener” started to become more evident and achievable. That is why his objective is to tackle Grays Peak in Colorado, the highest peak in the Front Range. With this he strives to not only maintain his newly found healthy lifestyle, but also be a role model for positive change in others.

James Voorhis: Center Conway, NH: $500

James and his climbing partner Chris dream of summiting both Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy in their first season in Patagonia. Claiming to thrive when they dream big, they have proven nothing but just that in their time together. Since their first push up the West Face of the Leaning Tower to their epic four-day ascent on El Cap, they both have coached and supported each other down the road that they hope will propel their climbing skills, as well as their partnership into new terrain.

SOUTHEAST REGION:

Brian Barwatt: Sylvia, NC: $600

Brian and his partner will attempt to climb Quitaraju via the North Face and Alpamayo via the French Direct route in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru.

Amanda Ellis: Wake Forest, NC: $400

Amanda’s goal is to travel to one of the world’s greatest alpine playgrounds to ascend the North East Ridge of Bugaboo Spire.

Josh Kraft: Chesapeake, VA: $400

Josh’s objective is to summit the Grand Teton in Wyoming, a climb he has long dreamt of doing, but was unable to pursue due to health problems until now.

Alex Marine: Washington, DC: $500

Alex will attempt to establish new free routes on the Cloud Peak massif and surrounding mountains in the Bighorns of Wyoming using traditional methods and gear. Alex will establish a base camp at the base of Cloud Peak and explore all aspects for ~10 days, focusing primarily on unclimbed or less climbed faces.

Kyle Sox: Columbia, SC: $600

Kyle and his partner Scott will attempt a first ascent traverse of the 11+ mile Wind River Crest from Indian Pass to Pedestal col. in a single, week-long push to link the highest, unbroken skyline in Wyoming.

2015 Live Your Dream Grant Recipients

April 30, 2015, Golden, CO—The American Alpine Club (AAC) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2015 Live Your Dream grant, powered by The North Face. This year we were able to fund 84 dream projects by individuals looking to push their limits and realize their climbing ambitions.

Founded in 2012, the Live Your Dream grant is the first national grant program to support and promote unforgettable experiences for climbers—specifically, experiences that provide the skills and confidence to realize one's climbing ambitions; to dream big, to grow as climbers, and to inspire others. The program was born from the idea that the most important climbs out there are our own. In support of adventure and personal growth, the AAC provides seed money to individuals or small teams—of all disciplines, ages, and abilities—who have ambitions to build skills and confidence and expand their climbing horizons.

The North Face is a national partner and supporter of the American Alpine Club and the Live Your Dream grant. Additionally, the grant is made possible in part through the following local supporters: Mount Washington Valley Ice Festival, Touchstone Climbing & Fitness, and the Kidder Aspiring Alpinist Award.

In total the AAC's 2015 Live Your Dream grant received a record-breaking 681 applications. Six regional volunteer committees awarded 84 grants, totaling over $50,000. The recipients and their dream projects are outlined below.

2015 Recipients


WESTERN REGION:


Lucas Barth: Ukiah, CA: $200

Lucas has spent the last four years in and out of Yosemite National Park developing his skills—and in doing so he has climbed many of the classic lines in Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows. His dream has evolved into developing his own lines, adding his vision to the long legacy of Yosemite climbing. Specifically, Barth will focus his attention on first ascents in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Peak 11,357. His backcountry, multi-pitch first ascents will follow a ground-up ethic.

Nilo Batle: San Francisco, CA: $400

Nilo will be traveling to Arco, Italy to complete in the IFSC Youth Bouldering World Cup from August 28 through September 6, 2015. When Nilo began climbing three years ago, his only goal was to impress a girl and win her affection. This year, on a whim, he decided to compete in his first ABS season and, to his surprise, qualified for Nationals where he placed fourth in the Male A group, thus qualifying him to compete in the World Cup.

Tara Bhuthimethee: Dublin, CA: $200

Tara will be heading to Wyoming to attempt the Grand Teton Lower & Upper Exum routes as well as the Durrance route on Devil's Tower. Both routes will challenge her—in length, difficulty, and style. She hopes to apply skills she has developed in the gym and at her local crags to these larger, more committing objectives. Ultimately, she looks to move onto even more ambitious big-wall and alpine climbs.

Brett Bloxom: Bishop, CA: $500

Brett will take his skills to the next level by traveling to the Howser Towers of the Bugaboos with the main objective of All Along The Watchtower on North Howser Tower. His goal is to free climb as much of the route as possible, completing the route in a single push. Other trip objectives include an ascent of the Minaret, a sub peak of South Howser Tower. This trip will take the skills he has developed in the mountains, crags, and boulders of the Eastern Sierra and apply them in one of the premier alpine settings in North America.

Ian Bolliger: Berkeley, CA: $500

Ian's dream trip unites mountaineering with skiing objectives. Ian will travel to Alaska to attempt the Cassin Ridge on Denali, spending time acclimatizing and skiing the slopes and couloirs around 14k camp. One specific ski objective is the Orient Express. This ascent of Denali and technical ski descents combine skills built through numerous past experiences in the Sierra Nevada and North Cascades.

Peter Carey: Bakersfield, CA: $300

Peter has the goal of completing the portion of the Palisade Traverse that stretches from Thunderbolt Peak to Mt. Sill in a single, one-day push. With the ultimate goal of completing all 15 of California's 14,000-foot peaks, Thunderbolt–Sill encompasses the most difficult and technical terrain. This trip will require all of the skills Peter has developed and will challenge him both technically and mentally.

Miguel Diaz: Prescott, AZ: $200

Miguel's objective is an ascent of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park via the Casual Route. Dreaming of bigger, longer alpine routes, climbing the Diamond represents a stepping-stone in his climbing experience and personal progression. He will be applying the skills he has been developing on Sedona's sandstone spires to the committing alpine environment of the Rocky Mountains.

Jonathan Foley: San Francisco, CA: $500

Jonathan built his climbing skills at the East coast crags of Rumney, the Gunks, the Red River Gorge, and the New River Gorge. After moving west and experiencing the climbing in the Eastern Sierra, Yosemite, and Tahoe, Jonathan has come to view the alpine environment as the testing ground to apply his climbing skills and progress to longer, more challenging objectives. Jonathan will travel to the Wind River Range of Wyoming to attempt the Northeast Face of Pingora Peak and the Wolf's Head routes located in the Cirque of the Towers.

Logan Fusso: Reno, NV: $250

Logan has always dreamed of establishing his own routes. To fulfill this objective, Logan will travel to the Selkirk Mountains in the Valhalla Range to explore technical route development in a difficult-to-reach area north of Mt. Gimli. He has developed his skills significantly in some of America's hardest testing grounds: the Cascades, Yosemite's big walls, splitter cracks in Canyonlands, and highballs in Bishop. The similarity between all these experiences is that he was climbing someone else's routes. This new experience in route development will lead Logan to the next level in his climbing career and open the door for him to take his skills into the greater ranges.

Chelsea Gelbart: Mill Valley, CA: $600

Chelsea intends to travel to the Graian Alps of Europe to summit Mt. Blanc via the L'aiguille du Grouter route. Chelsea has only been climbing seriously for one year. This trip will require all of the skills she has accumulated sport climbing in the Owen's River Gorge, trad climbing in the granite of Tahoe, and mountaineering in and around Mt. Shasta. Mt. Blanc will be her first 15,000' peak.

Allyson Gunsallus: Pacifica, CA: $600

Allyson dreams of climbing long, technical routes in South America. In December, she will head to Southern Patagonia to attempt Aguja Guillamet, a tower in the Chalten massif. She has been building her skillset in Yosemite sending routes on Washington Column and El Capitan. To help prepare for Patagonia, she will continue to train in a more alpine setting with objectives in the Eastern Sierra, Mt. Baker, Mt. Shasta, and Rainier. This dream trip to the Fitz Roy will push her into new, unknown terrain, and open up a new world of technically and logistically difficult alpine climbing.

Lars Hedin: Santa Barbara, CA: $350

Lars has been dreaming of his personal, ultimate test piece: climbing The Nose and the Salathe Wall on Yosemite Valley's El Capitan. For the past two years he has been training and building his skills on the South Face and the Prow of Washington Column, the West Face of Leaning Tower; on dozens of long free climbs; on hundreds of laps on the local Santa Barbara bolt ladder. During this learning period he has overcome numerous challenges on the wall, endured two broken ankles, and suffered through numerous dawn patrols. He finally feels ready to apply these skills to the Captain, and ultimately, to longer, more difficult routes in the future.

Eric Hengesbaugh: La Mesa, CA: $300

Eric will travel to the Eastern Sierra and fully plunge himself into the world of alpine climbing. The Palisades beckon him with longer and harder routes than anything he has previously experienced. Further, he will spend a month attempting the classic and hidden first ascents of Sierra pioneer Don Jensen, a late family relative, and will attempt to relive one of Don's last summers in the Sierra. Eric's dream combines pushing his climbing skills into new terrain, uncovering some lost Sierra climbing history, and retracing a family member's legacy.

Diana Hitchen: Tahoe Vista, CA: $200

Diana seeks to improve her climbing technique, focusing on sandstone splitter cracks in the desert of Southern Utah, by attempting three challenging towers on the Bridger Jack Mesa: Thunderbolts on Easter Island, the East Face of Sunflower Tower, and Wild West Show on Hummingbird Spire. These routes are technically harder than any climb she has attempted before and, coming from a mainly granite-based climbing career, these climbs represent stepping further into uncharted sandstone territory.

Nathan Kalish: Tempe, AZ: $400

Nathan, a desert rat from Tempe, Arizona, seeks experience in the alpine environment. He will travel to the Bugaboos to attempt the Beckey-Chouinard route on South Howser Tower with smaller, secondary objectives filling out his time in the mountains. He ultimately dreams of climbing in Patagonia, and experiencing glacial travel and more committing and remote routes in the Bugaboos will act as a logical stepping stone in his personal progression.

Paul Koubek: Yosemite, CA: $650

In 2014, Paul was awarded a Live Your Dream grant to develop his ice-climbing skills in Ouray with the specific objective of climbing WI4 routes and a greater, ultimate objective of traveling to the Ruth Gorge in Alaska to apply his rock and new ice skills in a serious alpine testing ground. Since then Paul has furthered his ice climbing skills, completing WI5+ routes. He will combine these experiences with those he has learned as a longtime Yosemite Search and Rescue team member to head to Alaska's Mooses Tooth on the Ruth Gorge to attempt Shaken Not Stirred and Ham and Eggs.

Kate McHugh: Tucson, AZ: $400

Kate's objective is to learn aid and big-wall climbing techniques with the goal of progressing to a higher technical level of climbing in an alpine environment. As an Outward Bound mountaineering instructor with 14 years of climbing experience, she has progressed from sport climbing to trad climbing easily enough, but lacks the complex problem solving and skill set required for big-wall aid climbing. She will travel to Zion National Park to attempt Space Shot (IV 5.7 C2), Moonlight Buttress (5.8 C2), Touchstone Wall (V 5.9 C2), Tricks of the Trade (VI 5.10+ C2+), and Desert Shield (V 5.11a C3). Each of these routes will represent her learning progress as she works from 5.8 C2 to 5.11a C3.

Hari Mix: Palo Alto, CA: $850

Hari will travel to the Karakoram to attempt Broad Peak (8047m), Gasherbrum I (8068m), and Gasherbrum II (8035m) climbing as a team of two with partner Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, all without supplemental oxygen. This expedition represents the nexus of high alpine skills and altitude experience he has developed through five expeditions to the Himalaya, Tien Shan, and Pamier. This trip provides Hari the opportunity to assemble his skill set and apply it to technical routes like the Japanese Couloir on Gasherbrum I in alpine style.

Alix Morris: Irvine, CA: $350

Alix's dream and objective is to travel to the Bugaboos and send All Along the Watchtower on North Howser Tower in a single day push. She has been building and developing her climbing and alpine skills across varied terrain in locations such as Yosemite Valley, Red Rocks, the High Sierra, and Squamish. All Along the Watchtower will test her abilities to climb light and fact and as free as possible on remote big walls in the mountains. With this trip she hopes to gain more experience on mountainous terrain and take those skills into the greater ranges of Patagonia in the winter of 2015/16, and in the future, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Greenland, and Baffin.

Tomasz Podkanowicz: Sunnyvale, CA: $300

Tomasz has long dreamed of climbing all of California's 14,000' peaks. To this end, he has completed all but the toughest section: the Thunderbolt to Mt. Sill traverse in the Palisades of the Sierra Nevada. He has worked hard to get comfortable on exposed rock, developing trad leading skills to 5.10+ with some ascents of various multi-pitch routes in Yosemite Valley. After completing the California 14ers, Tomasz seeks the next level in his personal climbing progression: routes in the North Cascades and Teton range.

Bernadette Regan: Joshua Tree, CA: $600

Bernadette will travel to the Waddington Range of British Columbia, Canada to complete the first free ascent of the West Buttress of the Golden Klattasine. She intends to climb alpine-style and will install no fixed hardware. With little available route information, the Klattasine represents the most remote and committing objective Bernadette has yet faced. It will require a culmination of skills in both technical rock climbing and alpine adventuring and sits as the next progressive step in her personal climbing career.

Alex Rosenthal: Berkeley, CA: $700

Alex will fly to Argentina's Andes mountain range to attempt the challenging Polish Direct route on Aconcagua. This route represents a climbing progression which began with Sierra 14ers, enveloped multiple routes on Mt. Shasta, saw him to the top of Rainier, to summits in the German Alps, and finally to Denali. Expanding on this path, the Polish Direct route on Aconcagua will challenge his abilities and help him identify weaknesses in his skill set. He looks to ultimately tackle major objectives in the greater ranges.

Jordan Shackelford: Oakland, CA: $300

Primarily a boulderer, but harboring alpine ambitions, Jordan dreams of climbing the Evolution Traverse in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in one-push, alpine-style, as fast as possible. While Jordan has developed strong climbing skills and sent V10 boulder problems, he has little experience on alpine rock—save a few ascents around Tuolumne and elsewhere. He seeks to test himself on what Peter Croft has called, “way harder than climbing El Cap in a day," and also, “the best ridge traverse I have ever done." Long, serious, and requiring both skills and speed, the Evolution Traverse is a perfect aspiration for a strong boulderer looking to move into serious alpine environments.

Sarah Steele: Oakland, CA: $450

Sarah Steele will attempt the Swiss Route on Les Courtes in Chamonix in the Fall of 2015. This route represents a significant step up in her climbing progression, being both more sustained in difficulty and longer than any climb she has previously attempted. She will be applying her significant experience in ice climbing, rock climbing, and bouldering to accomplish her goal. Ultimately she hopes this trip will open her eyes to greater possibilities mountaineering in the greater ranges.

Brandon Thau: Santa Maria, CA: $850

Brandon will travel to the Gangotri region of the Northern Indian Himalaya with the goal of establishing a free ascent of the West Pillar of Bhagirathi III. His new free route will roughly follow the Catalan line called Impossible Star. This climb on Bhagirathi III features a 3,000' granite wall capped by a 600' alpine ice climb to the summit. While Brandon has extensive climbing experience—he's tacked over 24 grade V/VI ascents in Yosemite (13 of them in a single push)—this will be his first expedition to the greater ranges of the Himalaya and his first time climbing at 6,000m+. This climb will build off his past experiences of big-wall climbing and open the doors to further expeditions and route development in remote, committing locations.

Bob Thompson: Santa Monica, CA: $500

Bob will head to Bugaboos Provincial Park in British Columbia to attempt to climb the Becky-Chouinard route on South Howser Tower and the Northeast Ridge on Bugaboo Spire. Bob has been working hard the past few seasons to become comfortable leading trad routes and has developed his skills to the 5.9/5.10 level. This trip will test his leading abilities in a more committing alpine environment.

Keegan Wilson: Reno, NV: $300

Keegan and partner Ben Brunsvold will travel to Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada to attempt the Becky-Choiunard, the Sunshine Crack, and the North Summit Direct on Snowpatch Spire. They are also seeking to explore more remote peaks such as Wallack Peak, Mount Kelvin, and Howser Peak. This trip will allow Keegan to gain more experience in glacial approaches while attempting long, committing alpine rock routes. In 2016 he is planning a trip to Baffin Island with an attempt on Mt. Asgard and a possible FA attempt on Mt. Northumbria. This trip is a stepping-stone to his aspiration to climbing alpine rock north of the Arctic Circle and in the Karakoram.




NORTHWESTERN REGION:


Toby Butterfield and Katie Mills: Portland, OR: $300 (each)

Toby and Katie are off to Colorado to climb the Casual Route on the Diamond in Rocky Mountain National Park. Originally from Tennessee, Katie has been eyeballing the high peaks of Colorado early on and will be joining her partner Toby back in his home state.

Jenn Carter, Carolyn Graham, Leigh Ann Wolf and Meredith Trainor: Seattle, WA: $500 (each)

The Denali Girls have been working and training hard in the Cascades for the highest peak in North America. Individually accomplished in mountaineering, this strong team has been enjoying working together and coordinating group expedition roles on this all-woman team.

Emilie Cortes: Bend, OR: $500

Changing her professional course midstream, Emilie launched a guiding company that helped others achieve their dreams. Now it's her turn to get on a route she's been wanting to do for the last 10 years: climbing Mt. Blanc from the Chamonix side.

Matthew Farrell: Bend, OR: $650

Matt has been climbing in Yosemite Valley for over a decade and has contributed a lot of volunteer work to his home crag of Smith Rock. His goal is to link the whole Cathedral Spires ridgeline starting on the Lower Spire and finishing by rapping down the Regular Route of the Upper Spire.

Nicolas Frazee: Bozeman, MT: $1,000

During a 2014 ice-climbing trip into the Rolwaling Valley of the Nepalese Himalaya, Nicolas spotted the south face of Chobutse (6,686m). After recent trips to Canada and Alaska he's ready for a first ascent attempt in the Himalaya.

Spencer Hennigan: Victor, ID: $500

Spencer and his fiancée have traveled the world as educators and guides, and it's time to tie the knot. They've chosen to do the ceremony on the Grand Teton with their mutual best friend as the officiant, and we're happy to be a part of it! Save us some cake you guys.

Ezekial Hocking: Oak Harbor, WA: $300

Ezekial is turning 16 this year and is focusing his youth and energy towards the mountains with an ascent of the classic West Ridge of Forbidden Peak in Washington's North Cascades.

Rachel James: Missoula, MT: $500

Rachel returns to the Avellano Valley of Chile with her partner Natalie with “more gear (namely pitons and a hammer), more mango pisco (self-explanatory) and more time (one month)" and will be producing an 80's rock video to document their new routes on the granite walls. Venga chicas!

Jon Jantz: Spokane, WA: $1,000

Jon has recently returned to the mountains in earnest and is picking up where he left off. He dreamed of a big traverse and will live his dream of travelling through vast icy stretches of the North Country by starting from the Pacific Ocean, and ending up on the Alaska Highway in the Canada's Yukon Territory via Wrangell St. Elias National Park.

Meghan Kahnle: Boise, ID: $350

Meghan is an artist who wants to challenge herself by leading, from ground to summit, the West Face Variation on the Monkey Face at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon. During her trip she'll be creating an art piece and social media campaign that will help fundraise for the park.

Jason Luthy: Sandpoint, ID: $750

As an educator Jason spends much time teaching students outdoor skills. He wants to again experience the challenge of a personal expedition and has carved out a couple of weeks to chase down the standard route on the Lotus Flower Tower in the Northwest Territories.

Johan Ugander, Stephanie Safdi: Seattle, WA: $400 (each)

Robley Williams was a member of the 1964 Arrigetch expedition, one of Johan's teachers in college, and his stories inspired this effort for this husband-and-wife team to explore and establish new lines on the Arthur Emmons massif in Northern Alaska. Their main objective will be a pure rock FA of Arthur Emmons' West Ridge.

Barbara Schwarz: Kalispell, MT: $750

Barbara's long-term goal is to successfully climb the 32 peaks described in “Classic Climbs of the Cordillera Blanca." This year Barbara is gunning for Huamashraju (5,434m), Alpamayo (5,947m), and Ranrapalca (6,162m).

Audrey Sniezek: Seattle, WA: $800

Audrey has been knocking on the door of the highest-level sport climbs, while at the same time holding a demanding, full-time career. Life changes have introduced a period where she can dedicate herself to climbing full time, and dreams of gaining the knowledge only a world-renowned trainer in Europe can provide.

Mimi Stone: Seattle, WA: $800

In 1975 Mimi was the youngest female to climb Denali at the age of 16 (via the Muldrow Glacier). She was diagnosed with cancer last year and is charging ahead with an expedition back to Denali with her family.

Jaren Watson: Rexburg, ID: $400

Jaren is a talented rock climber, redpointing up to 5.12a, but has a fear of heights and routes with significant exposure scare him. Long routes in Red Rocks, Nevada will push him to get over this fear, and we're happy to help him climb Epinephrine and Crimson Chrysalis.

Sol Wertkin: Leavenworth, WA: $750

Sol is a fixture in the small climbing community in Leavenworth and has given much of his time volunteering as well as raising his family. Sixteen years of high-level Cascade alpinism culminates in his objective of doing the second free ascent of the Walsh–Levigne variation (VI 5.12- R) to Spicy Red Beans and Rice, on the West Face of North Howser Tower in Canada's Bugaboos.





ROCKIES REGION:


Jonathan Byers: Louisville, CO: $1,000

Jonathan will be attempting new routes on either Cerro Bifida or Punta Filip in the Cirque de los Altares of southern Patagonia. The team will kite ski down the ice cap and establish base camp for 2–3 weeks in an effort to give them the best opportunity to achieve this goal.

Alton Richardson: Boulder, CO: $1,000

As a Boy Scout, Alton would visit the Hell's Kitchen Valley in California and eventually would learn to climb there. Now, years later, Alton is focused on establishing first ascents and also documenting climbing through many forms of media. Alton's objective is to spend two weeks in the Hell's Kitchen Valley establishing traditional, sport, and bouldering first ascents to document these climbs for the local community.

Jessica Meiris: Colorado Springs, CO: $800

Jessica is the first woman to have completed a one-day, single push rope solo of El Capitan via the Nose. Her success on El Cap was large in part due to her extensive experience on that particular chunk of stone. Now, she'd like to apply her rope-soloing skills to Half Dome and be the first woman to rope solo this formation in a single day.

Micah Howard: Albuquerque, NM: $650

After first seeing Denali over 14 years ago, Micah knew that he one day had to return to climb the mountain. As time passed Micah became competent at all the skills necessary to have a real attempt on the Cassin Ridge of Denali. Even more inspiring is that Micah juggles a demanding job and 20-month-old triplets and still finds time to pursue his dreams.

Owen Witesman: Springville, UT: $600

Owen will be attempting to repeat routes in the Teton Range put up by his grandfather, Don Decker, one of the original climbing rangers. Unfortunately, Don was killed in a fall in the Tetons in 1982, but has left a legacy of climbing. Owen will be the first of his family to attempt any of Don's classic routes. In a one-week window, Owen will attempt the NNW Ridge of Buck Mountain (III 5.7), the NW Ridge of Teewinot, (III 5.4), and the Direct South Buttress of Mt. Moran (IV 5.9 A1).

Madeline Pickering: Boulder, CO: $600

Placing her first cam this past November, Madeline has been bitten by the traditional climbing bug. She'll spend the next nine months on the road honing those trad skills and culminating in a classic tower tour of Utah. After spending the first year of climbing in a Boston gym, Madeline is ready to live her dream of climbing in wild places in the Western U.S. The next step for her is to lead every pitch on Kor Ingalls, Castleton Tower; Off Balanced Rock, Arches; West Crack of Owl Rock; Entry Fee, Lizard Rock; Stolen Chimney on Ancient Art; and Otto's Route in Colorado National Monument.

Emily Hendrick: Boulder, CO: $500

Emily will attempt Nevado Huantsan, a 6,000-meter peak in Peru. This rarely climbed peak will be a stepping-stone for Emily in both elevation and expedition style climbing. After summiting all of Colorado's 14ers, Orizaba, and Cotopaxi, Emily feels that Nevado Huantsan is the natural progression for her in order to continue to reach her goals.

Hannah Trim: Leadville, CO: $500

Hannah and her team will attempt a north to south traverse of the Picket Range in the North Cascades. Their plan is to approach Whatcom Peak via Little Beaver Creek and traverse south and east across the rest of the Pickets, finishing the traverse on Elephant Butte and then descend Seattle Ridge to Highway 20. Having plenty of alpine experience in the Rockies, Hannah feels that her lack of glacier experience is something that she needs in order to push into bigger objectives.





CENTRAL REGION:


Jordan Horner: Columbia, MO: $1,000

Last year Jordan spent 21 days with his family in the backcountry of the High Sierra. That trip hatched a plan to do a 30-day backpacking, alpine route tour de force. He'll attempt to climb 30+ classic and/or new alpine routes along his way from Whitney Portal to Twin Lakes. Along the way he will attempt Mt. Whitney, Mt. Russell, Mt. Chamberlain, Charlotte Dome, the full Palisade Traverse, the Evolution Traverse, and the Incredible Hulk.

Tyler Twoerk: Elk Mound, WI: $500

Tyler will spend 14 days developing sport routes at a new privately developed area in the Columbian Andes, Volcán Cerro Bravo. Tyler wishes to broaden his scope of establishing new routes by learning the art of bolting. This will be the next step in the progression of his climbing by giving him the knowledge and skills to find, clean, and safely bolt new routes. He'll attempt to establish up to four new routes with the supervision of experienced individuals.

Greg Fischer: Crystal Lake, IL: $500

In 2012, Greg and his partner, Rob, were caught in a tragic rockslide while mountaineering in Colorado. This accident resulted in the death of Greg's climbing partner and friend. Since then, Greg has taken a sabbatical from climbing and will now attempt to reach the summit of Aconcagua, which was a major goal for Rob and himself before the accident.





NORTHEAST REGION:


Wendy Ong: Cambridge, MA: $1,000

Wendy seeks to climb the Nose, the most famous line on Yosemite's El Capitan, in a day. In 2010 Wendy was dropped and fell 140 feet, and sustained serious spinal cord and pelvic injury, as well as permanent physical disability. Her goal of NIAD is based in her desire to train hard, make the most of the gifts and abilities she still has, and embark on this adventure to prove to herself and others just how resilient the human mind and body can be.

Craig Muderlak: Providence, RI: $1,000

Craig seeks to complete the Waddington Range high peaks traverse/enchainment, which links Mt. Waddington, Combatant, Tiedemann, Asperity, and the Serra 1–5 summits in British Columbia. This objective has been a dream of Craig's since spending a month in the Waddington Range working a NOLS mountaineering course six years ago. Since that time, he has sought to bring together the right team to make it happen, which has finally coalesced, starting in a dusty climbing gym in Providence and expanding to icy crags in New Hampshire and alpine walls in Colorado. The sheer size and commitment of this objective will demand the team's cumulative and extensive rock, ice, alpine, and expeditionary experience. Taking on this enchainment will integrate their experience in big, remote terrain and take the climbers to the next level, both personally and as a partnership.

Ben Teasdale: Burlington, VT: $1,000

Ben will travel to Kyrgyzstan in order to climb in Ala Archa National Park, as well as contribute to the national park's land use and development plan. The objective of the trip is to map out climbing routes in the park and assist the Kyrgyzstan government in its holistic plan for sustainable development and long-term use.

Ryan Wichelns: Saratoga Springs, NY: $1,000

Ryan will travel to Denali National Park in Alaska, with partner Gabe Messercola, with the ultimate goal of climbing the desolate, airy traverse from Mt. Silverthrone (13,220'), through the Tripyramid Peaks, to Mt. Brooks (11,940'). In the last few years, the partners have progressed rapidly as climbers from hiking to rock- and ice-climbing to winter mountaineering in the Northeastern ranges of the Adirondacks and Whites. Having climbed Mt. Rainier with a guide two years ago, the two are now ready to put it all to the test and “go somewhere." This will be the first simultaneous test of all their proven skills: expedition planning, long-term backcountry travel and camping, technical mountaineering, route finding, and more. They hope it will be the launching pad to bigger expeditions around the world.

Enock Glidden: Albany, ME: $1,000

Enock plans to sit climb (ascent by an individual who does not have full use of their lower extremities) El Capitan in Yosemite with the support of friends he has met through Paradox Sports. His mobility is limited due to Spina Bifida, and this climb will undoubtedly push him and test his abilities, both physically and mentally. This objective is also a step towards his ultimate goal of climbing Mt. Rainier to honor a passed friend who was a rescue ranger on the mountain. This climb will allow Enock to hone his skills for planning and managing large objectives, and if he can persevere on El Cap, he will have the confidence to then dream even bigger and tackle the logistics required to climb Rainier.

Brian O'Leary: Orono, ME: $500

Brian seeks to road trip from his home in Maine to the crack climbing mecca of Indian Creek, Utah, with the goals of honing new skills on the immaculate sandstone of Utah's deserts. His team is made up of a group of outdoor educators who, in addition to the progression in their crack climbing skills, will gain improved understanding and competency on entirely new terrain.

Lucas Weiss: Pike, NH: $400

Lucas plans to obtain his AIARE Level 1 certification and then lead Pinnacle Gully on Mt. Washington. He has many years' experience hiking, mountaineering, and rock climbing— but ice, from the first moment he swung an axe in February of 2014, has eclipsed all other activities and become his absolute passion. Pinnacle Gully will be both a culmination of the first phase of his development as an ice climber and also a key step in his qualification as an adventure teacher at his school, where he seeks to lead high school students on winter climbs.

Kelly Prime: Brooklyn, NY: $600

Kelly seeks to climb the eight-pitch, 600' route Amptrax, a fully bolted 5.8+ route in El Chorro, Spain. Through this project she intends to solidify her confidence leading multi-pitch sport routes, while pushing both her love for travel and climbing into new frontiers. She hopes that Amptrax, and this trip to Spain, will be the next step into a world of long routes and new climbing destinations.

Garrett Drayna: Watertown, MA: $500

Garrett will travel to Chamonix, France to climb various technical alpine routes of increasing difficulty, culminating in an ascent of the Frendo Spur on the Aiguille du Midi. With moderate rock (5.7), difficult alpine ice (AI4), and a mandatory bivy, this route represents the next step in his technical alpine climbing career and a dream of eight years. With climbing on the back burner during graduate school, these dreams were put on hold. Now, Garrett has spent the last year reintegrating climbing into his life in New England on moderate ice and rock, and is the perfect next step in his revitalized passion for climbing.

Joanna Sweetgall: Waltham, MA: $500

Joanna will be leaving her job in June for the sake of completing a long-held dream of driving cross-country to explore the climbing destinations of the U.S. and Canada. Her climbing goal on the trip is to breakthrough from her 5.9 comfort zone and evolve into a solid 5.11 trad leader. Her ultimate climbing dream is to complete the route Positive Vibrations on the Incredible Hulk—and a trip honing her traditional climbing skills will bring her one step closer to realizing this dream.




SOUTHEAST REGION:


Alan Goldbetter: Winchester, VA: $500

Alan will be attempting a free climb of the Atlantis route on the north face of Stora Blåmannen. This route ascends a 1,000-meter granite wall in northern Norway. Over the last decade, Alan has worked diligently to acquire the skills and fitness necessary to competently travel in the alpine environment, mostly in Scotland.

Andrew Blease: Damascus, VA: $950

Andrew will be traveling to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to climb several alpine routes including Keyhole Ridge on Longs Peak, and the Solitude/Shelf Lake Traverse. This trip is a significant departure from Andrew's previous climbing experience because of the potential conditions, approach and retreat difficulties, and multi-day commitment.

Brandon Phillips: Nauvoo, AL: $325

Brandon will travel to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming to climb the complete Exum Ridge and then the Grand Traverse. Even though he lives in Alabama, Brandon's heart truly lies in the big mountains. With experience in smaller alpine rock, ice, and snow routes in Alaska, the Grand Traverse—a multi-day route that demands efficiency and endurance—is a well-suited continuing point for Brandon.

Cathy Cramer: Cary, NC: $1,800

Cathy's dream trip is to travel to the Boulder area of Colorado to climb difficult (5.10–5.12) sport, some easier level trad routes in Eldorado and Boulder Canyons, and her first alpine route at Rocky Mountain National Park. At age 15, Cathy is strong and well practiced outside, and ready for an opportunity to apply her skills out West. Additionally, as a Kidder Aspiring Alpinist Award recipient, Cathy received additional funding to take an advanced course in self-rescue and anchor building in preparation for her trip.

Corey Winstead: Jonas Ridge, NC: $275

Corey will climb the Grand Traverse in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. An experienced climber, outdoor-experience professional, and one step away from being an AMGA Rock Instructor, Corey's objective will not only further his experience and skill set, but also will fulfill his longtime dream.

David Hurley: Raleigh, NC: $1,220

David will travel to the Bugaboos in Canada to climb classic alpine routes—both within his limits and one step out of his comfort zone. After seeing a picture of the Bugaboos during his sophomore year of college, climbing them instantly became a long-term objective for David. The glacial approaches and long moderate lines of the Bugs will build upon his alpine experience, train him for the environment of future objectives, and serve as his introduction to big alpine climbing. Additionally, as a Kidder Aspiring Alpinist Award recipient, David received additional funding to take a course in Glacier Skills and Crevasse Rescue in preparation for his trip.

Gary Owen and Blake Salmony: Lexington, KY: $300 (each)

Gary and Blake dream of climbing more than 5,000 feet of multi-pitch rock over a weeklong trip to Red Rocks, NV. Some routes include Inti Watana, Epinephrine, and Levitation 29. The climbs of Red Rock will provide the perfect training ground for Gary and Blake to hone their systems, increase efficiency, and advance towards future ascents.

Joe DeGaetano: Fayetteville, WV: $400

Joe will travel to Wyoming to climb in Vedauwoo, Freemont Canyon, the Wind River Range, and Grand Teton National Park. The primary focus is to explore some of Wyoming's amazing climbing areas and become a better crack climber in the process.

Kayah Gaydish: Asheville, NC: $1,000

Kayah will travel to Indian Creek to hone her crack climbing skills. Having visited Moab and Indian Creek 18 years ago, and with the constraints of raising two children, this long awaited return trip is a huge dream for Kayah and will build upon her splitter crack skills.

Naz Ahmed: Herndon, VA: $900

Naz will climb the West Buttress of Denali. Attempting the West Buttress of Denali is a culmination of her skills and progression in her experience: Denali will be Ahmed's highest summit, and climbing it expedition style will be the longest she has spent in remote wilderness.

Rick DeJarnette: North Chesterfield, VA: $850

Rick will travel to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to climb the Casual Route on the Diamond on Longs Peak. After being shut down on the route when he was 22, with his father, Rick has held the Casual Route in his “climbing imagination" for nearly 20 years. Rick now has the knowledge, experience, and sheer strength and stamina to come back and tackle his objective.

Sharon Stolberg: Cleveland, TN: $1,000

Sharon will travel to the Gunks next fall to climb challenging routes with Paradox Sports, a non-profit adaptive sports organization. Confined to a wheelchair at age 7, due to severe polyarticular Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sharon fought her way out it by age 18, and has remained active ever since. Even though she has limited mobility in her shoulders and wrists, Sharon spends every ounce of her free time outdoors, and this trip will be her first multi-pitch trip and move her along in her climbing progression.