News — American Alpine Club

Hannah Provost

Outdoor Alliance and American Alpine Club Working Together to Protect Rock Climbing Landscapes 

Will Plantz trys hard as the sun fades on Johnny Cat in Indian Creek, within Bears Ears National Monument. Photo by AAC member Will McKay

Climbers have a meaningful relationship with the landscapes they love, and advocating for public lands is a critical piece of that relationship. Outdoor recreationists have a powerful connection to place, and that connection makes us a powerful force for conservation. Outdoor Alliance is a national coalition of outdoor recreation advocacy groups that American Alpine Club has been a part of for six years, and together, we work to protect public lands and waters and advocate for climbing and other outdoor recreation. The AAC is the largest community of climbers in the country, and is dedicated to advocating for climbing landscapes and resourcing climbers with essential climbing knowledge and rescue coverage.

Since Outdoor Alliance started ten years ago, the coalition has helped protect 40 million acres of public land and water, secured $5.1 billion in funding for the outdoors, and has converted hundreds of thousands of outdoor enthusiasts into outdoor advocates.

Here are some of important victories that the American Alpine Club (AAC) and Outdoor Alliance (OA) have notched together:

Passing the EXPLORE Act in the House

Climbing on the Diamond of Longs Peak. Photo by Louder Than Eleven

The EXPLORE Act is a first-of-its-kind package of outdoor recreation policy that has been a priority for Outdoor Alliance for many years; the package recently passed the House. It includes sections that will directly protect rock climbing experiences on public lands, a big priority for the AAC. 

The Protecting America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act is a significant piece of the EXPLORE Act, and has been a focus for the AAC, Access Fund, and the wider Outdoor Alliance coalition. The PARC Act is intended to ensure safe and sustainable access to rock climbing in designated Wilderness areas. It requires federal agencies to recognize recreational climbing as an appropriate activity in accordance with the Wilderness Act of 1964, which states that the placement, use, and maintenance of fixed anchors is appropriate, and ensures that a public comment period is made available to stakeholders prior to any final climbing management guidance being issued.

The AAC has also educated their members about the SOAR Act, joining the AMGA who is one of the principle long-time supportess of the SOAR Act. This is another piece of the EXPLORE Act which will streamline recreational permitting for outfitters and guides, benefiting other Outdoor Alliance members like The Mountaineers, Mazamas, and Colorado Mountain Club.  

Now that The House has voted to pass EXPLORE, the AAC and OA are advocating for the Senate to also get it across the finish line. Learn more and write your lawmakers about it here. 

Restoration of Bears Ears National Monument 

In 2018, the Trump Administration rolled back protections for the Bears Ears National Monument by more than 80% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly half. Since then, the AAC and its partners at Outdoor Alliance have been continuously educating outdoor enthusiasts about the fight to preserve Bears Ears. This included a lawsuit led by Access Fund against the Trump administration, advocating for the monument to be restored, and participating in a public comment on a new management plan for the restored monument.

In 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration restored protections for Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase, which honored the voices of Indigenous communities, climbers, and conservationists alike. The coalition work led by Outdoor Alliance was hugely impactful in bringing outdoor recreationists together on this issue. The AAC is committed to keeping their members updated on future management plans and staying active in this ongoing discussion. The AAC will continue advocating for the role of climbing and responsible conservation by sharing their expertise on land management issues pertaining to climbing, and interfacing with land management agencies, the BLM and USFS, as well as other partners and local and national climbing organizations, to continue to refine the Bears Ears National Monument Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. 

Advocating for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

Photo credit: Grey Satterfield

In 2020, the American Alpine Club, and another Outdoor Alliance coalition member, Winter Wildlands Alliance, joined forces to sue the Trump administration for making devastating changes to NEPA. For the past 50 years, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has ensured that climbers and skiers have a voice in how the federal government manages our public lands. Whether it’s issues like climbing regulations in forest planning, balancing recreation with cultural preservation, or accounting for impacts to the climate from energy development on public lands—NEPA ensures that the federal government incorporates science and public outreach in the decision-making process. NEPA assures that the federal government operates with transparency and is held accountable for the decisions made on public lands. Having transparent decision making and accountability is particularly important to the climbing community as many of our cherished climbing areas are located on federal public lands across the country. The AAC and Winter Wildlands Alliance also petitioned the Biden administration in 2021 to take action to repair the law by restoring critical regulatory requirements that were removed in 2020.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality heard our requests, and began a two phase process to reverse the damaging 2020 changes to the regulations that implement NEPA. The final rule restores critical pieces of NEPA, and the AAC and other Outdoor Alliance members will continue to defend NEPA and ensure strong environmental protections and public comment periods. 

Amending the Colorado Recreational Use Statute (CRUS)

Photo credit: Grey Satterfield

Recreational Use Statutes across the United States protect private landowners from liability when they open up their land to the public for outdoor recreation. But a gap in Colorado’s Recreational Use Statute was causing landowners to feel insecure about the liability they faced, and therefore unwilling to accept the risk of keeping their land open to the public for activities like hiking, mountain biking, and climbing. This gap resulted in the closure of such Colorado hiking icons as Mount Lindsey, Mount Democrat, Mount Cameron, and Mount Lincoln. Outdoor Alliance and the the AAC both joined the Fix CRUS Coalition to activate Colorado recreationalists and advocate to update Colorado’s Recreational Use Statute. In 2024, the Fix CRUS Coalition successfully updated the Colorado Recreational Use Statute, when the CO Congress passed SB-58, ultimately strengthening protection for landowners, ensuring Colorado’s recreational opportunities that exist on private lands remain available to Colorado’s outdoor enthusiasts. 

Get Involved with Outdoor Alliance

Outdoor Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of organizations that includes American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Mountaineers, American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, Colorado Mountain Club, and Surfrider Foundation. For 10 years, Outdoor Alliance has united the human-powered outdoor recreation community to achieve lasting conservation victories. Our work has permanently protected 40 million acres of public land, secured $5.1 billion in funding for the outdoors, and has converted more than 100,000 outdoor enthusiasts into outdoor advocates. 

For more information, visit www.outdooralliance.org






Protect: First Ascents, Ground Falls, and the AAC Rescue Benefit in Action

In this episode, we sit down with Jarod, a long-time AAC member, to discuss a crazy accident he had at his home crag in Missouri, and how he utilized the AAC’s rescue benefit to cover the cost of his medical expenses. If you’ve been wondering if the AAC’s rescue benefit is for you, Jarod’s story helps explain how it works. We dive into the quirky concept of “girdle traverses” or mulitpitches that go sideways, and analyze his accident— the decisions he made, how traversing complicates gear placements, and the close calls he had. Funnily enough, Jarod also did a FA on that same wall—putting up Missouri’s potentially longest rock climb with Jeremy Collins, and this FA made it into the American Alpine Journal! We discuss the vision behind this 8-pitch traverse, what went into making it happen, the silliness of climbing, the unique belay tactics for traversing, and more!

The Climb that Inspired the Novel that Inspired the Climbs: The Many Stories of the Brenva Face of Mont Blanc

From the AAC Library Collection.

By: Katie Ives 

Each book in the American Alpine Club Library is a portal to another world—of golden spires feathered with rime, fluted snow beneath indigo skies, or red-granite aiguilles above a sea of ice. Beyond these worlds, there are countless layers of other worlds encountered by readers inspired to seek their own adventures and return with their own tales. For climbing is an act of storytelling: we trace the arc of a narrative with our bodies and our minds, rising from the base of a mountain toward a climactic point and descending to a resolution. And the history of mountaineering is also the history of reading and imagination, of old dreams endlessly transforming into new ones.   

The Climb 

On July 15, 1865, English alpinist Adolphus Warburton Moore found himself on the edge of a ridge that looked like something from a fantasy novel. The slender crest of blue ice seemed to rise for an eternity. Sheer voids dropped off on either side. Neither the iron tips of their alpenstocks nor the hobnails of their boots stuck to its flawless surface.  

It was inconceivable to climb. No one had yet established a route on this aspect of Mont Blanc, where the Brenva Face rose for 1,400 meters in a chaos of cliffs, towers, and buttresses, fringed by unstable seracs and swept by avalanches and rockfall. 

From the AAC Library collection.

Still, the Swiss guide Jakob Anderegg kept going, and the rest of the team, including Moore, cautiously followed. As the crest narrowed, they shuffled along à cheval, one leg on either side, aware that any fall might be catastrophic [1].

Long after they finished the first ascent of the Brenva Spur and descended by a safer route, the ice crest lingered in the imaginations of those who read Moore’s memoir, The Alps in 1864. In 1906, British author A.E.W. Mason located the climactic scene of his crime novel Running Water on the Brenva Spur—a point of no return that appeared perfect for an attempted murder of one climber by another, “a line without breadth of cold blue ice” [2].

The Novel

Mason’s Running Water, like its author’s inspiration, begins with reading. Riding the train to Chamonix, his young protagonist Sylvia Thesiger becomes immersed in an old copy of the British Alpine Journal, published more than two decades prior to the novel. All night, she couldn’t sleep, remembering her first glimpse of the Mont Blanc massif beyond the curtain of a train window, recalling her sense of inchoate longing for its moonlit towers of ice and snow. 

Although women climbers had taken part in numerous firsts by the time of the novel’s plot, they weren’t permitted to publish in the Alpine Journal under their own bylines until 1889, when Margaret Jackson recounted her epic first winter traverse of the Jungfrau. And there’s no female author or character in the story Thesiger reads about the first ascent of an aiguille near Mont Blanc. Yet she longs to enter its world, and when she arrives in Chamonix, she hires guides to take her on her own first climb, up the Aiguille d’Argentière. As an ice slope tilts upward, sheer and smooth as a pane of glass, she rejoices, feeling as if she’s finally dreamed her way into a scene from mountain literature, “the place where no slip must be made.” Astounded at her fearlessness and intuitive skill, a guide tells her she bears an uncanny resemblance to a famous climber from the Alpine Journal story she’d just admired. 

“I felt something had happened to me which I had to recognize—a new thing,” she recalls. “Climbing that mountain...was just like hearing very beautiful music. All the vague longings which had ever stirred within me, longings for something beyond, and beyond.” Later, after she falls in love with a climber, the memory of that day suffuses their bond with a steadfast alpine glow—“ice-slope and rock-spire and the bright sun over all.”   

By the end, however, the novel shifts from her journey of self-discovery toward an outcome more conventional for its era. Newly wed, Thesiger is relegated to waiting below the Brenva Spur while the male hero and villain confront each other above that narrow blue crest. Readers don’t find out, for certain, whether she’ll climb any mountains again. A sense of incompleteness remains: the mysterious promise of her alpine epiphanies and of her suppressed and inmost self seem to flow beyond the narrative’s abrupt conclusion, like the recurring dreams she has of running water. 

The Next Climbs

After the publication of Running Water, the ice crest reemerged in a real climber’s recurring dreams. During World War I, Scottish physiologist Thomas Graham Brown took refuge in fantasies inspired by the novel. Night after night, in his sleep, he left behind the horrors of grim battles and shell-shocked men [3] for his own imagined version of the Brenva Face amid a wonderland of shining mountains. The geography seemed so “vivid,” he wrote in his memoir, Brenva, “that a map might be made of the country” [4].

After he recovered from the war, Brown sought the Brenva Face again and again, though its actual topography proved different from what he’d seen in his dreams. Between 1927 and 1933, he established three new routes there, some of the hardest of his day: the Sentinelle and the Major with fellow British climber Frank Smythe; and the Pear with Swiss guides Alexander Graven and Alfred Aufdenblatten. During the last climb, under the shadow of the full moon, Brown felt as if the Brenva had become, once more, “an unknown land,” a flood of dreams subsuming all the real lines he’d climbed. 

As they descended from the summit, light flashed along the running water of a stream, and like Thesiger, he heard an unearthly music cascade through his mind. In his sleep, long afterward, Brown continued to explore the dream version of the Brenva Face, its enigmas unresolved. And for the rest of his life, he kept Mason’s Running Water close by [5].

A Real-Life Sequel to the Novel

Meanwhile, currents of Sylvia Thesiger’s story flowed on through another real alpinist’s life. In 1920 a budding English climbing writer, Dorothey Pilley, strained to see the Alps through the window of a crowded train. She was so overwhelmed with long-held imaginings that her own first glimpse of the range seemed like a chaos of snow-reflected light. 

Since reading Running Water, Pilley had felt spellbound by the unearthly ice arête of the Brenva Spur, but also by the ice slope of the Aiguille d’Argentière, where Thesiger steps into the world of her dreams. The scenes blended in Pilley’s mind with those of other, mythic peaks into “a strange, now unrecapturable farrago of fantasies…perhaps a vague haunting background to all my mountain experiences” [6].        

Like Thesiger, Pilley felt a new self emerge when she climbed, free of the constraints of her society. As if echoing the novel, when she attempted her own early mountain writing, she found herself trying to capture images of running water over stone. Pilley, too, fell in love in the hills, and the awe and light of the mountains remained at the heart of her subsequent marriage [7].

From the AAC Library Collection.

Beyond that point, Pilley’s life story continued along one of many paths that Thesiger might have taken after the novel’s ending—if Thesiger’s author proved bold enough and feminist enough to compose such a sequel. Following a similar yearning for the mysterious, Pilley completed first ascents around the world, often with her husband, Ivor (I.A) Richards. On their most famous new route, the North Ridge of the Dent Blanche, with French guide Joseph Georges, the couple encountered a surreal crest of their own, “as though a dream had got out of place.” Its smooth and at times overhanging rock required “a leap into the void,” they recalled in the Alpine Journal [8].

Pilley also joined the early movement of women taking part in manless, guideless ascents, demonstrating they could be fully independent leaders. And she wrote down her adventures in a book of her own, Climbing Days, which became one of the great classics of literary alpine memoirs. In one of his poems, her husband I.A. Richards quoted her words, “Leaping crevasses in the dark, / That’s how to live!” [9].

The Next Novel?

Mason’s novel haunts me, too. I also fantasize of the imaginary and the real, at times obscuring each other like shadows and moonlight, cascading in unending, luminous streams from ascent to tale to ascent and tale again. Thesiger’s longings appear so vivid they seem to transcend fiction or illusion like the topography of Brown’s recurring dreams. And I wonder what she might accomplish if she were released from the pages of Running Water: Could she return to climb the Brenva Spur herself? Could her life unfold with the same wild audacity that Pilley’s had, taking leap after leap over the voids? Given the intensity of Thesiger’s love of the Alps and her inherent talent, could she, too, write down her own adventures instead of merely reading stories by men? Most of all, could she venture even deeper into the ecstatic communion with the mountains that she’d encountered on her first climb, amid the light, the stillness, and the ice? 

We live in a new era now, when alpine literature is expanding and diversifying, with the influence of new voices and new ideas. It seems past time for someone to write a new novel that could be a sequel to Running Water or else a complete reenvisioning—to find new possibilities within that “line without breadth of cold blue ice.” 

Perhaps one of the readers of my story, now, will write the next book, one that might inspire as yet unimaginable climbs and dreams. 

[I have also explored the story of the Brenva Face in a Sharp End column for Alpinist 75.—Author.] 

More From Katie Ives

Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams

This article was made possible with research assistance from AAC Library Director Katie Sauter.

Endnotes

[1] Adolphus Warburton Moore, The Alps in 1864: A Private Journal (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1902). Although the book states “1864” in its title, the 1865 climb is included. 

[2]  A.E.W. Mason, Running Water and The Guide, with introduction and notes by Roberta Grandi (London Academic Publishing, 2021). 

[3] For a biography of Thomas Graham Brown, short-listed for the Boardman-Tasker Award, see Peter Foster’s The Uncrowned King of Mont Blanc (Langley, UK: Baton Wicks Publications, 2019). 

[4] Thomas Graham Brown, Brenva (London: J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1944).

[5]  See Robin N. Campbell’s “Graham Brown’s Eulogy,” in the Edinburgh University Mountaineering Club Online Archives, eumarchives.files.wordpress.com, 1965. 

[6]  Climbing Days, Dorothy Pilley (London: Secker & Warburg, 1935). 

[7] As Pilley’s nephew, Dan Richards, wrote in his biography of her, also called Climbing Days (London: Faber & Faber Ltd., 2016), “Ivor and Dorothea were both, first and foremost, mountaineers. They met in the mountains on an equal footing and returned there whenever they could for the rest of their lives…. United climbing companions on a rope, their apparently eccentric union founded in the wild landscape of the mountains.”

[8] Dorothy Pilley and I.A. Richards, “The North Ridge of the Dent Blanche,” Alpine Journal 35 (1923). 

[9] As cited in Dan Richard’s biography of Pilley.

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EDUCATE: The Climbing World's Best Books about Accidents and the Cutting Edge

This year’s editions of Accidents in North American Climbing and the American Alpine Journal are off to the printer! We had the editors of these world-renowned books, Dougald MacDonald and Pete Takeda, on the podcast to discuss all the details of what goes into making these books: including how stories get selected, the challenges of investigating how accidents happen, how these books fit into the larger climbing media landscape, and the long history of these books. Our editors also chat about what it’s like to edit over 100 stories about climbers hurting themselves and then still go climbing. We cover how these books have been translated and utilized across the globe, as well as trends in accidents this year. If you’re looking for more details about how the AAC produces such robust reporting on cutting edge climbing and accident analysis each year, you’ll have to hear from the editors themselves!

United We Climb? Or United We VIBE?—The June T-Shirt Is Here

Pack your boombox and rigid-stem cams, it's time to vibe out. This June, we're offering this bodacious limited edition t-shirt when you join the Club, renew your membership, donate $30 or more. If you’re obsessed with the climbing vibe, this 80’s inspired t-shirt is for you!

Use promo code VIBE24 during the month of June only.

AAC Submits Comment on Proposed Bears Ears Climbing Management Plan

PC: Jeremiah Watt

On March 8, 2024 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) opened the public comment period for the Bears Ears National Monument Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, notably impacting the world-renowned climbing of Indian Creek, UT. The BLM and USFS held open-house style public meetings with opportunities to speak with resource specialists, as well as provided virtual meeting options to attend. The public comment period closed Tuesday, June 11th, and the AAC submitted the comment below which supports tribal co-management of the Monument, makes recommendations on zoning/area designations, asks questions regarding proposed permitting and closure criteria, and other topics of interest to the climbing community. Read on to learn more about the draft management plan and the AAC’s perspective on it.

June 11, 2024

Bureau of Land Management

Bears Ears National Monument

Monticello Field Office

P.O. Box 7

Monticello, Utah 84535

Email: blm_ut_monticello_monuments@blm.gov

RE: Public Comment, Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Bears Ears National Monument (BENM)

The American Alpine Club (“AAC”) appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for the Bears Ears National Monument. The BENM, and more specifically Indian Creek, is a world-class destination for rock climbing and attracts many of the AAC’s 26,000-plus members nationwide to climb and enjoy the recreation and cultural resources in BENM. The AAC looks forward to continued engagement with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in regard to climbing management and values the efforts of the BLM and USFS to steward the abundant and unique resources of BENM. This RMP will be critical in managing the ecological, cultural, and natural resources of the BENM, especially as more people recreate in the outdoors in all forms of activities. The AAC would like to be considered a resource for the BLM and USFS in helping steward these important resources for generations to come and support the BLM’s and USFS’s effort to create an informed and enduring RMP.

I. The American Alpine Club

The AAC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Golden, Colorado, with over 26,000 members nationally. Founded in 1902 to support the research and exploration of mountainous regions, the AAC remains committed to supporting the climbing and human-powered outdoor recreation communities over a century later. Grounded in community and location, the AAC’s mission is to share and support members’ passion for climbing and respect for the places they climb. Through education, community gatherings, stewardship, policy, advocacy, and scientific research, the AAC strives to build a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes.

II. Alternative E

A. Tribal Co-Management. The AAC supports the recommended tribal co-management of BENM found in Alternative E1 [1]. Recognizing that this is a precedent-setting methodology of management that may serve as a model for future co-management opportunities, we seek several points of clarification within Alternative E that we hope will be addressed prior to or in conjunction with any implementation plan. While we find points of merit in all the alternatives presented in the Draft RMP, we believe that any plan which does not include a component of tribal co-management would be a missed opportunity to recognize Traditional Indigenous Knowledge (TIK)[2] as a valuable resource in decision-making regarding conservation, environmental, and cultural resources. We support utilization of the Bears Ears Commission (BEC) established in 2016 [3], as described in the Presidential Proclamation creating BENM, stating:

““In recognition of the importance of tribal participation to the care and management of the objects identified above, and to ensure that management decisions affecting the monument reflect tribal expertise and traditional and historical knowledge, a Bears Ears Commission (Commission) is hereby established to provide guidance and recommendations on the development and implementation of management plans and on management of the monument.” [4]
”
— from the Presidential Proclamation Creating BENM

B. Zones. Alternative E proposes the management of recreation through a zoned approach, designating four zones consisting of Front Country, Passage, Outback, and Remote [5]. This zoned approach would largely remove existing recreation management designations (such as Recreation Management Zones (RMZ) and Special Recreation Management Areas). The Indian Creek area, as an area of primary interest to the climbing community, would be largely located in the Outback and Remote Zones [6]. Indian Creek is currently designated as a Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), and subject to the regulations associated with that SRMA [7] such as dispersed camping regulations, regulations regarding interaction with archeological sites, wild species avoidance guidance, trail usage regulations, and more.

The novel zone designations as written and applied to the zoning proposed for Indian Creek are unnecessarily restrictive and do not allow for future management flexibility. In Remote Zones no “new sites/facilities/trails would be developed”[8] and in Outback Zones no “new sites/facilities would be developed”[9] except for the possibility of “minor recreation facilities such as trails, trailhead markers, and informational kiosks” [10] when deemed “necessary.” These in toto exclusions do not provide land managers with the flexibility for future management concerns, which are easily accounted for in the existing SRMA and can be tailored in future SRMA or RMZ designations. We recommend utilizing a hybrid zone/designation system such as that utilized in the 2020 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan [11] which allows for the development of SRMAs and RMZs that are more tailored within any zone, or sub-component of a zone, to address the specific management concerns of that zone and accounting for BEC collaboration in that decision-making process. The SRMAs and/or RMZs would be managed in accordance with the distinct recreation-tourism market for which they were created and in conjunction with the BEC.

C. Permitting. The proposal to develop a Monument permit system that would require a permit for all “private overnight and day use in all canyons”[12] is a dramatic departure from current practices. If the intent is to simply account for the general number and whereabouts of visitors on a no-cost basis then the AAC supports that proposition provided it has varying methods of registration accommodating various ability levels (i.e., in-person, web-based, etc). If the recommendation is for a permit fee structure, we would request an opportunity to see the specific proposed permit fees prior to making recommendations on a permitting plan. However, we do generally support increased management of the resources at BENM and understand permitting may be a requisite component of efficient management of the resources.

D. Approval Process for New Routes. The AAC appreciates the agencies. recognizing that the climbing in BENM located in and around Indian Creek is “world famous”[13] and important to the local recreation economy [14]. The climbing activity specific management proposal [15] is of particular interest to our membership and impacts climbers worldwide. We support the recommendation that, “replacement of existing bolts, anchors, and fixed gear would be allowed on existing climbing and canyoneering routes as needed for safety reasons without prior authorization”[16]. In regard to the approval of new routes which require fixed anchors we recommend that, where appropriate, the agencies in collaboration with the BEC and delegated climbing organizations/representatives consider programmatic approval of routes for specific zones when considering the overall new route approval process. We also recommend that an interim process of route approval be developed prior to implementation in order to ensure that new routes can be considered by land managers and the BEC while the new process is under consideration, avoiding a de facto moratorium on new route development. For both the interim and final climbing management plans we recommend that local climbers and climbing organizations be engaged in the process for substantive input to inform those plans.

E. Closures. The draft plan states that, “Existing access points, trails, and climbing routes that are consistent with the protection of BENM objects would remain available for use. If site-specific impacts exist, climbing routes can be closed and access trails and staging areas may be closed or rerouted”[17] and that, “Climbing closures would be identified in accordance with applicable law” [18]. The AAC asks for clarification on what criteria would be utilized in the determination of “consistent with the protection of BENM” as well as the criteria that would be utilized to determine “impact.” We understand that the criteria could be dependent upon whether the closure is aimed to protect an ecological/biological resource such as raptors, or a cultural resource such as an archaeological site. We also seek clarification of the factors or criteria to be considered for determining a “resource rest” is appropriate to justify a closure, as well as how the length of time for a resource rest would be calculated.

F. Commercial Filming. Under Alternative E no commercial filming would be allowed [19]. We believe that a wholesale prohibition to commercial filming on BENM could be a missed opportunity to promote the cultural, biological, and ecological relevance of the Monument, as well as amplifying best-practices through the media arts. The agencies should consider reviewing commercial project proposals in conjunction with the BEC through the existing film permitting system [20] and consider those that may enhance and/or promote the image of BENM.

III. Conclusion

The American Alpine Club values this opportunity to represent over 26,000 members, and the collective climbing community, on the future of climbing management in the Bears Ears National Monument. In summary, the AAC would like to reiterate our strong support of this historic tribal co-management opportunity through the BEC. We ask that consideration be given to preserving the current SRMA in Indian Creek, or future SRMAs/RMZs, in order to remain flexible for current and future recreation needs. We seek clarification on matters concerning permitting and fees, new climbing route approval processes, and criteria for area closure and rest periods. Additionally, we ask that consideration be given to the outright prohibition of commercial filming on the Monument.

The AAC will remain committed to instilling the ethos of utilizing the best low-impact climbing techniques and practices, and staunchly supporting appropriate recreation on our Nation’s public lands. The AAC is ready and willing to assist the BLM and USFS to develop a plan that sustainably manages the climbing resources of Bears Ears National Monument, while protecting the culturally significant resources of the Monument. The AAC looks forward to continuing to work with the agencies in the interim and through the implementation of this plan.

Respectfully,

Byron E. Harvison

Director, Policy and Government Affairs

The American Alpine Club

1–U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, Bears Ears National Monument, Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1: Executive Summary and Chapters 1-4, 2.1.6, March 2024.

2— Ibid, 3.3.

3—Presidential Proclamation 9558, Establishment of the Bears Ears National Monument, 82 Federal Register 1139, December 28, 2016.

4—Ibid, page 1144.

5—See U.S. DOI, U.S.D.A., BENM at ES-4.6.

6–U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, National NEPA Register, BENM Draft RMP/EIS Interactive Map, BLM UT BENM Zones Alt E Draft, release date March 13, 2024, accessed June 5, 2024. https://eplanning.blm.gov/EPLCommentMap/?itemId=f11acb57f3f64bbf922335ad796faa20

7— See https://www.blm.gov/visit/indian-creek-bears-ears-national-monument#:~:text=The%20Indian%20Creek%20Special%20Recreation,of%20Bears%20Ears%20National%20Monument. Accessed May 29, 2024.

8— See U.S. DOI, U.S.D.A., BLM, BENM at 2-82.

9— Ibid.

10— Ibid.

11— U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Record Decision and Approved Resource Management Plans for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 85 Federal Register 9802, February 2, 2020.

12– See U.S. DOI, U.S.D.A., BLM, BENM at 2-102.

13— Ibid at 1-3.

14— Ibid at 1-3, and ES-24.

15— See U.S. DOI, U.S.D.A., BLM, BENM at 2-115.

16— Ibid.

17— Ibid at 2-80.

18— Ibid.

19– Ibid at 2-75.

20— https://www.blm.gov/programs/lands-and-realty/leases-and-permits/filming-on-public-lands/film-permitting-process, accessed June 3, 2024.

Climbing Grief Fund Spotlight: Gratitude

PC: Jessica Glassberg/Louder Than 11

Grief, Beauty, and Loss in the Mountains

by Hannah Provost

“When Meg climbs on the Diamond these days, she can’t seem to shake a glimpse of red in her periphery–the color of Tom’s red Patagonia R1 as he climbed with her. When she turns to catch a better look, he’s not there. Tom: her dear friend, who fed a bumblebee on a belay ledge to bring it back to life; who encouraged Meg to lead harder and harder pitches on gear; who introduced her to her husband; who she trusted more than anyone on rock. She wants to turn and see Tom’s red R1 climbing up the pitch behind her. But Tom won’t ever climb the Diamond again.

Meg Yingling is an American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) rock guide, a lover of the high places, deeply embedded in our community—and intimately aware of the grief that haunts our sport. When she lost her friend, Tom Wright, to a climbing accident in the summer of 2020, her relationship to climbing radically changed—it mellowed and thickened and burst all at once. But thanks to the Climbing Grief Fund Grant (CGF), she was able to get the resources she needed to start processing her grief, her new relationship to climbing, and actively sit with the messiness of it all…”

Read more about Meg’s experiences with both grief and beauty in the mountains:

EDUCATE: The Untold Stories of Sherpas, Baltis, and other Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges

In this episode, we cover the untold and complex experience of local climbers in the Greater Ranges—how Sherpas, Baltis, and other local climbers have navigated the complex landscape of living near and working on Everest and in the Karakoram. We sat down with three incredible writers—Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar, who are the authors of the newly released book Headstrap–Legends and Lore from the Climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling; and also the well-known mountain writer Bernadette McDonald, who has recently released Alpine Rising: Sherpas, Baltis, and the Triumph of Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges.


Though it's easy to lump these mountains together from a foreign climber’s perspective, these books cover distinct geographical locations that are deeply impacted by the politics of this region of the world. In conversation, these writers illuminated the unique challenges for Nepali, Tibetan, Pakistani, and Sherpa climbers from Darjeeling, as well as the shared challenges that all of these climbers have faced in making a name for themselves, fighting for safe working conditions, navigating the way colonization has impacted the boundaries of mountaineering, and more. We discuss topics like how Tenzing Norgay’s identifying as Sherpa when he first climbed Everest catapulted the idea of “Sherpa” into the limelight, how the Partitioning of India and Pakistan affects the work prospects of Darjeeling Sherpa, navigating relationships with foreign climbers vs climbing for themselves, and much more. Whether you’re a mountaineer yourself, or just have a passing respect for Everest, join us in this episode to hear about the deeply human stories of individual Sherpas (from various regions) and Pakistani climbers, and how they navigate death, risk, financial independence, and glory in the big mountains of our world.

Climb United Feature: Finding Impact in a World of Performance

Salt Lake Area Queer Climbers (SLAQC) showing some pride at Black Rocks, St. George, UT. Land of the Pueblos and Paiute people. AAC member Bobbie Lee

A Deep Look Into the Affiliate Support Network

By Shara Zaia

Drawing on personal experience in co-creating Cruxing in Color, and the experience of affinity group leaders across the country, Shara Zaia reflects on the unpaid labor that goes into creating affinity spaces within climbing—and yet just how much it means to so many traditionally marginalized climbers to find community. Zaia uncovers the true cost and benefit of this work, and lays out why the AAC has developed the Affiliate Support Network (ASN)—our Climb United program that provides fiduciary and other administrative support to affinity groups across the country so that they can raise donations and/or become nonprofits, ultimately making their organizations more sustainable and long-lasting. Dive in to get a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible power of this work, and how the Climb United team has been determined to find impact.

Artist Spotlight: Marty Schnure & The Art of Maps

By Sierra McGivney

Photo courtesy of Marty Schnure.

In this profile of cartographer Marty Schnure, we uncover the philosophy that has influenced her creation of several beautiful maps for the American Alpine Journal (AAJ), the world-renowned AAC publication that reports the cutting-edge ascents and descents of each year. For Schnure, map-making is about blending geographical information while also evoking and displaying the relationship between that geography and whatever is important about that place to the map user—aka climbing routes, or the animal corridors of that area. Dive into this article to learn about the art of map-making, and how Schure thinks about the responsibility of a cartographer, the power of maps to express an idea, and more.

Rewind the Climb: The North Face of North Twin

Photos Courtesy of the George Lowe Collection

First Ascent by George Lowe and Chris Jones

By Grey Satterfield

Fifty years ago, George Lowe and Chris Jones plunged deep into the Canadian Rockies in search of an adventure. They had read in the 1966 American Alpine Journal of a “mountain wall which acts like a strong drug on the mind.” This wall was the north face of Twin Tower (more often referred to as the north face of North Twin), and Lowe and Jones’ adventure turned into one of the proudest ascents in the history of alpinism…

To this day, their route has yet to see a full second ascent. The north face was finally climbed again by a different route 11 years later. In 50 years, only five teams have started at the bottom of the north face and made the summit. Every climber returned with a story more harrowing than the next.

Dive in as Grey Satterfield revisits this historic ascent, and uncovers truths that helps us reflect on modern climbing:

CONNECT: Inside the Life of a Climbing Photographer

Note: This episode is explicit.

In this episode, we had adventure photographer Jeremiah Watt on the pod to talk about all things climbing photography. Miah is a big fan of the AAC, and regularly donates his incredible photos to us! In this episode, Miah and the AAC’s award-winning Graphic Designer Foster Denney dive into topics like the life of a freelancer, what it takes to get the right shot on the wall, trends in climbing photography, the physical toll like jugging fixed lines to get the shot, mistakes new photogs make, and more. Ever wondered what’s going on behind the lens? Listen to this episode to get the behind the scenes life of an adventure photographer!

CONNECT: Mo Beck on the Impact of Adaptive Climbing Fest, and Retiring from Competitions

Adaptive Climbing Festival (ACF) is crafting a shift in adaptive climbing. Not only is it easier than ever for a person with a disability to TRY paraclimbing, but through ACF, there are also now more opportunities to build skills and depth in the paraclimbing community, deepening the knowledge and expertise that adaptive leaders can use to empower future generations of adaptive climbers.

We sat down with Mo Beck, one of the organizers of ACF and a pro athlete, to talk about how Adaptive Climbing Fest started, its impact, and why ACF is such a meaningful finalist for the AAC’s Changemaker Award. We also chatted about Mo’s climbing philosophy, the emotions of retiring from competing, trolls on Mountain Project, and how she’s seen the sport change over 25 years of climbing.

CLIMB: Katie Lamb Dives Deep on Her Send of Box Therapy, and Losing Anonymity

In 2023, Katie Lamb sent Box Therapy. It was a definite level-up for her personal climbing, and with this ascent, she became the first woman in history to climb a boulder that many consider to be V16. Her landmark send made waves, and that’s why she is a finalist for the AAC’s Climb of the Year Award. We chatted with Katie about all that went into projecting Box Therapy, her climbing philosophy, how to use excuses to your advantage on bad days, what it was like to lose anonymity, her secret to work-climbing balance, the experience of everyone talking about you on the internet, and being authentic in the current climbing world.

Grant Spotlight: The Cornerstone Grant

PC: Grey Satterfield

In this article, writer Holly You Tung Chen captures the energy and effort that goes into sustainably developing a new bouldering area. Thanks to the AAC’s Cornerstone Grant, the Carolinas Climber’s Coalition was able to build trails and develop a parking lot for the McKinney Gap and Weaver Knob boulders. Dive in to hear about the process of discovering the boulders, sending and first ascents, and marshaling resources to responsibly open access to climbers everywhere.

CLIMB: Babsi Zangerl's Secret to Her Exceptional Yosemite Resume

"I like to suck" Babsi says...and this mentality means she's constantly trying climbing styles and skills that she's bad at. And with that sense of curiosity, she acquires a breadth of mastery that is evident in her Yosemite accomplishments...

In many ways, Babsi Zangerl has flown under the radar here in the United States. She doesn’t like to brag—she just wants to climb hard. But her dedication to climbing has resulted in an astonishing Yosemite resume. She has 6 free ascents of El Cap to her name, including the first female free ascents of Zodiac, El Nino, and Magic Mushroom. In this interview, we talk about some of these iconic climbs, what inspires her and her goal-setting process, how she taught herself to crack climb in Indian Creek so she could climb in Yosemite, the magic duo that is her partnership with Jacopo Larcher, and her perspective on the ground-up ethic of big wall climbing. She also admits to why she’s been avoiding the Monster Off-Width pitch and gives us a hint of her ambitions for future Yosemite trips. Dive into this episode to hear from one of the most accomplished modern Yosemite climbers—and honestly, she’s just getting started.

Fixed Anchors: What's Next?

A Brief Update on What’s Next When it Comes to Fixed Anchors in Wilderness

Photo by Sterling Boin.

The climbing community is collectively holding its breath while we wait to find out what the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service are going to do with their proposed regulations on fixed anchors. Now that the public comment period is over, and the agencies are categorizing, and reviewing the thousands of comments, we wait. The gravity of these proposed regulations is not lost on any of us, and we want the agencies to take their time and appropriately consider the issue from all angles.

As we wait, many of you are wondering, “What’s next?” There are a few different paths this issue can take. After reviewing the public comments, the agencies could implement the regulations as written, making no changes at all. The agencies could consider the specific issues the public noted and modify the regulations. The agencies could do nothing and could delay implementation pending further consideration of the issue.

One move the agencies could take, which the AAC hopes they strongly consider, is a committee-based resolution. Utilizing the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), negotiated rulemaking process, or similar collaborative process, an appointed committee could tackle this complicated and nuanced issue head on. The committee could consist of agency representatives, wilderness advocates, climbing advocates, and any other appropriate groups, and would address fixed anchors and their usage in Wilderness. The AAC, Access Fund, Outdoor Alliance, AMGA, Wilderness Society, and many others made this recommendation to the agencies in our public comments and believe it to be a viable option for the agencies to address the proposed regulations through a collaborative process. The AAC is working to activate our volunteer network and climbing advocacy volunteers towards sharing their own thoughts on the potential of the FACA process.

In the interim, the AAC will communicate with the agencies, land managers, and legislators and keep the climbing community informed. If this issue is important to you, continue to contact your legislators and tell them why it matters. Stay tuned!

EDUCATE: Hazel Findlay on Yosemite, Magic Line, and the Theory of Flow

We sat down with the master of climbing mindset, Hazel Findlay. Hazel has made many significant free ascents of El Cap, and is one of the very few to climb the storied single pitch trad test piece, Magic Line. In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Hazel about her history with Yosemite, the projecting process for Magic Line, and of course, tips and tricks for building a strong mind. She shares some of her best insights about finding flow; a new concept that compliments flow, called clutch; first steps towards building a personal sending philosophy; and even a few practical exercises you can put into practice right now to start working on your headgame. And of course, how this all got applied during her own projecting process for Magic Line, because Pro’s struggle with headgame too!

GAME DAY: Hueco Rock Rodeo

It’s about to be game on for the 28th annual Hueco Rock Rodeo, and so we had our own Game Day panel to talk shop about strategies for the competition, the major players to look out for, and how the condies are shaping up. We had Nina Williams and Jon Glassberg on the pod to chat podium predictions, climbing rivalries, whose injured, and whose coming in with momentum, and whether Daniel Woods is really going to win the Hueco Rock Rodeo, AGAIN. Dive in to get all the beta on the top competitors, funny stories from past competitions, performance tips, competitive vibes, trash talk, and more.

Show Notes

More about the Hueco Rock Rodeo

More about Nina Williams

More about Jon Glassberg

CLIMB: Kyra Condie on Winning Hueco, Fear of Falling, and Trying Harder

In this episode, we sit down with Mountain Hardwear athlete and Olympian Kyra Condie. Kyra has so much psyche and energy, and we had a wide ranging conversation, covering her past, present, and future climbing exploits. We start off with her experience winning the Hueco Rock Rodeo in 2017, her advice for competitors this year, and how her spinal fusion pushes her to have a creative mind and find her own beta. She also gave some excellent insight into the way comp climbers think, the key training focuses every climber should have, and how MORE climbers should get on routes and problems that are way too hard for them. Kyra is really open about dealing with fear of falling and fear of the unknown, and we unpack that and more, diving into relatable topics for most climbers. Finally, we cover her Olympic hopes for Paris 2024. Whether it's strategies for competing in Hueco, training tips, or mantras for good mental game, Kyra’s wisdom is worth the listen!

Fix CRUS: Help Protect Public Access to Recreation in Colorado!

Mining remains on Mount Sherman. Photo by Katie Sauter.

Policy Alert: Take Action!

As climbers, many of us are familiar with the often delicate and fragile access to climbing on private land. In Colorado, we now have the opportunity to pass legislation to ensure that our access to our beloved climbing areas is no longer so tenuous.

The crux of the matter is liability. The current Colorado Recreational Use Statute (CRUS) has private landowners concerned about the liability they take on when they allow the public to access their lands for recreation. The result has been a drastic number of closures or uncertainty for some of Colorado's most iconic recreational areas—including 14ers, attending the Leadville 100, and even climbing in Ouray Ice Park.

The AAC is part of the Fix CRUS Coalition, and we have worked alongside our partners as they crafted SB-58, a landmark bill that will fix the Colorado Recreational Use Statute (CRUS), ensure the balance of landowner rights, and protect public access to our state's natural wonders that are on private land. 

Now, we need your voice to turn this work into a reality. This impacts more than just Colorado climbers, but our entire outdoor family that utilizes Colorado lands. 

What SB-58 Does

This bill takes a carefully balanced approach to help limit landowner liability exposure while ensuring visitors are aware of non-obvious or man-made hidden hazards. SB-58 would do the following:

  • Protect landowners who put a warning sign up with pre-approved language at the main access point from lawsuits related to most natural, agricultural, and mining-related hazards.

  • Clarify that visitors must use a designated access point, stay on trails and within approved areas or they will be classified a trespasser for purposes of liability (not criminality).

  • Update which recreational activities are protected by CRUS, to include rock climbing, ice climbing, trail running, backcountry skiing, rafting, and kayaking, etc.

Your Role: Advocate for Colorado's Outdoors

Your voice is crucial. We urge you to contact your Colorado State Senator and Representative and express your support for SB-58 asking them to support and cosponsor the bill.

SB 58 is a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Mark Baisley and Dylan Roberts, and Representatives Shannon Bird and Brianna Titone. This bill has passed out of committee with unanimous consent, and we just need voices from Colorado outdoors enthusiasts like you to push it over the edge and make it a reality! 

Whose Risk Is It?

How A Little-Known Statute Protects Climbing Access Across America

by Alex Derr

Interested in learning how liability concerns impact recreation across the country? Do a deep dive into recreation, private land, and liability with our article “Whose Risk Is It?”

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