Sunday, November 21, 2010

Rock & Ice Magazine Review of the Annual Dinner

The annual black tie dinner at the New York Section of the American Alpine Club is perennially sold out, and for good reason: the august and elegant setting of the Union Club...

http://www.rockandice.com/news/1238-sure-climbers-can-wear-black-tie

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Mike Barker & Mike Lederer Presentation - Thursday October 28th


Date: October 28, 2010 at 7 pm
Location: The North Face® Store - Uptown, 2101 Broadway (at 73rd), New York, NY

Join Michael Lederer and Mike Barker as they share images and experiences from their expedition into the heart of the English Mountains in winter conditions. This remote subarctic wilderness range is now part of the Mealy Mountain National Park Reserve—larger than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined. And it’s located as close to midtown Manhattan as Miami Beach!

On their journey, Mike and Michael did some pioneering climbing, witnessed spectacular scenery and found tremendous opportunities for future outdoor adventures. Their many years of experience prepared them for the challenges of the arctic weather and climbing, but not for the wrath of the Cave Creatures of local Innu legend. . .

About the presenters:
Michael Lederer has organized and led numerous four-season wilderness mountaineering expeditions for more than three decades. He is focused on exploring seldom-visited ranges or peaks, including several first ascents in the Battle Range of British Columbia's Columbia Mountains, and in the Alaska/Canada Boundary Ranges.

Mike Barker has been climbing since 1970; has led and guided rock, ice, alpine and high altitude expeditions in Asia, South America and throughout the US and Canada. Over the years he has introduced a multitude of people to mountaineering and climbing, and has been continually motivated to seek out, explore and perform numerous first ascents in an array of undeveloped areas.

Michael and Mike are both members of the New York Section of the American Alpine Club and proudly carried the NY Section Flag on this successful exploratory expedition.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Nepal Tourism Board - Tourism Year 2011

The Nepal Tourism Board would like to inform you that Nepal will be celebrating the year 2011 as “Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY 2011).” This national tourism campaign will be observed in close cooperation with Nepalese travel trade sector and concerned organizations/experts. This announcement of Government of Nepal reflects the government’s anticipation to bring into Nepal at least one million international tourists by the year 2011.
In this regard, Nepal Tourism Board in association with the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN and Nepalese Travel Trade have planned a special Event ‘NTY 2011 Launch Program’ in New York on October 12, 2010 to promote NTY 2011 among the US Trade and Press fraternity.
One of the main special attractions of the Event will be to honor the US mountaineers who have scaled Mt. Everest and Mt. Dhaulagiri. The Cabinet Meeting held on May 7, 2010 has made a decision to provide gratis visa to Mt. Everest and Mt. Dhaulagiri summiteers from May 7, 2010 to 31st December 2011 on the occasion of Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
Similarly, Nepal Tourism Year 2011 under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation made an announcement to honor all Everest Summitteers as ‘NTY 2011 Honorary Goodwill Ambassadors.’ This letter of appointment signed by Hon’ble Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation will be handed over to the Summitteers in NY to those who were unable to collect the same during 3rd International Everest Day held in Kathmandu on May 29, 2010.
As our Nepal Mission in New York has specially mentioned that we seek your assistance in inviting/informing the Summiteers to our Event on 14th October, we ask you to forward this correspondence to your members. We would appreciate if the attending Summiteers could contact the PR company MICE to confirm participation.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

31st Annual Dinner in New York City


Saturday, November 13, 2010

31 st NY Section Annual Black Tie Dinner. Union Club New York City

“A Seven Summits Silver Anniversary Celebration ” featuring Special Guests

Dick Bass, Dave Breashears, Phil Ershler and “Bo” Parfet

Twenty Five Years ago last April, Dick Bass, partnered with Dave Breashears, summitted Everest thus concluding a three year quest to climb the highest point on all Seven Continents, a feat which had not been accomplished before. Since then, more than 275 climbers have followed in Dick's footsteps and completed the odyssey with many more on their way. It has been a boon to the guiding industry and has spawned numerous books and films.

Invitations to this event are available on request from Section Chair Phil Erard at philiperard@nysalpineclub.org or at 212-763-0379. The event is run as a benefit for the AAC Library. Tickets are available by advance subscription only: none will be sold at the Door.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

REEL ROCK Tour - Friday, September 17, 2010 (THIS FRIDAY!)


The fifth annual REEL ROCK Film Tour brings the best in climbing and adventure films to local audiences across the globe. REEL ROCK shows are spirited events where climbers and outdoors lovers come together to celebrate and sample the ultimate in adventure filmmaking. Prize giveaways, appearances by top climbers, and fundraising for non-profit organizations are always part of the party at REEL ROCK events.

This year, REEL ROCK turns five, and co-founders Sender Films and Big UP Productions are celebrating by taking you on a global ride like never before. From death-defying speed link-ups of the wildest faces in The Alps, to Olympian displays of strength and tenacity on the hardest boulders ever climbed, REEL ROCK 2010 features a breathtaking journey through the vertical realm with the heroes of rock and snow.

For more information about The REEL ROCK Film Tour please visit www.reelrocktour.com.


Venue: Manhattan Plaza Health Club, 482 W. 43 Street (near 10th Ave), Climbing Gym upstairs
Date: Friday, September 17, 2010 (THIS FRIDAY!)
Time: 8:00pm

Tickets and Registration: http://www.outdoorbound.com/index.php/events/sub/reel_rock_movie_tour_at_mphc_climbing_gym/

Presented by Vic's Table Mesa, Boulder Rock Club, The Spot Gym, Movement, CU Alpine Club, American Alpine Club and Colorado Daily.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

SAVE THE DATE! - AAC ANNUAL DINNER

Saturday, November 13th, 2010

Thirty First Annual New York Section Dinner Gala
Union Club
New York City

"A Seven Summits Silver Anniversary Celebration"

Special Guests:
Dick Bass, Dave Breashears, Phil Ershler, Bo Parfet
and honoring our own Section Seven Summiteers

Invitations and Subscription Forms will be in the mail late September

Please support AAC Member Robert Walljasper

Robert Walljasper, our pancake cook at the Ausable Outing, is a professional chef and the organizer of the Annual Societe Culinaire Philantropique Gala Picnic in New Paltz. Under a tent and with a decided French atmosphere and cuisine ( pate, boeuf with champignons, vin rouge,etc) Robert ministers to a 500 person crowd under a tent with door prizes, games,etc. This is an annual event, not to be missed, by its devotees many of whom are food service professionals and chefs who come from Manhattan.

This year the event is on Sunday September 12 and begins at 1 PM, ideal for an early morning climb in the Gunks followed by a sumptous sit down feast.
Robert extends an invitation to attend the event to his fellow mates at the AAC.
Tickets are a trivial $45 per person: there is even a RT bus from Manhattan for another $25.

Please let Phil know if you can attend and are interested in forming an AAC table. Please note reservations close Monday August 30th.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Wildest Dream - New York City Premier with Conrad Anker


Please join the NY Chapter of the AAC for the premiere of The Wildest Dream, a new National Geographic release featuring board member Conrad Anker. Ticket information can be found below.

Please join the AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB for the NYC premiere of National Geographic Entertainment’s
THE WILDEST DREAM: CONQUEST OF EVEREST
With special guest CONRAD ANKER
Friday, August 6th
7:15 PM
Regal E Walk 13
247 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
TICKETS are $16 for Adults, $12 for Seniors and Children
Tickets can be purchased in advance for the 7:15 PM show at Fandango. Tickets can also be purchased at the Box Office the day of the show. Questions? Please contact Phil Erard, NY Section Chair.
Driven by empire, torn by love, George Mallory disappeared in 1924, a mere 800 feet from his goal of summiting Mount Everest. Now Conrad Anker returns to Everest to recreate Mallory's climb and solve a mystery that has spanned generations. Directed by Emmy® award winning filmmaker Anthony Geffen and featuring the vocal talents of Academy Award® nominees Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, as well as Hugh Dancy, Alan Rickman and the late Natasha Richardson, "The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest" is a breathtaking mountaineering adventure that seeks to provide answers to the enduring mysteries surrounding the death of George Mallory on Mount Everest. Foremost among them: Could Mallory have succeeded in reaching the summit before he and fellow climber Andrew “Sandy” Irvine disappeared in 1924?

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Vic Benes on the Summit of Shuksan


Here's Vic Benes on the summit of Mt. Shuksan. The 4th time up was a charm!

Friday, July 9, 2010

No Way Down: Booklaunch with writer Graham Bowley

Wednesday, July 21
Reading at 7:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Happy hour with cash bar, 5:00-7:00p.m. with live spiral performance by Sufi singers from Pakistan.

“A refreshingly unadorned account of the true brutality of climbing K2, where heroes emerge and egos are stripped down, and the only thing achieving immortality is the cold ruthless mountain.”
— Norman Ollestad, author of Crazy for the Storm

New York Times reporter Graham Bowley reads from his harrowing account of the worst mountain climbing disaster on K2, second to Everest in height, but second to no peak in terms of danger. From tragic deaths to unbelievable stories of heroism and survival, No Way Down is an amazing feat of storytelling and adventure writing, and, in the words of explorer and author Sir Ranulph Fiennes, “the closest you can come to being on the summit of K2 on that fateful day.”

With its near-perfect pyramid shape, the 28,251-foot K2—the world's second-highest mountain, some 800 feet shorter than the legendary Everest hundreds of miles to the south—has lured serious climbers for decades. In 2008, near the end of a brief climbing season cut even shorter by bad weather, no fewer than ten international teams—some experienced, others less prepared—crowded the mountain's dangerous slopes with their Sherpas and porters, waiting to ascend.

Finally, on August 1, they were able to set off. But hindered by poor judgment, lack of equipment, and overcrowded conditions, the last group did not summit until nearly 8 p.m., hours later than planned. Then disaster struck when a huge ice chunk from above the Bottleneck, a deadly 300-foot avalanche-prone gulley just below the summit, came loose and destroyed the fixed guide ropes. More than a dozen climbers and porters still above the Bottleneck—many without oxygen and some with no headlamps—faced the near impossibility of descending in the blackness with no guideline and no protection. Over the course of the chaotic night, some would miraculously make it back. Others would not.

Based on in-depth interviews with surviving climbers and many Sherpas, porters, and family and friends of the deceased, No Way Down reveals for the first time the full dimensions of this harrowing drama.

RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART
150 WEST 17TH STREET
NEW YORK CITY 10011
www.rmanyc.org
212.620.5000 x344

David Breashears "Rivers of Ice" Reception at the Asia Society on Tuesday 7/13

New York Section of the American Alpine Club members are invited to attend a special reception of David Breashears 'Rivers of Ice' on Tuesday, June 13th from 6-8PM. Breashears is the noted film maker and mountaineer. Please RSVP to RIVERSofICE@AsiaSociety.org by July 9th for the reception. The event will be held at the Asia Society at 725 Park Avenue in New York.

Rivers of Ice: Vanishing Glaciers of the Greater Himalaya showcases the work of photographer and mountaineer David Breashears, who with Glacier Research Imaging Project (GRIP), has retraced the steps of renowned mountain photographers of the past century to recapture images of these mountains and their glaciers from exactly the same vantage points. Rivers of Ice displays his recent photographs alongside the corresponding historic images, revealing the alarming loss in ice mass that has taken place over the intervening years.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

More Photos from the Adirondacks


Ron Bixby on summit of Haystack.

View of Marcy from Haystack through clouds and mist.

Andrew Miller on 1st leg of Haystack Route-Lower Ausable Lake to Wardens Cabin.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Member Dan Lochner Taking on Khan Tengri


Please join the AAC Section in wishing the best of luck to member Dan Lochner as he takes on Khan Tengri in late July solo. Khan Tengri is the 50th highest mountain in the world and the most northern 7,000m peak.

More Photos from the Adirondacks





Leanne Burrell on the trail to Colvin and Blake.

Leanne Burrell on the Scenic Trail to Sawteeth.







Friday, June 11, 2010

Andrew Miller and Ron Bixby on Indian Head in the Adirondacks


Andrew Miller and Ron Bixby on Indian Head late afternoon 6-4-2010, looking south at the Ausable Lakes--perhaps one of the best views in the Adirondacks. Photo by John Tiernan.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Invitation from Member Robert Walljasper for June 21, 2010

Robert Walljasper would like to invite AAC NY Section members to the June 21, 2010 Les Amis d'Escoffier Casino Night & Benefit to benefit the Natalie Toedter Fund at Chelsea Piers.

Monday June 21, 2010 – 6:30PM-9:30PM – Business Attire
Pier 60, Chelsea Piers at West Side Highway and 23rd Street, New York City

Admission
$125 per person in advance or $170 at the door
Your admission ticket allows you to enjoy a wide variety of extraordinary food and desserts prepared for you by leading chefs, plus fine wines and spirits contributed by prestigious wine distributors.

For reservations, mail your check payable to:

Les Amis d’Escoffier Society Foundation
787 Ridgewood Road, Millburn, NJ 07041
For more information, visit the website at www.escoffier-society.com

John Tiernan at the Summer Outing



6-5-2010--Along the trail to Marcy Dam we came to this beaver dam that, as you see, held water some 4 ft above the trail surface. But note that the dam farther back is about the same height again, so that pond's level is more like 8 ft above the trail. Woe to anyone walking that trail when the dam fails. But the beavers' engineering is uncanny.



June 5, 2010--John Tiernan led The March of the Amazons over Avalanche Pass to Avalanche Lake. From left are Laurie Weisman, Leslie Barrett, Ela Bialek, Rosza Schlenker, Tiernan, and Rose Sculley back at Marcy Dam, with John refusing to admit a chest infection to which he later had to defer. Photo by Mark Kassner.

More Photos from the Adirondack Summer Outing













Photos from the Adirondack Summer Outing June 2010



Thursday, May 20, 2010

Everest Day Invitation

NY Section members and their guests are invited by H.E. the Nepal Ambassador to the UN to an Everest Day reception and cultural celebration. The event will be on Saturday May 29 at the Rubin Museum in Manhattan from 6:30-8:30PM. Everest Day commemorates the first ascent of Everest on May 29, 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. A variety of events are planned both in Nepal and elsewhere in connection with that historic day, including the annual Everest Marathon from Base Camp to Namche Bazaar and an international cleanup expedition, currently underway, on Everest. The Rubin is on the corner of 17th St. & 7th Avenue.

Attire: Suit and Tie for Men ; Cocktail attire for ladies.

Please RSVP ( acceptances only) directly to the Nepal Mission.

212-370- 3988/89
nepalmissionusa@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Tuesday May 18 - You Want to Go Where?

AAC New York Section members are invited to a presentation of You Want to Go Where?

7 p.m., Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Tent & Trails, 21 Park Place

New York

Jeff Blumenfeld’s presentation is based on his new book, “You Want to Go Where?” (Skyhorse Publishing) that covers some of the world’s most historic expeditions and adventures with an eye towards how people can gain funding for their own travels.

The talk, which has been presented at The Explorers Club, The Adventurers Club, the American Mountaineering Museum, and in early January 2010 off the coast of Antarctica, includes illustrations of such noteworthy adventures as:

Norman Vaughan - climbed Antarctic mountain named after himself

Will Steger - first confirmed dog sled trek to the North Pole

Reid Stowe - currently engaged in his quest to be at sea for 1,152 days, a record

Mike Haugen - climbed tallest U.S. peaks in record time

Paul Schurke – dogsled expedition across the Bering Strait

Barbara Hillary - went to the North Pole; now wants to go to the South at 77

Andre Tolme – adventure golf? Yes indeed. He hit a golf ball across Mongolia

Blumenfeld then explains that companies are not there to pay for your vacation. However, if you have a project that is bigger than yourself - a trip with a purpose - it is possible to generate cash or in-kind (gear) support. His talk is illustrated with over 40 photographs taken all over the world, including a selection from his recent Antarctic expedition.

Jeff Blumenfeld is editor of Expedition News, a 16-year-old monthly newsletter that covers the adventure marketing world. A resident of New Canaan, Conn., he is a member of The Explorers Club, the American Alpine Club, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In January 2010 he was a chaperone on a students educational trip to Antarctica (studentsonice.com).

Tent & Trails

21 Park Place

New York, New York 10007

(212) 227-1760 or (212) 227-1761

(21 Park Place is just off Broadway opposite City Hall Park)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

AAC Library Fundraiser

The AAC library is hosting a Barnes and Noble Fundraiser that has the potential to raise quite a bit in support. If you think members in your section would be interested, please help spread the word!! They can shop online, too, so they don't need to be in CO to participate. Here's the link: http://aaclibrary.wordpress.com/aac-book-sale/ and also a facebook event to spread easily: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110394758989996&index=1
NEW! Shop at Barnes and Noble on May 20-May 23rd in any store nationwide, or ONLINE from May 20-28th, and we get a percentage of the sale! You must present this Voucher -don’t forget to take it with you!
On the payment page for your online purchases, you will see a prompt “Is this a Bookfair Order”. When you click on it, you will get a payment screen where you can enter your book fair ID number in the space provided. This book fair ID number is the same provided by your organization for in store shopping.
Our BookFair ID is 10135614
Contact the library for more information at 303-384-0112, or email Beth directly at bheller@americanalpineclub.org.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Brooklyn Showing of 'The Disciples of Gill'


On Monday, May 3rd, at Brooklyn Boulders, one of the areas newest climbing gyms, the movie 'The Disciples of Gi;l' will be playing. 'The Disciples of Gill' is about John Gill, one of the greatest boulders of all-time. The movie begins at 8PM and costs $10. Brooklyn Boulders - http://www.brooklynboulders.com/

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Olaf Soot Photo Presentation at the Explorers Club


On Monday April 12, Olaf Soot will be presenting a slide show of his adventures and climbs in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego at the Explorers Club, 46 East 70th Street. Cocktail reception 6:00 PM; Show at 7PM. Admission $20 at the door if seats are available. To guarantee a spot RSVP with credit card info to 212-628-8383 .As we all know, Olaf's shows and photos are breathtaking and this will be no exception.