Skip to content
OpenBeta Forum

OpenBeta Forums
  1. Home
  2. Categories
  3. General News
  4. AAC's Strategic Plan—2025-2027

AAC's Strategic Plan—2025-2027

General News
1 1 140 1
  • American Alpine ClubA

    What follows is the AAC’s Strategic Plan leading up to the organization’s 125th anniversary. Our plan is rooted in our core belief that climbing can change lives and ignite a passion and sense of meaning within its practitioners. With the power of climbing in mind, we are dedicated to facilitating this passion and supporting climbers as they seek their most fulfilling relationship with climbing.
    A community of thriving climbers.
    Provide climbers with resources that advance knowledge, inspiration, and advocacy.
    • Adventure
    • Inspiration
    • Curiosity
    • Inclusion
    • Commitment
    The AAC is committed to providing the tools, resources, and support necessary for climbers to thrive and excel in their pursuits. At each opportunity that we engage with our members, we’ll create a culture of empowerment for climbers of all backgrounds and skill levels to live their dreams.
    The AAC has a powerful history of inspiring and uniting climbers through storytelling. We
    will deepen our investment in these stories that evoke emotions, spark curiosity, and fuel imagination, encouraging climbers to pursue dreams, push limits, and connect with the natural world.
    The AAC is committed to conserving climbing areas, mitigating impacts on nature, and advocating for members’ rights. Through advocacy, policy, and partnerships, we will continue to activate our members to protect the places they climb.
    We prioritize personalized interactions and know that top-tier benefits are key to enhancing member satisfaction and loyalty. We will go beyond transactions, striving to build lasting connections by addressing members’ holistic needs.
    The AAC recognizes the power of collective action in protecting climbers and their cherished climbing destinations and will focus on seeking collaborative partnerships and promoting cross-sector collaboration.
    We will align our efforts with key strategies that drive growth, ensure stability, and foster sustainability. Our focus areas include: developing skilled and engaged staff, ensuring long-term financial stability, modernizing infrastructure, enhancing risk management and compliance, and increasing environmental sustainability.
    The AAC will sharpen its brand and expand its national reach to stand out within the outdoor community. This effort aims to increase AAC’s visibility and connect better with climbers nationwide.

    Link Preview Image
    AAC's Strategic Plan—2025-2027 — American Alpine Club

    What follows is the AAC’s Strategic Plan leading up to the organization’s 125th anniversary. Our plan is rooted in our core belief that climbing can change lives and ignite a passion and sense of meaning within its practitioners. With the power of climbing in mind, we are dedicated to facilitating t

    favicon

    American Alpine Club (americanalpineclub.org)

    0

Suggested topics

  • GrippedG

    First-Ever Lead World Cup in Madrid This Weekend

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    88 Views
    GrippedG
    Here's who's competing and how you can livestream the event on Friday and Saturday The post First-Ever Lead World Cup in Madrid This Weekend appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/indoor-climbing/first-ever-lead-world-cup-in-madrid-this-weekend/
  • UK ClimbingU

    Jernej Kruder makes first repeat of Crown Royale, 9a (trad)

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    129 Views
    UK ClimbingU
    Jernej Kruder has made the second ascent of Pete Whittaker'sJssingfjord trad route Crown Royale, 9a. https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=781742
  • IFSCI

    Nurul Iqamah 🇮🇩 is the first-ever FEMALE coach in Indonesian Climbing history 👏 #Shorts

    Videos climbing ifsc
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    125 Views
    IFSCI
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOj1usWKItY
  • EpicTVE

    The Brand NEW Ocùn Diamond S

    Videos climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    118 Views
    EpicTVE
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkvOx-8_Pzk
  • American Alpine ClubA

    Guidebook XII—Member Spotlight

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    132 Views
    American Alpine ClubA
    “Driving towards Highway 285, we pass strips of red rock cutting through the foothills of Morrison in Colorado’s Front Range, chasing the promise of new climbs. In the front seat, Josh Pollock describes the Narrow Gauge Slab, a new crag he has been developing in Jefferson County. Pollock is the type of person who points out the ecology of the world around him. As the car weaves along the mid-elevation Ponderosa Pine forest, Pollock describes how we’ll see cute pin cushion cacti, black-chinned or broad-tailed hummingbirds, and Douglas-fir tussock moth caterpillars. We pull into a three-level parking lot about seven miles down the Pine Valley Ranch Road. With no cell service and heavy packs, we set off along an old railroad trail toward the crag. Not even ten minutes into our walk, Pollock turns off, and we are greeted by a Jeffco trail crew building switchbacks to the crag.” https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2024/11/20/the-guidebook-xii
  • American Alpine ClubA

    The Line: A Great Year for Women in the Mountains

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    145 Views
    American Alpine ClubA
    All-women teams have been exceptionally active around the world this year. This month we’re highlighting two of them: a Slovenian women’s expedition to Zanskar, India, and an Italian pair in the Pamir Alai of Kyrygzstan. Two other highly ambitious expeditions in 2024 involved American women: Chantel Astorga, supported by an AAC Cutting Edge Grant, nearly completed a new route up Shivling in India with Fanny Schmutz; and Michelle Dvorak, armed with a McNeill-Nott Grant, got high on the unclimbed southeast buttress of Chaukhamba III, also in India, with Fay Manners, before a rockfall incident forced them down. Just this month, Babsi Zangerl made her extraordinary flash of an El Cap free route. Plenty more women’s climbs will appear in the 2025 AAJ: See the gallery above for a little preview! Our all-female expedition to Zanskar, India, was comprised of Ana Baumgartner, Urša Kešar, Patricija Verdev, and me (all from Slovenia). On August 26, we left the road with 18 porters to climb in the Lalung Valley. Our main goal was Lalung I and neighboring peaks. The day after our arrival at base camp, we explored higher up the valley. It took an entire day to make a 20-kilometer round trip on moraine and glacial terrain, and, as the weather was poor, we didn’t see much of the higher peaks. On August 31, Patricija and I climbed a new route on a granite north-northwest face not far from base camp. This buttress, which starts at around 4,200 meters, lies on the south side of the valley and rises to Peak 5,346m. One route had been climbed previously near the center of this face, by Indians Korak Sanyal and Spandan Sanyal (see AAJ 2018). Our new route, Connection (VI-), took 15 hours and involved around 1,400 meters of climbing. Before moving up to an advanced base camp, we had a nighttime visit from a bear. It was an unpleasant encounter, with the animal sniffing around our tents for food. All four climbers were happy to relocate to a bear-free advanced base at 4,800 meters. Urša had difficulties with the altitude, however, so after a couple of days she and Ana returned to base camp, where they and our cooks and liaison officer had to deal with a full-on bear saga. After more than 10 nighttime bear visits, resulting in Patricija’s tent being ripped, heaps of food stolen, and the toilet tent demolished, they managed to scare off the bears with fire and enjoy a few peaceful nights. During this period, Urša and Ana climbed two more new routes on the north-northwest face of Peak 5,332m, finishing on the northwest ridge. Meanwhile, on September 9, Patricija and I left advanced base for the east ridge of unclimbed Lalung I (6,243m), camping a little way above the start. We’d had a forecast for a good weather window, but a snowstorm on the 10th forced us to set up tent in the middle of the day and sit out the bad weather. The storm lasted all the next day, but the 12th dawned clear and we climbed late into the night. Day five on the ridge required even more determination, and it wasn’t until 1:30 a.m. that we settled down for a rest, having climbed the final difficult mixed pitches. In a moment of carelessness brought on by fatigue, we lost our tent poles to the wind and slept in the open in bivouac sacks. The next morning was foggy, making it hard to navigate, but after some snow slopes, we reached the summit at 9 a.m. on the 14th. We proceeded with a long descent along the west ridge and then five rappels on the north face to reach the glacier at 6:30 p.m. It took another eight hours to reach advanced base. Next day, we descended to base camp. Just before stepping off the moraine, we saw three silhouettes, Ana, Urša, and Freni, who brought smiles to our tired faces. We named our route Here Comes the Sun (M6+ AI5+, with around 2,000 meters of climbing). — Anja Petek, Slovenia Camilla Reggio and I met on the Eagle Team of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI) and immediately became friends, connected by our huge passion for the mountains. We decided to plan our first expedition together and ended up in Kyrgyzstan, with the intent of climbing on the incredible granite of the Ak-su Valley in the Pamir Alai mountains. We hoped to open a new route.  Walking up and down the valley in search of possible lines, we were impressed by the 500m south face of Pik 3,850m (a.k.a. the south buttress of Pik Slesova). The following morning, August 12, we brought a... https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2024/11/17/the-line-a-great-year-for-women-in-the-mountains
  • American Alpine ClubA

    “This Must Be The Place…”: A Story from the Gunks

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    135 Views
    American Alpine ClubA
    By Marian (May) Perez A place I look forward to getting to, another place I call home. I sometimes drive through local roads outside of New Paltz, most of the time I drive up the thruway from New Jersey to go upstate. Jamming to my favorite tunes on repeat with joy or crying my heartache away from emotional pains. Once I see the stretch of windy road on Rt 299, passing by the farms and artwork, the interesting sculpture at the four way stop that not only indicates I’m getting closer, but also prompts the first appearance of the massive being known as the Shawangunks. I pass through the AAC campground to reminisce and surprise my close friends, a safe place for me to exist. A place where I’ve lived in my car and woke up next to the being called the West Trapps. A place where you look into the distance and see tiny dots of color climbing up the wall like ants making their way with their daily discoveries. A place where if you listen deep enough, you can hear the echoes of folks letting their partners know “Off belay!” At the sight of apple trees and the random billboard, my body wakes up. I know what I’m about to see and I know where I’m about to go. This must be the place, exit 18 to New Paltz, NY, home of the Shawangunk Mountains and home to me, where I want to be. I drive through town with my windows down, taking in all the quirky things that make this place special. Making stops at my favorite gear shop, Rock and Snow, and grabbing the best coffee and tea in town at The Ridge Tea and Spice. I say hi to all my friends, grounding myself after a long drive and filling my heart cup knowing people care about me. I look up to spot the Dangler Roof. Close my eyes and daydream about sitting on the GT Ledge on Three Pines or Something Interesting, looking out in the valley trying to find the campground and all the land surrounding it, thinking about how small we humans actually are. We might not have the biggest mountains, but the feeling is the same I’ve had looking out into Yosemite Valley. The beauty of being surrounded by so much, and still so much to see. Or the privilege to be on a 9,000 ft long cliff in the middle of the day. I open my eyes to find myself on the GT Ledge, realizing I’ve been present the whole time. It’s sunset and there’s still so much light on the cliff, except the darkness that hides in the trees below me. It might seem like we’ve been benighted, but the quartz conglomerate glows for us a bit longer to finish up Crystal Cascading Kaleidoscope (CCK) 5.7+, one of the wildest traverses of the grade. I follow my leader after they send and get ready to tip toe my way over to the big flake, trusting the polished feet and jamming my way up the #1 hand crack, up further to the crimpy ledge, back over to my partner, stoked to see me pull the last moves over the top of the cliff. We enjoy the last bit of light and share gratitude to the day and how we overcame what was presented to us, wild adventure no more than 400 ft below us.  This must be the place, the place I like to call home, where I want to be. https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2024/10/10/this-must-be-the-place-a-story-from-the-gunks
  • GrippedG

    Climber Lhakpa Sherpa is the Mountain Queen

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    117 Views
    GrippedG
    A must-watch new documentary just dropped on Netflix, check out the trailer below The post Climber Lhakpa Sherpa is the Mountain Queen appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/climber-lhakpa-sherpa-is-the-mountain-queen/