Skip to content
OpenBeta Forum

OpenBeta Forums
  1. Home
  2. Categories
  3. General News
  4. The American Alpine Club Announces 2025 McNeill-Nott Winners

The American Alpine Club Announces 2025 McNeill-Nott Winners

General News
1 1 193 1
  • American Alpine ClubA

    March 2025
    The American Alpine Club (AAC) and Mountain Hardwear are excited to announce the 2025 McNeill-Nott recipients. With the untimely death of Sue Nott and her climbing partner Karen McNeill on Sultana (Mt. Foraker) in 2006, the AAC partnered with Mountain Hardwear to establish the McNeill-Nott Award in their memory. This award seeks to preserve the spirit of these two talented and courageous climbers by giving grants to amateur female climbers exploring new routes or unclimbed peaks with small teams.
    Heather Smallpage will receive $2,000 to attempt big wall and alpine-style first ascents in a little-climbed region of Baffin Island: Arviqtujuq Kangiqtua (formerly Eglinton Fjord). Natalie Afonina, Shira Biner, Char Tomlinson, and Kaylan Worsnop will all join the expedition, which will be almost entirely human-powered. The expedition team will travel over 250 km by skiing, climbing, packrafting, and walking. The team hopes that this expedition will not only inspire people to see what is possible for female and nonbinary alpinism but also emphasize how increasingly essential and joyous these spaces are in this sport and will tell a story that includes voices that are often quieted or left out of the climbing media.
    Angela VanWiemeersch will receive $4,000 to attempt to establish a technical line in alpine style on a 5,000-meter peak in the Pamir Alai mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Allie Oaks will join VanWiemeersch on this expedition. Oaks and VanWiemeersch have been growing a long-distance partnership over the last four years and will be doing a training trip in the Canadian Rockies this April. This will be their first big expedition together. 
    Brooke Maushund will receive $1,000 to attempt to climb and ski unclimbed peaks on the Southern Patagonian Icefield (Hielo Continental) with a primarily female team. Since avalanche forecasting in the U.S. during austral summers, Maushund was driven to extend her winters in the Southern Hemisphere. After spending close to four months skiing in Patagonia last year, starting to learn terrain, snowpacks, and weather patterns, she is excited to continue learning through exploratory skiing in this dynamic, wild environment. 
    Applications for the McNeill-Nott Award are accepted each year from October 1 through November 30.
    Berkeley Anderson, Foundation and Grants Coordinator: [email protected]

    About Mountain Hardwear

    Mountain Hardwear, Inc., was founded in 1993 and is based in Richmond, CA. We exist to encourage and equip people to seek a wilder path in life. For 30 years, we’ve built essential equipment for climbers, mountaineers, and outdoor athletes and have supported expeditions on the world’s highest peaks. Relentless precision continues to inspire everything we do — our designers sweat every stitch and detail to continuously improve function, durability, and comfort. Mountain Hardwear is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear Company that distributes its products through specialty outdoor retailers in the United States and 34 countries worldwide. www.mountainhardwear.com

    Link Preview Image
    The American Alpine Club Announces 2025 McNeill-Nott Winners — American Alpine Club

    March 2025 The American Alpine Club (AAC) and Mountain Hardwear are excited to announce the 2025 McNeill-Nott recipients. With the untimely death of Sue Nott and her climbing partner Karen McNeill on Sultana (Mt. Foraker) in 2006, the AAC partnered with Mountain Hardwear to establish the McNeil

    favicon

    American Alpine Club (americanalpineclub.org)

    0
  • Sport ChannelS Sport Channel shared this topic on

Suggested topics

  • GrippedG

    Climber Free Solos to Save Life of Unconscious Hang Glider

    General News climbing
    1
    1 Votes
    1 Posts
    61 Views
    GrippedG
    With nothing but trail runners on, Matthew Clark of Victoria, B.C., solo’d up to rescue a hang glider who’d taken a fall The post Climber Free Solos to Save Life of Unconscious Hang Glider  appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/climber-free-solos-to-save-life-of-unconscious-hang-glider/
  • ClimbingZineC

    50% off Climbing Zine Subscription (supported by anonymous donor)

    General News climbing climbingzine
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    93 Views
    ClimbingZineC
    Score a Climbing Zine subscription using the discount link below. Good for 50% off your first year, and the other half is covered by an anonymous donor. We have 25 total available, with 11 left. https://shop.climbingzine.com/discount/JULYFIFTY https://climbingzine.com/50-off-climbing-zine-subscription-supported-by-anonymous-donor/
  • American Alpine ClubA

    The Prescription—Rappel Fatalities

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    126 Views
    American Alpine ClubA
    This month, we recall a tragic accident from 2023 ANAC. While recalling this accident is disturbing, it’s important to understand that there were 14 published rappel accidents that year, eight of which resulted in fatalities. The trend shows no sign of abating. In the upcoming 2025 ANAC, our data tables record a total of 15 reported rappel incidents that involved 23 climbers and ended with five fatalities. It’s not all bad news. In the 2025 ANAC, we also feature an article with tips for improved rappel safety from John Godino of Alpinesavvy.com. On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, Chelsea Walsh (33), a documentary filmmaker, and Gavin Escobar (31), an ex–Dallas Cowboys football player, died in a fall at Tahquitz Rock (Lily Rock). The Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit (RMRU) responded to the accident and later provided an in-depth analysis. They concluded that a degraded rappel sling caused the fatal fall of several hundred feet. This was one of two fatal accidents in 2022 due to a broken rappel-anchor sling. RMRU reported that, around 8 a.m., Escobar and Walsh told another climbing party that they intended to climb Dave’s Deviation (3 pitches, 5.9). The weather appeared good, with only a few puffy clouds. At 10:30 a.m., a team on a route to the left, Super Pooper (5.10b), saw Escobar and Walsh near the top of their route. The weather was still good. Fifteen to thirty minutes later, it began to rain. The team on Super Pooper began talking about retreating. By noon, the weather had gotten even worse. A team on Left Ski Track (5.6) had topped out and took shelter under a rock near the top of The Trough, a four-pitch 5.4. According to the RMRU report, by this time, “(the) weather has significantly deteriorated, with thunder and heavy rain and small hail. Members of both climbing parties were surprised at how quickly the storm intensified. Water was running down rock faces and soaked all climbing gear.” Between noon and 12:15 p.m., the team on Super Pooper began to retreat. They heard a noise from the direction of Walsh and Escobar’s route and saw two falling climbers and a very large rock falling with them. The four climbers near the top of The Trough heard the same. No one heard rockfall before the sight and sounds of the fall. When RMRU arrived, they found Walsh and Escobar at the base of a gully below The Trough. The location of the bodies aligned with the fall line below a tree that was above the finish of Dave’s Deviation. Later investigation and video taken by Walsh confirmed the pair chose the tree—with an in situ rappel sling—as a bail point. The video also showed Escobar initiating the rappel and both climbers clipped into the single webbing loop. Both climbers appeared in good spirits and unhurried in making their rappel arrangements. The RMRU reported that the pair were found “wearing helmets, harnesses, and climbing shoes. Chelsea had a PAS girth-hitched through her harness with a locked screwgate at the far end, an unlocked screwgate clipped to an ATC, and an unlocked screwgate clipped to a hollow block. Chelsea was not connected to the rope or any anchor material. Gavin had a single-length sling girth-hitched to his harness’ tie-in points with an unlocked carabiner clipped to the sling and the belay loop. Additionally, an ATC was attached to his belay loop with a locked screwgate and both strands of the rope running through the ATC and through the screwgate. There was a four-to-five-foot loop of rope extending from the top of the ATC with two opposite and opposed wire-gate carabiners clipped to the rope. These carabiners were not connected to anything else. The rope had some sheath damage to the area around the ATC and significant sheath damage a few feet below the ATC, but there were no breaks present. Each end of the rope had a single figure 8 tied into it, one loose and one hand tight.” The RMRU report summarizes, “As the storm moved in, the party reached the pine tree close to the first pitch of Upper Royal’s Arch and, given the conditions, decided to rappel. By the time they reached the pine tree, the webbing [around the tree] was wet, and as such, it would have been more difficult to ascertain the quality of the webbing without closely inspecting the knot and seeing the original color. They likely clipped into the webbing with their personal anchor systems. As the terrain below the pine tree is sloping, with only small areas to stand, it is likely they would have both been weighting the webbing. They then tied stopper knots into their rope, clipped it through the two wire-g... https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/6/25/the-prescriptionrappel-fatalities
  • GrippedG

    Yosemite Scientists Assigned to Clean Toilets

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    227 Views
    GrippedG
    The U.S. National Parks are facing staff shortages because the federal government fired hundreds of employees earlier this year The post Yosemite Scientists Assigned to Clean Toilets appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/yosemite-scientists-assigned-to-clean-toilets/
  • GrippedG

    Jun Shibanuma Climbs Dreamcatcher 5.14d

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    152 Views
    GrippedG
    The Squamish sport climb is one of the most iconic single-pitch lines in North America The post Jun Shibanuma Climbs Dreamcatcher 5.14d appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/jun-shibanuma-climbs-dreamcatcher-5-14d/
  • GrippedG

    New Fastest Time Up Himalayan Peak

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    157 Views
    GrippedG
    Vadim Druelle has smashed FKT up Nanga Parbat The post New Fastest Time Up Himalayan Peak appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/new-fastest-time-up-himalayan-peak/
  • UK ClimbingU

    Safety Signage Planned for Scafell Pike

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    155 Views
    UK ClimbingU
    https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=771653
  • ClimbingZineC

    Sharp Edges: Holding On By Letting Go by Shara Zaia

    General News climbing climbingzine
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    141 Views
    ClimbingZineC
    https://climbingzine.com/sharp-edges-holding-on-by-letting-go-by-shara-zaia/