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HAPPY 2008!
It's always invigorating to be at the beginning of a new year.
It's a great time to assess your life and goals and a perfect time to make plans for achieving those goals. If your aspirations for 2008 include getting into the mountains, please
know that you've got a committed team here at the Institute ready to help turn your dreams into reality.
From all of us at AAI, here's wishing you
a 2008, filled with learning, safe travels, and adventure.
Dunham Gooding, Director
WHAT'S INSIDE:
- FEATURE ARTICLE: "Kilimanjaro: Good Living on the Top of Africa"
- PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Winter season is at its peak! Whether you're an ice climber, trekker, or backcountry skier, we guarantee there's plenty to do this winter, at home and abroad.
- SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for any South American program, and receive 10% off tuition, PLUS a $50 gift certificate to AAI's online gear store!
- INSTITUTE NEWS: AAI team meets success on Aconcagua - AAI recognized as "100% Green Power Purchaser" by EPA - AAI climber publishes a book
- AAI INSIDER:
- Expert Tips: This edition - "Selecting Equipment for Waterfall Ice and Mixed Climbing"
- Guides Choice: Check out these updated versions of past Guides Choice Winners
- Photo Contest: November winners announced * Vote! * March contest now open
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FEATURE ARTICLE:
"Kilimanjaro: Good Living on the Top of Africa"
Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, holds allure for adventurers around the world. People journey to climb to its 19,343-foot summit
for many different reasons. For climbers, Kilimanjaro is a prize because it is one of the Seven Summits. For others, Kilimanjaro holds
intrigue due to its exotic location in Tanzania and its timeless spotlight in literary history. Still for others, the peak is attractive simply because its
very lofty summit is attainable without any technical skill.
For AAI employee Shawn Olson, the mountain was a huge draw for all those reasons and others.
Check out Shawn's account of her November 2007 climb, and read her top five reasons to see the snows of Kili for yourself.
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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
→ Travel safely in the backcountry
It's been a difficult winter in Washington State this year, with avalanches tragically claiming several lives. Although no course can guarantee your safety from the forces of nature, education contributes greatly to making good decisions in the backcountry. Here are several courses to help you become a safer backcountry traveler.
→ Fend off the winter blues - travel with us!
If you are looking for a way to preserve your sanity through the remaining winter months, a climbing or trekking
trip abroad is a sure bet. We have a variety of programs, ranging in length from 5 to 22 days.
→ Got a tendency towards the technical?
Whether on rock or ice, fulfill your vertical cravings:
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 EXPERT TIPS
Selecting Equipment for Waterfall Ice and Mixed Climbing
by Kurt Hicks, AAI Guide and Instructor
Getting equipped for waterfall ice climbing, a highly equipment-intensive activity, used to be easy. You just had to buy some screws, technical ice tools, crampons,
and wander around the mountains until you found a frozen cascade. Fortunately, recent advances in technology now enable us to climb and protect ice much more efficiently
than in years past, but these advances have also made buying ice equipment much more complex. In the article AAI guide Kurt Hicks delves into some considerations for selecting equipment for waterfall
ice and mixed climbing. Read Kurt's article.
GUIDES CHOICE: Updated versions of previous Guides Choice Winners
Each year, we give certain pieces of equipment and clothing the Guides Choice Award (see 2007 winners). These items receive this designation because they have proven to be of the highest quality in their product category on the
basis of excellence in design, performance, and durability. It is common for a manufacturer to continue to make improvements to their products year after year, and we're always excited to see what changes
are made to the already excellent items that we have chosen to be our Guides Choice Award winners. Here are a few updates we're particularly excited about:
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Black Diamond Express Ice Screws
The Express Screw by Black Diamond improves upon the already proven, Guides Choice Award-winning Turbo Express Screw.
Stainless steel has replaced uncoated steel in the hanger, which translates into more reflection and less melt-out on sunny days and much less rusting when you forget to dry your screws out at the end of the day. Two clip-in
points facilitate more organized belays and enlarged turbo knobs allow faster placements. The teeth and tube geometry has also been tweaked to bite faster, screw in easier, and displace less ice,
resulting in a stronger placement that's easy to accomplish on lead. Finally, a little weight has been shaved off, meaning you can now carry 11 new screws for the weight of 10 older ones. When beefing
up your rack or replacing worn out screws, these are the perfect tool for the job. |
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MSR XGK EX
Little needs to be said about MSR stoves. The XGK has long been the workhorse for winter mountaineering and expedition use (and is a past Guides Choice winner), but new improvements have ensured the MSR legacy.
Perhaps the biggest change to
the XGK EX, a past Guides Choice winner) is a flexible fuel line, allowing the stove to fit in much smaller pots than before when it had a rigid fuel line.
Gone are the wire pot supports, replaced with attached folding arms that provide
increased stability for larger pots (and they're much easier to use with gloves on). As before, the excellent design easily lends itself to field repairs and basic maintenance.
Whether you're headed to Alaska or just on an overnight
snowshoe trip, this stove is ideal for your winter culinary needs. It's also an excellent choice for summer when you need a lot of fire power to feed several people efficiently. |
For advice on other gear, browse the Guides Choice web site. We feature weekly specials on a handful of items at substantial discounts. The clothing and equipment that is on sale changes every Tuesday, so check back each week.
PHOTO CONTEST
→ January 2008 Photo Contest: Vote for your favorite!
The photos are in, and now it's time for you, the reader, to decide which deserve to be winners.
→ Winner of November 2007 Photo Contest (click to see 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners):
Congratulations to Wally Young of Weston, CT, for winning first place in our November Photo Contest!
Here is Wally's winning photo:
"Looking up the Glacier de Cheilon to Mont Blanc de Cheilon, Switzerland"
→ Enter the March 2008 Photo Contest!
Send your best mountain photo(s) to climberspath@aai.cc and have a chance at winning the following prizes:
- 1st Place: $200 gift certificate for trips or $100 for gear
- 2nd Place: $100 gift certificate for trips or $50 for gear
- 3rd Place: $50 gift certificate for trips or $25 for gear
Rules:
- Only one win per contest is allowed per photographer.
- You can send multiple entries to each contest, but we will only choose two to enter in the contest.
- The act of submission constitutes your consent for AAI to publish your photo(s) online and in print.
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Founded in 1975, the American Alpine Institute is dedicated to helping beginning and experienced
climbers improve their skills and safely gain access to the great mountains of the world while protecting the natural environment. We offer AMGA accredited instructional courses,
guided trips, and expeditions throughout the year in 6 states and 16 countries. AAI is America's longest accredited guide service and climbing school.
American Alpine Institute
1515 12th Street
Bellingham, Washington 98225
Read past issues of AAI's E-newsletter.
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