Welcome to American Alpine Institute's March E-Newsletter

Greetings Climbers,

      We have enjoyed an outstanding winter of climbing and skiing, and we hope you have done the same. In the Cascades we received a deep snow pack which will keep the glaciers healthy this summer (world record holder Mt. Baker once again received the most snow in the U.S. - 46 feet by March 12th and still falling), and in the Sierra and Rockies we had great ice by mid-December and good skiing as well. Glacier conditions in South America were varied, but the weather was largely excellent, and we enjoyed very successful seasons in Ecuador, on Aconcagua, and in Patagonia where we did our first traverse on the ice cap as well as a series of ascents. Here at the high latitudes in North America we are now getting milder weather and longer days, and we are pleased that summer is just a few months away.

      Thanks to everyone that took the time to submit feedback to Mount Rainier National Park on their proposed new Commercial Services Plan. The Park received many excellent letters and we, as well as the Park Service, greatly appreciate the quality submissions. If you are interested in the status of the process, please see our "Whats Happening on Mt. Rainier" section below.

      In this edition of the newsletter you will find an article and slide show on climbing in the Waddington Range of British Columbia, as well as a summary of our upcoming spring and summer seasons in the Cascades and Alaska.

      As many of you may already know from having received our new "Courses and Expeditions Catalog," we are pleased to be offering several new programs this year. We are resuming trips in the Himalaya (we started offering trips there in 1980) with expeditions to Ama Dablam, Cho Oyu, and Everest as well as trekking and shorter climbing programs. You'll also find new departures for Mt. Elbrus, Carstensz Pyramid, Antarctica, and New Zealand. Trips range from one week to two months throughout the year.

      We have many great climbing programs and expeditions planned for 2004, and we hope you'll be able to join us!

Cheers from all the staff at AAI,

Dunham Gooding,
Director


WADDINGTON AND BC'S COAST RANGE

So what's the deal with Mt Waddington? Many people have heard of it; a few even know a little about British Columbia's Coast Range; but for the most part the mountain and the range are shrouded in mystery, and only vague images are found in the backs of most climbers' minds. Read a little more about this amazing range and the climbing that some people call the best on the continent. Want to go there? The Institute has four climbers on Waddington in July and two other expeditions are scheduled.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ON MT. RAINIER

The public comment period on the Draft Commercial Services Plan for Mount Rainier National Park closed November 25th, and according to Rainier Concessions Analyst Chris Jones, in early March the staff finished sorting, categorizing, and entering into the public record the 1900 submissions that were received.

They will finish with their analysis of the responses in April and finalize their preferred alternative by May. It will then go to PricewaterhouseCoopers for confirmation of its economic feasibility (PWC did the initial economic assessment), and by July it should be in the hands of NPS Regional Director John Jarvis for final approval. Additional public comment will only be solicited if the final preferred alternative is outside of the parameters of the alternatives that were included in the draft plan. In an interview that AAI did on March 12, 2004, Chris Jones said, "We expect that the final plan will be in our Washington office by September for legal review and that we will be in a position to publish a concessions prospectus in October. It usually takes a year from the issuance of a prospectus to the signing of concessions contracts, so I anticipate work under the new concessions commencing at the beginning of 2006." The implications of the new Commercial Services Plan are immense for the care of the mountain and the quality of the services that are made available to the public. Though this is a long process, we feel it is in everyone's best interest that the Park follows this meticulous path to completion.

ALASKA AND THE CASCADES - THE 2004 SEASON IS UPON US!

We have several courses in the Ruth Gorge of the Alaska Range running this year as well as five expeditions to Denali. The climbing season for Alaska and the Cascades will be starting the first week in May. Read about a few of our spring and summer offerings by following the link below, and come climb with us in one of these fantastic ranges.

Alaska
It has been said by a few top alpinists that Alaska has the best alpine climbing on the planet. The combination of perfect granite, enormous glaciers, corniced ridges, and superb ice climbing make the Alaska Range a "must visit" place for climbers of all ability levels.

The Cascades
There is no better place to get a taste of alpine mountaineering or further your glacier travel and rock climbing skills than the Cascades. Check out our instructional courses or set up a course or climb of your own in the Cascades this summer.


GREAT CLIMBING GEAR @ www.guideschoice.com

If you are in need of advice on gear or need to purchase climbing equipment or clothing, you should check out our Guides Choice web site. We also feature a weekly special on a handful of items at substantial discounts. This week's and next week's specials are listed below.

WEEKLY SPECIALS for the weeks of March 9-22, 2003

AAI's Newsletter Archive


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