As mountain athletes, we know the expertise, technical knowledge, and bravery that goes into what Search and Rescue teams do—helping fellow mountain-lovers in distress. SAR work is invaluable, but it's also shrouded in mystery and can be pretty hard to talk about too, given the tragic outcomes of some rescues.

In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Grant Kleeves, a volunteer with Ouray Mountain Rescue, one of the winning SAR teams for last year’s Rocky Talkie SAR Award. We talk to Grant about some of the operational and logistical challenges that SAR teams face, and he walks us through the decision making process for a particular rescue Ouray Mountain Rescue did in 2021. You might note that we don’t describe what caused the accident, or analyze the accident either. And this is on purpose. Most of the time, SAR teams get a call for services without much context, and they must make decisions based on what they know. The story that Grant shares with us reflects that tricky reality.

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The AAC and Rocky Talkie are partnering once again this year to offer the Search and Rescue Award—giving a total of $36,000 to three Search and Rescue teams who responded to 2022 incidents in exceptional and inspirational ways. If you or a friend are part of a SAR team that is doing the good work out there, make sure you apply (https://americanalpineclub.org/rocky-talkie-award)for the Award before the end of January 2023!

Pete Takeda might be new to editing "Accidents in North American Climbing," but he’s not new to the climbing game. With decades of experience, and through actively developing a database of all of the climbing accidents submitted to the publication for over half a century, he wields a unique level of knowledge about accident trends in climbing. In this episode, we sat down with Pete to talk about the process of selecting the stories and analysis for the "Accidents" publication each year, trends in climbing accidents that Pete has noticed through his work—including many that the climbing world has been ignoring for far too long—and the bravery of submitting a report in a world that loves to critique.

The Full Circle Everest team was the first all-Black team to attempt Everest, and with the majority of their team summiting, they nearly doubled the number of Black climbers who have summited the highest mountain in the world. In this episode, we sit down with three members of the team—leader and longtime climber Philip Henderson, North Face Athlete Fred Campbell, and Kenyan guide and mountaineer James “KG” Kagambi, who is the first Black African to summit Denali, Aconcagua, and now Everest. We talked about moments of joy on the mountain, what they learned working alongside their expert Sherpa team, what motivated them to join this all-Black expedition, the evidence of climate change they witnessed, the challenges of mountaineering judgment on mountains with unstable conditions, and much more.

Dive in for a dose of inspiration and insights you won’t want to miss.

Members of the Full Circle Everest team will be giving a keynote speech for the AAC’s 2023 Annual Gala. Don’t forget to save the date and join us for the biggest, and fanciest, get-together of dirtbags around. Learn more here: https://americanalpineclub.org/annual-benefit-gala

Visit our website for more resources and the show notes: https://americanalpineclub.org/stories/#185

I’m just one person…what can I do? Turns out, quite a lot—if you have the resources and support to join together with other climbers. That’s why we’ve created the Climbers' Advocacy Network (CAN).

In this episode, we sat down with two individuals that love climbing—and just can’t stop themselves from getting involved in their climbing community. They have joined the Climber’s Advocacy Network and are advocating for issues that impact climbers near them. Sam, from the Colorado hub of CAN, and Reese, from the Georgia hub of CAN, discuss what motivates them and what they’ve been learning from participating in the Climbers' Advocacy Network. We also sat down with grassroots campaign consultant Skye Schell to help us contextualize the potential and possibility of the CAN within outdoor advocacy at large. Dive in and explore how climbers at the AAC are fighting the good fight to protect their local public lands and build equitable access to the outdoors.

Learn more about the Climbers' Advocacy Network: https://americanalpineclub.org/conservation

Support this work: https://membership.americanalpineclub.org/donate

This episode highlights a live panel that spans generations of trailblazing female climbers, including the iconic Lynn Hill, mountaineer Arlene Blum, big wall climber Madaleine Sorkin, and alpinist Sarah Hart. From the first American ascent of Annapurna I, to innumerable female first ascents, to the first free ascent of The Nose, these women bring immense experience and perspective to this conversation. The panelists discuss how their experiences as women have shaped their climbing, what counts as the cutting edge of women’s climbing and whether it should be analyzed separately from climbing in general, and the power of having role models for the next generation.

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Ruth Dyar Mendenhall finding a corpse on Washington Column. Liz and Royal Robbins establishing the famous Nutcracker Suite. Lynn Hill climbing hard aid climbs on El Cap for a change, and Steph Davis free climbing the Salathé Wall….We sat down with AAC member and writer, Lauren DeLaunay Miller, to talk about her new book, Valley of Giants: Stories From Women At The Heart of Yosemite Climbing, which contains all these stories and more from the deep well of Yosemite’s untold history. In this episode, we geek out about Yosemite, discuss what it’s like to talk to your climbing heroes, and discern the role of women in the famous Yosemite climbing generations: The Golden Age, The Stonemasters, and The Stone Monkeys. Dive into this episode to learn about these women’s stories, and what Lauren learned as she put together this groundbreaking book.

You can buy Valley of Giants: Stories From Women At The Heart of Yosemite Climbing here: https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/valley-of-giants-stories-from-women-at-the-heart-of-yosemite-climbing

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Cody Kaemmerlen may be a dreamer, but he’s not the only one. Alongside his friends Jon and Jess Glassberg, founders of the film production company Louder Than Eleven, he dreamed up Pull Focus, a grant for underrepresented filmmakers. This grant, from the AAC’s Climb United initiative, funds a BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individual, and/or individual with seen and unseen disabilities to create their own film project with the mentorship of these industry leaders. In this episode, the AAC chats with Jon, Jess, and Cody about barriers to the outdoor film industry, what the recipient can expect during the internship, epic tales from the “set” of climbing films, and why this all matters.

If you want to apply for the grant yourself, find out more at americanalpineclub.org/pull-focus-grant.

If you want to support this work, join the Club or renew your membership at americanalpineclub.org/join. If you do so before the end of June, and you use the promo code UNITED22SHIRT, you’ll get a free limited edition t-shirt!

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Joshua Tree National Park is going to ban bolts? Hold up now. The conversation around land management and climbing management plans (CMP) can get a little tense when climbers feel like our access to the rock is under threat. But what is really going on with J-Tree NP’s proposed management plan? It’s not as simple as the banning bolts rumor would have it. AAC Policy Manager, Taylor Luneau, and former Joshua Tree Superintendent, Mark Butler, sit down with us to talk about the need for the CMP, the tricky land management paradox of bolts in designated Wilderness areas, and how you can get involved to protect Joshua Tree and promote responsible climbing.

In this episode of the AAC Legacy Series, alpinist Steve House recounts his traumatic fall on Mount Temple, a fall that pulverized several of his ribs, fractured his back, and punctured a lung. Thanks to rescue efforts, Steve was able to narrowly escape death, but such a close call led Steve to think about the need to reprioritize contributing to his community and building meaningful relationships. Despite dramatic injuries, Steve would go on to climb Makalu less than a year later.

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Yvon Chouinard is a well-known figure in climbing history, especially known for his innovative gear developments for the sport, like the ice axe and crampons, and his founding of Patagonia, one of the leading brands in the outdoor industry. Yvon’s stories reveal the early years of vision and dedication that shaped climbing as it is today, and ridiculous tales of the true dirtbag ways. In this episode, Yvon shares tales of eating expired cat food, selling pitons out of the back of his car, and shiver bivvies where his partners insulated their coats with crumpled pages of a novel.