Holiday Closure

The Library will be closed from Saturday, December 22 through Tuesday, January 1. We will resume normal hours beginning Wednesday, January 2. If you have any book, DVD, or reference requests, be sure to get them in soon.

Happy Holidays!

Free Public WiFi

Thanks to a grant from the Golden Civic Foundation, the Library now has free public WiFi. Whether you're working on a research project or just need to check your email, please stop by and take advantage of our new service.

We Like Donations!

We get some great donations at the library. One of our patrons was cleaning out her attic a few weeks ago and found some early issues of Up Rope, a discontinued publication of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. The donation included several issues we were missing in our reference collection, including the first ten that were published! The first issues, dating from 1944 and '45, were in wonderful condition and would have otherwise been impossible to find. We're having them custom-bound into one nice volume.

Please consider the AAC Library if you're giving away your old mountaineering and climbing books and journals. Give us a call at 303/384-0112. Thank you!

New Resources

We've added a sidebar to this blog called "Books by AAC Members." Because the staff at the American Alpine Journal cannot review all of the books that authors and publishers send them (they receive dozens during the course of a year), we want to be sure authors who are AAC members get special mention.

Take a look at a new resource called Teton Climbing History: The Summit Register Archive. This site contains a collection of digital images of the Grand Teton National Park Summit Register Archive. The summit registers were maintained from about the late-1920s into the 1980s and they form a unique repository of Teton climbing history. We've added the archive to the "Climbing Resources" sidebar on this blog and the AAC's Online Climbing Resources webpage.

NEW DVD

Dosage IV

New Blog Feature!

You can now find newly cataloged books on the library blog. You can either visit the “New Books” section on this blog or subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks to our colleagues at LibraryThing for making this new feature possible.

We'll make a blog post at the end of each month to annouce new DVD titles. If you subscribe to both the New Books and blog feeds, you’ll know right away when we’ve received new stuff. There will be an announcement in this month’s AAC E-News as well.

Using a feed reader is the best way to keep up with what’s going on in the library. Feed readers pull information from websites, blogs, and other web-based mediums into one place so you don’t have to bookmark and manually visit sites. If you're an AAC or CMC member who doesn't already use a reader but would like to learn how, we would be happy to show you. Just shoot us a line at library@americanalpineclub.org.

In the coming months, you’ll begin to see changes in the library’s catalog that will allow for tag-based browsing, book recommendations, ratings, and reviews. Stay tuned!

The Questions We Get

The library has only a few resources for mountaineering statistics. We're fortunate to have Accidents in North American Mountaineering and the Himalayan Database at our disposal, but these aren't enough. As mountaineering and climbing accidents become increasingly popular news (such as last winter's Mount Hood and Fowler/Boskoff incidences), we're getting more requests for statistical information.

Year to date, the library staff has answered 50% more reference questions than at this point last year. Inquiries related to mountaineering statistics account for much of that increase. Here are a few examples:

• How many people summitted Everest in 2001?
• How many deaths were reported on Everest in 1986?
• Who is the oldest North American to summit Everest?
• Where can I find a list of the world's highest peaks that are still unclimbed?

Please email us at library@americanalpineclub.org or comment to this post if you're aware of resources for statistical information related to mountaineering. We appreciate your help!

Construction Update

Just wanted to show how construction of the Bradford Washburn Mountaineering Museum is impacting the library. As you may already know, the museum is being built right next door to the library. It is a partnership between the American Alpine Club, Colorado Mountain Club, and National Geographic Society.

This temporary wall was built to minimize dust and noise in the library as the original wall behind it comes down. Over the next few months, a set of doors will be installed that will replace the original wall. The doors will open into a brand-new reading room that the library and museum will use as a shared resource. The reading room will allow access into the museum.

In the meantime, the museum is really shaping up! It is scheduled to open in late winter 2008 and will be one of the world's leading resources for mountains, mountaineering, and mountain cultures. Check out their blog.

Historic Ascent In India

Our colleagues from the Calcutta section of The Himalayan Club do a wonderful job keeping us informed of mountaineering news in their part of the world. We've received a press release from the HC announcing that the first Indian civilian ascent of Mt. Nilkanth (6595m) has been achieved. Another highlight of this expedition is that the climb was achieved in a single stretch of 57 hours!

Located in the state of Uttaranchal in India, there have only been four successful ascents of this difficult mountain. A full report will be published soon, but you can learn more here.

This news follows less than a year after the HC's ascent of Mt. Kamet (7756m), which was organized to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first successful ascent of that mountain.

The Himalayan Club is a major contributor to the AAC library's archive of historic expedition reports. The HC is also largely responsible for our complete set of The Himalayan Journal, the HC's annual publication. The Journal has been published since 1929 and ours may be the only complete set in the United States.

Above are two photos from the expedition that were taken near the summit of Nilkanth (courtesy of The Himalayan Club). Congratulations to all the team members!

UPDATED: The full report has arrived at the library. Please contact Gary at glandeck@americanalpineclub.org if you would like to have a copy

Women Breaking Barriers in Pakistan

An article in today's Aspen Daily News discusses the Pakistani Women's Climbing Camp, a joint project of the American Alpine Club and Alpine Club of Pakistan. Eight American women are leading an effort to cultivate a tradition of mountaineering among Pakistani women. Local response to the project was overwhelming and there will be about 100 participants on this expedition.

Such efforts are groundbreaking in a country where cultural norms impede women from participating in sports. Follow the PWCC's progress on their blog and support their effort.

GTCR Featured in Jackson Hole Magazine

An interesting article about the Grand Teton Climber Ranch appears in the summer/fall issue of Jackson Hole Magazine, a publication by Jackson Hole News. The article does not appear online, but copies of the magazine can be obtained from the publisher. You can also stop by the library to see our copy. The Ranch hosts a "work week" for volunteers to keep the place running.

The GTCR has been owned and operated by the AAC since 1970. The Ranch, located at the base of the Grand Teton, is open from mid-June to early September. AAC members can stay for just $8.00 per night! Another great reason to join the AAC.

Brittany Griffith in Siberia

Check out this YouTube video featuring the AAC's Events Coordinator, Brittany Griffith. In this video, she and her colleague JT discuss the history and culture of rock climbing in Siberia. These folks don't seem to have any reservations about free-soloing 5.9 slabs!


Brittany is a sponsored athlete and is currently on a climbing world-tour. You can follow her on her blog, BAG-gage: The Adventures of Brittany Griffith. She called a few days ago looking for beta on the Pyrenees and Oman. Oman was tough, but we're trying to get a copy of this book for her.

AAC, CMC, and Friends members take note: If we don't have it, we'll get it for you!

Atkinson Featured in AMC Outdoors

The library just received its copy of the July/August AMC Outdoors, the publication of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Guess who's on the front cover? If you guessed Bill Atkinson, chair of the AAC's New England Section, you're correct.

The feature article is a tribute to Bill and his 50+ year climbing career. Recounting Bill's climbs in the Alps, Tetons, Red Rocks, and the White Mountains, the article also examines Bill's remarkable ability to instill in others a love for the mountains and for climbing. The AAC library has guidebooks that cover all the places Bill has explored. AAC members can borrow these and the thousands of other books available in our catalog.

The AAC is "America's leading organization for all climbers" because it has so many leaders like Bill. Join the AAC today!

John Gill on Bouldering

John Gill is one of the many climber/scholars who visits the AAC Library. John, a longtime Colorado resident, has been a specialist in the art of bouldering since 1955. One of his important essays, "The Art of Bouldering", appears in the 1969 American Alpine Journal.

John has been writing an exhaustive history of bouldering on his website. You'll see that he found much of his information and several historic photos at the AAC Library. Recently, we helped John him track down a few artistic sketches that were published in the 1898 edition of the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.

We are grateful to John for writing the 2005 Friends of the Library appeal letter, the annual fundraising campaign the AAC holds each year to support the library. Please help us preserve this wonderful resource and become a Friend today!

You can read John Gill's biography, Master of Rock, written by his colleague Pat Ament. Where can you find it? You guessed it - the AAC Library!

Photo: John Gill working a problem in Little Owl Canyon near Pueblo, Colorado in 2002. Photo courtesy of John Gill.

Books and Flicks

See what's new for June! AAC, CMC, and Friend members can call or email us to borrow these new titles. Be sure to visit our catalog for a complete listing. Remember, borrowing and shipping are free!

Books
Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father / John Harlin
Khangchendzonga: Sacred Summit / Pema Wangchuk
Together on Top of the World / Phil Ershler
Legs on Everest / Mark Inglis
Antarctic Journal of a Sailor on Operation Windmill 1947-48 / Edward Koenig

DVDs
Alpine Mountaineering on Mount Rainier
Madagascar: A Woman's First Ascent and Great Trango Tower: A Granite Mile High (double feature)
Everest: The Mountain at the Millenium
Shishapangma: A Celebration of Life and Himalaya: Descending India (double feature)
Sport Climbing 101 with Chris Lindner

Who Says Good Help Is Hard To Find?

We lucked out with intern Mike Wejchert. Mike will be working as the Library Assistant this summer. Mike is a climber, English student at Colorado College, and has proven to be an all-around big help at the library.

In his first week, Mike has already processed an enormous book donation (shown above), an equally enormous serials collection, answered a number of difficult reference questions (including one about iceberg climbing - he tracked down ice climber Will Gadd to get his input), and is writing an article for the Friends of the Library Newsletter.

Mike has a great attitude, tackles anything I throw at him, and his knowledge of climbing and mountaineering literature is nothing short of, well...amazing. AAC and CMC members can contact him at mwejchert@AmericanAlpineClub.org for beta on practically anything. Catch him before he's gone. Welcome aboard, Mike!

Ellingwood and Molenaar Visit Library

May was a big month for notable visitors. Robert Ellingwood, Colorado Mountain Club President from 1956-57, visited with library and museum staff to discuss a donation of tremendous historical significance.

Ellingwood's father, Albert Ellingwood, was a prominent CMC member from 1915 until his death in 1934. The elder Ellingwood made many first ascents considered impossible in his day, including Colorado fourteeners Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle, and Kit Carson. After his father's death, the junior Ellingwood collected his father's nine handwritten journals as well as his moutaineering gear. "It has been a dream of mine since 1940 that my father's manuscripts and artifacts find a permanent home in institutions like the American Alpine Club Library and Bradford Washburn Mountaineering Museum", said Ellingwood. Albert Ellingwood died when Robert was just 16. His obituary appears in the June 1934 issue of Trail and Timberline.

Dee Molenaar, American Alpine Club member since 1943 and member of the Third American Karakoram Expedition to K2 in 1953 (an expedition documented in K2: The Savage Mountain), stopped by with his friend (and library volunteer), Bob Ader. Molenaar still supports the AAC in a number of ways; he is an artist and donated two of his paintings for the silent auction at the AAC's 105th Annual Meeting in Bend, Oregon last March.

Photo #1 (left to right, taken by Wendy Hall, Boulder Public Library): CMC Executive Director Kristy Judd, Robert Ellingwood, Museum Director Niña Johnson, Library Director Gary Landeck

Photo #2 (left to right, taken by Gary Landeck): Dee Molenaar, library volunteer Bob Ader